Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• A long passage - many themes:
• The art of soul winning
• There is much we can learn about evangelism
• Grace first and then the law
• The Saviour of the World (v42)
• Much of the city believed
• John 3:16
• Jesus did not just come to His own but the whole world
• It was staggering that Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman
• John 8:48
• Matt 10:5
• 1 John 2:2
• Worship (v21-24)
• The woman was taken up with the place of worship
• Jesus said it was about the heart
• "must worship in spirit and truth"
• Today:
• Christ as Counselor
• The words He spoke to the Samaritan woman
• Overview:
• Christ keeps His appointment (v1-7)
• Christ ministers at this appointment
• Christ changes lives

Christ keeps His appointment (v1-7)

• Jesus was never at the beck and call of others
• He had His own timetable and purposes
• He was leaving a conflict zone (v1-3)
• Christ did not baptise Himself
• He did baptise through His disciples
• He left to go to others who needed to hear the word of God
• Jesus came to Sychar (v5)
• Who initiated the conversation - it was Jesus Christ
• Jesus' humanity was frail - He initially asked the woman for water
• He wants to draw her in and talk about living water
• Are we intentional in our conversations?
• Personal example

Christ ministers at this appointment

How do we counsel?

• In our culture requesting a drink might seem rude - in the Middle Eastern culture you were giving a person honour
• A rabbi would never be seen talking to a woman in public
• Jesus breaks down cultural barriers
• The Samaritan woman was shocked
• The disciples marveled that He was talking to a woman (v27)
• Origins of the Samaritans
• Jesus saw all human beings as having equal worth in the sight of God
• Jesus also saw all human beings as flawed and sinful (her sin of adultery)
• Jesus first understands her dire need
• Is their prejudice in our hearts?
• Look how Jesus speaks to her (v10)
• Have we asked (sincerely from the heart) for Jesus to save us?

She did not understand

• The Samaritan woman did not understand - she was thinking in physical terms (v11)
• Jesus is patient
• Jesus offers living water
• Remember Jeremiah
• Remember Isaiah
• She still did not understand (v15)
• Jesus changes tack and asks her to call her husband (v16)
• This was a private conversation
• Jesus was drawing attention to the sin in her life
• There was a stigma to her life
• She was drawing water alone
• Jesus draws attention to our sins
• Jesus highlight the worthlessness of Nicodemus' religion
• What is Jesus putting His finger on in our life?
• The woman starts to see Jesus as a prophet (v20)
• Is she truly starting to worship or is she just bringing up another red herring?
• At the end of the conversation she is convicted
• The Gentiles are to be grafted into the olive tree - we are part of one body
• The sacrificial system will be ended [with the death of Christ] - true worshipers must worship the Father in spirit and truth?
• Do you know God as Father?
• Do you worship in spirit and truth? (according to God's word)

Christ changes lives

• You might ask where is this change?
• v28-29
• She speaks to the men, her word is powerful, the city believes
• The power of one little testimony
• The power of Christ coming to a whole community and saving it
• Nineveh
• What about Llantrisant, the valleys and people around us?
• What about us?
• This passage is about 1:1
• Have we trusted individually?