Sunday Sermon
sunday morning 27th April 2008
John 4:39-42
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 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 Saviour of the world."
A: Testimony leads to belief: the woman
testified, the people believed
V39 - testimony leads to belief
What did the woman say? Nothing too big! Just what she had experienced of Jesus
What was it that impressed her about Jesus? That he told her all she did.
She was impressed by his knowledge - Why? Because that showed who he really was - the Messiah.
App: Testimony:
1) What impressed you about Jesus?
Think about that and use that as your witnessing tool!
Note: this assumes that we know Jesus well enough to be impressed by him.
2) boldness is also required in witnessing.
The woman actually told people about Jesus.
Maybe this comes as a rebuke to us. Do we actually tell people about Jesus?
People will not believe unless they are told!
V40 belief is shown in hunger.
The new believers were hungry!
They “urged” Jesus to stay - begged / urgently entreated him to stay.
New believers are often hungry. It’s a good sign of life. But what about old believers?
How hungry are we to be with Jesus?
In v31 the disciples “urged” Jesus to eat. They were concerned about his welfare.
To turn that on its head - we need to ask Jesus to feed us! We need to be concerned about our own spiritual welfare.
Application:
Witnessing to others will only realistically happen,
if we are hungry for Jesus in the first place.
Thus: pray for our own spiritual revival. That we would beg Jesus to feed us!
Urge him to say with us!
More testimony, more belief:
V41 in staying and speaking further even more people believed.
Words again lead to belief.
Note that it is words. Not miracles but words, testimony.
Evangelistic campaigns, new outreach strategies etc all have their place, but at the end of the day, talking to people about Jesus is all that is needed.
B: Belief leads to testimony: the people believed the words of Jesus and thus they testified.
When the people heard the words of Jesus they responded in two ways,
first they believe as we have seen but then they testified.
V42 What did they testify about Jesus - that He was the Saviour of the world!
That full understanding came because the people heard from Jesus himself.
They had believed at the testimony of the woman but they moved on from that to have their own faith in Jesus himself.
And now they testified themselves: Jesus is the Saviour of the world.
Note: their belief is an objective belief. They don’t say they believe because they have been healed or seen some miracle or had an experience etc.
They believe in Jesus because of who He is - the Saviour.
Our faith needs to be in Jesus as he is! The Saviour of the world. Because our faith is to be in him! Not our experience.
There is no point in waiting for an experience before you come to Jesus.
Jesus does not say believe in me because of what you have experienced, but believe in me because of who I am!
Yet: Jesus wants us to have a personal relationship with him - not at a distance. We are to grow to know him personally and experientially. It is personal testimony about what we know of Jesus that will enable us to witness.
Thus, in all our reading, praying, studying etc our aim should be that we get closer to Jesus. Our relationship is to be personal.
It start objectively - with belief in Jesus, who he is & what he has done. Then it moves to the subjective - what he has done for me. Yet that is because of who he is! Because of the objective fact.
Conclusion:
This passage fulfils two of the key themes of the gospel: testimony & belief.
John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
There is testifying (“these are written”) that leads to belief.
The only theme that is left out is Life.
We are left to imagine the kind of life that the people of that village went on to live.
How the woman went on to live!
But what about you?
How are you going to go on and live? Life as normal, life as it always is?
Or is there a change coming?
Is there life coming for you?
There can be if you simply believe in Jesus. No need to wait for a miracle or a sign or a great feeling of guilt and sinfulness. Just believe.
sunday evening 27th April 2008
John 4v43-54:
In this section we see the second miraculous sign that Jesus performs v54.
The context in which the miracle is set:
A) Jesus is going back to Galilee - why? To work. He has told his disciples v44 - Jesus knew that there was work to do for His own name in this place!
B) there is no belief, and Jesus notes that their belief would only come through a miracle v48.
By this stage of his ministry word had gotten around. People were beginning to notice Jesus. People were beginning to question who he really was. He had performed one miracle (water to wine) and he had cleared the temple in Jerusalem.
But, there was no general acceptance of Jesus. There was doubt v48 and dishonour- v44.
Into this situation came an opportunity for Jesus to further prove himself.
Having noted that they will not believe unless they see a miracle, he gives them a miracle.
We can see here that Jesus wants the people to believe. He wants to give them what they need in order to believe: the miracle.
This reflects his whole attitude to his work. He came to save! Not to turn people away. Ch3v17.
So he goes about trying to enlist the belief of the people. How?
1) He performs a sign.
What was the sign: A healing.
The sign: he heals the son of a royal official.v49-50
We have a father who is desperate. His little boy is in real trouble, about to die.
And there is this Person out there who may be able to help!
In his desperation / need he goes to Jesus.
Instantly Jesus gives him the word and the boy is healed.
Note the action of the man.
He simply believes Jesus. He takes him at his word.
Even before proof has come of his sons recovery!
Application:
Like the woman at the well the man believed in what Jesus said.
He believed in Jesus and His power/authority to command a healing.
That is faith - believing in Jesus. If you believe in who he is, then nothing else matters.
Saving faith come down to trust at the end of the day. Not about miracles or wonders, simply do you trust Jesus?
2) How was the healing performed: by word.
The way of his healing: simply by his word v50.
We have already seen Johns focus on the Word in these early chapters.
Jesus is the Word: that is the Revelation of God. God in the flesh.
Thus the words that Jesus speaks are God at work.
We cannot disassociate the words from the Word. They come hand in hand. We can’t have the words of God without God. We can’t have the work of God without the words of God!
The man believed the words that Jesus spoke. That was enough for him!
Application:
It is Gods words that enable people to believe.
The Spirit uses words as his tool to bring forth life.
How we need to pray for the proclamation of God’s word!
Perhaps there is nothing more worrying in our land than the sever shortage of those who will proclaim Gods word!
At a personal level is there a way that you can share the Word more?
3) what was the result? Belief.
The result of the miracle: belief v53
It turned out, that the boy was in fact healed at the exact time that Jesus had spoken the word of healing!
Because of that all who were associated with the boy believed!
Note: again we are seeing the three elements of Johns theme coming into focus.
There is the testimony, seen the words of Jesus.
That leads to belief, first in the Father and then the whole household.
And there is also life. The boy is healed, life restored at a physical level and now linked to the spiritual life also.
Conclusion:
Back to the overall context:
Jesus is working in a place where his name is dishonoured, and where there is no belief!
Does that sound familiar!
But by the end of His work at this point people are believing and thus honouring him.
This has been the pattern all the time.
A) At the wedding, there was dishonour by consequence of the fact that there was disbelief - Jesus turned that around, people believed and followed him.
B) In Samaria there was dishonour and disbelief - Jesus turned that around too.
C) Here in Galilee there was dishonour and disbelief - again Jesus turns it around!
In every case what was it that made the difference? Jesus and his word.
What is going to make a difference in our land of disbelief and dishonour?
Only Jesus is going to make a difference.
How are we to make a difference amongst so much dishonour and unbelief?
By brining Jesus to people.
How?
By using the opportunities that come our way.
The man came to Jesus for help. It was an opportunity.
If we are concerned for the glory of Christ in this place
opportunities will come our way:
John 4:35 35 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.
Use them, work for His glory. God will surely bless us at this work!