"The Woman of Samaria: Worship" Sermon: John 4:16-26

“The Woman of Samaria:  Worship”

[John 4:16-26]

June 21, 2015Second Reformed Church

            Last week, we saw that Jesus followed the Will of God, His Father, and went to Samaria, despite the fact that, nationally, Jews and Samaritans hated each other:  the Jews considered the Samaritans half-breeds, and the Samaritans worshipped in a different temple, used pagan rites, and only accepted the books of Moses – not the prophets.

            Jesus, thirsty in His humanity, sat down at Jacob’s well while the disciples went into town to buy food, and Jesus asked a Samaritan woman to draw some water for Him that He might have a drink.  The woman responded stereotypically – barking back at Him that He was a Jew – Who was He to ask her for a drink?

            Jesus explained to her that He was the Giver of living water – the spring of water to eternal life, but she didn’t understand what He was saying:  she thought He was offering her water that would keep her physically sated, so she would never have to draw water from the well again – and that she wanted.

            We continue, this morning, with Jesus’ response to her saying that she didn’t want to be physically thirsty again:

            And we see, first, we must be convicted of our sin before we can receive the Gospel.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’  The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’  Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.  What you have said is true.’”

In a quick reading, we might think Jesus was changing the subject, but He wasn’t:  His point was to get her to understand the Gospel, and the first step in understanding the Gospel is understanding that we are sinners who have sinned against the Holy God.

So, Jesus, having been informed of her marital and sexual status by His Divinity, since Jesus is fully God and fully human, He asked her to bring her husband to Him so she would be convicted of her sin – then she would be ready to hear the Gospel.

It’s like this:  if I told you I had a spare tire you could use, but you didn’t have a flat, you would most likely say, “thanks, but no thanks, I don’t need it.”

The same is true of the Gospel – the Good News – until we know the bad news – until we are convicted of the bad news – until we truly believe the truth of the bad news – that we are sinners who have sinned against the Holy God – and deserve His Holy Wrath against us for our sins – we won’t care to hear the Good News – that there is One Way to be right with God – through Jesus Christ and His work.

If we tell people we have the Good News, and they believe that everything is right with them and God and the world – the Good News won’t matter – it won’t even make sense – the sin that they don’t believe in will blind them.  If someone doesn’t believe there is a problem, he won’t care to hear how to fix it.

So, this woman had been fixated on the difference between Jews and Gentiles and her desire not to have to keep hauling water up out of Jacob’s well, but Jesus wanted her to understand the Gospel, so He asked her to bring her husband to Him, and she said, “I have no husband.”

Commentators make a point of noting how the woman was so talkative until she was confronted by her sin – then she gave a brief response.  We may be prone to talk and talk and tell stories, but when we are confronted with our sin, are not many of us given to short answers as well?

Jesus told the woman that she had been honest and spoken the truth:  she had had five husbands, and the man she was currently living with was not her husband. 

Now, it is possible that all five of her husbands sinned against her in divorcing her, but there is no questioning the fact of her sin in living with a man she was not married to.

Yet, it was in the recognition and admission that she was sinning in living with a man who was not her husband that she was able to see her need and be open to hearing and understanding the Good News that Jesus was speaking to her.

(Don’t forget, as we saw in the beginning of chapter three – being born twice – being spiritually resurrected – is the work of God the Holy Spirit, and unless He raises a person to spiritual life, even if he knows he is a sinner, he will not be able to receive the Gospel to salvation.)

So, she could have responded – as most people I talk to do – “Well, yes, I do things that are wrong, but God is just and He will see that I am basically a good person and receive me into His Kingdom.”

A person who says that doesn’t get it – he doesn’t understand that our God is Holy, Holy, Holy, and all sin is against our Thrice Holy God, the Greatest Being in all of existence.  So, if God is Just – and He is – the punishment must fit the crime:  the punishment for a crime against the Greatest Being must be the greatest possible punishment.

But the woman of Samaria got it:  she was a sinner and needed help.

Second, conviction of sin ought to make us desire to worship properly.

“The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.  Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.’”

Again, this might seem like she is trying to change the subject:  Jesus asked her about her husband, exposed that she was five times divorced and was living with a man who was not her husband, so she asked Jesus which mountain is the right mountain to worship on.

But it wasn’t an attempt to change the subject:  if your heart and its corruption – if your spiritual death – has been made known to you, and the Holy Spirit is at work in you, the natural response is to desire to worship God rightly – to throw yourself before Him and plead His forgiveness – to know how to be right with God.

After King Nebuchadnezzar sinfully attempted to execute Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, by burning them alive, he freed them and repented and sent a proclamation of worship to his kingdom:  “King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in the earth:  Peace be multiplied to you!  It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.  How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:1-3, ESV).

We see this truth exhibited in our Sunday liturgy:  we begin by calling our attention to the God Who has called us to worship, we sing a hymn of praise, and then we confess our sin, and receive pardon and assurance that we may continue to worship God through the Word, Sacraments, and prayer.

As believers – as Christians – when we sin, we are driven to the Throne of God for forgiveness and then worship.

The woman of Samaria recognized, as well, that Jesus is a prophet, so He was the right One to ask this question:  “We have had a tradition of worshipping here on Mount Gerizzim, but You say that we must worship in the Temple in Jerusalem.”

As a prophet of God – even a Jewish prophet – she wanted Jesus to settle a major issue of worship between the Jews and the Samaritans:

“Let’s start with square one:  where is the right place to worship?  Must we worship God in the Temple He had built in Jerusalem, or may we worship Him here on Mount Gerizzim?”

Jesus answered her with what was a startling answer:

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’  The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ).  When he comes, he will tell us all things.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’”

            Third, real worship is worship in spirit and truth.

            Well, what does that mean?

            

            Let’s break down what Jesus said:

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.’”

Jesus pointed to the day when there will be no temple.

The day was coming soon – and it did come to pass in 70 A.D. – when the people of God worshipped God in homes and synagogues and other places, but not in the Temple, because it was destroyed by the Romans – never to be rebuilt.

So, the first part of Jesus’ answer was:  it makes absolutely no difference whether you worship God in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizzim.

But Jesus continued: 

“You worship what you do not knw; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

Jesus told her that worship was to be in the Temple in Jerusalem, because God oversaw the building of the Temple for Himself, and once that Temple was built, there was no other.  The Smaritans were worshipping in a false temple, based on tradition, not the command of God.  And if the excuse was given that the Jews would not give the Samaritans access to the Temple the way the Jews had, the answer was, “Of course not, the Gospel is to the Jew first – salvation is to the Jew first.”

And if anyone says, “That’s no fair!”  We have Paul’s answer:  “They are the Israelites, and to them belongs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.  To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.  Amen” (Romans 9:4-5, ESV).

So, the second part of Jesus’ answer was:  of course you should worship in Jerusalem, because God has chosen Israel, brought salvation through her as a people, and established the only approved place of worship in Jerusalem.

How do we understand this?

Jesus’ answer to her was, yes, you ought to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem, because that is where God has ordained the worship of Him.  However, the day will come when that requirement is taken away – they day will come when you don’t have to worship in Jerusalem, but until God makes it clear that no one has to worship in Jerusalem, yes, you have to worship in Jerusalem.

It’s a similar idea to the kosher food laws:  a Gentile who asked in the Old Testament days if it was necessary to eat kosher – to obey the kosher food laws – could have been told – yes, you have to obey the kosher food laws, until God makes it clear that no one has to keep the kosher food laws – which has happened since Christ has come.

Still, Jesus had more to say:

“’But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’”

Jesus explained that the time that it will not be necessary to worship in Jerusalem has come – “now” being this transition period from about 30 to 70 A.D. – from Jesus’ ministry and death to the actual destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

True worshippers – those who worship God as true believers – worship God – and will do so without a head temple – in spirit and in truth.  That is, worship will come from an inward faith of the heart – not merely a head-knowledge of the facts.  Worship will come from a purity of conscience and will seek to obey God in all things.

We are flesh and we tend to follow after the flesh, but God is not impressed by mere physical obedience – God wants people who delight and abound in spiritual obedience.

If we come to worship merely to get on God’s “good side” – if we come to worship merely to put our offering in to “pay our part of the bills” or “to buy God off for another week” – if we come to worship because we want people to see that we are religious and therefore trustworthy, good, and so forth – we are not worshipping in spirit and in truth.

If we come to worship because we want to join together with our brothers and sisters in praising God and thanking God for the amazing Gift of Love in sending His Son to live and die and live again so we might be right with God – and we give an offering out of thanks and love for God, believing in His work in this place – and we come knowing that we are only here with each other and before the Face of God out of His great mercy and grace – and we come desiring to know God more and grow in Him more and obey Him more – that is what it looks like to worship in spirit and truth.

“Yes, you Samaritans have gotten it wrong by not worshipping in Jerusalem, but what is most important is that you understand that going through the motions isn’t worship, just having all the right facts in your head is not worship, it’s having a heart that is changed – a spiritual thirst for the life of the believer in faith and obedience that is true worship – worship that God accepts.”

Can you imagine having this discussion with Jesus?  Can you imagine hearing Him explain these things to you about worship – about obedience to what God has said and spiritual obedience of the heart?  Can you imagine hearing Him speak and suddenly a lightbulb comes on in your head and you say:

“The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ).  When he comes, he will tell us all things.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’”

All of a sudden – deep within this woman’s heart, she said, “Wait a minute!”

The wisdom and love of this Man Who holds the Law in high esteem but explains that there is a difference between true belief and a simple checking off of items on a list.  This Man – this Jew – Who talked with a Samaritan Woman as a real person who bears the Image of God.

Could it be?  She couldn’t ask – so she made a statement:

“‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ).  When he comes, he will tell us all things.’”

Can you hear her heart screaming:  “Are you the Messiah?!”

And remember:  the Samaritans only believed the five books of Moses – so reading the five books of Moses is enough to know that we need a Savior – that God is sending a Savior – and that the Savior will look like this.

And Jesus said, “I who speak to you am he.”  He said, “Yes!  I am God the Savior – the Promised Savior – prophesied in the books of Moses.”

Lord willing, we’ll look at what happened next week.

For today, let us understand:

We must be convicted of our sin to receive the Gospel.  Unless we know and believe the bad news – that we are sinners under the Wrath of God – we will not receive the Good News.  As we talk to other people about Jesus and His Gospel, they need to know that we need Him and the work He did on behalf of all those who will believe, because we have eternally offended God with our sin – and Jesus is the Only Way we can be made right with God.

As we – and others – recognize our sin and our need for the Gospel – we will find ourselves drawn to worship – to seeking out worshipping God – showing how worthy God is of our praise and thanks and obedience – that is most pleasing to God.  We will desire to look to the Scripture to find out how God wants – commands – us to worship Him – and to do so.

And we see the difference between false worship and true worship.  True worship is worship in spirit and truth – whenever we come to God believing in our hearts in Who He is and what He has done – following after Him in spiritual obedience in every aspect of all that we are – we do not merely go through the motions.

So, let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You that You chose to reveal Yourself and Your Salvation in Your Son Jesus, gifting the Gospel to us and applying it through God the Holy Spirit.  We thank You for the conviction of sin – that we would be drawn back to You – finding our only Hope and Meaning in You – our Salvation.  Help us to worship You, not based on our whims or preferences, but based on the way You have called us to worship You.  Be glorified in our worship of You.  And continue to grow us in faith and obedience.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"The Woman of Samaria: Water" Sermon: John 4:1-15

“The Woman of Samaria:  Water”

[John 4:1-15]

June 14, 2015Second Reformed Church

            If the Lord is willing, for the next three weeks, we will be looking at Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria.  We begin this morning with Jesus’ arrival and His discussion about water:

            “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee.  And he had to pass through Samaria.  So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.”

            We see, first, this morning, Jesus obeyed the Father.

            John explains that when the Pharisees heard Jesus’ popularity among the people was growing and that He – through His disciples – was baptizing more people than John, Jesus left Judea and headed towards Galilee.

            If we picture modern day Israel, we can divide the land to the west of the Jordan River – and understand the landscape at the time of Jesus – generally – like this:  Judea was in the south.  Galilee was in the north.  Samaria was in the middle.

            So, why did Jesus leave?  Was He afraid of the Pharisees?

            Surely the Pharisees were beginning to be troubled by Jesus – He could turn the people against them and anger the Romans – so they were watching Him, and soon they would be seeking ways to kill Him (cf. 5:18).

            But the reason Jesus left was not due to the Pharisees, but due to His following the will and the timetable of God the Father.  It was not time for Jesus to encounter the wrath of the Pharisees.

            We will remember when we looked at the wedding at Cana in chapter 2, when Mary asked Jesus to do something about the lack of wine, Jesus responded, “Woman, what does this have to do with me?  My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4b, ESV).  Again and again through the Gospels, we are told that Jesus did not act when it was not time, and He did act when it was time.  God the Father gave His Son a timetable to follow, and Jesus obediently followed the will of His Father.

            So, in obedience to the Father, Jesus left Judea, and then we are told that He “had” to pass through Samaria.  And that statement wouldn’t necessarily raise any eyebrows, because we don’t live in first century Israel – “O.K., that was the only way to go.”  But the fact of the matter – as the first century historian, Josephus, records – there were three roads that Jesus could have taken – two of which did not go through Samaria.

            Even so, we might think, “Well, who cares if He went through Samaria or not?”

            The reason the question is raised is that – nationally – the Jews hated the Samaritans, and the Samaritans hated the Jews.  Samaritans were considered “half-breeds” – they were the descendants of the joining together of Jews and Gentiles – they were not pure Jews.  Not only that, they did not worship at the Temple in Jerusalem – they worshipped in their own temple at Mount Gerizzim.  They had incorporated pagan rites into their worship, and they only believed the five books of Moses – they did not believe the books of the prophets.

            We see this hatred portrayed in the scandal of the parable of “The Good Samaritan” – it was the Samaritan – the one the Jews looked down upon – who was willing to help the Jew who had been mugged and left for dead – not the priest and the Levite who were also Jews.

            So, we would think that Jesus would want to avoid going through Samaria, if possible.  And it was possible – there were two other roads to where Jesus wanted to go that didn’t go through Samaria.  So why are we told that He “had” to go through Samaria?

            Again, because He was obeying the will and plan of His Father:  Jesus had to go through Samaria at that time to meet the woman He would meet at Jacob’s well.

            Often we wonder why things happen in our lives – we look at things that are happening and the places we are living and working, and we wonder what the point is – if we are really doing any good.

            Now, it is good and right for us to pray and consider if we are doing what is right and living the way God would have us live and doing what God would have us do.  But I would challenge you took look back over your lives – over some of those times when you didn’t know why certain things were happening – or why you were in a certain place.  See if you don’t see a pattern – of being led from one place to another.  We won’t always see the connections – but sometimes we will!

            As I look back over my life, I see how God was preparing me for ministry from a young age.  One example:  I intended to go to college to become a research chemist – and Drew was not onmy list of colleges I was interested in.  But my guidance counsellor urged me to give Drew a chance.  And at Drew, one of my friends asked me a question about a book by J. I. Packer, which led me to read a book by Louis Berkhof, which led me to become Reformed in my understanding of the Scripture.

            Seeing that type of leading by our Sovereign God and Loving Father ought to fortify us to obey our Father when He commands us to do something or be something or believe something in His Word.  We should not hear the Word of God and say, “Oh, I don’t want to do that!” or “But, God, why?”

            Rather, we should hear the Word of God, trusting our Loving Father, knowing how He has led us and provided for us in the past, believing that whatever He has for us is leading to the good of all we who love Him.

            David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are near me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, ESV).

            Why did David trust the Good Shepherd?  Based on past experience, and based on the Good Shepherd having a rod – with which He would beat off any enemy that came against His flock – and the staff – with which He would lead His flocks away from danger and to safe places.

            Will you trust God, the Father, Who so loved us so much that He sent His Son to live and die and live again for our sake?

            Second, we see that Jesus is really human.

“Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well.  It was about the sixth hour.”

Jesus was weary from walking about thirty miles.  He was thirsty.  The disciples had gone into the town to buy food, but Jesus sat by the well because He was thirsty.  This was not an evangelistic trick to get someone into a conversation – Jesus was truly thirsty.

And we might think:  “Who cares?”

The author of Hebrews writes:  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:17, ESV).

The “so what?” is that Jesus – the Son of God enfleshed – understands what it is to be human, to have a human body, and to be tempted as a human.  We have a God and Savior Who understands everything we go through as humans, because He became one of us.

Jesus knows what it is to cry as a baby and not be able to fully express what He means.  Jesus knows what it is to have a dirty diaper and to be cleaned up by His parents.  Jesus knows what it is to go through toilet training.  Jesus knows what it is to be sick.  Jesus knows what it is to be tempted to lust.  Jesus knows what it is to be tempted to be lazy in school and work.  Jesus knows what it is to walk miles upon miles and be exhausted and thirsty.

            We can never say, “I can’t bring this to God, He won’t understand.”  Brothers and sisters, of course He understands – He has felt all the feelings and temptations and experiences that we all go through.  Jesus understands all of them, and He never sinned.  Look at the Psalms!  The Psalmists pour out their hearts about what they are feeling, what they are experiencing, and even the ways they have sinned and are now repenting – and they do so with the expectation that the God they are addressing understands.

            I have counselled a few people who have been in and desired to be in sexual relationships which God forbids.  I have no way to stop a person from being tempted.  But I can tell them that the good news is that God understands, because Jesus was tempted to engage in sexual sin, but He did not – for the joy of obedience to God His Father, He denied Himself what He was tempted to do.  So, now, we – as believers in Jesus, indwelt by the Holy Spirit – know we can deny ourselves the temptations that comebefore us – and follow God and His Will for the greater joy that has been secured for us in Jesus Christ, through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

            That’s not to say it is easy to say “no” to temptation.  That’s to say God understands what it is to be tempted and what we need to deny it, thatthere is hope, and the struggle is worth it.

            And with regards to water – if we are in a place where we are desperate for a drink, we can call out to God for mercy – that He would make a way to wet our parched mouth, and He will understand what it means to be thirsty – and everything else we can bring before Him.

            One other thing to note here:  a great deal has been made about the fact that the woman came to the well at the sixth hour and alone.  Many commentators have used it to draw conclusions about her character.  The problem is that we don’t know if John was using Jewish time notations or Roman time notations in writing his gospel.  If it was the Jewish system, she came at 12 noon; if it was the Roman system, she came at 6 PM.  There are arguments both ways.  We will learn something about the woman’s character in the section of the text we plan to look at next week, but here, we can’t draw any conclusions from the time notation.

            Third, Jesus is God’s Gift.

            “A woman from Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’  (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’  The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep.  Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our father, Jacob?  He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’”

            So, we have said that Jesus was actually thirsty – this was not a trick.  And Jesus asked the woman who had come to the well for a drink.  (She had something to draw water with, as that was what she was there to do.)

            In speaking to the woman, the words Jesus used, or His accent, let her know that He was a Jew – and her back went up:  “You’re a Jew!  Who are You to be asking me for a drink!  You know that Jews and Samaritans don’t deal with each other as equals!”

            With that, Jesus knew His Father has sent Him to preach the Gospel to her:  “‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’”

            We look at this text and we understand that God (the Father) so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son – God gave the Gift of Jesus to live and die and live again that all those who believe would be saved from the Wrath of God by Jesus’ suffering and death for our sin and made right with God through Jesus’ perfect keeping of the Law credited to every believer.

            We look at this text and understand that “living water” is regeneration – being raised from spiritual death to spiritual life – having the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, beginning the life-long process of sanctification – becoming holy.

            Have you ever considered that we have the spiritual water to everlastingly quench the thirst of those who are spiritual thirsty – dying from their lack of water?

            Do we take our container of water and keep it for ourselves, or do we use it to meet the thirst of all those we come in contact with?  Are we hoarding away the water that will save all those who will believe, or are we freely giving away what God freely gave to us and continues to give as an ever-flowing stream?

            Understand, if we have believed – if we have received the living water that Jesus gives – we will never be totally parched and thirsty again – the water will flow like a river forever – because it comes from God Who is the Creator and Provider and Sustainer of all things.

            Who do we know with a real spiritual thirst with whom we can share the water that Jesus gives?

            And don’t neglect to notice that Jesus, a Jew, is giving water to a Samarian woman – two people whom the culture said should hate each other and keep away from each other.  Are we neglecting to bring water to someone because of their race, or sexuality, or ethnicity, or something else?  Here, God tells us, “no.”  We are not allowed to restrict our proclaiming the gift of the water to only those people we think are right and deserving of it.

            Isaiah prophesied and recorded God’s words – which apply here:  “I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.  I said, ‘Here I am; here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name” (Isaiah 65:1, ESV).

            As Paul put it, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

            The Gospel is for the Jews – first – and then for the rest of humanity – even the Samaritans.

            Well, what of the woman’s response?  The problem is that this text is written, and we don’t know if her response was serious, tinged with wonder or if she was being sarcastic and confrontational.

            Is her response curios:  “How are you going to draw this living water?  The well is deep.  Are You greater than our father, Jacob?”

            Or more like:  “Living water – are You kidding?  You don’t even have a bucket – and this well is deep!  Do You think You’re greater than our father, Jacob?!”

            The truth of the matter is that Jesus didn’t need a bucket for the living water, and, most certainly, He is greater than Jacob!

            

            What we can say is that the woman of Samaria didn’t understand.

            

             Fourth, whoever drinks of Christ will be sated.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’  The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.’”

Jesus explained to her that He is greater than Jacob:  the well that Jacob dug provided him and his descendants and their animals with water that would quench their thirst, but only for a time – they would become thirsty again.  But Jesus gives water that if a person drinks of it, he or she will never be thirsty again – because, the water becomes a spring in that person which keeps welling up and welling up – there is no end to the water it provides – it wells up to eternal life.

In other words:  the Gospel of Jesus Christ – that He proclaimed and we are called to proclaim – once received by a person – has both one-time and eternal effects.  When a person is born again – born twice – when the Holy Spirit regenerates a person – when He raises them from spiritual death, by grace, giving them faith to receive it – the Holy Spirit justifies the believer – a one-time declaration of “innocent” is made based on Jesus’ death for our sins and Jesus’ Holy Life credited to our accounts.  Then, the Holy Spirit continues to “well-up” in us, causing us to become more and more conformed into the Image of Jesus – as we go through the process of sanctification – becoming holy.  This gift is eternal salvation from the Father, in the Son, and through the Holy Spirit.  And we are given the grace to persevere in this great salvation.

But the woman of Samaria did not understand – yet.

For today, let us remember that we have a Loving, Heavenly Father, Who tells us what to do and leads us according to His Will and Plan.  So, let us rejoice in His care for us and seek to follow all that He has called us to do and be.

Let us remember that Jesus is both the real One God, the Son, and a real human being – so no matter what we might be going through, no matter what we might be tempted with, no matter what our heart-ache or concern, no matter what our trial – Jesus truly, really understands.  He has been through it all Himself.  And He will hear us and answer us as we lift up our prayers to Him in accordance with His Will.

Let us acknowledge that Jesus is God’s Gift to all those who will believe – and that we have been called to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples and tribes and nations.  The Gospel is to go out to all.  And the Holy Spirit will apply our proclamation of the gospel as He sees fit.  But, we must proclaim the Gospel.

And let us rejoice and show others our joy in know that we have a spring of living water in us welling up to eternal life through the Gospel, such that we can be sure of our faith and assured of our faith, and look forward – with John – to the day these words are fulfilled:

“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying. ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’  I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’  And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst no more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:13-17, ESV).

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You that Jesus understands all that we go through – that He can sympathize with us – and that He has left the Holy Spirit with us that we would be assured and led in all holiness after You.  Open our mouths to proclaim the Gospel, and send the Holy Spirit to apply those words, so they will not come back void, but will well up in springs of water as You save a people for Yourself.  For it is in Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Reformed Wisdom (It's ok to pay the pastor...)

On John 4:8 --

"The fact that the disciples bought food shows that the Lord by no means begged, but that he had money for buying necessities of life and that he carried it with him in the person of Judas.  For this reason, when the Lord commanded them to take no money and no purse when they went out to evangelize, it was only temporary and limited to that first mission of the apostles.  Therefore, it is no sin even for preachers of the gospel to have and to carry around money. But it is a sin to use money wickedly."  Martin Bucer.  Reformed Commentary on Scripture, New Testament IV:  John 1-12, 126

"He Must Increase" Sermon: John 3:22-36

“He Must Increase”

[John 3:22-36]

June 7, 2015 Second Reformed Church

            John sets the scene for us:  Jesus had celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem.  Then, Jesus had spoken with Nicodemus – THE teacher of Israel, a high-ranking Pharisee who held political office.

Sometime later, Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem and headed northwest over thirty miles to Aenon near Salim, along the Jordan River.  There, Jesus’ disciples baptized people in His Name.  (We are told in John 4:2 that Jesus, Himself, did not baptize anyone).  John and his disciples were also baptizing in the same area.

            “After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.  John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).”

            

            We have this note of chronology:  this event happened between the time that John the Baptist baptized Jesus and when Herod put John in prison.  During this time, both Jesus’ disciples and John and his disciples were baptizing.  It was a time when the “already” and the “not-yet” were visible – the time that the baptism of John was passing away and the baptism of Jesus was being fulfilled through the historical events of the Gospel.

            

             And then we have this wonderful understatement:

“Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification.”

What we have here is a Jew who was baptized by Jesus’ disciples having a “discussion” with John’s disciples over whose baptism was superior:  John’s or Jesus’.  The discussion may have gone something like this:

“Why are you disciples of John still baptizing?  I was just baptized by the disciples of Jesus – and Jesus’ baptism is the superior baptism.”

“How can you say that?  John the Baptist is the first prophet in four hundred years.  John the Baptist is the forerunner of the Christ – the Messiah – the Savior.”

“But that’s the point – John the Baptist came to announce Jesus – to prepare the way for Him – so Jesus is greater and His baptism is greater.”

“Na-uh.  John’s is greater, because he is the one chosen by God to revealthe Savior and call people to repentance.”

“Na-uh.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Na-uh.”

“Uh-huh.”

And John’s disciples went to tell John about their “discussion” so he could weigh in on it.

And we see first, this morning, everything we have comes from God.

“And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness – look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’  John answered, ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.’”

John answered his disciples:  “If people are going to Jesus – if people are leaving me for Him and His baptism – then that is what God has given Jesus – that is what God wants to have happen.”

Nebuchadnezzar confessed:

“[God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34b-35, ESV).

Everything that happens occurs via God’s Sovereign Hand and Will.

Now, we must be careful:  God does not do evil and God does not cause us to sin.

If we remember the beginning of the book of Job, Satan went to God and asked permission to inflict Job, and God told Satan exactly how much he could do.  In other words, God uses evil and sin to accomplish His Will, but He does not do or cause evil or sin.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter began his sermon saying, “Men of Israel, hear these words:  Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst – this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:22-23, ESV).

Peter began by telling the crowd of Jews that Jesus’ crucifixion and death happened by the authority and plan of God – it was a good thing.  And, Jesus’ crucifixion and death happened by the sin of the Jews and the Romans – it was an evil thing.  God used the evil and sinful motivations of the Jews and the Romans to accomplish His good plan of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

The same event can be accomplished – at the same time – by one person with good motives and another with evil or sinful motives.

God never sins and God does not commit evil, but God uses sin and evil to accomplish His good plan.  So, everything that is and occurs is according to the plan of God, yet God does not sin or commit evil.

So, if you have good health, and a fit body, and lots of friends, and a good job, and plenty of money, and a happy family – all these things have been given to you by God.  And, if you are sick, and you repel people, and you are impoverished, and your family is in turmoil – all these things have been given to you by God.

One of the speakers at the conference I just went to said, “If suffering comes, it is because we really need it.”

Now, that can sound pretty harsh, but what he was saying is that we believe in a Sovereign God Who loves us, and if His plan includes suffering for us, it must be because we need it for some reason – and there are many possible reasons we could need to suffer. 

Paul tells us that he was given some sort of suffering to keep him from becoming prideful (II Corinthians 12).

I have sarcoidosis because my loving Father knows I need it.  Illness is the result of sin in the Garden by our first parents, and my own sin may be the reason for my illness, or it could be for some other reason.  Whatever the reason, the point of this illness is that I would turn to God and trust Him and rely on Him and look to Him for all that I need and all He has called me to be – using this broken body to glorify Him.

And so, John the Baptist was not concerned about being less popular or less powerful – he was concerned that God and His Gospel would be known and that He would be glorified in the unfolding of His plan.

And you – everything you have comes from God – everything you see as good, bad, and indifferent comes to you from the Hand of the Almighty God Who is perfectly carrying out His plan.  Are you drawn to God – to acknowledged Him and glorify Him for everything that comes to you and everything you are?

We see second, this morning, Jesus must increase, by our decreasing.

“’You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.”  The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.  The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.  He must increase, but I must decrease.’

John continued by telling his disciples that they were absolutely right – kind-of:  “You spoke the truth – I am the first prophet in four hundred years, God chose me to be the forerunner of the Messiah and announce His coming, and you heard me proclaim to the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!” (cf. John 1:29).

“Look at it this way:  it’s like at a wedding – it is the bride and the bridegroom who become one in spirit and body in the bonds of matrimony.  The bride does not become one with the best man.  The ordinance of marriage and the sanctity of the marriage bed are for the bride and the bridegroom.  It would profane the ordinance and the sanctity of the marriage bed if the bride united with anyone other than the bridegroom.

“The best man is at the wedding – not to become one with the bride – but to rejoice in the union of the bride and the bridegroom.  The joy of the best man is found in seeing the bride and the bridegroom take their vows and commit to each other until death.

“In the same way, I am the best man.  I stand as the forerunner and the witness to the coming of the bridegroom to receive his bride.  I announced Who Jesus is so the Bride would know Him and become one with Him.  Jesus is not for me alone, but for the Church as a body – throughout time and space – one Bride, prepared for Jesus, her Bridegroom, to be perfectly united at the end of the age.

“That is my joy – that is my hope – that is the fulfillment of what God has given me to be and do.  So, whereas I was the center of attention as the first prophet in four hundred years – he who was called to be the forerunner to the Savior of all those who will believe – His bride – now my work is done.  Jesus is here.  He is preparing for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb – the day when He and His Church will be united together in eternity.  So, it is time for me, as the best man, to step aside.  He must increase, and I must decrease.”

So, the question is, how does Jesus increase and we decrease?

There are two possible ways:

First, we could make Jesus greater than He is right now – which is ridiculous.

Make Jesus greater than He is?  The Holy, Holy, Holy, Almighty God, Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords, the First and the Last, the One and Perfect Savior of all those who will believe.

Second, we could prostrate ourselves before Jesus in all humility – bowing ourselves below His feet – in faith and obedience – in recognition of who we are in comparison with Who He is.  We can cry out with the Psalmist, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory.  For the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Psalm 115:1, ESV).

So, Jesus “increases” when we show a right humility before Him – we step down to where we belong so Jesus can better be seen at the heights where He is.  When we understand ourselves as sinners saved by grace alone, who daily receive mercy and forgiveness, as our loving Father provides for all of our needs, and we trust Him and believe that what occurs is necessary for His plan and that all things are working together for the good of all we who love Him, and that Jesus, the Son of God Incarnate, is the One and Only Hope of Salvation, we tend to act in humility and point others to Jesus and His Gospel, rather than ourselves.

Another speaker at the conference told the story of a man who went to his pastor to tell him that he had decided to leave the church.  The man said, “Pastor, after much thought, I have decided to leave the church:  I don’t like your sermons, I don’t like you as a person, I don’t like the choir or the organist, I don’t like the hymns you choose, I don’t like the pews, and I don’t like the other people in the church, so I have decided to leave.”  The pastor turned to him and said, “It’s not about you, stupid!” and walked away.

It is a lesson in right-thinking:  surely, we seek to worship God as He would have Himself be worshipped, and we accommodate the needs of our people within the bounds of what we believe God has said to do – but the worship service is not about you, it’s not about me, it’s not about our preferences and our dislikes, it is about the worship of the One Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – for all He is and all He has done.  Worship is all about Him.

Third, Jesus has all power, authority, ownership, and is the Only Way to be right with God.

“’He who comes from above is above all.  He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.  Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal on this, that God is true.  For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.’”

            John the Baptist continued to explain to his disciples why Jesus is greater than he is, and that people ought to be dropping away from John and following Jesus:

            John tells them that he is just a man – a man born of the earth, as every other mere human being.  But Jesus came from Heaven – He is God come to earth in the flesh – in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  John is merely a man; Jesus is the God-Man.

            Although Jesus is God in the flesh, most people don’t believe what He says – that He is the Promised Savior – the Only Way to be saved from the Wrath of God.  Jesus speaks the Truth; He is the Truth.

            And Jesus puts His Seal on all those who believe in Him savingly – that is, Jesus gives the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit and the assurance of salvation through Him to all those who will believe.

            God the Father, Who loved the world so much that He sent God the Son to incarnate and be the Savior of His people, has sent God the Holy Spirit to indwell us – “in full measure” – God has not given part of the Holy Spirit to each Christian, but He indwells each one who believes.

            John, the author of the Gospel, puts it this way:  “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God” (John 1:9-13, ESV).

            And this Savior, Jesus, the Son of God and the Son Man, is the One Sovereign God over all things – with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He is in complete control of all things, since the Father has put all things into His Hands.  From the tiniest, microscopic creature, to the dinosaurs, to the vastness of space and time, Jesus reigns sovereign over all, and every molecule is following the plan that God conceived in Holy Trinity before the creation of all things.

            Most important for we humans is the question, “how does a person become right with God?”  As sinners, we have disobeyed God and God has promised us His Wrath and suffering that never ends.  However, if we believe savingly in Jesus, we have eternal life.

            But whoever does not obey the Son is everlastingly under the Wrath of God and shall never see the life bought for believers in Jesus Christ.

            

            And so we see this morning:

Everything we have comes from God.

Nothing has been left to chance – as if that were even possible!  Our Father Who loves His children bring everything to us and for us.  Even when we have need to suffer – for whatever reason – our Father has set the limits of our suffering.  And He has promised to give us everything we need.  Are we willing to receive whatever our loving Father knows is best for us and trust Him in it?

Jesus must increase, by our decreasing.

Jesus is the center of our worship and life.  Will we humble ourselves and seek His Glory, His Worship, telling others how great He is – not worrying about what we think we deserve or what other people think of us? 

Jesus has all power, authority, ownership, and is the Only Way to be right with God.

Will we pray to the Father, in Jesus’ Name, through the Holy Spirit, acknowledging that He has all power, all authority, and all rights of ownership to everything in all of Creation?

Step down.  Get out of the way.  Stop complaining.  Stop thinking everyone owes you.  Stop sinning.  Everything that is is not about us – it’s not about you – it’s not about me.  When we humble ourselves, we will find peace and joy in Jesus.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, cause our eyes to be fixed on You – seeking Your Kingdom and Your Will, glorifying You, proclaiming Your Gospel – help us to forget ourselves and seek to have Jesus increase in the eyes of the whole world – and may the Holy Spirit use our proclamation of the Gospel to bring many to salvation.  For Yours in the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory, forever and ever.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

June Sermons

D.V., I will be preaching as follows in June -- join us for worship at 10:30 AM!

6/7/15

 John 3:22-36 “He Must Increase”

6/14/15

 John 4:1-15 “The Woman of Samaria:  Water”

6/21/15 Father’s Day

 John 4:16-26 “The Woman of Samaria:  Worship”

6/28/15 [99th anniversary and pot-luck]

 John 4:27-46 “The Woman of Samaria:  Food”

Review: "Interpreting the Prophetic Books"

Interpreting the Prophetic Books:  An Exegetical Handbook by Gary V. Smith is one volume in a series called:  “Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis," edited by David M. Howard, Jr.

In the series preface, Howard explains that the series covers the six major types of writing in the Old Testament:  “narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, and apocalyptic” (15).  And he explains the intent of the volumes to be used “as textbooks for graduate-level exegesis courses that assume a basic knowledge of Hebrew” (ibid).

Each volume is divided into six chapters:  “the nature of the genres, viewing the whole:  major themes, preparing for interpretation, interpreting the text, proclaiming the text, and putting it all together:  from text to sermon” (16).

The book is extremely well organized and consistent.  Words which may be unfamiliar are bold-faced in the text and are defined in the appendix.

In the second chapter, the author explains the themes of each of the prophetic books.  Although the author is even-handed over-all and does not press a denomination agenda, it was disappointing to see him offering higher-critical thought as a legitimate option in interpretation (60-63).  Although I value discerning meaning through the historical, social, and literary structures of the texts, it goes beyond my conviction to support texts being written by others and at dates in contradiction to prophetic legitimacy.

In the third chapter, the author discusses textual variants and does a good job of explain how one gets to the “best version” of a text (101).  At the end of the chapter, he gives an extensive list of helpful general and book-by-book commentaries, computer resources, and software (103-112).  This is an excellent help for the student, scholar, and pastor.  My one disappointment is that all of the recommended texts were written after 1980.  This smacks of chronological snobbery; I find it very disappointing that he could not recommend a single resource from the first two thousand years of church commentary.

In considering the proclamation of the text, Smith writes, “The goal of a message is not to turn the audience into a group of systematic theologians who can explain everything about God.  The goal is to help people grow more Christ-like in the practical ways they relate to others so that they reflect God’s saving grace” (161).

As to the first point, Smith is right:  there is a difference between a lecture and a sermon and students and pastors need to learn how to do the work of exegesis and then form the doctrines found therein into the sermon.  Smith does a good job of this in the sixth chapter.

However, I disagree with him in his second point:  that the goal of the preaching is making the people more practically Christ-like.  On the road to Emmaus, Luke tells us, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27, ESV).  The goal of preaching is to show Jesus and His work in all of the Scriptures and glorify Him in so doing.

That being said, what this book does well – and that is a great deal – it does very well.  But I find it falls short in several important areas:  by only recommending recent commentaries, accepting higher critical thought, and not stressing the Christo-centric nature of the prophetic texts and preaching.  So, use this book, but not alone.

[I received this book free from Kregel in exchange for an honest review.  This review appears on my blog and on Amazon.com.]  #InterpretingThePropheticBooks

http://smile.amazon.com/Interpreting-Prophetic-Books-Exegetical-Handbooks/dp/0825443636/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433174656&sr=8-1&keywords=interpreting+the+prophetic+books