KASUMIGAOKA
2017/07/30
SERMON: “The Spring of the Water of Life” 「いのちの水の泉」
TEXT: ヨハネの福音書4:1-15
I. INTRODUCTION
How did you become a Christian? Have you ever been asked that question? I’m sure that no two people in this room would answer the same way. But there is one thing in common to everyone’s conversion. It is this: before anyone can believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him, he must first hear the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ. In other words, there must be a messenger who brings the good news to someone else. Of course, there are many different ways of bringing that message of hope. There is spoken, “word of mouth” communication. There is the written word found in books and tracts, and of course the Bible. There is the “media” of television, movies, and “social media” on the internet. But in every case, God uses people to bring the message of salvation through Christ to others. Some people tell their friends and family why they believe using their own words. Some people write books or tracts, or distribute Bibles, as the Gideons do. Others may produce movies or write internet blogs about their faith.
Occasionally, long ago, God sent His “angels” (i.e., “messengers”) to bring special messages to people, but the greatest message of all—the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ—God has entrusted to ordinary people like you and me. Jesus chose ordinary people to be His disciples; then He sent them to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). They went out from Jerusalem as “witnesses” of all that Jesus had accomplished as our Redeemer (Acts 1:8). In Romans 10:13-15, the first great “missionary” of the Christian church wrote these words: “‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” The word translated “preacher” means, simply, “one who announces.” Someone must go and tell people about the salvation that God has provided in Christ. Another word often used in the Bible for this is “evangelize” (Gk., euangelizomai). This is the word used in Acts 8:4 and 11:19-20. Those passages report how ordinary Christians were “scattered” when unbelieving Jews began to persecute the church in Jerusalem. Wherever they went, those Christians told people the wonderful news of Jesus the Savior who died for man’s sins and rose again on the third day. Even today Christ sends out ordinary people to be His witnesses, to bring the good news of hope in Christ to the ends of the world. This is our responsibility and privilege as Christ’s disciples today, but many of us do not do this very well. As we look at our Scripture passage today, there are some important points we can learn about this vital work of carrying God’s gospel message to others. As we think about Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman, we may learn how to witness more effectively for Christ. I’d like to look at the first part of this conversation today, then consider the rest of the passage in John 4 over the next two weeks. There are three things I would like to notice concerning this passage. First, notice the way Jesus opened the “door” to bring God’s good news to this Samaritan woman. Second, notice how well Jesus understood the heart of the gospel message. Third, notice how Jesus appreciated the greatness of the gift He could offer to this woman. Let’s look more closely at each of these matters.
II. JESUS’ APPROACH TO EVANGELISM (John 4:1-15)
A. First, consider how Jesus began this conversation about God’s good news. John does not tell us that Jesus planned to “target” Samaria for an evangelistic campaign. In fact, the opposite seems to be true: John indicates that Jesus was going from Judea to Galilee in order to avoid the attention–and perhaps the hostility–of the Pharisees. Jesus planned to “pass through” Samaria because the road was convenient. But there is a spiritual principle which Jesus explained in the previous chapter and which He Himself clearly followed. The principle is that the Spirit of God must open the door of faith in a person’s heart. And the Spirit of God is not predictable. Like the wind that “blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:8). We do not know where, when, or how the Spirit of God will open the door of faith in a person’s heart. But, like Jesus, we should pray and then expect God to give us opportunities. The Spirit can unlock the door of faith from the inside, so that a person will want to hear the good news. The apostle Paul understood this principle. Acts 14:27 says that after his first missionary journey, Paul reported to the church in Antioch “how God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” If we ask God to bless our interactions with other people and to give us opportunities to bring them message of salvation, we should also expect Him to do it! A Samaritan woman does not look like someone who would respond positively to the gospel message—especially when the message is brought to her by a Jewish man. John takes notice of this in v. 9, saying, “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” But appearances do not matter when the Spirit of God opens the door of faith. “The wind blows where it wishes!” The Spirit of God does not follow the opinions or the customs of men. So, the Spirit of God prepared the heart of this unlikely hearer so that she would respond to the good news Jesus brought. And the Lord Jesus was anticipating this opportunity; so when He began to speak, the door of faith was opened.
B. Second, observe how well Jesus understood the heart of the gospel. If we understand the main ideas of the gospel, we can speak freely and let the gospel message take shape according to the specific needs of the hearer. What are the central elements of the gospel that Jesus places before this Samaritan woman? Look at v. 10. Jesus says there are two things she should know, and one thing she must do. If she knows these two things, and takes appropriate action, she will receive something very good! She should know, first of all, what is “the gift of God.” Jesus seems to say, “God has a gift to give you! Do you want to know what it is?” What kind of gift would God give to such a woman? Soon He tells her, “If you had asked Him, He would have given you living water.” We will talk a little bit more about what this living water might be in a few moments. But first, Jesus tells her, if you know what God’s gift is, then you must also ask for that gift! God is truly good and He does not give worthless gifts to anyone! This is a very valuable gift! In fact, it is so precious that you could never pay for it. But this gift is given freely, with no personal payment required. Are you not interested in what God’s gift might be? Will you not even inquire? And if it really is as good as Jesus hints it is, will you not ask Him for it? This is the first central theme of the gospel: God has a good gift, called “living water,” which He will give to anyone who will seek it through grace alone.
But there is a second element which is also central to the gospel message. Jesus tells 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.” Jesus is saying, “You must come to know Me.” If you do not know who Jesus is, you will not ask for His gift. This question seems to have aroused her interest. From this point in the conversation, the Samaritan woman seems to become more and more focused on Jesus. Who is He? How can You do what You say You can do? “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You?” (v. 12) Later, she realizes that Jesus is a true Prophet (v,. 19). But even that is not sufficient to explain who Jesus is. He is more than a prophet. He is “the Christ!” He is the promised Savior! (vs. 25-26) This is the true knowledge of Jesus that many of the Samaritans come to accept, through the testimony of this woman and through hearing Jesus for themselves: “This One is indeed the Savior of the world!” (v. 42)
Only after coming to know and believe the gracious gift of God and the One through whom the gift is given, that is Christ Himself, will this woman be able to seek the gift of the “living water” with understanding. But already, even though her understanding is only rudimentary, the seed of faith has been planted in her heart, and by the time we reach v. 15, the Samaritan woman is asking Jesus to give her the gift! “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw.”
C. The third point we should notice about Jesus’ gospel message to the Samaritan woman is that Jesus clearly appreciated the deep significance of His good news. Jesus Himself understood how it feels to be thirsty for water. He shared the human frailties of physical weakness, hunger, sorrow, pain, and thirst. And He asked the Samaritan woman to give Him a drink of water from the well. But Jesus emphasizes the far greater value of the living water that only He can give to the Samaritan. Even though the conversation begins with Jesus’ request for water to refresh His body, Jesus never received that drink. A far more important topic fills His mind and His heart. That topic was the “water of life” which can satisfy the thirst of the soul. In vv. 13-14a, Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” Jesus is able to give a kind of drink that satisfies forever! The body will always thirst again, but the living water that Jesus can give is more than water for the body drawn from a well, or a spring, or a river. Furthermore, Jesus says in v. 14, “the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” What Jesus offers is a kind of water with miraculous properties. Jesus’ “living water” is far more valuable than any water from a well! Jesus later explains publicly what He means during the Jewish feast of Tabernacles (7:2). Turn to John 7: 37-39. “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” The living water Jesus promised to the Samaritan woman and to anyone who asked in faith was the gift of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit will bring refreshment and new life to the weary souls who seek Him. Whoever will come to Jesus Christ, believing in Him, will receive the soul-cleansing, life-giving water of the Holy Spirit. And not only will each believer be fully satisfied through the Spirit’s fullness, but the living water will “spring up” and overflow from the believer, so that others around him will also be refreshed by that same Spirit. This is the water that Jesus is referring to when He says to the woman in John 4:14, “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!”
Seeing and hearing Jesus’ complete conviction as He spoke, the woman realized that Jesus was totally serious. He was tired and thirsty, but He spoke with absolute certainty about the value and the necessity of the “water of life” that He would give to anyone who asked for it in faith. So the Samaritan woman does exactly that. She asks Jesus for what He alone can supply. She did not yet understand the full meaning of the “living water.” But Jesus had spoken with such conviction and such authority about this “living water” that she could not doubt that God indeed had a gift that she wanted. And she believed that Jesus was able to give that gift. So she says, “Sir, give me this water!”
III. CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION
Jesus’ method of evangelism is quite different from the approach of many Christians. Some can only repeat a few carefully selected sentences which they have memorized. Some look for the “right” sort of person who seems ready to listen to a short “presentation” of the gospel. And if the Christian finds such a candidate and is able to recite his lines, he feels that he has accomplished his purpose. But that was not Jesus’ approach. Jesus, first of all, came to the Samaritan with utter humility. He came as a fellow-traveler who shared the hardships of the world that are common to mankind. But Jesus had something the woman did not. His heart was satisfied with the Spirit of holiness that gave Him joy in the midst of hardship and courage in the face of trials. Nevertheless, Jesus does not speak to the Samaritan with a tone of superiority, or address her in a condescending manner. He wants this woman to seek for herself the gift of God. He wants her to ask Him for that gift. There is an old saying in America: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Yet some Christians try not only to lead others to the water of life in Christ, but also to force them to swallow their message. Friends, that is not the way that Jesus shows us to do the work of evangelism! Rather, begin each day with prayer that God might grant you opportunity to give the message of life to someone. Allow God to choose and arrange the circumstances, and trust the Holy Spirit to open the doors of faith according to His perfect will. Be sure you know the heart of the gospel, which focuses on the precious gift of God and the person of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. And be sure that you appreciate the joy and the peace of God’s salvation. There is no greater gift than the Spirit of Christ in you, like a well of water springing up to eternal life.