if you will, to the Book of John,
the Gospel of John Chapter 4. Are you weary? Weary with the trials and temptations
that vex your soul? Weary with the warfare that rages
constantly in your breast? Weary with sin? Are you weary? Weary with labor and toil? Weary with the heavy burden that
crushes you constantly? Weary with this world? with the journey. That's my subject
this morning. Wearied with the journey. Are you wearied with the journey? Tired? Worn out? Beat down? Exhausted? Weary? If so, I've got a message
for you. John chapter 4 verse 6. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied
with the journey. That's almost as astounding as
Christ being made sin for us. He who made the universe and
sustains it. He who gives breath to all his
creatures and takes it away. He who now gives you breath was wearied with his journey. Jesus, therefore being wearied
with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was about twelve
o'clock. It was about the sixth hour.
What a picture. Here's our great Savior, the
Lord of glory, that one who came to seek and save that which was
lost, that one who lived always to do nothing but his father's
will, while he is in the business, on the journey of seeking and
saving the lost, while he is doing his father's will, wearied
with his journey. Let every weary soul then look
to him who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. What
does this mean? Why is this fact recorded? Why is it important? Why does
the Spirit of God tell us this and what does he intend for us
to learn from it? Certainly, certainly there is not here some
indication of a weakness in our Savior's character or a weakness
in his person. This is not intended to show
us something that detracts from His glorious being as God our
Savior. Rather, this event in the life
of our Redeemer is intended to teach us that He is a real man. A real man. I want to call your attention
to four things, and I'm going to spend the bulk of my time
on this first one. We see here how truly human Jesus
Christ is. And I stress is. He who sits
upon the throne of universal dominion, in whose hands are
all things, to whom God the Father has given the reigns of universal
monarchy. He who holds all grace and dispenses
grace as He will. He who judges men and will judge
men in that great day is a man just like you and just like me,
a real man. It is interesting. John, more
than any of the other gospel writers, is determined in his
gospel to show us our Lord's eternal Godhead, His divinity
as God the Son. Turn back just a couple of pages
to chapter 1. Notice again how he starts the gospel record that
he writes here. He doesn't give us anything at
all about our Lord's genealogy as a man. Important as that is,
John completely bypasses it. And he begins by telling us that
Jesus Christ the man is himself God. In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same
was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. Yet it is
John who seems to go out of his way to show us our Lord's real
humanity. Many today who claim to believe
in Christ deny his absolute deity. It's strange that they should. It is such an obvious fact and
a blessed fact revealed in Scripture. But many who claim to believe
in Christ say he was just a man. He was just a good man, a great
man, a great prophet, but you can't say that he's God. Well,
such men don't know him and don't believe him. They only blaspheme
him. In John's day, as in our day, Many who claim to believe
in Christ denied his real humanity. They denied that he really did
come in human flesh. That he really did live on this
earth, eat and drink and walk about in a body of flesh like
we do. That he really got hungry and
really got thirsty. That he really got tired and
really needed rest. They deny his real humanity.
They would have us to believe that really he was just a phantom,
just made an appearance so that it appeared as though he were
a man. And there are multitudes of true believers who lose much
benefit to their souls because they fail to grasp the reality
of our Lord's manhood. I want you to understand, and
I want to understand myself that Jesus Christ my God is a man
just exactly like me. Sin alone accepted. He who is our Redeemer I have
declared to you repeatedly and cannot declare often enough is
and must be both God and man in one glorious person. No one
else could put away sin by the sacrifice of himself but a man
who is God. No one else could satisfy divine
justice by his sufferings except a man who is God. No one else
could bring in everlasting righteousness by his obedience except a man
who is God. God was manifest in the flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. The Lord Jesus Christ, our God-man,
died the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God.
And all the while, this one who is The man, Christ Jesus, is
himself the eternal God. Now we say that, and we repeat
the statements of Scripture with ease. But I'm sure we've not
yet begun to grasp the reality and the fullness of our Lord's
manhood. I know I haven't. I'll see if
I can exemplify what I'm saying. And I blush with shame to acknowledge
it. When I read in the scriptures that the Lord Jesus is the creator,
sustainer, and governor of all things, that he's absolute sovereign,
I have no trouble, no trouble at all believing that. I don't have any difficulty with
that. That's not a bit of a problem
to me. That's my savior. I hear those things, read those
things, say amen. That's him. That's just what I expect. But
when I read in this book that he was tempted of the devil,
that he was troubled in his soul, that he was hungry, that he was
thirsty, that he learned obedience, that he was weary. My immediate thought is somehow
we must explain that away. My immediate thought is somehow
we must find a way to make men understand that's not really
what the scriptures are telling us. And though thus I dishonor
him whom most I long to honor in all things. Bob doth the humanity
of Jesus Christ is every bit as necessary to our salvation
as his deity. Did you hear me? The humanity
of Christ is every bit as necessary to our salvation as his deity. The fact that our Savior sat
on Jacob's well as a man wearied with his journey is intended
to minister comfort to God's people and it is intended to
encourage sinners to trust him. I think Brother Darwin in a message
recently mentioned the sermon he and I had the privilege of
hearing at Ashland. My soul has been well over 30 years ago.
Brother Herman Moore came to preach. First time he preached
at Ashland in a conference. Herman was pastor in my hometown
at the time in Winston-Salem. And he preached on the subject,
a man in glory. Oh, what a declaration. There's a man in glory. A man. Larry, reach there and
touch your hand. A man with a hand just like that. A man. That means there might
be another one. I might also be there. You might
also. One man has ascended to God's
throne. so that other men may ascend
to God's throne. And that man, that man is touched
with the feeling of our infirmities. He's a real man. You might ask,
well why is it that he who raised the dead and multiplied loaves
and fishes and turned water into wine for the benefit of multitudes
didn't perform a miracle for himself? That's a good question. I've asked it many times myself.
Our Lord Jesus, had he chosen to do so, could have caused that deep well
at Sychar to gush as a fountain merely by willing it. That's
no trouble to him. He called water to gush out of
a rock. Well, why didn't He? Because He came to minister to men, to seek and
to save that which was lost, to give His life a ransom for
many, to minister, but not to be ministered unto. If He would
be our Savior, If he would stand to his bond as our surety, if
he would put away sin as our substitute, it was absolutely
necessary that the Lord Jesus endure all the consequences of
sin. All of them. It behooved him,
the Spirit of God says. It behooved him. What a strong
word. It behooves Him. It was compelling
to Him. It was necessary for Him in all
things to be made like unto His brethren. From the moment He
became flesh, the curse of the fall began to fall upon His head,
and He was made to suffer all that we suffer. Though He knew
no sin, and did no sin, though he is altogether holy, harmless,
undefiled, and separate from sinners, our blessed Savior experienced
all the frailties and infirmities of fallen humanity, which are
the result of sin. He experienced all the calamities
to which human life is exposed in this world. Oh, and Brother Don, You can't
mean he's experienced everything I've experienced. I mean for you to understand
you haven't come close to experiencing everything he's experienced. You haven't come close to experiencing
the trials, the heartaches, the pains, the bruises, agony of
heart and soul and life. Haven't come close. He was pricked
with all the briars and thorns that this earth must and shall
continually bring forth to prick humanity because of the curse
of the fall upon this earth. All his life long he suffered
these things. He is called the man of sorrows,
one who is acquainted with grief. Our Lord Jesus suffered those
things until at last He was brought to the dust of death by the hand
of His Father. These were the conditions to
which our Redeemer subjected Himself in the days of His flesh. When He was made sin for us who
knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. All the weariness, sorrows, afflictions, and woes, all the
needs, all the necessities, all the miseries, all the pains he
felt within himself. He felt every groan in his own
being that he heard as he walked through this world of woe, hearing
sin sick sinners groaning in his presence. He himself, the
prophet said, bear our sicknesses and carried our sorrows. Therefore, the Spirit of God
says, our Savior came to Jacob's well, and he sat thus on the
well, being wearied with his journey. I said all that to say this. The
weariness was real. It was real. Weary. You know, that means you're
tired. That's not the word I use when
I'm tired. When I'm tired, I say I'm tired. Weary is a much stronger
word. Weary means tired and sick. Worn out. Exhausted. Beat down. Burdened. Heavy. Heavy. Heavy with tiredness. He was wearied with his journey. Weary with fatigue. He had walked a long way. but weary more with the care
of his heart for the souls of men. Weary with the burden of
his heart, the burden he carried throughout his days. Weary with
the anticipation of that day when he must be made sin and
there suffer all the horrid wrath of God as our substitute. He
was weary. The weariness was real, yet It
was altogether voluntary. He came here to remove the curse. And the only way he could remove
the curse is to carry the curse and be made the curse. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangeth on a tree. As soon as our Lord Jesus said,
lo, I come to do thy will, O my God, all the consequences of
Adam's sin and ours seized him. and fell upon him and pursued
him up unto the very moment that he cried, it is finished. Turn to Hebrews chapter 2, let
me show you. Hebrews chapter 2, I want you to turn there and
read this. Hebrews chapter 2. The last word of verse 9 tells
us that he by the grace of God tasted death for every man. That
does not mean he tasted death for every man in the world. It
means he tasted death for every man named in the text. And here's
how he describes them. For it became him, for whom are
all things, and by whom were all things, in bringing many
sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. Verse 17. Wherefore in all things
it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, he could not then be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God today had he not known what it was to be wearied
with his journey back here in John 4. To make reconciliation
for the sins of the people, for in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted Since He knows what it is to suffer temptation,
He is able to succor, to help with empathy, to help with compassion. He is able to succor them that
are tempted. Verse 15, chapter 4, For we have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore. No reason, no reason, no reason
to expect God to hear your goals except to hear them through a
mediator who's touched with the feeling of your infirmities.
How can a God who has no connection with humanity ever know what
you need and what you feel. Oh, no. He is one touched with
the feeling of our infirmity, so let us, therefore, come boldly
to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in time of need. Chapter 5, for every high priest
is taken from among men, or taken from among men, is ordained for
men in things pertaining to God, ordained men, that he may offer
both gifts and sacrifices for sins, who can have compassion
on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way, for that
he himself also is compassed with infirmity." Oh, what an encouragement then
to take your burden to the Lord. cast all your care on him for
truly he careth for you chapter 7 verse 24 this man because he
continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood wherefore since since
he is this man this man who has a priesthood that can never change
this man who lives forever who was once compassed with infirmity
who was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin
this man who is now able to reach inside you and feel you. This man lives forever and therefore
he's able to save them to the uttermost who come to God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For
such an high priest became us. who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
and separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens."
Now, does weariness seem to overwhelm
you? Boy, sometimes it does, doesn't
it? Spiritual weariness, physical
weariness, mental weariness, emotional weariness, just gets
sometimes more than you can bear. Just more than you can bear. How often do we sit around and
pity ourselves? And we're a whole lot better
at pitying ourselves than we are pitying anybody else. We love to pity
ourselves. We like to do it. It's just,
that's the way we are. Shameful, but that's the way
we are. When you are pressed down with
weariness, look to the Lamb of God. He was weary. He was weary. Weary
as I have never known. weary as I have never been, weary
as I have never experienced, but his weariness didn't keep
him from continuing his journey. His weariness didn't prevent
him from pushing forward with his work. His weariness didn't
keep him from doing his father's will. His weariness didn't keep
him from continuing to serve the needs of poor, eternity-bound
sinners like you and me. His weariness didn't keep him
from accomplishing redemption for us. Let not your weariness
keep you from honoring God and serving him and worshiping him
and serving his people. Was he wearied with his journey?
Though Jehovah's servant, yes he was, but he didn't turn back. So let me be found faithful to
the end, though often wearied with the journey. Was he wearied
with his journey? Yes he was, yet he never grumbled,
never repined, never complained. So let me, when most weary, not
grumble, complain, and repine. Was he weary with his journey,
having no place for his head? Yep. So let me not murmur if
I find myself treated by this world as an outcast. I should
expect it. Was he weary with his journey,
though rich, yet for my sake condescending to be poor, though
Lord of life and glory, yet a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief? subjecting himself to hunger, and thirst, and weariness,
afflictions, temptations, buffetings, and despised of all? A worm,
and no man, a reproach of men, and the outcast of the people?
He was all that. And he says, Father, not my will,
thy will be done. O Spirit of God, Teach me to
walk after His example. Now that's the first part. But there's much, much more.
And I had to give it to you briefly. Here's the second thing. We see
in this text that our Lord Jesus is wearied. I want you to see
that He is wearied by man's sin and unbelief. Turn back to the
book of Amos. You may look upon your sin as
being a matter of indifference. We hear it all the time. People
excusing ungodliness and say, well, it doesn't hurt you. It's
indifferent. You may think it's an insignificant
thing. But I'm here to tell you God
Almighty doesn't look upon sin or unbelief as something indifferent
or insignificant. Our text shows us a picture of
the Son of God wearied with his journey, his journey through
this world as the Savior of the world. I realize that what I'm trying
to declare here Some men will say, well, this is inconsistent
with divine sovereignty and predestination. Brother Fortner is just, he's
not being consistent with himself. Well, I gave up trying to be
consistent with myself years ago. I want to be consistent
with what this book says. And I will leave it to the theologians
to wrangle and twist the scriptures to suit themselves. I have no
hesitancy and don't blush any time to declare God's absolute
sovereignty, take a backseat to no one in doing so. But I'm
not here to tickle your ears with theological refinement.
I'm here, hoping by the grace of God, by the gospel of God
to persuade you to put down your arms of rebellion against God
and bow to Christ the Lord, the Son of God is wearied with your
sin. Listen to what he says. Thou
hast brought me no sweet cane offering with money, neither
hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices, but thou
hast made me to serve with thy sins. Thou hast wearied me with
thine iniquities. Did you catch what God said in
Amos 2 verse 13 when we read it? Behold, I am pressed under
you as a cart is pressed that's full of sheaves. Read the first chapter of Isaiah
and you'll hear God declare that He's weary with your religion.
the religion by which you attempt to soothe your conscience and
form for yourself a refuge of lies. You come to my house and
you spread out your hands and you say, I'm going to worship
God today. You give your money to the offering
plate when it's passed. You say, well, I've done my part
today. And you read your Bible and you go to your knees and
you say your prayers. Well, I've done my part today.
God said I didn't require this from you. When you spread your
hands, I won't hear you. When you call on me, I won't
answer you. Your sacrifices are like the acts of sodomites to
me. Did God say that? Read it for
yourself. Isaiah chapter 1. That's exactly
what it says. What are you talking about, Brother
Don? This is what God requires of me. No, no, no, no, no, no. A hundred thousand times, no!
God doesn't require outward religion. God requires heart worship through
His Son. Worship through faith in His
Son. Bring your sacrifices, bringing the sacrifice of Christ Himself. Spread your hearts before Him
and spread your prayers before Him, worshiping Him and bowing
to Him. Lord God, weary with your broken
promises. I'm pretty good at describing
what you are, because I know what I am. I'm pretty good at
describing how you do things, because I know how I have done
things. I know what my nature is. I'm
scared to death of meeting God in judgment, just like some of
you are. Scared to death of going to hell, just like some of you
are. And I'd make promises. Oh, I'd make promises. Lord,
help me get through this, and I'll serve you. Help me get through
this, and I'll worship you. Help me get through this, and
I'll devote myself to you. Help me get through this, and
I'll believe on you. Help me get through this, and I'll repent.
You see your child's sick, and you think you're going to lose
that child. Oh, God, spare that child. I'll follow you. You get sick. Oh God, get me
up off this bed and I'll serve you. And this is what God says,
you've lied to me and I won't forget it. You've lied to me
and I won't forget it. You who persist in your rebellion
and unbelief, you stop your ears against the gospel, you shut
your eyes against the light, you shove God out of your way
so you can run on to hell. And God Almighty says, I'm weary
with you, resisting the Holy Spirit continually. Oh, Brother
Don, you can't say that. I'm fully aware that God's grace
is irresistible. Oh, how I thank God for that. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy birth. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee. God's grace is irresistible. Without it, nobody would ever
come to Him. But I am fully aware that this
book holds you responsible for your sin and your unbelief. You're either going to trust
Christ or you're going to answer for everything. You're either going to bow to
the Son of God and worship Him, trusting His blood and His righteousness,
or you will answer to God for every rebel breath you take.
You will answer to Him forever. He says, ye stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost, as did your fathers, so do ye. What's that mean? What's
that mean? I'll tell you what it means.
Get out of my way. Get out of my way! God, get out
of my way! Christ, get out of my way! Spirit
of God, get out of my face! I won't have you. You shoved
God out of your way while you run madly to hell. Oh God, step
in and intervene for you. If he doesn't, you'll answer
for every breath. He that being often reproved,
hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without
remedy. Now, let me show you in the third
place that this wearied Savior came to this place to save a
weary sinner. This woman came to the well to
draw in the middle of the day because
she, bless her heart, I can relate to her. She had ruined her life. She had ruined it. I mean ruined
it. It was gold. She had destroyed
everything. Everything. And she came out
in the middle of the day because she couldn't lift her face and
face any woman in town. She came out in the middle of
the day because she didn't want to be seen by anybody. She had ruined
herself. She had ruined her life. And
the Lord Jesus came at the hour of appointed love and mercy and
grace to reveal himself to her. To say, come unto me, all you
that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. To say
to her, I've got water that will refresh your soul forever and
be in you a well of living water springing up into everlasting
life. And to make her want it. to make a warrant. You see, you can't live in rebellion
to God and not make yourself weary. God's fixed it that way. But being weary with your life
and being weary with sin are two different things. You make yourself weary with
life. There's a sermon in that. I know we live in this society
that says blame somebody else for everything. I'm going to
tell you something. I don't get many calls for counseling
as a pastor. It's your fault. It's not mama's
fault, daddy's fault, husband's fault, wife's fault, son's fault,
daughter's fault. It's your fault. Whatever you make, whatever mess
you make, it's your fault. All but society's your fault.
I don't care if you pay a psychiatrist $1,000 a month to give you pills
to make you think it's not, it's your fault. Whatever mess you
make, it's your fault. Nobody blame but you. Oh, I can't
make you weary with sin. But if Christ will come to you,
as he came to this woman, he makes sinners weary, not with
just what they've done, but what they are. And he comes to save
weary sinners. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden. and I will give you rest. That's his promise. Seek ye the
Lord, for he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Let the unrighteous man forsake
his way. Let the ungodly forsake his thoughts. And I will have
mercy on you. What do you see in the Savior
sitting here on this well? I see the Christ of God willing
to save sinners. Oh, my soul, who can doubt that
He's willing to save? Therefore will the Lord wait
that He may be gracious unto you. Therefore will He be exalted. That's Isaiah's prophecy of our
Lord's exaltation and glory, having accomplished redemption.
Therefore will He be exalted that He may be gracious unto
you. Paul puts it this way. I'm sorry, Luke in Acts chapter
4. He is exalted to give repentance. That's the reason God set him
on his throne and put everything in his hands. The God-man who
was here weary at Jacob's well, sets in glory. with absolute
power that He may give eternal life to as many as the Father
has given Him. Oh, how willing He is to save. When our Savior is sitting here
on the well, try to picture if you can. Look. Look, yonder,
over there, our Savior's sitting outside town in that desert place
by that well, tired. Oh, He's tired. And He's just
sitting there. And this woman comes up, and
something seems to happen. Something seems to happen. I
used to do a little hunting and fishing. Didn't do much fishing,
but a little bit. I'm not much of a fisherman.
Sit out there with that pole in my hand on the bank or in
the boat, and I'll tell you what, 10 minutes, I can be sound asleep.
If nothing grabs that hook, makes that thing bobble a little bit.
But buddy, let just a little something start moving it. Wide
awake, wide awake. I remember sitting out in the
woods, go deer hunting. Cold, the mountains of West Virginia. Just sat down there, just nearly
sound asleep. And suddenly you hear a little
rustle. And Laurel thinking, you see that cottontail. Man,
wide awake, adrenaline rushes through, you're just excited.
Our Savior's sitting here on this well, weary, so much on his heart and
mind. And that which is primarily on
his heart and mind here is this woman and God's glory. And when
she walks up to the well, man, the adrenaline started pumping
because he's come here for this purpose. He's revived and refreshed
by the appearance of this needy soul. Here's the third thing,
or fourth thing. That which refreshed and revived
our Savior, that which refreshed and revived
the Son of God that day in Samaria, that which now satisfies the
travail of His soul is the salvation of sinners. You read the rest of this chapter.
When the disciples came back, you know, they'd gone to town
and they'd gone to buy some meat.
And when they came back, they saw the Lord Jesus talking to
this woman. They didn't hear what was going on. Then this woman grabbed, she
left her water pot and she grabbed up her skirt and ran back to
town and said, come see a man! Told me all things ever I knew.
Is not this the Christ? And the disciples wondered among
themselves, said, who gave him something to eat? What's changed there? We left
him sitting here. He was tired. He was weary. He sent us in town
to get him something to eat. Who gave him something to eat?
And he looked at him and he said, I have meat to eat. You just
can't understand. I have meat to eat you know not
of. And what was it? He asked this
woman when he met her at the well. He said, give me to drink. And you know what she did? You
know what she did? She gave him, oh, a drink of
water. Like no thirsty man has ever
tasted. But Brother Don, she didn't. She didn't ever put her
water pot down in that well. No, she didn't. But as soon as
he made himself known to her, she believed him. And he was
satisfied. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. There is joy in the presence
of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. There is
a day coming when the Lord Jesus shall present all his ransomed
as a chaste virgin to God before the throne of the triune God.
And He will present you faultless and without blame and holy and
without spot and without wrinkle or anything like it. Now listen,
this is what it said. Larry Brown, he's going to do
this with exceeded joy. Zephaniah said, He will rejoice
over you with singing. What refreshes the Son of God? What is it that enlivens His
soul? What is it that gives satisfaction
to Him? It is the salvation of His people. Oh, may He be pleased now to
reveal Himself to you. and bring you to himself for
the satisfaction of your soul and for the satisfaction of his. Amen.