Sermons

Series: Signs & Glory

Title: "Why do our relationships suffer?" Part 2

Scripture: John 4:27-42

Bottom line: We should and can eliminate our excuses for not sharing Jesus today.

1. INTRODUCTION

2. CONTEXT

3. SERMON OUTLINE

4. CONCLUSION

5. NOTES

6. OUTLINES

7. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

9. MAIN REFERENCES USED

My opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.

INTRODUCTION

Up, In and Out triangle (draw)

Draw a stick figure in the middle of the triangle. (That's you)

Draw a horizontal line right through the middle of your stick figure.

• Above the line is "Love God"

• Below the line is "Love people"

UP--our relationship with God (above the horizontal line).

IN--our relationship with people who are already in and a part of the global Church (born again).

OUT--our relationship with people who are not yet a part of the global Church. These are who we are prayer, care, sharing with.

This is your filter to evaluate your church, your home group, and your personal life. Are your relationships suffering because of your unwillingness to engage people in the harvest?

iMarriage

Years ago, we started a home group in the home of one of our elders so that they could invite their neighbors. No other church members except for Anita and I. We decided to do Andy Stanley's iMarriage video series. So the group was filled with people who didn't have a relationship with the Lord or if they did it wasn't one of any depth. That was one of the most fun groups we've ever been a part of. Why? Because we realized that you can have great relationships with people who don't yet know the Lord. When we eventually left that group to start a new one, we all grieved.

One of the reasons our relationships suffer is because we don't consider that some of our best future relationships will only happen if we engage the lost in our community.

Jar of acorns - each acorn in the jar sitting in the lobby is for a conversation someone had with someone about Jesus that week.

So whenever you talk to someone about Jesus, drop an acorn into the jar. If they come to Christ, drop a silver acorn into instead.

We miss out on great relationships with people in our world when we let our excuses keep us from talking to them about Jesus.

CONTEXT

Jesus has been talking with the woman at the well when his disciples walk up. She's just discovered that Jesus is the Messiah. She's believing and now compelled to go and share that good news with the entire town. She drops what she's doing (literally) and goes to tell them to come and see.

Meanwhile, the disciples are wondering why Jesus would be talking to any women in public. That's just not done. Especially a Samaritan woman! They try to get him to eat (they know he's tired and hungry). But he gives them a cryptic response. It's here that Jesus shows us the 3 excuses we make for not sharing Jesus with others. And this affects our relationships negatively. We end up not getting to know some amazing people as a result.

SERMON

Bottom line: We should and can eliminate our excuses for not sharing Jesus today.

What are our excuses? (Help from Matt Carter's commentary)

1. We think they won't be interested. (4:27-30)

2. We are too busy. (4:31-34)

3. We tell ourselves we'll do it later. (4:35)

   1. "The Raleigh News & Observer reported a story a few years ago about a man who died at a hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Apparently he choked on his medication and fell and hit his head on the floor. A nurse helped him start breathing and sat him in a chair in the waiting room. He sat in that chair for the next twenty-two hours before having a heart attack and dying. During those twenty-two hours he was virtually ignored by the staff; in fact, after the choking incident, no one checked his vital signs for over an hour. They were too busy playing cards in the break room next door (Biesecker, "Tape Shows"). The men and women responsible for keeping him alive were distracted by something as worthless as a game of cards. What distracts us from our mission?

   2. What distracts us from sharing the message of eternal life with those all around us who are spiritually dying?" -Matt Carter, p. 103

4. We don't care is another conversation for another time. I think the disciples cared. I know Jesus did. If we don't, it may be because we don't know the Lord yet.

Jesus encourages us to share the good news today. (4:36-42)

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." - Old saying

"Get after it!" -Jocko Willink

Illustration: The Unseen Harvest - Gene Hundley

Tell a story about someone who planted a tree but never lived to see it bear fruit. Often, we think our efforts are wasted because we don't see immediate results, but Jesus says the fields are already ripe. The woman at the well simply shared her story, and a harvest came from it.

Applications:

1. Prayer.

   1. Pray for people in your circles of influence who are far from God but close to you? Write their name down in your bible or journal. Pray for them by name.

2. Care. When God gives you the opportunity, care enough to serve them personally. Pray with them when you're done.

3. Share. When God gives you the opportunity to serve them, they are often more open to hearing why you did that.

   1. You can share right after serving them.

   2. You can share later via text, email or letter.

   3. You can share with them in conversation at a later date. Just remember that the fields are ripe for harvest.

CONCLUSION

Bottom line: We should and can eliminate our excuses for not sharing Jesus with our world today.

"Too many churches have gotten distracted from the mission God has given them. The older and bigger a church is, the easier it is to get distracted.

There's an old story about a harbor town located in a treacherous area where boats frequently capsized on the rocks in bad weather. The town was known for its faithful rescue team. Whenever the bell sounded, a group of men rowed quickly to the scene of the disaster, risking their lives to remove sailors from sinking vessels or to pluck them from heaving waves. After a few years the town collected money to build a rescue station near the shore to store all of their equipment, thus making their rescue work easier. Also, special training was offered to others who wanted to become rescuers. The operation became efficient, saving hundreds of lives from the raging waters. But as time went by, comforts and conveniences were added to the building-cupboards full of food, a dining room, a lounge with stuffed chairs and recliners, and sleeping quarters. The lovely building became a club where townspeople loved to eat, meet, play games, and socialize. The bell still sounded when a wreck occurred, but only a handful of people responded. Later, no one even bothered to answer the rescue call, for they didn't want to leave the comfortable club (Davey, When Heaven, 28)." - Matt Carter

"Jesus was saying, "Your experience with the Samaritans is one of reaping where you did not sow," and that surely was the case. They had not sowed, but they reaped. In our age some of us may sow, and some of us may reap. The thrust of these verses is that there is going to be a good deal of reaping, but the implication also is that sometimes we may sow and never see the results. I am reminded of the story of George Müller who founded many orphanages in the last century. Early in his life Müller made the acquaintance of three men, and he began to pray for their salvation. Müller lived a long time, but when he died, none of those men had yet trusted Christ. It is recorded in his diary that he prayed for these men daily during all those years. But that is not the end! The glorious fact is that all three of those men did meet Christ-two of them in their seventies and one in his eighties! Müller sowed, but someone else reaped. Whether we find ourselves sowing or reaping, our lives are to be permeated with a sense of urgency. Jesus' harvest mentality was part of the secret of his life. We also are meant to be harvesting!" -Kent Hughes, p. 139

What about you?

Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:

““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Invitation

How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:

Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions:

1. What is God saying to me right now?

2. What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.

What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.

[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.

Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.

Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.

Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)

Pray

NOTES

"This reality should motivate us to labor with all our might to make Jesus Christ and his gospel known and loved throughout the world. Augustine wrote this beautiful reflection about Jesus Christ:

You are ever active, yet always at rest. You gather all things to yourself, though you suffer no need. ... You welcome those who come to you, though you never lost them. You release us from our debts, but you lose nothing thereby. You are my God, my Life, my holy Delight, but is this enough to say of you? Can any man say enough when he speaks of you? Yet woe betide those who are silent about you! (Confessions [IX 1], 181)

May we, by the grace of God, never be silent." -Matt Carter

1. "I'll Do It Later (v. 35):

   1. Jesus asks the disciples a pointed question: "Don't you say, 'There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest'?" (v. 35). He's saying, "Do you guys think you need to wait before reaping the fruit of the gospel? Are you hoping it will come later? You're wrong; look at the Samaritans coming right now. What are you waiting for? The time is now!" Jesus is driving the urgency of the gospel home to the hearts of his disciples. We don't wait for a different time or a better time; the harvest is now. Go, do the work of sharing the gospel right now. Charles Spurgeon, preaching on this passage, challenged his congregation:

   2. Some of you good people, who do nothing except go to public meetings, the Bible readings, and prophetic conferences, and other forms of spiritual [indulgence], would be a good deal better Christians if you would look after the poor and needy around you. If you would just tuck up your sleeves for work, and go and tell the gospel to dying men, you would find your spiritual health mightily restored, for very much of the sickness of Christians comes through their having nothing to do. All feeding and no working gives men spiritual indigestion. Be idle, careless, with nothing to live for, nothing to care for, no sinner to pray for, no backslider to lead back to the cross, no trembler to encourage, no little child to tell of a Savior, no grey-headed man to enlighten in the things of God, no object, in fact, to live for; and who wonders if you begin to groan, and to murmur, and to look within, until you are ready to die of despair? (Cited in Hughes, John, 132) - Matt Carter

OUTLINES

N/A

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1. What do I want them to know?

2. Why do I want them to know it?

3. What do I want them to do?

4. Why do I want them to do it?

5. How do they do this?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/

1. Read the passage together.

2. Retell the story in your own words.

3. Discovery the story

   1. What does this story tell me about God?

   2. What does this story tell me about people?

   3. If this is really true, what should I do?

4. What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)

5. What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)

6. Who am I going to tell about this?

Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast

Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:

1. Who is God?

2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

4. What do I do? (In light of who I am)

5. How do I do it?

Final Questions (Write this down)

• What is God saying to you right now?

• What are you going to do about it?

MAIN REFERENCES USED

“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes

Exalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg

The Gospels & Epistles of John, FF Bruce

John, RC Sproul

John, Köstenberger

The Gospel According to John, DA Carson

The Light Has Come, Leslie Newbigin

The Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner

“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)

“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)

“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)

Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)

NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/

Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)

ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org

The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com

Nicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersion

Claude.ai

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