Series: Who’s Your One?

Title: Partnering with God to Reach Your One

Scripture: John 4:1-42

Subject: Evangelism

Central Theme:  Partnering with God to Reach Your One

Objective Statement:  We should not hesitate to try to reach our one for three reasons.

Points:

1. Reaching your “one” is the Father’s Mission.
2. Reaching your “one” is the Father’s Harvest.
3. Reaching your “one” is the Father’s Work.

Introduction:

Connection:

• Play video- Kidnapper gets saved!
• Wasn’t that an incredible story.
• The Gospel is so powerful.
• In that story, the man who was kidnapped and shot recognized his responsibility to share the Gospel with the man who had kidnapped and shot him.
• Jesus Christ, through the power of the Gospel, had transformed Chris Carrier to be able to deal with life after that traumatic event.
• Then the grace that was extended to Chris was extended by him to David.
• Chris realized that God had allowed David to be in His life near the end so that Chris would steward the Gospel to him well. He realized that David was, in that moment, his one.

Tension:

• When we look at our lives the way that Jesus looks at our lives, we will begin to look for people that we can impact for the Lord.
• When we have a heart for Jesus, we will have a heart for people.
• I’m in the second week of this series called “Who’s Your One?”
• The theme of this series is for us to be like Jesus in our love for the Father, and our love for people.
• Jesus loves people, and he was often on a mission for one person.
• Last week we saw that illustrated in His parable of the lost coin and the lost sheep. He told the scribes and the pharisees that His heart compelled him to leave the 90 and 9 to go after the one lost sheep.
• We see this exemplified in Jesus’ life over and over again.
• There’s this incredible story in the Gospel of John, that I’m sure you’ve heard, about how a whole town gets transformed.
• This story is told in John 4, and is known as the story of the woman at the well.

We can see Jesus's heart for people in need expressed by how he was willing to minister to the Samaritan Woman. Examine 6 decisions Jesus made to meet the need of the Samaritan Woman.

1.     He was willing to go to places others would not go. (John 4:1-5)

John 4:1-5

1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,). 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.4 And he must needs go through Samaria.  5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

• Samaria is a place where most jews would not go.
• There was racial division between the jews and the Samaritans.
• There was theological division between the jews and the Samaritans.
• It lead to cultural division, in that no respectable jew would even pass through Samaria. They would go the wrong way around.  For the jew, this was the “wrong part of town.”
• Jesus’ love for people meant that he would go places others would not go.

2.     He was willing to speak to people to whom others would not speak. (John 4:6-9)

John 4:6-9

6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.  7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.  8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.). 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

• “The sixth hour” was around noon. This was a time where most women would not come.  This woman came to the well by herself.
• And Jesus spoke to her.
• It was such a startling thing that even the woman was taken aback.
• Not only did jews not talk to samartians, but men did not talk to women.
• Jesus was willing to speak to people to whom others would not speak.

3.     He was willing to satisfy thirsts that others could not quench. (John 4:10-15)

John 4:10-15

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.  11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?  13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.  15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

• Jesus went right to the conversation that mattered most.
• He used the circumstances that He found Himself in to speak to the most important things.
• This woman had a thirst that could not be quenched, but it was not only a physical thirst.
• She had longings that she was not righteously satisfying.
• Jesus was offering Himself as abundant life to her.
• He is the only way to God, and the only way for her to be truly satisfied.
• To do that, He had to speak to her about sin.

4.     He was willing to speak of sin in ways that others would not speak. (4:16-20)

John 4:16-20

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.  17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:  18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

• To reach the woman, he had to address her lost condition.
• He didn’t avoid sin, because sin was the problem.
• She was trying to satisfy her longings through illicit relationships, and those things could not satisfy her.
• Jesus was willing to speak of sin in ways that others would not speak to her.

5.     He was willing to speak the truth that others did not know. (4:21-24)

John 4:21-24

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

• Jesus told her about the time coming that we are now in.
• God is worshipped not in a place. God is worshipped as a person.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

• He did not tell her that she was right.
• In fact, he helped her see where she was wrong.
• And in doing she could respond in faith to the message and be forgiven.
• Where is salvation? Of the jews, in the jewish Messiah Jesus Christ!

6.     He was willing to be to her what no one else could be. (4:25-26)

John 4:25-26

25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.  26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

• Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World.
• He didn’t just come for the jews. He came for the Samaritans.  He came for the Gentiles.
• Quote John 3:16
• The Father seeks for people to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Not just in Jersulem.  From every nation, tribe and tongue.
• If you’re here today and you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ and believed in Him alone for salvation, today is the day you should do that. He can save you.
• Now, that part was my introduction.
• Here’s what I want to say to us today, church family.
• Not only were Jesus’ words inspired, so were His methods.
• Jesus had this incredible plan.
• He was on a mission. Yet He did this mission with men.
• Men were His method.
• He said, “As the Father hath sent me, so send I you.”
• In the Great Commission we are told to reach people. This is evangelism.  Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. That is evangelism.
• In the Great Commission we are also told to train them to obey all that God has commanded us. This is discipleship.
• Making disciples of Jesus Christ involves evangelism (winning people to Jesus) and discipleship (training them in Christlike obedience).
• This is exactly what we see in this story.
• Jesus evangelizes the Samaritan Woman at the well, and then He points to what He did to His disciples.
• Today, I want us to be like the disciples in this story. Let’s learn from Jesus.  He went after one.
• I want us to go after our one. This week.  Let’s go!
• Here is my simple outline.

We should not hesitate to try to reach our one for three reasons.

#1- Reaching your “one” is the Father’s Mission. (v.31-34)

John 4:27-42

31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.  32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

• What was the woman concerned with? (Water)
• What were the disciples concerned with? (Food)
• What was Jesus concerned with? (the woman!)
• The word “meat” here is a generic word for food.
• Jesus is telling them, “I’m full. I’m satisfied.”
• Was Jesus thirsty? No!  He has living water.
• Is Jesus hungry? No!  He has food to eat that the disciples didn’t know about.
• The disciples are confused. 

33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

• Like the woman, they are still stuck in the temporal. They are time bound.  They are here and now.
• Jesus is not.
• He must explain it to them.

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

• My food is to obey the will of him that sent me.  Who is that?  The father!
• …and to finish His work? Who’s work?  The Fathers work!
• I think this is so important.
• Mission (singular) is the term for God’s desire and plan to reach people.
• Jesus was on God’s mission.
• He was doing the will of the One who sent Him, and to see that work finished.
• Let me ask you a question- Does God fail? Is God going to win?
• So if we are a part of His mission, we are on the winning side.
• When we partner with God on His mission we can’t lose.
• We only lose when we disobey.
• We should not hesitate to reach our “one” this week because it is God’s mission and He can’t lose. When we obey, we can’t lose either.
• So, that leads directly to what Jesus tells the disciples next.

#2- Reaching your “one” is the Father’s Harvest.  (v.35-38)

35Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

• Sure, in the agriculture world there was still 4 months until the harvest.
• These disciples knew that there was an actual season for harvesting.
• Jesus is saying, the time for gathering the food- reaping the harvest- is right now!
• People need the Lord, and so many will put their trust in Him.
• What is needed? Laborers are needed in the harvest!

36And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

• He that reapeth receiveth wages.
  • You know what this means? When we join in on God’s mission, we will be rewarded for that.
  • The first reward is the fruit unto life eternal. This doesn’t mean that if we are evangelistic we will receive eternal life.  It means that when we are evangelistic, others hear, believe, and receive eternal life.
• Sometimes we sow and sometimes we reap.
• Who is more important? Neither one.  Both are critical.
• This agricultural analogy is used all over the scripture. Paul speaks of planting, and Appollos water, and God giving the increase.
• Jesus speaks of the seed of the Word of God getting sown into mens hearts and growth happening.
• This is exactly what happens. This is what Jesus was doing with the Samaritan woman.
• This is what He is saying He is sending His disciples to do.
• Some sow. Some reap.

37And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.  38I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

• I can’t tell you how many times in my ministry I’ve had the chance to lead someone to the Lord and then I ask- is this the first time you heard the Gospel? The answer is often “no”.
• So much of the time we hear about another person who told them, or a friend or family member who has been praying for them.
• Sometimes we reap because of the labor of other people that have sown.
• When the harvest happens, it didn’t happen because any one of us is clever or good.
• It happens because God gives the increase.
• The harvest is the Fathers!
• We should reach out to our one this week because God has laborers all over who have sown, and there is a harvest to be had. It is His harvest.

#3- Reaching your “one” is the Father’s Work.  (v.39-42)

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

• Did you catch that?
• Who did the disciples reach in this city? We are not told of any.
• Who did the woman reach? “many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified”.
• You don’t have to be a theologian. You don’t have to be perfect.  You just have to be willing.
• She left her waterpot and went out and spoke up about Jesus.

40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.  41 And many more believed because of his own word;  42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

• Ultimately they are not saved because of us.
• If they are truly saved, they are saved for one reason. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for them and rose again for their sin according to the scriptures.
• Did they believe because of the woman? Yes, and no.
• Did they believe because of Jesus?   And many of them heard Him because of her.
• Why does God involve us in His work? I do not know, but it is a privilege.
• “As the Father hath sent me, so send I you.”
• What a privilege it is to be used by God.

Conclusion:

Application:

• On Easter Sunday a few years ago I had come forward at the invitation to be available to pray with people who were responding.
• I had given the gospel to a lady named Heather.
• Heather was in a really tough place.
• She had relationship problems happening at home.
• Her adult kids were at odds with her.
• She had just been attacked when she was leaving her work at the hospital in town.
• When I had given her the Gospel I think it was the first time it had really clicked for her.She had heard it before, but she told me she understood it more then.
• I was hoping she would come to church on Easter, but didn’t see her until, on my way back from praying I heard someone whisper my name as I walked past… “Pastor Ben…I just got saved…”. I looked over and there she was sitting.  I didn’t even know that she had come that Easter Sunday, and I wasn’t the one that got to lead her to Christ, but who cares?!  She got saved.

Inspiration:

• It is my desire this week that we be a church on a mission, and on the move.
• I’m praying that God will use us over the next few days to all be focused on reaching out to our “one”.
• Who is God putting on your heart?
• Who is your one?
• When you partner with God in doing that you can’t lose.
• Why?
• Because reaching your one is the Father’s mission, harvest, and work….
• If we obey, we can’t lose.