Sunday, May 4, 2014

5-4-14 Conversation at the water cooler

Scripture:    John 4:1-42

The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

It was called Sychar; probably the same as Shechem. Shechem yielded the first proselyte

that ever came into the church of Israel (Gen 34:24) All the men who went out of the city

gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"  8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." 11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" 13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." 17 "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."  21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." 25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 Jesus said, "My food, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.  They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

 

It was a happy day for Samaria that it lay in Christ's way.

It begins with a water cooler conversation with a Samaritan woman, what about his conversation nearby on Mt. Tabor with Moses and Elijah? What was that conversation? It is buried in silence. But this conversation with an individual - SINNER is given much real estate in scripture.

Jesus preached to the crowds, yet here he teaches a single person, a woman, a poor woman, a stranger-NOT, a Samaritan; that is how Christ is most effectively shared.  With someone who we know - as Jesus knew her.  With someone who we can call by name.

John 17:25-26

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Matt 10:29-33

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Ex 33:17

And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

Matthew 25:1-13               THE 10 VIRGINS         (“I don’t know you”)

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'  Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'  'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

 John 10:2-4

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

By name Jesus calls Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot / and sends them out 2 x 2.

          Jesus calls Martha by name.  He tells her that she is worried and bothered by so many things.

          Jesus calls Simon the Pharisee by name.  He asks, “Who loves more?” The greater sinner.

          Jesus calls Saul by name ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

          Jesus calls Mary Magdalene by name at the empty tomb and asked who are you looking for?

          Jesus calls Lazarus by name; “Come forth” aka “Come back to life!”

          He knew Nathaniel had been sitting under a fig tree and that the woman at the well have been married 5 times.

          What is He saying to you as He calls your name?  Is it that you are worried and bothered by so many things.  Is He asking, “Who loves more?”  Is He wondering, “Why are you persecuting Me?”  Is He sending you out to preach?  Is He asking you to be a rock?  Is He telling you that you are blessed?  Is He telling you that you should put out into deep water to find a catch?  Is He warning you that Satan has asked to sift you like wheat?  Is He asking whether you love Him?  Is He asking, “Why are you weeping?” or “Who are you seeking?”

Zaccheus

          In Jericho there was a man trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, so he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Him. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.  And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly.  And Zaccheus said to the Lord, ‘Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.  And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’”

          Jesus is calling us by name.  He is calling us to be saved.  He is calling us to drink from the well of Living water.

NOTE:

My water cooler conversation with a dear friend:

Hope you don't mind me sharing our friend’s daughter's post regarding her funeral arrangements. It's just so very sad. She had such faith and felt God had cured her, which is what she told me last year. I thought she had it licked too especially after looking at her pictures on FB how pretty and healthy she looked. I hate seeing classmates pass away. Just makes me feel that much closer to my own mortality. I wish I had your faith and belief in life hereafter, but I don't. Maybe I should read some books to help me believe. I like to think that I live my life with good morals and values, but I'm just not a religious person...but I'm a person who is trying to find the faith. Sorry to get so heavy with you, but after all you're a pastor and should be use to this - right?? Take care my friend and thanks for listening to my message here.

Julia, thank you for your beautiful note and your heartfelt thoughts. Yes as a pastor, but more as your friend I am thrilled that you would even bring up the subject of faith and talk so candidly about it - you are awesome. I am not going to give you everything I know about faith and eternal life but would love to share a few things that might be helpful.

1) go here on you tube: http://youtu.be/Ymfh6RJezQ4 and after you watch it maybe more than once - tell me what you think about it.

2) if you don't have a modern translation (I use the NIV New International Version) of the bible laying around - I would be glad to get you one or you can download a really cool one online that you can use on your pc or phone. Go to www.bible.com and download this free bible app. It has awesome reading plans - you can add your own notes as you read and it has a thing called live events that I provide for my church every Sunday as aids to my sermon. I always suggest the first part to read is the book of John (which I happen to be preaching on right now) It tells all about Jesus and how how much God loves us. Then the book of Ephesians really describes what a Christian is.

3) I am not religious either - never have been. I have a personal relationship with God's son - Jesus. He forgave my sins (we all have them) and guarantees me eternal life in heaven one day. Do you remember walking into West on Monday Nov 4 of our sophomore year? You don't! I don't either, but I remember the next day. Because on the evening of Nov 4 I went with Bryan Hitch, Pat McClaskey and a couple others to Zanesville to a Christian Concert where Christ became real to me. Heaven has NOTHING to do with us being good enough - we can't be. It only has to do with trust in the only one who could be good enough that died in our place for our sins - Jesus. That is it - sounds simple - it is. There is a song that says it this way: Not because of who I am, But because of what Jesus has done. Not because of what I've done but because of who He is. Here is the song on you tube: http://youtu.be/mBcqria2wmg

OK that was maybe more than I thought I would write but I really would be curious what you think after you consider some of this. So glad you connected with our friend some - I did as well recently - glad I did.  (…other conversations about faith…)

Jeff,

You make some very interesting points for me to ponder. I’ve not looked at faith and believing in the way that you describe it. I realize there is no way to prove there is a God… that’s my problem… my issue with always needing proof to believe in something. Maybe you have to be raised from childhood to believe and that’s my problem. You know I did try to find faith back in High School when I was in Young Life. I found that experience to be a fun and easy way to understand the bible.

Again, I truly appreciate your efforts in trying to help me find God. I may be a lost cause, but lately I’ve been discovering I want to try and believe. Guess that’s what happens when we get older and closer to death.

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