Let's go tonight, if you will,
to John chapter 4. John chapter 4. And last time that we studied
the first 26 verses of this chapter, when our Lord met this woman
of Samaria at the well, we concluded in verse 26, where He confessed
to her, I that speak unto thee am. She had told him, we know
or we've heard that the Messiah is coming and when he comes he
will tell us all things. And the Lord Jesus Christ confessed
unto her and very clearly I might say more so maybe than to any
other person in the gospel. The Lord spoke to this woman
and confessed to her that he is the Messiah. Now, the Messiah had been promised. She said, we have heard. The
Messiah had been promised from the Garden of Eden. Just as soon
as man sinned in the Garden, God spoke and God declared that
He would come who would bruise the serpent's head. She said,
we know, we've heard that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ.
He said, I that speak unto thee am he. Now, in the next few verses,
verses 27 through 42 tonight, I wanted to point out four things
to us that took place. First, I want us to be aware
that the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, they marveled they
marveled that he talked with this woman. Notice what it says
in verse 27. And upon this came his disciples
and marveled that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said, Why
seekest thou, or what seekest thou, or why talkest thou with
her? They had left him a short while
before this. He was weary of the journey,
and he was sitting there on the side of the well when this woman
came out to draw water. They had gone into the city to
buy food, and in their absence, of course, she came and She came
to draw water, and the Lord used this opportunity to speak to
her about the water of life, the water that He would give
unto those who ask Him. When they returned, they marveled. They were amazed that He would
be speaking to a woman, period, and especially a Samaritan woman. They were amazed that He would
do such a thing. And this makes me believe that
his disciples, remember they're just learning themselves. They
were not born full-grown disciples. They were born just like everyone
else. Born into the kingdom of God
as a babe, and they had to grow. They had to learn. But the fact
that John tells us, and remember John's writing this, he was one
of them. And he's just confessing we came
back and we marveled. We were amazed when we saw him
speaking to a woman. And a woman of Samaria. They, I believe, were much like
Simon. What we read over in Luke chapter
7. The Pharisee by the name of Simon. You remember he invited
the Lord to come to his house and eat lunch or eat dinner with
him. in Luke chapter 7 and verse 36. The Scripture says, One of the
Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went
into the Pharisee's house and sat down to meet. And behold,
a woman in the city, which was a sinner. Now, there was something
about this woman everyone recognized in this place, in this home. There was something about her
that marked her as a sinner. Now we know that we have all
sinned and come short of the glory of God. This woman of Samaria,
she too, there was something about her evidently coming in
the heat of the day to draw water that marked her out as an outcast,
so to speak, as a sinner even among the Samaritans there in
her city. Behold, a woman in the city,
which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus said it, made
in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
and stood at his feet behind him, weeping, and began to wash
his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her
head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now, now, when the Pharisee,
that is Simon, When he saw what was taking place, he marveled. He marveled, just like the disciples
of the Lord. They marveled when they came
back and they saw Jesus speaking to this woman of Samaria. The Pharisee, which had bidden
him, saw it. He spake within himself, saying,
This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who And what
manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner. Our Lord, the Pharisees and the
scribes, they murmured many times against the Lord Jesus Christ.
And this was one accusation they brought against him. He receiveth
and eateth with sinners. Aren't you thankful tonight?
Aren't you glad tonight that he receiveth and eateth with
sinners? Where would we be? Where would
we be tonight? What hope would we have tonight
if the Lord Jesus Christ was not one who receives and eats
with sinners? That's the reason he came into
this world, to seek and to save that which is lost. He said he
came not to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners. And so these disciples, they
came back and they marveled that the Lord Jesus Christ would be
speaking to this woman. The Lord speaking to us from
His Word should cause us to marvel. Are you amazed tonight? When
you look around and you see the many people that have no clue,
no desire, no understanding whatsoever about their need. You know, I
see people and I hear people sometimes and I think to myself,
not only do they not know the answer, they don't even know
there's a problem. Do you marvel tonight that God
would speak to you? That God from His Word would
reveal Himself to you? of all the people on this planet,
that God would choose you, that God would set you apart and reveal
Himself unto you. We should marvel. We do marvel,
don't we? Remember what He said in 1 Corinthians.
You see your calling, brethren. Let's read that, 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. Beginning with verse 26, For
you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty. and base things of the world,
and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things
which are naught, nothing, to bring to naught things that are,
that no flesh should glory in his presence. We should marvel,
just like these disciples, they marveled that the Lord Jesus
Christ would be speaking to such a woman. A woman, first of all,
and then a woman of Samaria that he would be speaking to her.
But he said this in his prayer in John chapter 17 to his father. He said, I have manifested thy
name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest
them me, and they have kept thy word. So first of all, we see
that his disciples marveled that he talked with this woman. And
I say unto each one of us tonight, we too should be amazed. That's what John Newton meant
when he wrote that hymn Amazing Grace, isn't it? an old slave
trader like him, that God would have mercy and save someone so,
so depraved as he saw himself to be. Now the second thing,
the woman announced Christ's presence in verse 28. The scripture
says, the woman then left her water pot. When these disciples
of our Lord came back, They scared her away. They scared her away. She could speak with the Lord
Jesus Christ. She could talk with Him. But
there was something about these disciples evidently that scared
her away. It could have been their self-righteousness. It could have been. But she took
off. The woman then left her water
pot. The water pot is the same, the word tells us it's the same
size water pot that the Lord made water into wine. And those
were large water pots. So this water pot, if it was
empty or full, it was bulky. And to take her water pot with
her would have slowed her down. So she leaves the water pot. and went her way into the city,
and saith to the men, Come, see a man, see a man, which told
me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Then
they went out of the city, and came unto him. She left it, and
was off to announce to all that she saw, the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. She wasn't speaking about anything
else or anyone else. Her message, her announcement
concerned Christ. Christ. Come see a man. Come
see a man that's told me all things. This woman did what the
Lord Jesus Christ told a man to do. This man, when the Lord
crossed over the sea one night in a storm, And just as he got
off the ship, there's this man meets him out of the tombs. He's
called the demoniac of Gadara. He was possessed of a thousand
demons. You know the story. The scripture
says he was naked. He was untamed. They tried to tame him by chaining
him. And he could break the fetters. And he was strong. He was wild
and he was possessed of demons. And the Lord Jesus Christ cast
those demons out of him. Remember, they went into a herd
of swine and the swine ran, jumped off a cliff and drowned in the
sea. And the people came out from
the towns and they said, we'd like for you to leave. These
people of Gadar, they came out to the Lord Jesus Christ and
they said, we want you to go, to go away. And he obliged him. He obliged him. He got in the
ship. But that man, he wanted to go
with him. Remember, he got in the ship
too. Let's read that over here in Mark chapter 5. In Mark chapter 5 and verse 18. Mark chapter 5 and verse 18,
And when he, that is the Lord Jesus, was come into the ship,
he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he
might be with him. He wanted to go with the Lord.
He wanted to stay with Him. He wanted to be with this one
who had done so much for Him. You can't even imagine what his life
was before the Lord came to him. Can you? This man, I suppose,
had a family. Don't you know when the children
saw their dad coming home, they ran to hide? This man was a wild
man, demon-possessed. And soon as the Lord cast those
demons out of him and the Lord gets in the ship, he wants to
go with him. But look at what our Lord told
this man, verse 19. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not,
but saith unto him, Go home. Isn't that what this woman is
doing? She leaves her water pot and she takes off. Go home. She went to the city of Sychar,
her hometown. Go home to thy friends and tell them
how great things the Lord hath done for thee. and hath had compassion
on thee, and he listened, didn't he? He obeyed, didn't he? And
he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things
Jesus had done for him, and all men did marvel. This woman, she
took off, and she began to tell those in her town, come see a
man that hath told me all things. He had told her enough about
her life when he said, go call your husband. Remember, she said,
well, I don't have a husband. He said, well, you've said the
truth there. You've had five husbands, and the man you're
living with now is not your husband. He told her enough to convince
her that he was a prophet. He was a prophet. And notice,
she didn't say, He is the Christ. This is interesting. Pay attention
here. When she goes to speak to those
of her city, she doesn't go in telling them, I have found the
Christ. She had. But that's not the way
she phrased her announcement, is it? She asked a question. Is this not the Christ? When a person is born again of
the Spirit of God and converted, it's only natural that that person
begins to witness and testify, and especially to those nearest
to him, his family. That's almost always the experience
of the ones that I've known, myself, those that I've known. We want to go to our family,
our brothers, our sisters, our parents even, and speak to them
about Christ. That He's had mercy upon us,
that we found Him who is the Christ. But she had wisdom, this
woman did. One writer pointed out that in
speaking with others about the gospel and their relationship
to Christ, that many times a question is an excellent way to go about
it. Think about that. desire to witness
to someone, to tell them about Christ. Maybe a question, maybe
a question would help to open the door, to speak to them about
Christ. What's your hope? What do you believe takes place
when a person dies? Where does a person go? And isn't
that the question, one of the questions Job answered, if a
man dies, shall he live again? How can a man be just with God?
These are all questions that might help us in witnessing to
others, and that's the way she went about it. She didn't go
in saying, we found the Christ, because maybe they would not
have listened to her. But she asks the question, is
this not the Christ? Well, here's the third thing.
The master's meat, in verses 31 through 38. In the meanwhile,
his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto
them, I have meat to eat that you know not of. Therefore said
the disciples one to another, hath any man brought him aught
to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of
him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye there are
yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you,
Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white
already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth
wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that
soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein
is that saying true, one soweth and another reapeth. I sent you
to reap that whereupon you bestowed no labor. Other men labored and
you are entered into their labors. Now the disciples here again,
we see they show their carnality because they're thinking when
the Lord said unto them, I have meat to eat that you know not
of. Their mind was thinking about
food, food. They had gone to buy food. And
when he said that, then they asked this question, has someone
else brought him food? Has someone else brought him
something to eat? You know, one day they got on
a ship, the Lord with his disciples, and he said this to them, take
heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. And what did
they think? We didn't bring any bread. We didn't bring any bread. Leaven's
in bread, right? Causes it to rise. We didn't
bring any bread. Now they're just saying the Lord
feed 5,000 people. Not having any bread, would that
have been a problem? But our Lord told them the leaven
that He was speaking of was a hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Beware of the
leaven. Take heed and beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They said it's because we have
taken no bread. But it was not leaven in the
bread our Lord was warning about, but the doctrine of the Pharisees
and the Sadducees. And here when he speaks of meat,
their thoughts were carnal and wonder, has someone brought him
food to eat? But he said, my meat is to do
the will of my father and finish his work. Think about that. My meat. My meat is to do the
will of my father and finish his work. What is the will of
the father? What was the will of the father
that he was given to do? Well, look over a few pages in
John chapter 6. John chapter 6, and beginning
with verse 38. He said, For I came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent
me, the will of the Father. And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. To do the Father's will and finish
his work. He must call, must call, He must
save, He must ransom with His blood those that the Father gave
to Him. And notice in that passage in
verse 37, this is one of those unconditional promises. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. All. Every single one. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. That is what we call an unconditional
promise. It's not conditioned on anything
that men do. It's conditioned on God's Word,
God's promise. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And he that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out. For this is the Father's will.
that I finish the work which He has given me to do. This was His meat in revealing
Himself to this woman. This was His meat. This was His
food. And now to the man who came because
of her saying. And He impresses upon His disciples
that they're meat. They are disciples of the Lord.
to be sent out and preach the gospel. Their meat, they must
be diligent in serving the Lord. Their meat must be His meat. His meat was doing the will of
His Father. And these disciples, this must
be their meat as well. They are to be preachers of His
gospel. And he speaks of this work as
harvest work. You know, harvest work is busy
work. You know, if you plant a crop,
you plant usually the same day or in the same few days, but
that means everything's going to be ripe at the same time.
So it's busy work, isn't it? It's hard work, but it's busy
work. And he tells his disciples, lift
up your eyes. Now, picture in your mind these
12 disciples and the Lord here speaking, and here comes these
people from Sychar. The woman had gone into that
town and she said, come see a man. And here they come. And our Lord
said, lift up your eyes. and look on the fields." Is he
speaking about those who were coming from Samaria? Coming from
that city out there? Is that who he's speaking of
when he says the harvest is ripe or white under harvest? Lift
up your eyes and look on the fields. You see them coming? Do you see them coming? I sent
you, notice what he said to them. I sent you to reap that whereon
you bestowed no labor." They'd never been in that town before. Someone else had, and that's
obvious because that woman knew the Messiah was coming. John the Baptist, he had preached,
and the many prophets also. had preached and proclaimed that
the Messiah was coming. They were doing the groundwork.
They were sowing the seed. And we read that passage at the
beginning of the service in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 where Paul said, I
planted a polished water. Some plant, some water, but God
gives the increase. Always that's the case. Harvest
time is not only a busy time, but it is a joyful time. And
the joy is shared between the one who sows and the one who
reaps. The one who sowed the seed rejoices,
and the one who reaps rejoices as well. Why? Because there's
a harvest. Because there's a harvest of
souls. Now, one other thing. Many of the Samaritans believed. Verse 39. And many of the Samaritans of that
city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified,
He told me all that ever I did. It seems that they believed at
first on the strength of her testimony. And then they heard
him themselves and they believed. And I just want to make this
point. You never know, you never know
how the Lord may use your testimony. You speak to someone about Christ,
like this woman did, she probably had no idea that so many people
would come out and come to Christ and believe. Thank you, Andrea. And I think of a prime example
is that little maid, an Israelite, who was captured by Naaman. He was the commander of the Assyrian
army. And she was taken from her family.
She must have been about 12, 13, 14 years old. Can you imagine that? Taken from
her home, from her parents, taken into a foreign country. And yet
she had a word of testimony, didn't she? She said, would to
God that my master was in Israel, because there's a prophet over
there, and he would be healed of his leprosy. And sure enough,
you know the story, Naaman came. And at first Naaman, like everyone,
he said, I thought, I thought. Isn't that usually the case? I thought. It's not what you
think, it's not what I think, it's what God says. I thought
this man would surely come out and strike his hands over me.
But all he did was send a servant out here and tell me to go duck
in the Jordan River seven times and I would come up clean. And
in a huff he takes off, doesn't he, going back home. But his servants spoke to him
and reminded him if he had told you, if that prophet had told
you to get on your knees and crawl all the way back home over
glass, you would have done it. But he told you, just go dip
in that jargon. Nothing hard about that, just
go dip in that jargon seven times and you'll come up clean. You
know, people think that they've got to do this, they've got to
feel this, they've got to experience this, and the Lord Jesus Christ
said, believe, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved. Well, I trust the Lord would
bless this word to all of us here tonight. We'll sing a hymn
and then be dismissed.