Transcript

Evangelism Exists Because Worship Doesn't

John 4:27-42
Sunday, October 27, 2002
Pastor Randy Smith

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Although no one ever looks forward to being sick, I was thankful that the Lord used my recent bout with the flu this week for His glory. The relative inactivity brought forth much meditation on the fourth chapter of John's gospel. And the more I meditated on the account with Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the more general themes kept coming to my attention.

First was the theme of the satisfaction of spiritual thirst that is quenched only by Jesus Christ. Verses 13-14, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." Second was the theme of personal evangelism. Verse 39, "And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified." Verse 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." Third was the theme of joy. Verse 36, "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." Fourth was the theme of obedience to God. Verse 34, "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.'" And fifth was the theme of God in His pursuit of true worshippers. Verse 23, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers." So I meditated. I prayed. I asked the Spirit to show me the connection between these 5 themes. And I believe God spoke to my heart this week.

The experience was similar to lighting a gas grill. You've been there. You turn on the fuel and repeatedly attempt to ignite the burner. In your efforts the gas is building-up inside of the grill, you get the spark, and the process culminates with an explosion! Likewise this week my mind was being filled with these heavenly realities. When the Holy Spirit lit a match, everything exploded! It was not an explosion of destruction, but ironically an explosion of revelation and unity and cohesiveness. This sermon is intended to be a brief overview of that explosion as we examine the connection between the themes of satisfaction, evangelism, joy, obedience and true worshippers as they are found in the context of John chapter 4.

1. SATISFACTION

Let's begin with our first point. One of the greatest promises of Christ is the satisfaction that He brings to parched soul. For the past two weeks, we have witnessed the discontentment of the Samaritan woman. Though she longed for purpose and fulfillment, her pursuits resulted in failed relationships, isolation and guilt. But on one hot day at noontime she met the ultimate "Thirst Quencher" by Jacob's Well. Jesus said to her in verse 13, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never (ou me, literally, "never ever") thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (Jn. 4:13-14). Just as He does today, Jesus held out to this woman His offer for eternal satisfaction.

The Puritan, William Greenhill, once said, "Can you hear Christ crying out you poor sinners of the world? He says, 'Come unto me you who are weary, who are ready to sink and perish, who are hungry and thirsty and don't know which way to turn for relief. Come unto Me.' See what a blessed invitation is given in Isaiah 55, 'Everyone who thirsts come to the waters. He that has no money come, buy and eat. Come buy without price.' Come, for here is wine, milk, bread, marrow. Here is that which will make your souls live. Take the water of life freely! There is something in this word freely that notes, let a sinner be what he will, it is no bar to keep him from this water. Let a sinner be a great sinner, an old sinner. Let his sins be crimson and scarlet sins. Christ puts in no obstacle. Let Him come and take of the water of life freely. If the water of life is freely offered to sinners, then you who are barren and dead hearted, who complain of unfruitfulness and unprofitableness, wait on the Lord for here is the water of life and Christ gives it out. See the infinite goodness of God and His condescension toward poor creatures. That He who is greatness in glory, majesty and excellence, should condescend to us who are corrupt, full of guilt, deformity, without beauty or excellency, no good, that He should be willing that we should have waters of life." (quote edited)

God created every human being with all the ingredients we need for life. We have been given the faculties to think and eat and move and communicate and breathe. However we are missing one part, and all of us know it. Within each of us there is a longing for satisfaction and fulfillment and meaning and purpose. We seek to fill this void in our heart with everything under the sun, and as all of us can testify, our pursuit comes up empty. Nothing seems to satisfy.

That is because God wants to fill this created void with one very special gift. He wants us to keep seeking until we find the best. And since He is the best, He fills us with none other than Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 says, "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." God has created us with a longing for satisfaction. That longing is only met through the indwelling presence of Himself!

When people trust Christ for salvation, they are enabled to drink deeply from the Wellspring of Life. They are enabled to forsake the broken cisterns of this world (Jer. 2:13). They are enabled to see that no possession, no honor, no success and no esteem are compared to the satisfaction that God offers in a relationship with Himself. God wants to glorify Himself by satisfying every need we could ever dream of.

The woman in John 4 came to the well in despair. After her encounter with Christ, she left with a satisfied heart. She had new joy, new peace and a new life. So what does she do now? Does she celebrate it by taking a trip to Disney World? Absolutely not! She can't conceal this wonderful truth! Her first response (like the apostle Paul-Ac. 9:19-20) is to share the good news with others.

2. EVANGELISM

Beginning in verse 28, "So the woman left her waterpot, (somewhat symbolic of her eternal satisfaction from thirst) and went into the city, and said to the men, 'Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it'" (Jn. 4:28-29)!

Now let's remember that this woman previously avoided all people. Let's remember that her immoral reputation singled her out as a social outcast in the community. Let's remember that women and men in this culture did not make it a habit to communicate. You'll recall in verse 27 that even the disciples were surprised that Jesus was speaking to a woman.

But all bets are off when God transforms a heart. This woman knew that all her sins and all of her guilt was removed. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She was a new creation who earnestly desired to share the good news with others whom she had previously avoided. When God saves an individual, He bears fruit in that person's life. Often the first impulse is to fearlessly and joyously tell the world that Jesus Christ receives sinners.

This woman did not need to be an astute theologian. She simply held on display the testimony of a changed life that even the most skeptical critic can't disagree with! She only wanted to tell the world what Jesus had done for her, but her excitement and passion gave such a great witness for Jesus Christ that people needed to see her source of satisfaction for themselves! Verse 30 records that the men "went out of the city, and were coming to (Jesus)."

What started out as natural overflow from this unlikely witness ended in the salvation of many. In verse 39 we read, "And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified." The numbers continued to increase. Beginning in verse 41, "Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world'" (Jn. 4:41-42).

It's funny how today's "converts" often take years to produce any spiritual fruit. Today it seems like converts take 2 years to get baptized, 4 years to join a church, 6 years to begin any active service and 8 years before they ever share their testimony. How contrary this is to the redeemed woman at the well? Almost instantly she is denying herself and exalting the Savior. Almost instantly she is loving others by pointing them to the greatness of Christ. Almost instantly she is experiencing life and joy and satisfaction. If conversion is genuine, fruit will surely follow. And if fruit is genuine, it cannot be concealed resulting in spontaneous evangelism.

Interestingly, sandwiched between the evangelistic testimony of the woman was Christ's teaching to His disciples on this subject of evangelism. Beginning in verse 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. Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case 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 labor" (Jn. 4:35-38).

Jesus basically told His disciples that evangelism is like agriculture. It has a time of sowing and a time of reaping. Yet the Samaritan woman had already accomplished both. Jesus basically told His disciples that the fields were ripe for spiritual harvest. Yet the Samaritan had already reaped a whole town of converts. Jesus basically told His disciples that evangelism is to be met with urgency. Yet the Samaritan woman wasted no time with her witness. The disciples were learning. The Samaritan woman was doing.

Through the working of the Holy Spirit, this woman's satisfaction and delight in God led to a natural overflow of zealous evangelism. Daniel Fuller once said, "For all of us it should be unthinkable to keep to ourselves the knowledge that God's ultimate delight is to do the greatest good for others by letting them share in the supreme joy He has in Himself. How could any of us enjoy heaven unless we mobilized our time, talents and treasure to do our utmost to get the good news to the rest of the world? Sadly, many professing Christians do not feel this imperative demand because they, through unbelief, are themselves not experiencing God's great joy and peace." The Samaritan woman had been given a great gift, how could she not share it (see 2 Ki 7:9 regarding the lepers from Samaria)?

3. JOY

As we move to point 3, let's further examine how this woman's evangelism was motivated by a deep sense of joy. Psalm 16:11 says, "Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever." The Samaritan woman experienced this God-given joy. She was unable to contain it. It overflowed as it dominated her conversations with others.

Is it not true that when we are excited about something, it becomes not only a passion but also a delight to talk about (a raise at work, a new child, making an athletic team, an enjoyable vacation)? There is often no keeping us quiet because our joy seems to increase when we can communicate this excitement to others. The German poet Christoph Tiedge rightly said, "Joy that is shared is doubly joyous."

Now think about this. God orchestrates our conversion in such a way that we receive the fullness of joy (Jn. 15:11; 16:24; 17:13). Nothing should make us happier! We don't close our lips and selfishly bask in that joy. Rather the natural instinct is to double our joy by sharing our salvation excitement with others. What happens in this process? We display pure evangelism that is a spontaneous overflow of a genuine delight in God. Daniel Fuller concurs, "The only conclusion that we can draw from people who have no desire to express themselves in this way is that they themselves are not yet sharing in God's own joy." You see, we won't commend what we don't cherish!

So joy motivates evangelism, but joy is also the result of evangelism! Sharing the gospel, channeling our resources for the lost and seeing converts are all avenues to greater joy! Was this not the testimony of Jesus Christ in verse 36, "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." Or look at the testimony of Jesus in Luke 15? "I tell you that in the same way, there will be morejoy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Lk. 15:7). "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Lk. 15:10). My question is, if heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, shouldn't we?

4. OBEDIENCE

Let's keep this train of logic going in point 4 with the topic of obedience. When the disciples were concerned about physical food, Jesus said in verse 34, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work." For Jesus Christ, obedience to God's will was His sustenance. Obedience to the Father was His greatest concern and His highest priority. In 8:29 of this gospel Jesus said, "I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

God the Father expects the same from His children. The three topics we have studied thus far are a natural overflow of genuine salvation. Interestingly, they are also commands that we are tobey! We are commanded to be satisfied in God (Jer 17:13). We are commanded to evangelize (2 Tim. 4:5). We are commanded to rejoice always (Phil. 4:4). Now, let me ask you, from what we know about the Samaritan woman, were these commands a burden for her? Were they a duty? Absolutely not! Odds are, she probably wasn't even aware of these commands! Rather they were a delight naturally flowing from a heart that was filled with the Spirit.

Beloved, sacrifice in never found in obedience. Sacrifice is only found in fleshly pursuits by hearts that are deceived into thinking that God is some celestial killjoy, and we will receive greater happiness in disobeying Him. Every act of sin is a sacrifice to our joy. When will we learn? Obedience brings joy, and disobedience brings consequences. Don't fall for the lie that it is a sacrifice to obey God! It's an old lie. After all, it's the same lie our original parents bought in the garden.

5. TRUE WORSHIPPERS

Finally as we conclude, how do all 4 of our topics thus far relate?

God's ultimate purpose in all He does is to manifest His glory. "For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, and for My praise I restrain it for you, in order not to cut you off…For My own sake, I will act; for how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another" (Isa. 48:9, 11). God created people for His glory. "Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made" (Isa. 43:7). God redeems people for His glory. "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace" (Eph. 1:5-6). Therefore, based upon this purpose, God expects us to glorify Him in all things. "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Or to put it another way, staying within the context of John chapter 4, God want "true worshippers." Verse 23, "True worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers." God is foremost in His own affections. His goal is to seek true worshippers who will glorify His name.

Now this may sound very egotistical, but as we already learned, God glorifies Himself not by being an omnipotent dictator, but rather by being a benevolent provider in the hearts of His creatures. He seeks to glorify Himself by giving us the best, the gift of Himself, which meets all of our needs. Therefore when we are most satisfied in God, God is most glorified in us!

Putting it all together. We seek to pursue our joy in Him and delight in following His commandments. Therefore we long for evangelism because in doing so we fulfill His commandment and also increase our joy as we share our excitement with others. Why did God set it up this way? Because evangelism is the means to create more true worshippers! As long as there are creatures not fulfilling their intended purpose of worshipping God, evangelism will exist.

Evangelism is the means to a greater end. It is simply calling people to obey God, to rejoice in God and to be satisfied in God. And when they forsake the broken cisterns of the world and the false gods of discontentment and drink deeply from the Well Spring of eternal life they will spontaneously praise God in spirit and truth for His love, wisdom, beauty, truth, holiness, compassion, mercy, grace and power. When an individual is this completely satisfied, God is glorified. And beloved, that is the true worshipper that God seeks!