I wonder what will it take to bring you to Christ. Many of you have heard the gospel for years, some of you all your lives. You've been the subject and still are the subjects of many, many prayers. Your parents, this congregation, this pastor, call your name before God earnestly. And yet you're lost. I often ask myself this question as I look into your faces sitting here, getting ready, trying to prepare to preach to you. What will it take to bring you to Christ?

Today, I want to answer that question by showing you how our Lord brought a sinner to himself here in John chapter four, verses one through 26. I know, I know. Conversion is the work of God alone. I hope you could sing from your heart. Pass me not, O gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Because unless God turns here, you will not turn to him. Unless God comes to you, you will not come to him. So I pray, oh spirit of God, visit us again this day and graciously bring sinners to Christ. Do what only you can do and cause us this hour to be brought to him.

Now I want you to hold your Bibles open in John chapter four, and I'll show you what it'll take for you to be saved. When I finish preaching, there'll be a whole lot more room for more preaching. A whole lot more room for preaching from this passage and on this subject. But I want to show you from these verses of scripture, five things that are absolutely necessary for you to be saved. Five things necessary for you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here's the first one. You will never come to Christ. It just won't happen. It won't happen. until the Lord Jesus Christ himself crosses your path. The only way God ever saves a sinner is to meet the sinner head on. He's got to cross your path. You see, you're running as fast as you can to hell. You're running as fast as you can away from God. And the only way you will ever come to him is if he steps in your way, puts himself in your life, intervenes in your affairs, and stops you in your mad rush to destruction.

Here in verse one, when therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John. If it had been so, so what? But these fellows were religious competitors, you know, they counted noses and they had their tote boards and they ran competitions. They had Sunday school contests and they had church attendance contests and they had Sunday school bus drives. They had all the foolishness that goes on in religion. Oh, he's got more folks coming than we do. What are we going to do? And the Lord just left them. Just left them. Though Jesus baptized not, but his disciples, because he wanted us to understand there's no significance in who does the baptizing, only in the one being baptized and why he's being baptized.

But look at these words. He left Judea. Oh, what a word. He left. Looking at you, Daniel, you've been listening to your dad preach the gospel since before you were born. Oh, but my God, these folks had had his word. He walked in their streets, performed miracles before them. He who is God's salvation, he who is the light of the world, lit up their streets. And they clung to their religion and their tradition and their refuge of lies and their self-righteousness. And he left them. You hear me and be warned. Listen to this preaching. God help you to hear me. If you trifle with the gospel of God's grace, you trifle with Jesus Christ, you trifle with the things of God, you are trifling with everlasting destruction. If God ever leaves you to yourself, you're left. God ever leaves you to yourself, you're left to destruction. You're as sure for hell as if you were already there.

He said Ephraim is joined to his idols. Leave him alone. God said to his prophet, don't pray for this people. I won't hear you. Don't speak their name to me. I won't hear you. No need talking to me about them. I've left them.

I recall years ago when I was just a young man, I was in college. I heard a sermon by Brother Ralph Barnard. He's telling a story. True story. He was preaching up in Detroit, Michigan, back in the early 50s, big citywide campaign when they had those things. And he'd been preaching. And for some reason, he said, I don't know whether God told me to do it or the devil told me to do it. Somebody told me to do it. As I got done preaching, while we were singing and closing hymn, I saw a young lady sitting right down in the middle, just right down in front. We just seemed to be terribly, terribly affected by the message. And I walked down to speak to her, see if I could be of some help to her other than what I'd already said. And as I walked over to put my hand out to her, he said, that young lady screamed to the top of her voice, my God, preacher, for Christ's sake, leave me alone. Everything got real quiet. And he said, all right, honey, for Christ's sake, I'll leave you alone. She got in her car, headed down a road half a block away. She was left alone forever, left alone forever.

The son of God left Judea. Oh, may he never leave you to yourself. But I assure you of this, man's unbelief will not affect in any way, will not alter in any way, will not change in any way the purpose of God Almighty. The Apostle Paul, having declared how the Jews believed not, raised the question that was sure to be raised, well, what if some did not believe? What if you don't believe? Most preachers, most churches, most religion, most doctrine has the idea that somehow God's purpose, God's eternal decree, God's intention, God's work somehow depends upon the will or the consent or the permission of man. And so Paul raises the question. No, the Holy Spirit raised the question. Paul just wrote it down. Well, what if some believe not? What if you don't believe? What if you don't? Shall their unbelief make the faith, the faithfulness of God without effect? You can bet your life it won't. That's just exactly what it said, God forbid. Oh, no, no, no.

You see, you may not trust Christ. I don't know. You may never come to him. I don't know. But I know this, somebody will. Somebody will. There is a remnant, according to the election of grace, who shall be saved. At the appointed time of love, the Lord Jesus Christ will come to the sinner chosen and redeemed by him, and he will call them by his grace.

Look at verse four. And he must needs go through Samaria. At the appointed time, the good shepherd comes seeking his lost sheep. Verse five. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there, Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey. He was a man, you know. He's a man. It was only 12 o'clock, he was already tired. He was a man just like us, all things. He was just like us, sin alone accepted. And sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour, 12 o'clock.

Now, this looks like just a chance meeting. Looks like a lucky break. Everybody would rather worship luck, fate, chance, or free will than worship God. That's the nature of man.

I was telling Lindsey before services, Milton won't mind me telling you this. He didn't do it. He called the other day and told me, said, the paper down here finally printed one of my articles I'd written for him. And he said, Don, they printed it just exactly like I gave it to them, except for the title. He said, the title I gave to the article was Christ is the sinner's friend. He said, that article came out yesterday in 72 point bold face type, half a page on the paper, said, lucky for us, Jesus is the sinner's friend. Reverend Milton Howard, he said, I wanted Luck's got nothing to do with anything. We don't worship our lucky stars. We worship God who names the stars. You understand the difference?

This was no chance happening. This parcel of ground was bought by Jacob and the well was dug by Jacob hundreds of years before this because Jacob wanted the ground and wanted to dig the well. But it wasn't bought by Jacob and it wasn't dug by Jacob for that reason alone, not at all. More importantly, it was bought and the well was dug because God Almighty had appointed a time from eternity and a place where the master must come to meet the ruined sinner whom he would save by his grace. And that place was Jacob's well.

Our Lord said, Lindsay quoted it earlier, I am sought of them that ask not for me. I'm found of them that sought me not. I said, behold me, behold me unto a nation that was not called by my name. The son of God came here to seek a sinner given to him before the world was and the appointed time had come. Divine providence had arranged the meeting. Divine providence had arranged for this needy sinner and the mighty savior to be at the well at the same time.

It's interesting that John was inspired to write, she came to the well and it was about the sixth hour. That's why he threw that in. because not many folks would come out in the heat of the day at noontime or a little after to draw water out of a well. Most folks would be out there early in the morning drawing water or late in the evening drawing water, but not at noontime. This woman came to the well at noontime because she was a woman with a name. She had a reputation. Nobody much talked to her about things, but she understood and realized that her behavior had made her the object of great scorn. And she came here at this time because she expected to see no one at the well on this particular occasion.

But notice this too. The Lord Jesus arranged to be there alone with that woman, the object of his mercy, love, and grace.

In verse eight, This woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her, give me to drink. And then he says, for his disciples were going away into the city to buy meat. He sent them to buy meat, not to beg for it. Anytime you see churches and religious organizations out begging for money with their little buckets and their little 10 cups and their hats. Don't even think about giving a dime. That's not God's cause. Our Lord never sent his people in this world to beg for anything. Not his church, not his preachers, nobody who represents him. He's the king of glory. He doesn't live on alms, neither do his people. He sent his disciples to buy meat, to buy it at a fair price. But notice here, the reason for it was in order that he be alone with the woman. I read this text as I was preparing this message and immediately Hebrews 2.14 came to my mind.

Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak to her heart. When God Almighty intends to be gracious to a sinner, when God Almighty intends to bring a sinner to his son. He arranges to get the sinner alone with his son and his son alone with the sinner.

Now, preachers and churches and religion and mommy and daddy will do everything they can to prevent that. They'll do everything they can to get in the way somehow. Oh, but if you would ever meet the mess, Time's going to come when he's going to stand you right in front of him stark naked. And that's not pleasant at first. Oh no. Oh no.

The Samaritan woman would never have come to Christ had he not first come to her, had he not crossed her path. And you will never come to him unless he crosses your path, steps in your way, and makes you to stand before him alone.

Here's the second thing. The Lord created an interest in this woman's heart. He asked her for a drink of water because he was thirsty, yes. But the thirst he had, as we read the chapter earlier, we're clearly given this indication. The thirst he had was not a thirst after the water that was in that well, though that was certainly true. But there was a deep, deep thirst in his soul that the water of Jacob's well could never quench. It was a thirst for her soul that he wanted quenched.

His request was designed to get her interest and her attention in himself. And the woman answered the request with a kind of a smart mouth, rude retort. She said, you're a Jew. I'm a Samaritan. And I know good and doggone well you wouldn't have anything to do with me if you didn't need me. What are you doing asking me for water? How dare you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink?

But our Lord is long-suffering toward his elect. Oh, Rex, he put up with our insults for years, didn't he? He's long-suffering, not willing that any of his elect should perish. And so he ignored her insult and pursued her heart. Look at verse 10.

Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest The gift of God. Oh, if only you knew. If only you knew. See, the reason you won't come to Christ is because you don't know it. If only you knew the gift of God. Salvation, eternal life, Jesus Christ is the gift of God. Not the offer of God, not the opportunity of God, not the invitation of God, not the pretty little present God has wrapped up and wants you to take if you pretty please will. The gift of God. The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. This is a gift which God must perform in you in order to give to you. It's the gift of God.

If only you knew the gift of God. and who it is. The master says, if you knew what I've got to give and you knew who I am, you would ask of me and I would give you to drink. Lindsay, there's a volume of theology in that verse. I mean a volume, a big volume. Our Lord Jesus tells this woman, if you knew these things, you would ask of me because asking proceeds faith, or proceeds from knowing rather, it precedes, it is followed by, asking is that which follows knowing. Our faith in him is the result of something he makes known to us. Before we ask, God has to deal with us in conviction and revelation.

Notice Christ deals with this woman, Not on the basis of what, but on the basis of who. I wish the world would hear this, especially our refined imaginary theologians. Doctrine no more saves than doing does. It's Christ that saves, but it's Christ. If you knew who it was, you knew who it was, you would ask, and salvation is to be had for the ask. All you got to do is ask. That's all. All you got to do is ask. Just ask. God be merciful to me, the sinner. You got it. He went down to his house justified. Just ask, Lord, I would be made whole. Go your way. You got it. What is it you want? Oh, Lord, that I may receive my sight. Go your way, your faith made you whole. You mean salvation is that near? This is what the book says. The word is nigh thee, even in thy heart and in thy mouth. And if thou shalt confess with the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart, thou shalt be saved.

The Lord Jesus Christ is willing to pour out the living water of grace, salvation, and eternal life to every needy sinner who asks of him with overflowing super abundance. Ask, you shall receive. Seek, you shall find. Knock, it shall be open to you. But you've got to do the asking. And you've got to do the seeking. You've got to do the knocking. Gary, it's impossible for you to give those boys faith in Christ. Impossible for you to talk them into making the ask, and making the knock, and making the seeking. The only one who can cause you to ask, knock, and seek, is him who comes to seek and to save that which is lost. But this is personal business. Faith is not a family effort. Faith is not a denominational effort. Faith is not something the church does for you. Faith in Christ is something God works in you and you must exercise personally for yourself.

All right, read on. Our Lord Jesus Christ having created an interest in this woman, an interest in himself, in her heart, declares plainly that all men by nature are ignorant of all things spiritually. And then he points her to the well, that well. I read the other day there was a hundred feet deep, nine feet in diameter, pretty good size well. Been there for hundreds of years. Thousands and thousands and thousands of folks had come and drawn water and watered their cattle and watered their families and bathed with it. And our Lord Jesus said to that woman, look at this, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. With the finger of God, he writes across all the wells of this world, all of it. All of whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. I know it so. I know it so. Materialism, wealth, and position. Fame, honor, respectability, religion, philosophy, lust, pleasure, drunkenness, rioting, reveling, adultery, fornication, all of them's the same thing. They're all the same thing.

This woman here, she was engaged in her perversity. The Pharisees were equally engaged in their perversity. You see, it doesn't matter what you seek in this world or which well you drink from. It's all the same thing. It'll never give you any satisfaction. It won't happen. There's absolutely no difference. Man, you talk about leveling us, this levels us. There's absolutely no difference. between pursuing material lust and pursuing sensual lust. Absolutely no difference. None at all. None at all. All of them are to walk after the course of this world, after the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Now, believers have a responsibility You work out there at Ed Martin, it's your responsibility as a believer to be the best you can possibly be in the job God put you in. That's altogether proper. But to pursue name, recognition, fame, and fortune for Bill Raleigh and his family is just as wicked as pursuing a bottle every Saturday night. Just as wicked. After all these things do the Gentiles seek from wells that will never satisfy. I don't care how much you get of what you pursue, no satisfaction.

Oh no, but that person who is born of God, who drinks of the water from that river that flows from the throne of God, that person who has Christ and the grace of God and the Spirit of God and the light and life of God in his soul, never thirst again. He has all. Do I tell the truth? Do I tell the truth? Christ is it.

All right, thirdly, in verses 15 through 18, you will never come to Christ until he exposes your sin. This old salty gal here, I'm sure she imagined that this American and probably most other people, maybe a few intimate acquaintances, but most people didn't have any idea what was going on in her life. She had it well hidden. It was something you know you didn't talk about every day. And so the master said to her, he said, go get your husband." Well, I don't have a husband. I know you don't, but you're living with a fellow. And you've lived with five others just like you. You just shacked up one fellow after another, after another, after another. Where have you said you have no husband?

And this gal, she, it's interesting what she did. She tried her best when the light fell on her to turn the light in another direction. Turn it anywhere. Not here. Not here. Let's talk about something else. Let's get off this subject. He had fired his barbed arrow right in her heart. And she tried to break the barb off. And how did she do it? Talking about religion. She had been smart aleck. She'd been rude. Now she begins to speak respectfully. She says, verse 19, Sir, I perceive you a prophet. Oh, I was mistaken about you. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain. And you folks, you Jews, you say in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

You see, immediately she changes her tone. She wanted to get away from the subject of her immoral, lascivious, perverse behavior. Her conscience was pricked, and she wanted to soothe her conscience. And the way men do that is with religion, by talking about religion in general terms, in historic terms, in doctrinal terms, in traditional terms, in family terms, in any terms except me and God. And I'm going to tell you something. That's a refuge from which few men are ever shaken.

But our Lord would not be led into a trap. He was far more concerned about her soul than it was in proving a point. So he did what only he can do. And this too he must do for you. He destroyed her refuge. Exactly what it did. He said, here's this old gal. She's, it's amazing. She is, has less respectability than a prostitute. She, she just plays with one fellow than another. And she's, she's standing before the son of God, defending religion. We're Calvinist, you fellas are Arminians. We're Arminians, you fellas are Calvinists. I believe in election, my father's. What stupidity, what arrogance, what self-righteousness.

This woman was seeking a refuge and the Lord just started tearing the boards down. Look what it says, verses 21 and follow it. The Lord Jesus said, believe me, woman, woman, believe me, believe me. He didn't, uh, He didn't shake his finger in her face and say, well, you Armenians are all going to hell. That's not the way you witness to folks. That's the way you offend people needlessly.

What did he do? He said, believe me, the hour is coming when you shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. You don't know what you worship. We know what we worship, salvations of the Jews. And the hour comes and now is when true worshipers We'll worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God's Spirit, they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

And those words need to be expounded in this day of bumper sticker trinket religion. Somebody wrote to me the other day wanting to know if they could send all of y'all a free God Loves You pin. I'll give you next week the letter I wrote to him. Such nonsense, such nonsense, such foolishness, such idolatry. God is the awesome spirit. If you'll worship him, you got to worship him in spirit, in your heart, sincerely, by his spirit, in truth, as he's revealed himself in his son.

Now then, one more thing. Before a sinner comes to Christ, he's just got to make himself known to you. Look at verse 25. The woman said to him, I know that Messiah comes, which is called Christ. When he is come, he'll tell us all things. And Jesus said to her, I that speak unto thee, And that's salvation. That's what it is. It's Christ making himself known to you and in you by his almighty power and grace.

This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Amen.