Sermon Notes - John 4:27-42 - Jesus in Samaria - Littleby Baptist Church - November 27, 2022

1.     Jesus sitting at a well had a conversation with a Samaritan Woman.

a.      He ignored societal norms.

b.     He used her current situation and where they were sitting to get her attention.

c.      In talking about her current marital status, Jesus showed that He was more than a man.

d.     He had a greater understanding than she knew.

e.      Jesus went on to point out that a time was coming when who you were and where you worshipped did not matter.

f.      What matters is that you worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.

g.     Worshipping God starts in our hearts and minds and becomes a way of life.

h.     The woman’s eyes were being opened to the truth.

i.       She understood that the Messiah would explain everything to them.

j.       That is when Jesus told her that He is the Messiah.

k.     Which is where we pick up today.

2.     John 4:27-30

a.      Jesus and the woman were talking, and the guys show up.

b.     The woman took advantage of the break in the conversation, and she took off.

c.      She wanted to tell everyone she could about her conversation with Jesus.

d.     Something Jesus said must have truly opened her eyes to the truth.

e.      Was it that Jesus told her about her past?

f.      Was it that He stated that He is the Messiah?

g.     Likely a combination of the two that brought the woman from a point of distrust to one of belief.

h.     Jesus talking about her past helped her to see that she needed a Savior.

i.       Him confessing to be the Messiah solidified it.

j.       She had to tell others about Jesus.

k.     Her sharing about how Jesus knew her faults and about who He was, had others coming to see Him.

l.       Another thing we may notice in these verses is that the disciples are human.

m.   It is easy to put them up on a pedestal when we study the letters they wrote, but they are just as flawed as we are.

n.     They had witnessed Jesus work in amazing ways already, and now they were amazed that He was talking to this woman.

o.     You would think by now that they would know that Jesus wasn’t the most orthodox guy.

p.     You would think they would have learned to go with the flow.

q.     Yet they were amazed by a simple conversation.

3.     John 4:31

a.      With their thoughts from verse 27, the disciples knew something was going on, but they did not catch the conversation.

b.     They knew Jesus was tired and thirsty before they went into town.

c.      They kept urging Him to eat something to help Him regain His strength.

d.     They being human were focused on the here and now.

e.      They likely were truly concerned about Jesus maintaining His strength.

f.      It is safe to say that there are several examples in the Gospels about Jesus putting ministry above other things.

4.     John 4:32-33

a.      Reading these verses at the surface level, one might understand the disciples questioning how Jesus may have gotten something to eat.

b.     They were focused on physical nature of things and were missing what Jesus was saying.

c.      Not unlike Nicodemus missing the point of being born again and the woman not understanding about the Living Water.

d.     Jesus though was not talking about filling His physical need, it was so much more than that.

5.     John 4:34

a.      Jesus is not saying that He does not need to eat.

b.     More along the lines of His desire is not for filling His belly, it is for carrying out the will of God the Father.

c.      Deuteronomy 8:3

d.     His passion is to please the Father through carrying out their plan.

e.      His priority is to meet the spiritual needs of those He encounters.

f.      Like the disciples, it is easy for us to get focused on the here and now.

g.     Our minds tend to narrow in on the physical things around us.

h.     Those are things we can see, touch, and easily relate to.

i.       Those types of needs are important.

j.       But, what about the spiritual side of things?

k.     We have to make sure that the physical things do not dwarf the spiritual needs.

l.       As we walk this earth as parent, teachers, Sunday school leaders, mentors, friends, we are to desire to carry out the Lord’s work for us.

m.   To make it a priority to talk about our Jesus.

n.     To meet the needs of others, both physical and spiritual.

6.     John 4:35

a.      Even this city boy knows that once you plant your fields, you have to wait for crops to grow before you can harvest them.

b.     Physical things are that way.

c.      But Jesus is trying to get them to understand that the fields he is talking about are ready for harvest.

d.     Not the crops that were planted, but the hearts of those who are in need of a savior.

e.      For crops you plant them and have to wait until they grow.

f.      Jesus is saying that for the harvest that they are working towards, one needs to be aware.

g.     If their eyes are open, they can see those that are in need, the harvest is there.

h.     If our eyes are open, if we are letting the Holy Spirit guide us, we will see those that we are to come along side of.

i.       If we are paying attention to those that God brings into our lives, we will see the needs we are to meet, both physical and spiritual.

7.     John 4:36-38

a.      Sowers and reapers.

b.     Those that plant seeds and those that gather the fruit.

c.      Jesus is telling the disciples that they are reapers.

d.     As they go about the business of God throughout their lives, they will reap the fruit of eternal life.

e.      They will help people see their way to an eternity with Jesus.

f.      He makes a point that they will reap what others have sown.

g.     Who sowed? No clear answer.

h.     The woman at the well understood about the Messiah from Old Testament prophecies.

i.       Nicodemus, as had many others, had witnessed the signs that showed Jesus is God.

j.       John the Baptist called many to repentance, some we see in Scripture turned to Jesus.

k.     We are to sow when we can sow and reap when we can reap.

l.       We are to carry out the will of the Father.

m.   Matthew 28:19-20

n.     We are to sow and to reap, ultimately helping others as they come to understand that they need Jesus.

8.     John 4:39

a.      Enter the crowd of Samaritans.

b.     They believed because of the testimony of one.

c.      They believed because of what Jesus as God knew.

d.     He knew about the woman’s life, and He knew what needed to be said.

e.      The testimony of one.

f.      The testimony of a woman who would have been an outcast. Someone most people avoided.

                                                    i.     The other ladies did not want to be around someone who was on her 6^th non-husband.

                                                  ii.     The respectable guys did not want to ever be associated with her.

                                                iii.     Yet, her testimony changed people’s lives.

g.     We should never doubt that you can have an impact on others.

h.     It is amazing what God can do when we are willing to share what Jesus did for us.

i.       Regardless of our background and our sins… maybe I should say in spite of them.

j.       Jesus uses who we are to touch the lives of others.

9.     John 4:40-41

a.      Jesus broke through the societal norm again and stayed with the Samaritans.

b.     He shared with them, and they believed.

c.      The personal testimony of how Jesus has touched our lives and the sharing of the amazing Gift He has given us, can get peoples attention.

d.     Our job is to be faithful in talking about how Jesus has touched us and then let the Holy Spirit work.

e.      We don’t know if we are sowing or reaping.

f.      But we do know that we are told to be His witnesses.

g.     We are to talk about our Jesus.

10.  John 4:42

a.      They heard the woman, and they believed.

b.     They listened to Jesus.

c.      They believed that He is the Savior of the World.

d.     That He would bring light into our lives and wipe away our sin.

e.      The woman sharing opened their eyes, then Jesus got a hold of them.

f.      And They Believed.

11.  1 Timothy 2:3-6

a.      Our Jesus wishes that everyone will be saved.

b.     He gave himself as the ransom for our sins.

c.      The orthodox religious leader, a woman with many non-husbands, those in this Samaritan town, the many we read about in Scripture, those we are praying for, and each one of us.

d.     Jesus is the Savior for all humankind.

e.      Those that look and act the part and those that don’t.

f.      We are to have faith in our Jesus.

g.     Let’s not be limited by societal norms.

h.     We are to sow and to reap.

i.       We are to talk about Jesus and let the Holy Spirit work.

j.       Keep praying for those who need Jesus.

k.     Keep talking about Him to any who will list.