A Challenge to Share
Notes
Transcript
OT Verse
OT Verse
1 “Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.
Introduction
Introduction
A few years ago, not long after we moved to the seminary, I listened to one of the professors tell a story about a girl he’d went to high school with. She was one of his best and closest friends, and in fact, they’d went to school together for several years so they both new each other very well. Now, they lived in a small town where everyone knew each other, and it was just assumed that the majority of people attended church on Sunday mornings. He said that it wasn’t until high school that he realized, after talking with this girl one evening, that she’d never really attended church, and even worse that she’d never professed faith in Jesus! The more he thought about it the more it concerned him, but he always seemed to have some kind of an excuse as to why he never got around to sharing the gospel with her. So finally, they finished high school and he went off to college, but while he was there, he stayed in contact with her and when he would come home, they would go do things together with all of their friends. Then, in the middle of his senior year at college he received a phone call from the girl’s dad saying that she’d been involved in an accident and due to the injuries she’d sustained, she had passed away. Her dad then asked him if he would serve as a pallbearer. He said he hung up the phone and hit his knees and he didn’t think he’d ever cried that hard in his entire life as he did that evening. Why? Because he knew he never took the time to share the gospel with her, and as far as he knew neither had anyone else. Friends we make all sorts of excuses for why we don’t share the gospel with people. In our text today, Jn. 4:27-42 I would like to look at three reasons why we don’t share, and issue a challenge to you to share! If you’ve got your Bible open, let’s read from God’s Word.
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.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Prayer
Prayer
But they might not want to hear!
But they might not want to hear!
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.
One of the main reasons we shy away from sharing the gospel can be found in vv.27-30; it’s because we think others might not want to hear. Now, I know some of you are saying, “I don’t see that in the text”, but follow along with me if you will. In Jn. 4:27 we find out that the disciples have returned from their trip to the local grocery store (actually it was probably an open-air market). While they’ve been gone Jesus struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well and when the disciples returned what happens? Well, to put it lightly, Jn. 4:27 tells us that they were shocked. Why? Well, several reasons. 1) In that culture men just didn’t talk to women like that because it was often considered to be a waste of time. 2) Jesus was a Jew and Jews just didn’t talk to Samaritans, let alone a Jewish man carrying on a conversation with a Samaritan woman! 3) (I don’t think people catch this one quite as often) What happened at wells in the Bible, especially in the OT? That’s where people went to find a wife (Remember, Abraham sent his servant to find Issac a wife, and where did he find Rebecca? At the well!) The disciples may well (no pun intended) have thought that that was what Jesus was doing. So, with all of this baggage in the background, what does Jn. 4:27 tell us the disciples did? Does it tell us that they ran up to Jesus and began questioning him, or maybe they listened intently to what he was saying and then they began sharing the gospel? NO! They were amazed at the situation and “Yet no one said, ‘What do You want?’ or ‘Why are You talking with her?” What did the disciples do? They stood there with their teeth in their mouths. Why? Because of the social baggage and cultural norms I just mentioned a minute ago these guys were likely thinking, “We’re not really sure what Jesus is doing, and neither us nor anybody else here really wants to listen to what he’s saying to this woman! Now, take a look at Jn. 4:28 because it’s here that you see a contrast introduced into the situation. Unlike the disciples, who just stand there, that Samaritan woman hightails it back to town to tell everybody what just happened to her (Jn. 4:29). In fact, she’s so excited that Jn. 4:28 tells us that she left her water jar, and when she returns she doesn’t just bring a few people, she apparently brings a whole slew of folks from town (Jn. 4:30).
(Appeal) Let me pause here; when is the last time you got that excited about Jesus? When is the last time you wanted to talk to someone about what Jesus can do for them? I think sometimes we simply look at people and say, “Nope, I don’t think I need to share with them because they probably don’t want to hear.” Sometimes we’re like the disciples, we don’t see the bigger picture, instead of being like the Samaritan woman. Whether it’s because of our cultural surroundings or the people we’re with we all too often simply think people just don’t want to hear.
I’ve got other things to do!
I’ve got other things to do!
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Another reason that keeps us from sharing the gospel centers on the idea that we’ve got other things to do. Let’s take a look at Jn. 4:31-34. While that Samaritan woman is off telling people about this man Jesus that she’s just met, the disciples are busy talking to Jesus about whether or not he’s hungry (Jn. 4:32-33). Jesus sees what’s going on here and check out how he handles the situation because he’s going to teach the disciples and us a lesson. First, he sets it up by saying he’s got food to eat that they don’t know about. This obviously shocks them because they start asking each other who brought him this food. Now, the whole time they’re doing this Jesus is waiting, watching, and that’s when he makes an allusion in Jn. 4:34 to Dt. 8:3 which says,
3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Did you catch what that verse says? “So He humbled you … that He might make you know … (Know what?) … man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Now, at this point the disciples are probably standing there thinking, “What’s the point? What’s Jesus getting at?” And that’s when, Church, he hits them with Jn. 4:34 , “… My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” You see, unlike the disciples, who apparently have other and “better” things to do, things they think are of more concern, Jesus is about his Father’s business of spreading the Word!
(Appeal) What about you, are you about the business of spreading the Word (capital W), or do you have better things to do? What are you most concerned about? Church, we all fall victim to this sometimes, even me! We’ve got to conscientiously put forth an effort to make sure we’re witnessing to the gospel in both word and deed, even when we don’t think anyone is looking at us! There is nothing we can do that more important!
Maybe Later
Maybe Later
35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
The last reason we fail to speak the gospel into the lives of other people is somewhat related to the last reason, but, on balance it’s also slightly different, and that is, maybe I’ll share it later.
How many of you are procrastinators? One Sunday morning a young mother brought her five-year-old son to church and arriving late they went in and sat down in the sanctuary. She hadn’t arrived early enough to send him to children’s church. Now, as they walked in the young mom saw that the ushers were heading back their way to take up the morning offering so rummaging in her purse she quickly found her son some loose pocket change to put in the plate. As the plate came toward them the little boy said, “But mom, I want to keep the money for when we go to the store after church!” “Quick, quick, hurry put it in the plate!”, she said, “It’s tainted money!” The little boy, thinking there was something seriously wrong with the money, threw it in the plate as the usher passed by! A few seconds passed and looking at his mom he asked, “Mom, was that money really tainted, was it really that dirty?” “No, honey,” she said, “ you see, that money is really quite clean, but it “taint” yours, it belongs to God!”
Now, that’s a funny little story, but I tell it to make a point, sometimes, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel, we’re like that little boy not wanting to put the money in the plate, maybe we’ll do it later. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Don’t put off today until tomorrow what you can do today.” That’s the point of what Jesus is saying in Jn. 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” In other words, why wait when there’s plenty to do today. Certainly, there’s a great harvest that’s going to come at the end but, we, as we spread the message of the gospel we’re engaged in the same work that Jesus spoke of in Jn. 4:34 when he said he was about the business of his Father.
(Appeal) I think all of us who are believers need to pause at times and ask ourselves this question, “Are we about the business of working toward the great harvest that’s coming?” If not, then why? To those of you here that might be unbelievers, did you know that there’s a harvest coming at the end? My question to you is this, which group will you be a part of, the wheat, or the weeds?
Some Encouragement!
Some Encouragement!
36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Finally, I want to conclude with a little encouragement that can be found in Jn. 4:36-42. Take a look at what Jesus says in Jn. 4:36 because it’s here that we can see what theologians call the “already - not - yet” at work. That word, “receives” in Jn. 4:36, λαμβάνω (lambanō) is in the present tense, so I think there can be an element of “rejoicing” , also Jn. 4:36, that takes place in the present. This rejoicing is on the part of the one who plants and also the one who reaps. You see, these men, these disciples who were with Jesus, were going to build upon what others had already done. That’s the point of Jn. 4:38. “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” So, what of Jn. 4:39-42? Well, these verses present us with the example. Look at why the Samaritans from the city believed; the answer comes in Jn. 4:39, “ … because of the word of the woman who testified …” This is what happens when you share the gospel with people, God works through your sharing to save. One of the main points, church, in the overall story of the Samaritan woman at the well is that we need to see ourselves. You see, we’re either like the Samaritan woman or we’re like the disciples. Both need living water in order to believe! Then, after we receive it, what do we do? Do we keep it simply for ourselves making excuses as to why we can’t, or better, don’t want to share it, or on the other hand do we run to the village and tell others about what we’re recieved?
Invitation
Invitation
Prayer
Prayer