John 4:15-42 (Sermon Outline)
Sermon Outline
John 4:15-42
I. Introduction:
a. In this morning’s message we will continue looking at John 4, and we will be examining Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman, and how that encounter changed everything for her. Not only did Jesus restore her, but He also gave her a new purpose to live for in life, which allowed her to accomplish God’s will through her life, which enabled her to truly worship God in spirit and truth. It is this idea that has inspired the big question for this mornings message: How do we worship God in spirit and truth?
b. And so if you would please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word, we are going to unpack what it means to worship God in spirit and truth, and then see how that is lived out in real life.
c. READ: John 4:21-26
II. Message: The first answer to this mornings big question is what we are going to be unpacking first. The question is:
a. How do we worship God in spirit and truth? We must “know” and “believe” in WHOM we are worshipping (John 4:21-26)
i. READ: John 4:21-22
ii. Jesus tells this woman that she has no idea who or what she is worshipping. He tells her that it’s not about worshipping in Jerusalem, or on Mt. Gerizim. You see, the Samaritans rejected most of the OT, and because of that, they lacked the full revelation that it contained. Therefore, they could not “know” how to properly know God or worship God. However, they did believe the Torah, and that the Messiah was coming (4:25), which demonstrates that they did have a sincere faith, it was just not a saving faith, yet.
iii. To be fair to this woman, no was getting this right, because Jesus clearly said in (4:21) that the HOUR was coming when Jerusalem wouldn’t be the right place to worship God anymore either.
iv. What HOUR is Jesus referring to here? As I mentioned in John 2, woven throughout John’s gospel is this idea of Jesus’ “HOUR”, which is referring to the time of His death, burial, and resurrection. John wants us to know that this was Jesus’ focus on earth.
1. John 2:4
2. John 4:21
3. John 7:30
4. John 12:23
v. In (v.21), Jesus says, “Woman, BELIEVE Me.” This Greek verb believe is (pisteuo), and is an imperative (command), in the present tense. Meaning, if she wants to know God, she has to not only “believe” Jesus, but she has to keep on believing Jesus. This word throughout the NT, describes a belief that leads to action.
vi. In (v.22), Jesus challenges her by saying, “You worship what you DO NOT KNOW.” This is another very important word throughout the NT. This Greek verb describes a close, personal, and experiential knowledge of someone. In relationship to Jesus, it is vital that we “ginosko” Jesus, because this is what “saving” faith and knowledge is (John 17:3).
vii. And so, to “believe” in Jesus (pisteuo belief) describes a belief that leads to action, and to “know” Jesus (ginosko knowledge), means we have “close, personal” relationship with Jesus. And when we understand the meaning behind these two important verbs from (4:21-22), we gain a clear picture of what Jesus is talking about in (4:23-24), when He explains to this woman that in order to worship God, we must do so in spirit and truth. In order to worship God in spirit and in truth, we have to first “know” personally who we are worshipping, and we have to “believe” fully, in “WHO” we are worshipping.
viii. Without knowing Jesus personally, it is impossible for you or me to worship God. It is when we are born again through faith in Jesus, that the Holy Spirit comes into our heart, and enable’s us to worship God in the spirit, and believe and obey the truth of the gospel. This is what Paul points out to us in Romans 12:1-2.
ix. READ: Romans 12:1-2
x. Paul tells us that our faith in Jesus should cause us to worship God in spirit and truth by offering our lives as a living sacrifice, or better yet, a walking worship service!
xi. READ: Hebrews 13:15-16
xii. Here we see again this same principle, that worshipping God goes far beyond just our singing songs to Him at church, although the way you worship God at church is a visual demonstration of what’s going on in your heart as well.
xiii. This is what Jesus is talking about here with this woman, its’ not just about attending a church service and singing songs to God, although that is part of it. It’s about using our life to be a living sacrifice to God, with our worship and service.
xiv. But in order to do this, we have to believe in Jesus, and know Him personally, otherwise it will be impossible to worship God in spirit and in truth.
xv. Let’s move onto the next passage in (vv.27-30), where we will discover how this woman, whose life, just moments earlier was a hot mess, has now drank from the Well of living water, and whose life is transformed.
xvi. READ: John 4:27-30
b. How do we worship God in spirit and truth? We must be willing to PERSUADE others to meet Jesus (John 4:27-30)
i. Here we read that Jesus’ disciples interrupt the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, by their return from Sychar, where they had gone to purchase food (v.8). Their unvoiced surprise that He was talking with a Samaritan woman reflects the prejudices of the day. I mentioned this a couple weeks ago, that some Jewish thought in that day, held that for a rabbi to talk much with a woman, even his own wife, was at best a waste of time and at worst a diversion from the study of Torah, and therefore potentially a great evil that could lead to hell. Some rabbis went so far as to suggest that to provide their daughters with knowledge of the Torah was as inappropriate as to sell them into prostitution. Add to this the fact that this woman was a Samaritan, and it’s easy to understand why His disciple’s marveled over the fact that Jesus was talking to her.
ii. In (v.28-30) we read that the woman left her waterpot there with Jesus, and went to share the gospel with the town she was from. It’s interesting to think about the fact that she actually left her waterpot there at the well. That water was most certainly something that she and her live-in boyfriend would have needed. And whether she left the waterpot out of nothing more than haste as she hurried back to Sychar, or out of simple courtesy so that at last Jesus might have a drink of water, is not made clear. Whatever her reason for this, John seems to highlight a profound symbolism in the act: which is that she now has an eagerness to enjoy the new and living water, and therefore she leaves behind the old water, and thus once again in John’s gospel, speaks of renunciation of the old ceremonial forms of religion in favor of worshipping God in spirit and truth.
iii. What is even more powerful than the symbolism that John presents to us here, is her eagerness to go find the very people she had been avoiding earlier. She came in contact with Jesus, and her encounter with Him has changed everything for her. She can’t wait to get back into town and find the very people she had been avoiding. Now that she’s complete in Christ she’s not avoiding anyone but going to everyone, and letting them know that she has met the Messiah!
iv. And the inspiration for the 2nd answer to this morning’s big question is found here. How do we worship God in spirit and truth? We must be willing to PERSUADE others to meet Jesus (John 4:27-30)
v. This woman had drank from the Well of Living Water and by faith embraced Jesus as Messiah, and now she couldn’t help but go back to the very people whom she use to avoid, in order to persuade them to come and meet Jesus also.
vi. This woman’s dramatic transformation has no doubt caught the attention of the townspeople. Not only was this woman who went out of her way to stay out of their way, now approaching them, she had visibly changed. She went from a defeated victim of her own making, to a person whose entire demeanor had now changed to hopeful joy, and she was passionately persuading everyone to come and meet Jesus so that they could experience the same as her.
vii. I was no different when I first got saved. I came to the empty well at Pacific Bell Telephone company, got saved on my lunch break, and went home a new man full of hope and joy. The next day a co-worker said to me, “You look so different today!” I told her, “I met Jesus yesterday and He is real, and He has changed everything for me. Do you want to meet Him too?” She said “Yes, I do!” And the person who led me to Jesus came and prayed with her (cause I didn’t even know how to pray yet.” And she received Jesus also.
viii. That’s what worshipping God is spirit and in truth looks like guys. It’s not about coming to church and singing songs. That’s just a part of it. It’s about drinking the Living Water at the Well (Jesus), and then telling everyone about it!
ix. Let’s move onto the 3rd and final answer for todays message found in (vv.31-38).
x. READ: John 4:31-38
c. How do we worship God in spirit and truth? We must be willing to do GOD’S WILL for our life (John 4:31-38)
i. So as the Samaritan woman heads back down to Sychar to share the gospel with the townspeople, the disciples tell Jesus to “eat” in (v.31). But Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Though Jesus had not eaten any food, He responds like this in order to use it as a teachable moment. He wants them to know that what He has been doing while they were away getting food to feed their body with, Jesus was feeding on something even more important, which is the will of God.
ii. Jesus is going to reveal to them that if they want to be His followers, they had better want to eat the same food in their life, which is to do the Father’s will by trying to reach others with the gospel.
iii. The disciple’s were more concerned and satisfied with feeding their bodies, and so Jesus clearly shows them that it is more satisfying to feed their souls by doing the will of God. While they were getting food to feed themselves with, Jesus was feeding the woman at the well with bread from heaven.
iv. I find it interesting that food and water are the source of life, it is the sustenance we need to live our life and to stay healthy. And in order to have a healthy spiritual life we must first drink from the Well of Living Water, by believing in Jesus, and then Eat the food from heaven, which is doing the will of God for our life. That is what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. We believe in Jesus and we live for God’s will. It doesn’t get any simpler than that guys.
v. And just as Jesus came to do God’s will (4:34), the Samaritan woman was now doing God’s will (4:28-30), Jesus was clearly calling His disciples, as well as you and me, to do God’s will (4:34-38). Jesus tells them in (v.38), that He has sent them to “reap” that for which they have not labored for. Meaning, share their faith with others, so that God can glean His harvest through us.
vi. READ: JOHN 4:35-38
vii. Jesus explains to His disciples that the will of God for everyone who follows Him is that we would sow and reap, or in other words, share the good news about Jesus with others, and lead others to a saving knowledge in Jesus. When Jesus says, “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” I assure you, the entire Samaritan city of Sychar were walking up the mountain towards them. And as the disciple’s looked down at the harvest coming towards them, Jesus says, “And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” No doubt Jesus is telling His disciples, that you didn’t labor for this harvest that is coming towards you right now, but we’re going to reap it together!
i. READ: John 4:39-42
ii. Again, as Jesus was dialoguing with His disciples about this, it was being lived out in the life of the Samaritan woman. Jesus sowed into her life the gospel, and she not only received it, but was now leading her entire city in a procession back up the hill to Jesus, and “many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him.”
iii. Jesus sowed into her life the gospel and she not only received it but was now leading her entire city in a procession back up the hill to Jesus and the Bible says, “many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him.” Guys, this is the result of one woman obeying God’s will by first believing Jesus, and then putting her belief into action by sharing it with other people.
iv. She drank from the Well with Living Water, and as we learned in (v.14) it’s a perpetual well that leads others to everlasting life, and now many people from the Samaritan town of Sychar were being saved. God turned this woman, who was an absolute hot mess, into a person that caused everyone who would listen to her to be blessed.
v. What a difference-maker she became, because she was willing to obey God’s will for her life.
III. Life Application:
a. Today we have been finishing up a powerful story of transformation, about a Divine appointment that Jesus had with a woman from Samaria, who was a hot mess. And yet, Jesus changed everything for her!
b. How do we worship God in spirit and truth?
i. We must know and believe in WHOM we are worshipping
ii. We must be willing to PERSUADE others to meet Jesus
iii. We must be willing to do GOD’S WILL for our life
