Jesus, The Deliverer

John 5:1-9

The picture tonight is that Jesus is the true deliverer.

All throughout this world, people are literally trapped in bondage.
Some are trapped in sickness…
Some are trapped in addiction…
Some are trapped in deception…

Some are trapped in all of those, and more.

Tonight, we are going to learn one truth rises above the rest, And that is that Jesus is the only source of freedom.

Only Jesus can deliver a person from their prison.

John 8:31-36 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

As we examine this story,
There are three things I want you to focus on,

And as you do, you will see the power of Jesus unfold to bring freedom in a way that the world never will.

#1 A PRISONER’S POOL
John 5:1-4

When Jesus is in Jerusalem, the contrast between Him and religion is seen so much more clearly.

And John says in Jerusalem there is a pool called “Bethesda, having five porticoes.”

And in these pools we have a peculiar sight.
“In these lay a MULTITUDE of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered”

Now, if you are reading the NIV, verse 4 is omitted.
You can find it in italics at the bottom of the page.

It gives us insight as to why there were a multitude of people at this pool. They were “waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the waters; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.”

Let me tell you why the verse may be missing in your Bible.

The thought of the day was that an angel of the Lord was stirring the waters and making it healing water and whoever could get in first would be healed.

And this kept them surrounding the pool.

But here is what I want you to see tonight.

This pool is not a place of healing.
This pool is a prison.
I believe this is a place of demonic deception.
Just because the people thought it was from God does not mean it was.

2 Corinthians 11:14 “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

Whatever it is that happens at this pool, it is not a work of God that sets men free, it is a work that keeps men bound.
Whoever is doing this, is not wanting men healed,
He is wanting men to stay bound in their prison.

That is not the freedom that comes from God.
John 8:36
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
Not only that, but there is a real ambiguity
As to the source of the healing.

This is never the case with God.
When He works a miracle,
He makes sure that there is no doubt where it comes from.

I believe this pool to be a work of the enemy meant to keep people in chains, not the work of God meant to set men free.

But here is what I want you to realize tonight.
THIS STILL HAPPENS TODAY

I believe the enemy still works
In exactly the same fashion today.
He mimics and copies the true works of God
in order to draw people to himself.

FOR EXAMPLE
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

In that passage Paul mentions 9 gifts that come from the Spirit of God.
Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues

Satan counterfeits them in order to keep men in bondage.

Benny Hinn, “It’s because they stop believing that they have been healed.”

Now let’s test that theory off of what we know to be true about Jesus.
John 8:36
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

False prophets do this in pulpits throughout America.

2 Peter 2:17-19 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

Peter said there would be loads of false prophets who would come promising you freedom, when they aren’t even free themselves.

HOW CAN THIS BE?

Because just as we talked about on Easter Sunday,
They are not treating the source.
WHY DID JESUS SAY YOU WILL BE FREE?
John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The point is there are prisons like this pool all over the place today.
Some are actual churches.
Some are doctor’s offices.

Look at how fast anti-depressant drugs sell in America.
It is not Biblical that a believer should need them.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

These people weren’t receiving freedom, they were being enslaved.

LET ME ASK YOU: IS THERE ANYTHING THAT IS PROMISING YOU FREEDOM, BUT HAS REALLY JUST ENSLAVED YOU?

Maybe it is that second job that promised financial freedom, but instead became your master.

Maybe it is that drug that promised you happiness, but instead became something you can’t live without.

Maybe it is that relationship that promised you fulfillment, but instead became a sinful snare.

Maybe it is that addiction that promised you acceptance into a certain group, but instead controls your life.

Those things only say they will set you free, but they don’t really do it.
This world is full of Bethesda’s pools,
Promising people freedom, but does not deliver.

ARE YOU DEPENDANT ON ANYTHING BUT JESUS?
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANYTHING BUT JESUS?

Make sure you aren’t a member at the prisoner’s pool.
It is an addictive place.

And I want you to see just how addictive it is.
#2 A PARLYTIC’S PROBLEM
John 5:5-7
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW JUST HOW GRIPPING THOSE FALSE FREEDOMS CAN BE OVER YOUR LIFE?
Then take this man for an example.

This man was so deceived that he was sitting by this pool for 38 years without a change.

This certainly was a problem he faced, but I want you to know his problem runs much deeper than that, and we know this because of what Jesus says to him.

Verse 6, “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”

WHY ASK SUCH A QUESTION?

Because part of becoming free is wanting freedom.
(DEMON POSSESSION)

NOW THAT SEEMS STRANGE, WHY WOULDN’T THEY WANT TO BE?
John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

In order to be free, they must turn from the sin.
We will see this is the fact when Jesus approaches this man later.

John 5:14 “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”

This is much of the problem with the Bethesda pools of our day. There are some who really don’t want to stop what they are doing. They don’t truly have freedom because if we got right down to it, they like the attention.

But there is also another potential problem, and that is self-pity.
Vs. 7, “The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Now we see that answer to the whole desire thing. This man was trying to get into the pool. But now we are borderline on the problem of pity.
Let met help you understand something about salvation.
Jesus requires that you be poor in spirit, not rich in self-pity.
There is a big difference.

Jesus wants you humble enough to come to Him, not feeling so sorry for yourself that you expect Jesus to do something for you.

People who are full of self-pity are still full of self,
And you must deny yourself to follow Jesus.

These are the dangerous effects of buying into the devil’s deceptions for false freedom.

If you accept what he offers,
Not only are you setting yourself up for a life time of bondage,
But you are also setting yourself up to grow complacent
About the bondage, and selfish about the bondage.

Think about how greed can do this to a person.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Adultery can do this to a person.
TURN TO PROVERBS 7

In fact any sin can do this to a person.
Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

The point thus far is there are many pools like this in our world,
But the real problem is a heart that is willing to sit by them.

If you are willing to find comfort anywhere but Jesus, Satan will offer it.
If you are willing to accept temporary freedom, Satan will offer it.

So we see a prisoner’s pool, and we see a paralytic’s problem
But there is a third thing I want you to see.
#3 A PICKED UP PALLET
John 5:8-9
Regardless of the prison you are in.
Regardless of the lie you have bought.

Freedom is still possible, and it is evidenced by the fact that this pallet that once held a slave is now being held by a free man.
AND DO YOU NOTICE WHAT IT TOOK ON THE PART OF THIS MAN.

We already know he had to want to be free from his slavery.

Now it took 2 things.

1) THE POWER OF JESUS
As we learned this morning, Jesus is the Authoritative One.
He is the only one with power over your captor.

Whatever it is that holds you in bondage, He is the only One who can break the chains.

2) OBEDIENCE TO JESUS COMMAND
When He told this man to get up, he had to obey.

And when this man, by the power of Jesus, obeyed, he was immediately made well.

I believe that you can have freedom tonight.
It comes through the power of Jesus and obedience to His command.

I don’t know where you are in your daily grind.
You may be in prison.

But I know this, if you are willing to
Turn your back on the sin in your life,
Are willing to come to Jesus,
Will walk in obedience to His command,
Then freedom awaits.

And when Jesus sets a person free, it is not temporary.
Nor does He taunt us with a false promise of future freedom.

Remember the passage we started with.

John 8:31-36 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

Give your life to Jesus, obey His word, acknowledge your slavery and turn from it, and let Jesus make you free.

Jesus, The Authoritative One

John 4:43-54

The truth we learn of Jesus this morning
Is one that I believe to be
The single most transforming truth in people’s lives today.

I have shared with you many times how at 8 years old
I walked the aisle and was baptized,
But how it was not until I was 19 years old that I was saved.

I could easily sum up the difference in one word.
AUTHORITY

19 years old was when I came under the authority of Jesus.
19 years old was when I gave Jesus the reigns.
19 years old was when I gave Jesus control of my life.

I believe that there is no truth that will transform a person’s life more than the truth of the authority of Jesus.

Now we all know what authority is,

Little children certainly understand it.
“Because I said so.”
“You’re not my dad.”

When I worked for my parents,
Dad was always hiring high school students to do the less fun jobs
“Let me tell you about a totem pole”

We call that authority.

Before we dive too far into our text,
I want to talk a little bit about the authority of Jesus.

There’s no doubt what John is trying to show us about Jesus

Verses 50-54, “Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

When this man approaches Jesus, you will notice in verse 47
That this man wants Jesus to “come down and heal his son”.
Again in verse 49 he says, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

But Jesus flexes His authoritative muscle.
Not only does He not go with the man,
But He also makes a promise. “Your son lives”

This was Jesus showing His authority to speak a word and make it so.
That is why John says this in verse 54, “This is again a second sing that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

Again, this is not just a miracle, this is a sign.
Jesus is teaching about Himself, and the point here is His authority.

So let’s take a moment and talk about the authority of Jesus.

Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Much of Jesus ministry was a demonstration of His authority.

Jesus had authority in His teaching.
Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Jesus had authority over nature.
Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ” Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus had authority over evil spirits
Matthew 8:28-32 “When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.”

Jesus had authority over sickness
Matthew 8:16-17 “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

Jesus had authority over death
John 11:43-44 “When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Jesus had authority over His enemies
John 18:4-6 “So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

Jesus continually demonstrated His authority,
And the people began to understand it.

Matthew 8:5-13 “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, ” Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.”

People had begun to understand the authority of Jesus.

But that’s not that unusual, we understand the authority of Jesus.
We have heard the stories, we know the miracles.
We understand that Jesus has authority.

There is more than just understanding Jesus has authority.
We also need to understand the purpose of His authority.

His authority is for a purpose.
The gospels also show us this purpose.

To forgive sins
Matthew 9:2-6 “And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘ Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”
To grant salvation
John 17:1-2 “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”

To conquer death
John 10:17-18 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

For Judgment
John 5:26-27 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

All of this is vitally important for us to understand about Jesus.
He can do anything He wants, anytime He wants.

Everything is under His command, He has authority.
He is the only One with the authority to forgive your sin.
He is the only One with the authority to grant you eternal life.
He is the only One with the authority to conquer the grave.
He is the only One with the authority to judge you and condemn you.

Jesus is the authoritative One.
No one else has such authority.
You need not fear or trust in Buddha…
You need not fear or trust in Allah…
They have not authority.

Jesus holds all authority.
But then again, most of us know that too. I knew that at 8 years old.
But let me make a very important statement to you.

There is a difference between knowing about Jesus authority, And submitting to Jesus authority.

When I was 8 years old, I knew about Jesus authority,
But it wasn’t until I was 19 that I submitted to His authority.

Now don’t misunderstand me.
I didn’t make Jesus Lord. He was already Lord.
I didn’t give Him authority over me, He already had authority
I chose to submit to His authority.

There is no doubt that Jesus is the authoritative One.
He already has all authority in heaven and on earth.
He already is God’s chosen King.

Psalms 2:6-12 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

When you read that, you can see two clear truths.
One is that Jesus already has all authority,
The other is that you must submit to it.

It is the concept of the authority of Jesus
That I believe changes men’s lives forever.

Too often today we see people who
Claim to have a relationship with Jesus Christ,
But who have not submitted to His authority in their lives.
That is not salvation.

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

It is imperative that Jesus become the authority in your life.
Because some day, He will rule over you.

Since that is the case,
I want to quickly take you through our text this morning and show you how we are required to respond to the One with authority.

If God has truly given Jesus all the authority…
If Jesus is the only One who truly has the authority to help…
Then there is a way we ought to respond to Him.

Now first, let’s review the setting.
Verses 43-46, “After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast. Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum.”
This official gives us insight as to what to do with the Authoritative One.

I am going to show three things Jesus deserves from you because of His authority.
#1 SEEK JESUS FERVENTLY
John 4:47

Now we learned that this man had a son sick in Capernaum,
And here we read that Jesus had come to Cana.

The two cities are 20 miles apart.

It was unheard of for a royal official to come to a carpenter for help.

The point is, it is not normal for this royal official to come to Jesus, And it certainly isn’t normal for him to travel 20 miles to do it.

Unless, Jesus has the authority to fix the problem.

When push comes to shove,
You will do whatever it takes to find the One with the power.

People will be fine to skip church, and do their own thing,
But let them hear the word “cancer”,
And all of a sudden Jesus becomes pretty important.

YOU SEE JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WITH AUTHORITY
You could just look for a solution in Capernaum, but none will work.

There is only One who truly has the authority to deal with you,
And He deserves for you to seek Him fervently.

BECAUSE, WHERE WILL YOU GO, IF NOT TO JESUS?

The Bible says you must seek Him fervently.

Now, here is the good news.
The Bible promises that if you will seek Him, you will find Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

If you seek Jesus fervently, you will find Him,
But understand you must seek Him.
He is the Only one who can save your soul.

He is the only One with authority, He deserves to be sought after fervently.
#2 STICK WITH JESUS PERMANENTLY
John 4:48-50

Now at this point, the story takes an unexpected turn.
This man traveled all the way to Jesus,
And Jesus seemingly throws it in his face.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”

It is almost as if Jesus challenges his motives.
It is almost as if Jesus pushes him aside.

Now this is most certainly not what we expected.
But I don’t want you to think this is uncharacteristic of Jesus.

Matthew 15:21-28 “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.”

When this woman first comes to Jesus, He ignores her.
But this woman doesn’t stop, she is so loud the disciples as Jesus to send her away.

Then Jesus says what His silence had suggested, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But that doesn’t stop this woman, she bows before Him.

Then He seemingly insults her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

But she still humbles herself, and Jesus commends her faith.

We find at the end that Jesus wasn’t trying to send her away, He was discerning if she really thought He was the authoritative One.
If she really believed that Jesus was her only hope,
Then her only option was to stick it out,
But if she was not convinced He was the only answer,
Then she certainly would have left.

“The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.”
He could have gotten offended and left,
But he knew that Jesus was the only One with the authority to heal his son.

You see, if Jesus really is the only One with authority,
Then not only should we seek Him fervently,
But we should stick with Him permanently.

If Jesus is the only One who can help, then let nothing drive you away.
If Jesus is the only One who can save, then let nothing deter you.

Jesus used this tactic all the time.
Matthew 8:19-20 “Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

It is quite common for Jesus to throw a test your way
When you come to Him.

This is why so many today do not submit to the authority of Jesus.
It is hard to submit to the authority of Jesus.
He requires self denial; He requires humility; He requires sacrifice.

And people aren’t going to pay that price until they are convinced that He is the only authority.

But if you believe that Jesus is the Authoritative One,
Then not only will you seek Him fervently,
But you will stick with Him permanently.

#3 SUBMIT TO JESUS TOTALLY
John 4:51-53

Here we find the entire story coming to a close
With the only reasonable outcome.

As the father is making the journey home, his servants met him to report that his son was living. The man inquires the time and understands that it was exactly at the moment when Jesus said he would live.

And then this man gives the proper response.

“and he himself believed and his whole household”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
They came to a point of saving faith in Jesus.
They surrendered fully to His authority.

They didn’t make Jesus authoritative.
Jesus was already authoritative.
THEY JUST SUBMITTED TO IT.

That is what you do to One with authority.

There is no doubt that Jesus is the Authoritative One.
There is no doubt that Jesus is the only answer for sin and death.
There is no doubt that Jesus is Lord.

The question is:
HAVE I SUBMITTED TO HIS AUTHORITY?
IS HE THE LORD OF MY LIFE?

That simple fact makes the difference in your life like nothing else.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW IF JESUS IS IN YOUR HEART, THEN IS THE CROSS ON YOUR BACK?

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

ARE YOU WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO JESUS?

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

I knew Jesus was Lord for a long time in my life.
But at age 19 Jesus became my Lord and I was saved.

He is the Authoritative One, give Him authority over your life.

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus, The Focused One

John 4:27-42

Throughout the book of John, there are different ways in which we study the person of Jesus.

On one hand we look at who He is from a preacher’s standpoint.
(THEOLOGICALLY)
The Living Word
The Light of the World
The Incarnate One
The Savior of the World

On another hand we look at who He is from a sinner’s standpoint.
(SALVATION)
The Essential One
The Exclusive One
The One to Follow
The Living Water

But sometimes we look at who He is from a disciple’s standpoint
(EXAMPLE)
The Evangelist

Tonight we see Him again from this standpoint.
We don’t see Him in this regard in the book of John as much as we do in the other gospels, but when we do, it is very beneficial to pay attention.

Tonight, we have another opportunity to learn from the example of Jesus.

In some regards He is very much exclusive,
We could in no way fill His shoes, or go where He went.
But in some regards He is very much and example,
That He intended that we follow.

Tonight we are going to look at the tremendous concentration and focus of Jesus.

His concentration is so far above any that we may ever demonstrate that Jesus definitely earns the title: “The Focused One”.

No one ever demonstrated the focus that Jesus had.

1) He could have forsaken Jerusalem
Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”

Luke 12:49-50 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
2) He could have flattened Judas
John 13:21-27 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

3) He could have followed Peter
Luke 22:49-51 “When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.”

4) He could have flattered Pilate
John 19:8-11 “Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

5) He could have found angels
Matthew 26:53-54 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

Jesus was focused.
Nothing could deter Him from getting to the cross.

Hebrews 12:2b “…who for the joy set before Him, [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus was focused, but not just on the cross.
Jesus was focused on doing the will of God.
He was focused on seeing the salvation of sinners.

While we are not seeking to be the sacrifice for the world, we are seeking to be witnesses to a lost and dying world, so in this regard, we look to the focus of Jesus as an example of how we are to view our mission in this world.

I am going to show two main truths about Jesus tonight, that will solidify in our minds how successful we can be when we follow the evangelistic example of Jesus.

#1 THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS
John 4:27-38
Now you will immediately notice the setting to which this story takes place.

After having a conversation with the woman at the well, Jesus’ disciples show back up, and are a little confused as to why Jesus was talking to her, but at least they have the wisdom not to question Him.

On the other hand you have the woman who is so excited that she has run to town to tell everyone she know about this Jesus she just met.

So, fresh off of the excitement of leading a soul to salvation,
Jesus now finds Himself in a teaching opportunity,
And one that He takes full advantage of.

As He turns to teach the disciples, it allows us to see three wonderful characteristics about Jesus.
1) JESUS IS COMMITTED (31-34)

Jesus was committed to the complete and total will of the Father.

Other places in Scripture give us a hint as to what that might be.
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, ‘ As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

There is no doubt that God has always had a heart for the lost.

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, God told them:
Exodus 19:6 “and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

When God spoke of the Messiah through Isaiah:
Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Consider God sending Jonah to Nineveh…
Consider God sending Amos to the North…
Consider God sending His Son to the World…

There is no doubt what God has been working to accomplish since the creation of the world. He is seeking the lost to be saved.
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Jesus was committed to this cause.
Not only in the sense of being the sacrifice for sins, but also through being a personal evangelist to those He came into contact with.

Here, we are provided a glimpse into that commitment
As the disciples offer Jesus some food.

And Jesus said, (32) “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

Of course the disciples completely miss the point.
“So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?”

And Jesus answers, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”
Jesus makes it real clear what is important to Him.
It is fulfilling the mission of His Father.

This is exactly what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

FASTING
Jesus was committed to His Father’s work.

John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

John 5:30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Jesus was committed to the point that nothing could deter Him.
Remember feeding the 5,000
So what if He was mourning John’s death…
So what if they didn’t have any food…
So what if His disciples were doubting…
That wouldn’t stop Jesus, He was committed.
Remember Lazarus?
So what if the disciples didn’t want to go…
So what if Martha was doubting…
So what if there would be a stench…
So what if he was wrapped in death rags…
That wouldn’t stop Jesus, He was committed.

And yet today our commitment fades away when a person appears uninterested from a distance.

We learn from Jesus example, He is committed.

2) JESUS IS COMPASSIONATE (35)

Picture the disciples giving Jesus that familiar look of embarrassment and shame as they put their bread back in their bags.

And remember what we learned in verse 30, “They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.”

So while the disciples’ heads are hanging in shame,
Jesus is looking over their shoulder
to the crowd that is topping the hill, and He makes a statement.

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest?”

Now picture the disciples saying, “Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”

And then Jesus gives them the head nod to turn around and see the crowd, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

Don’t you know that it sunk in
When the disciples turned and saw the people.

They learned a valuable truth.
When Jesus sees people He sees souls.

He didn’t see people as popular or not.
He didn’t see people as rich or not.
He didn’t see people as religious or not.
HE SAW PEOPLE AS SAVED OR NOT.

Matthew 9:12 “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

Jesus was compassionate to the needs around Him.

Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

I think we are often times more like the disciples.
They had just come from the city, but they didn’t see what Jesus saw.

They saw Samaritans. They saw bread sellers. They didn’t see lost people.

Casting Crowns has a new song out.
She is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction. She is trying, but the canyon’s ever widening in the depths of her cold heart. So she sets on another misadventure just to find she’s another two years old and she’s three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Oh does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple, all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her, can anybody see?
She is yearning for shelter and affection that she never found at home. And she is searching for a hero to ride in, to ride in to save the day. And in walks a Prince Charming, and he knows just what to say. Momentary lapse of reason, and she gives herself away.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Oh does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple, all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her, can anybody see?
Judgment looms under every steeple, with lofty glances from lofty people. We can’t see past her scarlet letter, and we’ve never even met her.
Judgment looms under every steeple, with lofty glances from lofty people. We can’t see past her scarlet letter, and we’ve never even met her.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Oh does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple, all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her, can anybody see?
He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction…

Would I have witnessed to the Woman at the Well?

3) JESUS IS CLEAR (36-38)

As Jesus and His disciples gaze at the crowd that is topping the hill and coming to them… Jesus makes a very clear point to the disciples,
And that is that the time for reaping is now.

“Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal”

We don’t have to wait four months, the time is now.
Hear comes the harvest, go get it.

And He shows us how it works.
“For in this case the saying is true, “One sows and another reaps.”

The disciples were about to able to reap, but they didn’t sow.
They missed their sowing opportunity. The woman at the well did the sowing, but they were going to get a chance to reap.

Sometimes it works that way, sometimes we sow, sometimes we water, but we all are in this together.

And then Jesus gets extremely clear.
“I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

There again, the disciples heads must have dropped.
I sent you to do something, did you?

We know the command of Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

How many times Jesus says, “Go witness to that person.”
For all we know it is their day to get saved,
And we get to reap where we have done no work.

I’ve had it happen like that to me.
I was coming back from Canton, and Sedrick Thompson was ready.
I was walking across Seminary, and a young boy was ready.

Other times I’ve planted, and other times I watered,
But what a tragedy when we don’t fulfill our part.

You have a pretty tough time picking cotton if you never plant it.
And you will lose your desire to plant cotton if no one ever picks it.

That is the example of Jesus.
Now I want you to see the effects of Jesus.

When we do it the way Jesus says, when we follow His example.
Look at how this works.

#2 THE EFFECTS OF JESUS
John 4:39-42

Because Jesus took the time to see the woman at the well, three things happened.

1) SHARING (39)

I want you to know, if you lead a person to Christ,
And they really accept Him, they will share it.

I believe this with all of my heart. If Jesus gets inside of you, you will share

Luke 8:16-17 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

C.H. Spurgeon says, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

William Barclay says, “The Christian life is based on the twin pillars of discovery and communication. No discovery is complete until the desire to share it fills our hearts; and we cannot communicate Christ to others until we have discovered Him for ourselves. First to find, then to tell, are the two great steps of the Christian life.”

Matthew 4:19 “And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mark Cahill, “If you aren’t fishing, then you aren’t following.”

And when you lead people to Jesus, so will they.

The effects of following Jesus example is sharing
2) SEEKING (40)

Notice that when this woman shared what God had done for her,
Other people wanted to know more about this Jesus.

Heart Changes are contagious, and people will seek what is going on.

Acts 9:19b-22 “Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”

Now I’m not saying everyone will get saved, but I can guarantee they will want to know what made you change. They wanted to know what made this woman, who was once so ashamed of her past, now come broadcast it all over town.
The effects of following Jesus example is sharing, seeking
3) SALVATION (41-42)

And I love this, when they started seeking Jesus, and hearing Him preach, they were coming to Him.

I know a lot of times we focus on the difficulty that is promised to believers, but I also want you to realize that success is promised as well.

Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Ecclesiastes 11:6 “Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Christians will be victorious.
Remember, “The gates of hell will not prevail”

WE ARE THE WINNERS

Jesus designed this thing to be a circle.

A person gets saved and they share…
They share and others seek…
They seek and they get saved…
They get saved and they share…

But we have to be willing to follow the example of Jesus.
Jesus was Committed – nothing got in the way of kingdom growth.
Jesus was Compassionate – He saw souls going to hell.
Jesus was Clear – the only way to win the lost is to spread the seed.

SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS?

John 4:35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

Jesus, The Living Water

John 4:1-26

We have been on a quest here in our church for the Biblical Jesus.
There is no doubt everyone has an idea as to who Jesus is.
We are studying the book of John to see the Jesus of the Bible.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

There have been many false assumptions about Jesus.
No character in human history has ever been more reinterpreted.
People continually shape Him to be what best suits their needs.

But we are in search of who the Bible says Jesus is.
Today we continue on that search.

Vs. 1-6 “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

John had just answered the questions of the Jews who wanted to know what he thought about
Jesus baptizing people and all the people coming to Him.

Jesus is not interested in getting into a baptism war,
So He is going to move for the time being to Galilee.

To get to Galilee the fastest, you would cut through Samaria,
But during the 6th hour, (noon) He finds Himself tired and thirsty
So He sits beside a well, and our story commences.

But John has a purpose in including this story.
We are going to see that this woman found in Jesus,
What she could not find anywhere else.

That is precisely John’s point.
You find in Jesus things you can find nowhere else in life.

I am going to show you three things you get from a relationship with Jesus that you cannot get anywhere else.
#1 JESUS SATISFIES
John 4:7-14

We are all familiar with the song “Just Can’t Get No Satisfaction”
I would say this woman would have sang that song.

Take a moment to see here life.
Her race caused her to be rejected…
Her gender caused her to be rejected…
She was excluded even by her own people…

Despite all her efforts, life had not worked out according to plan.
Life can often turn out this way can’t it?

Take a page from this woman’s diary for example.
1) She comes home and tells her mom that she finally found the man of her dreams. She is in love, and has decided to marry. But marriage wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. And after a couple of years of struggle, the marriage was over.

2) Not long after that, she meets a man who is everything that her first husband was not. This man will really make my dreams come true. However tragedy strikes and his life is cut short.

3) Now middle aged and alone you seek a new relationship, but you weren’t ready to remarry, and the whole thing was a mistake.

4) So a fourth husband comes along, and then a fifth, and now you just want a companion to help share the expenses.

5) Trying the world’s plan for happiness certainly didn’t work for you. Now you are scorned by all the other women, and to do your washing, you go to the Laundry Mat where no one knows you.

Sometimes we find out that all that glitters isn’t gold.
Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 “Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 2:15-17 “Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.” For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.”

Solomon reminded us that sometimes beer commercials lie.
All that glitters isn’t gold.

But it’s not just the things of the world.
We can be just as burned by religion.

Look at verse 20.
“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

You get the feeling she tried religion,
But was left more confused than anything else.

Jews say you have to be a Jew
Muslims say you have to follow Allah
Buddhists say you have to be good
Jehovah’s Witnesses say you have to be one of the 144,000
Mormon’s say you have to be a missionary
Seventh Day Adventist says it has to be on Saturday
New Age says believe whatever you want

But not only in difference of religions
Are going to be a Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, First Christian, Assembly of God, Church of God, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Catholic, or just watch whatever on TV.

And just like in the world, you can get bogged down.

This was what happened to Israel
They got caught up in religion, but forgot about God.

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

In much of the world today, that is exactly what religion is.
It is tradition learned by rote. (rules taught by men – NIV)

THERE IS NO POWER IN IT, AS THIS WOMAN FOUND OUT
And as she approaches the well and sees Jesus,
He makes an analogy for her.

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Until now, all this woman had done
Was searched for things that would not satisfy.
But Jesus points to something better.
“If you knew the gift of God”
If you knew what God would have for you, you wouldn’t be wasting your time seeking the things of the world, or the religions of men.

The gift of God is righteousness.
The gift of God is faith leading to salvation.
The gift of God is Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Jesus also said, if you knew “who it is who says to you”
If you knew the power that I have to change your life,
You would be seeking Me for what is best.

Of course the woman doubts.
“Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it Himself and his sons and his cattle?”

She is not questioning her need for living water,
She is questioning the possibility of it.

EVER BEEN THERE?
You don’t question the fact that something better in life would be great,
You just question the possibility of it.

You would love to find something that would satisfy your soul,
But everything you have found only lasts for a season,
And so you have just about given up.

Jesus understands that, and see how He replies.
“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Jesus knows exactly what she means.
Everything she ever tried was fleeting joy.

Every relationship was only fulfilling for a little while…
Every religion was only fulfilling for a little while…
Every new car…
Every new dress…
The joy was fading, it didn’t last.

But Jesus promises something better.
He promises true deep satisfaction for your soul.
There is nothing in this world that can satisfy your soul but Jesus.

That is because it was Jesus who created you.
John 1:3 “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

And He created you with a void that only He can fill.

Everything in your life that you have been seeking
Is just like this well water.
It is stagnant, it is fading, and it doesn’t benefit you.

Try gaining all the possession that will make you happy,
Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Try getting involved in religion
Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”

Without Jesus you will never be satisfied, but with Jesus,
It is like a well of water springing up to eternal life.

John 7:37-38 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”

Isaiah 55:1-2 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.”

Psalms 36:7-9 “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”

Jeremiah 17:13 “O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD.”

You can search in this life,
But apart from Jesus you will never find satisfaction,
He is the One who satisfies a soul.
He can give you living water so that you will never thirst again.
#2 JESUS SOLVES
John 4:15-24

Now you have to love what takes place here in the conversation.
This woman is about to miss the boat completely.

Jesus comes to her wanting a relationship,
She just wants religion.
He wants to fix the problem
She wants to treat the symptom.

“Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

She thought her biggest problem was a long walk to get water.
If Jesus could treat this symptom in her life, then life would be better.

But isn’t that what she has been doing wrong from day one?
She was unhappy so she sought a relationship.
She was confused so she sought religion.

In her life she has yet to treat the source of the problem.

But Jesus doesn’t treat the symptoms, Jesus solves the problem.

“Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus told her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

Jesus was not about to just treat the symptom.
But look further, He wasn’t just asking her to get plugged in to religion either.

Vs. 19-24 “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT SHE WAS ASKING?
“Where should I go to church?”

Let me clarify something to you this morning,
On this #1 religious day of the year.
CHURCH IS NOT THE ANSWER – JESUS IS
Jesus wasn’t wanting this woman to go to church,
He wanted her to worship God, and there is a big difference.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

If you want to worship God, then do what God wants.
“the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

You must yield your entire spirit to Him,
And worship Him according to the truth of His word.

You don’t just go to church and say,
“There God, I worshiped you today.”

Isaiah 1:12-15 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

Look at what Isaiah says later.
Isaiah 58:1-5 “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins. “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?”

This woman wanted to treat the symptoms,
But Jesus solves the problem.

People all over the world just want Jesus to treat their symptoms.
I need more money…
I need more happiness…
I need more comfort…

THOSE ARE SYMPTOMS, NOT THE SOURCE
He wants you to deal with your sin, that is your problem.
Isaiah 58:6-9a “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.”

[ILLUS: My dad’s Chiropractor – “Break up the Calcium deposits”]

JESUS DEALS WITH THE SOURCE
YOU DON’T COME TO JESUS TO TREAT SYMPTOMS,
YOU COME TO JESUS TO DEAL WITH YOUR SIN.

The Bible says our biggest problem is sin.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

But Jesus came to pay for sin.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Today we celebrate because we know His payment was accepted.
Romans 5:9-10 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

IF JESUS ONLY WANTED TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMS,
HE WOULD HAVE JUST STAYED AROUND AND TAUGHT FOREVER.

BUT JESUS WANTED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM,
SO AFTER 3 YEARS HE DIED ON A CROSS.

Jesus Satisfies Jesus Solves
#3 JESUS SAVES
John 4:25-26

At this point, the woman begins to understand what Jesus is saying.
She knows there is a need she can’t satisfy.
She knows she can no longer treat the symptoms.

She knows God has promised to send One who can help.
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
She knew that there was a Savior on the way.
And then we get this wonderful truth.
“Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

He is the One she was waiting for.

No one and nothing else can save you but Jesus.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

You can look for salvation in other things, but it is exclusive to Jesus, and of course the reason is why we are here today.

There is only One who conquered the grave.
Romans 1:4 “[He] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”

You can seek to fill that void, BUT ONLY JESUS SATISFIES.
You can treat the symptoms, BUT ONLY JESUS SOLVES.
You can follow others, BUT ONLY JESUS SAVES.

So what do you do with Jesus?
It’s not about going to church 1 Sunday a year.
It’s not about going to church 52 Sundays a year.

Religion isn’t the answer.
Jesus is.

I am here to tell you that God brought you to this place today
So that you would surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

He will satisfy the void,
He will solve your sin problem,
He will save you for all eternity.

But you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
THIS MORNING WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN INVITATION:
We will sing an invitation hymn.
If the Holy Spirit of God is drawing you to give your heart to Jesus.

• I want you to leave the place where you are sitting…
• Come down one of these aisles…
• Take me by the hand…
• And tell me you want to give your heart to Jesus…

HE IS THE ONLY LIVING WATER
ARE YOU THIRSTY?

Jesus, The Exclusive One

John 3:22-36

Tonight, as we study this text, the text itself has three main breaks in it, and we will talk about them briefly.

However, we are going to spend most of our time on the third point,
As it is the one that deals with the Exclusivity of Jesus.

But as we just get a feel for our text,
#1 THE SETTING
John 3:22-26

Perhaps the best way to summarize this portion of Scripture is with the word ANXIETY
For anxiety is definitely what is taking place here.

1) For one part, you have the anxiety of those who are under conviction and are coming to John to be baptized by him.

Vs. 23-24, “John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized – for John had not yet been thrown into prison.”

2) You also see the anxiety of the Jews who are questioning John’s disciples.

Vs. 25, “Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification.”

No doubt John was teaching that the purification traditions of the Jews were far less than what God desired.

Matthew 15:17-20 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

3) We see the anxiety from John’s disciples who could foresee that as Jesus ministry grew that John’s was diminishing.

Vs. 26, “And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.”

I don’t know if it was a smaller crowd than they were used to,
But something bothered John’s followers.
They are approaching John because they are concerned
That John is about to lose his following.

So the setting is best described as anxiety.
#2 THE SERVANT
John 3:27-30

Just as sure as we summarize the setting with the word anxiety,
We have a word to summarize the servant, and that is HUMILITY

John had every opportunity to take the bait here,
And to strive to hold on to his ministry,
But instead John took the right road.

Just look at these statements, you won’t find any better in all the Bible.

Vs. 27, “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.”

That’s not what John was supposed to say. Suppose you are a preacher, and God starts moving your flock to another church across town. We all know you are supposed to get up in arms and bad mouth that other church so you can keep your flock.

John didn’t, he knew that was all in God’s hands.

Vs. 28, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ’, but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’”

Again, that’s not what John was supposed to say. He was supposed to ridicule how this new preacher was just tickling their ears, and how certainly His ministry wasn’t as beneficial as his own.

But John is willing to recognize that his ministry
Was only for preparing the people to follow this new preacher.

Vs. 29, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of min has been made full.”

Oh John, you’ve got to be kidding me.
It’s one thing that He is stealing your congregation…
It’s another thing that you are willing to accept that…
But John, you don’t have to be happy about it.

John was. He knew he was not the husband of the church. To run off with the bride would have been adultery. He was merely an attendant of the groom, and he was truly happy to see the marriage take place.
Vs. 30, “He must increase, but I must decrease”

Alright, that does it.
No way you really want your fame to fade away.
No way you really want to just fall back into the shadows of this man’s glory.

John did.

We call this servant humble, because it correctly described his ministry.

John had followers who were willing to leave Jesus behind
All for the sake of making sure John stayed famous,
But John saw through that scheme, and because of his humility,
He placed himself rightly behind Jesus.

But the real point of this text is why John didn’t take the bait.

These men were willing to bring Jesus down to a level where He and John were equal, but John would not allow it.

The reason is because John had a proper understanding of Jesus.
And so let’s look at the third point tonight.

#3 THE SERMON
John 3:31-36

John here is straightening out his disciples.
And one word can accurately describe this sermon. PRIORITY

Jesus is priority.
He is not someone you can lump into a group.
He stands alone.

We live in a world that desperately tries
To do the same thing John’s disciples did.

On one hand our world would love to pull Jesus back
And lump Him in a group of religious zealots.

They would love to bring Jesus down to the level of Muhammad, or Gandhi.
People who would love to make Jesus just one of the crowd.

They did this even in Jesus day.
Matthew 16:13-14 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
We also have some today who would love
To make themselves equally important with Jesus.

You can see this in many churches.

Our ministry is the most important ministry, and if you are in another church, you ought to move your letter.

We often try to elevate ourselves to Jesus level, but John didn’t do that.

John knew better than to dumb Jesus down, or to puff himself up.
John knew Jesus is exclusive.

SO JOHN TAKES THIS OPPORTUNITY
TO SHOW HIS DISCIPLES WHY JESUS IS EXCLUSIVE.
There are four things that set Jesus apart from the pack.
#1 THE PREEMINENCE OF JESUS
John 3:31

Here we find the first reason Jesus can’t be looked at as one of many.
This is an area that sets Jesus apart, and that is where He came from.

Jesus is from above.

You cannot treat a citizen of a town like he is a tourist.

No one in this room knows more about Henrietta, TX than I do.
You could read books about Henrietta (provided someone would write them)
You could see pictures of Henrietta (provided someone would take them)
You could even visit Henrietta (provided you would want to)

If you want to talk about Heaven, there is only One expert, because there is only One who has ever been there.

You can’t lump Jesus with all the rest, He “comes from above” and “is above all”

Everyone else is “from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”

Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Consider what Jesus said.
John 6:30-34 “So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

John 6:35-51 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, ” Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘ I have come down out of heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. “I am the bread of life. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

John could have tried to make himself an equal with Jesus…
John could have tried to bring Jesus down to his level…
But John knew better.
John knew about the Preeminence of Jesus.

#2 THE PREACHING OF JESUS
John 3:32-34

There was another reason why Jesus
Couldn’t be grouped into some pack of prophets.

That reason was His preaching.
Jesus preaching was unlike anyone else’s preaching ever.

Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
John 7:46 “The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”

When Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of heaven, He had authority.
“What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies”

Vs. 34 says, “For He who God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”

The point is Jesus preaching sets Him apart from every one else.

Take for example all the prophets of the Old Testament.
They all had a familiar ring “Thus says the Lord”
But Jesus said, “I say unto you”

Isaiah said,
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

But Jesus said,
Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Preachers can read the words of God,
But Jesus words are the words of God.

You cannot lump Him together we some group of prophets.

If you disobey Jesus, you are disobeying God.
Vs. 33, “He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JOHN IS SAYING?
If you disobey Jesus, you are calling God a liar.
If you obey Jesus, you testifying that God is true.

You might could try to lump Jesus with other preachers,
But you can’t.

The Preeminence of Jesus sets Him apart
The Preaching of Jesus sets Him apart

When He speaks, it is the word of God.
Jesus is exclusive

#3 THE POSSESSIONS OF JESUS
John 3:35

There is a third aspect of Jesus that makes Him exclusive,
That is His inheritance, or His possessions.
You can withhold yourself from Jesus…
You can withhold your possessions from Jesus…
You can withhold anything you want from Jesus…

But He will get it sooner or later.
Because God has given all things to Him.

You don’t have to submit to what I say, because I will never rule.

BUT YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT TO JESUS
Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This is why I love Psalm 2
Psalms 2 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

There is no other One in the scope of history
That demands your allegiance like Jesus does.

You will either submit to Him now, or submit to Him later,
But it has already been appointed.

You cannot treat Jesus as though He is One of many, for He is exclusive.

#4 THE PENALTY OF JESUS
John 3:36

The final reason we must treat Jesus different is
Because He alone holds your eternity.

So what if you disobey Muhammad.
So what if you disobey Gandhi
BUT DISOBEY JESUS, YOU WILL GO TO HELL FOR ETERNITY

You cannot treat Jesus like one of many, His penalty is real.

And look at this verse, for it is vitally important to grasp it.
John uses the word for “believes” and “obey” interchangeably.

John wants you to obey Jesus.
That is what matters.

Many of you have read the book, “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven”
He makes the statement.
“If it doesn’t matter 100 million years from now, it doesn’t matter.”

Well let me tell you, Jesus matters.

100 million years from now, it won’t matter what you thought of me.
It won’t matter that you didn’t follow Muhammad.
But the decision you made with Jesus will still be ringing in your head.
And if you haven’t figured out by now, the purpose of John’s gospel is to force you to deal with Jesus.

The other gospels are full of the teachings of Jesus,
But John just wants you to do something with Him.

SO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?

His preeminence sets Him apart
His preaching sets Him apart
His possessions set Him apart
His penalty sets Him apart

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”