1/7/07 Worlds In Collision Pt. 1

We are returning to our study of the Gospel of John this morning,

      and returning also

            to what has become a dominant theme

                  in John’s communication of the truth to us.

We will pick up our study

      at the beginning of John chapter 4,

            and by now it may come as no surprise

                  that what John has recorded for us in this chapter

                        are two more encounters between Jesus and individuals

                              whose lives were dramatically altered by those encounters.

If you remember what we saw in our study of the first three chapters of this book,

      you will recall that John took a radically different approach

            to the writing of his Gospel

                  than did Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

The first three Gospels,

      all of which were written within a relatively few years following Jesus’ departure,

            provide us primarily with the account

                  of the more public life of Christ.

We have His public teachings,

      His parables,

            His public healings,

                  His public interactions with both those who supported Him and those who hated Him.

Certainly there were some private or semi-private interviews included,

      but what we have in those first three Gospels

            focuses primarily on Jesus’ public presentation of Himself to Israel.

But perhaps thirty years later,

       when John wrote his account of the life of Christ,

            he invited us into the private world of our Lord,

allowing us to listen in on a number of conversations

      that took place between Jesus and specific individuals.

And through these individual encounters

      we have modeled for us

            the kind of interaction we can expect

                  between ourselves and our Lord.

We need both, of course.

We need the teachings,

      the concepts,

            the ideas communicated to us by our God.

But His personal interaction with us,

      and our individual discovery

            of His very personal love for each of us

                  is what ultimately has the power to change our lives,

giving us the courage,

      and the desire to take those teachings

            and apply them to ourselves.

This private interaction between Jesus and specific individuals

      is a major focus of what John wants us to see,

            and it’s not surprising that he ended his account by telling us

                  exactly what he was doing and why.

JOH 20:30-31 Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

It’s all very personal with John.

And he wrote what he wrote

      with the hope that it would become

            just as personal for us

                  in our interaction with our Creator.

Now, the last personal interview we looked at

      was between Jesus and a man of tremendous wealth and prominence,

            a man who literally risked and ultimately lost all that he possessed

                  in order to find out the truth about Jesus.

But the next personal interview John chooses to share with us

      is one that takes place between Jesus

            and a woman who is in every way

                  the absolute social opposite of Nicodemus.

John gives a tremendous amount of space to this interview,

      given the relatively short account of the life of Christ that he wrote.

It takes up nearly the entire 4^th chapter,

      from verse 1 through verse 42.

And the heart of what we have in this passage

      is a private exchange that took place between Jesus

            and a Samaritan woman.

You may recall from our last study in this Gospel

      that, following Jesus’ first public visit to Jerusalem,

            rather than returning north to the Sea of Galilee,

                  He first traveled to the southern part of the nation

                        where He presented Himself and His message

                              to those in that region.

Then, in John 4:2-3 John tells us,

He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria.

Now all John is doing in these verses

      is giving us a little geography lesson

            for those of us who are not familiar with the region.

He’s simply telling us

      that in order to get from Judea in the south

            to Galilee in the north

                  Jesus had to pass through the region of Samaria

                        which lies directly between the two.

But there are some other things we need to know about Samaria

      if what we’re going to look at in this passage is going to make any sense to us.

Samaria was not just another geographical region of the nation.

It was the region of the nation

      that was populated by a group of people

            who were even more despised by the Jews

                  than were the Gentiles.

The Samaritans were the descendants of Jews

      who had intermarried with the Gentile inhabitants of the region.

In the Jewish mind

      they were the ultimate traitors to their heritage.

The Gentiles couldn’t help who they were,

      but the Samaritans had intentionally turned their backs

            on the high position given to them by God.

Though many still followed some of the customs of their Jewish heritage,

      their religious beliefs

            were mingled with the pagan worship of their Gentile ancestors

                  and they were viewed as a mixed race with a heathen core.

Any respectable Jew

      limited his social and commercial relations with the Samaritans

to the smallest possible amount.

They were not welcome in Jewish synagogues,

      could not be called as a legal witness in any Jewish court proceedings

            because the Jews believed their testimony could not be trusted,

                  nor was there any attempt on the part of the Jews

                        to bring the Samaritans back into the Jewish fold.

Interesting, isn’t it,

      that in Luke chapter 10,

            when Jesus describes what it means to be a good neighbor,

                  the story He told was about a Samaritan...the good Samaritan.

That story must have deeply offended his listeners.

That would be like a Rabbi during the 2^nd World War

      going into a synagogue

            and giving an example about “The Good Nazi”.

How could anyone ever hold up a Samaritan as a good example of anything?

And then, to intensify the contrast

      between Nicodemus and this Samaritan woman,

            let me just complete the picture before we look at the passage.

Not only was this person a Samaritan,

      but she was also a woman

            which in their culture meant that she had no authority,

                  no real social significance in a totally male-dominated society.

And that wasn’t all.

Not only was she a woman,

      but she was a woman who was only a tiny step away from being a prostitute.

She didn’t actually sell her body on a daily basis,

      but when Jesus said to her, JOH 4:18 “...for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband...”,

            He was describing a pattern of life

                  in which this woman literally gave herself to any man

                        who would put a roof over her head and food in her mouth.

And this is the person John selects

      for the next personal interview he wants us to listen to

            following Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus.

And why do you think he did that?

He did it, at least in part,

      because he wanted us to know

            that there never have been, never will be

                  any social prerequisites for Christ’s redemptive work in our lives.

Interesting how it is...

When we were studying that account

      of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus,

though I didn’t put it into words at the time,

      there was something within us that could make sense

            of Jesus’ interview with Nicodemus.

I mean, he was the type of person

      that we could see being of real value to the Lord.

He had money.

He had social prominence.

He had access to the inner circles

      of both the religious and political power centers of the nation.

The man could make a difference.

He could impact the nation as few would be able to.

But when John brings this Samaritan woman onto the scene

      all of that stupid human reasoning goes by the way.

In fact, Jesus didn’t just give this social reject equal time with Nicodemus.

As far as we know, He gave her

      the largest single block of time

            He ever reserved for any individual apart form His immediate family and 12 disciples.

He gave Nicodemus just over two minutes of His time.

He gave this Samaritan woman two full days.

And though I’m sure this is obvious when we set these two interviews next to each other,

      let me put it into words anyway

            because sometimes this is a truth

                  that we simply cannot tell ourselves.

Our value to our God,

      your value to your God

            has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do

                  with the value placed on you by the society in which you live.

From the instant you entered this world

      you have been receiving messages from those around you

            about your value,

                  your significance,

                        your worth as a human being.

Some of you were told early and often

      that you have tremendous value,

            perhaps even that you were destined

                  to be a part of a privileged few,

                        worthy of special honor, special recognition.

Perhaps those messages came to you

      because you were born into significant wealth,

            or because you were gifted by God with special talents,

                  or exceptional IQ,

                        or unusual physical attributes.

But whatever the reason,

      you received and believed the message

            that you deserve special recognition in this life.

Some of you were given exactly the opposite message.

You were told by the actions and attitudes of those around you

      that your entrance into this world

            was no great event.

In fact, some of you were given the clear message

      that it really would have been better if you’d never been born.

Your entrance into this world

      simply created added stress and hardship on those around you,

            a hardship for which they seemed to receive nothing in return.

And for some of you

      the message you received about your value was even worse.

Because of the emotional or physical or sexual abuse that you received

      from those who should have protected and guarded and cherished you,

            a tragic, hideous message was etched into you

                  long before you could logically understand or process it.

It was a message that said you have no value whatsoever

      apart from that of being used and abused by others.

But no matter what our background may have been,

      we all have received and believed clear messages

            about our value within the society in which we live.

And it is only natural

      that we bring those messages,

            those beliefs about our value

                  into our interaction with our God.

But when John takes these two interviews,

      the one between Jesus and Nicodemus,

            and the one between Jesus and the Samaritan woman,

and he places them side-by-side,

      he does so in order to make it absolutely clear

            that all such messages about our value given to us by our society

                  are profoundly corrupted

                        and have no impact whatsoever

                              on the value placed upon us by our God.

Even this morning as we all sit here together

      you bring to your interaction with God

            your assumptions about how He views you,

                  how He values you.

You may even see me up here,

      the recognized leader of this local church,

            and assume that God’s interest in me,

                  or the value He places on me as His child

                        would certainly be greater

                              than the value He places on you.

Surly what we’ve done,

      or what we haven’t done,

            or what we could do

                  must have some impact on where we fit into God’s priorities list.

And if you find yourself thinking that way,

      then you have not yet heard what God is saying to you through Jesus Christ,

            and I urge you to look closely

                  at what we see happening between Jesus and this woman at the well.

The value He placed on her

      was obviously tremendous.

She didn’t even seek Him out,

      He sought her out.

And He places the same value on His friendship with you.

It is no coincidence, no product of chance

      that you are here this morning.

I don’t know what reason you gave yourself,

      but I do know there is a far greater reason than you many know.

Your God has been calling to you from the day of your birth,

      drawing you to Himself,

            carefully timing your life,

                  directing you to Him.

There is so much we cannot see,

      so much that’s happening in us,

            around us,

things orchestrated by God Himself,

      all carefully designed to move us to Him.

Let me show you what I mean.

We won’t make it far into this passage today,

      but we’ll make a start.

And I need to warn you

      that this whole event in Jesus’ life

            is filled with remarkable treasurers-

                  insights into the way life really is.

John writes,

JOH 4:5-8 So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

OK, this event, this conversation that took place between Jesus and this woman

      has had a powerful impact

            on literally millions of lives during the past 2000 years.

For so many reasons

      so many of us find ourselves drawn to the truths we find here.

And yet, I want you to notice

      what it was in both Jesus’ life

            and the woman’s life

                  that God used to cause this conversation to take place.

Jesus was tired,

      and the woman was thirsty.

That was it.

Nobody received any great vision or dream or angelic appearance.

This woman was not driven to the well

      by some internal sense that her divine destiny was weighing in the balance.

Jesus was sitting there because He was tired.

And the woman came there because she was thirsty.

Do you ever worry about knowing the will of God?

Do you find yourself concerned

      that you may not be the type of person

            who can truly know and follow the voice of God in your life?

Do you ever get tired?

Do you ever get thirsty?

If so, then you’ve got what it takes!

I know I’m not saying this quite right

      because I’m coming at it from the wrong direction,

            but we have done such strange things in the religious community

                  with the leadership or the “will” of God in our lives.

Like all the rest of the religious garbage we so often buy into,

      we think His leadership in us,

            His life lived through us

                  is something that comes to us

                        as the result of something we do.

I can remember in the early days of my Christian life

      hearing speakers who handed me

            highly refined systems through which I could then find the will of God.

And I can also remember the tremendous freedom that came into my life

      when I finally saw what was really happening

            in the lives of the early Christians.

There may be no point at which we differ more drastically today

      from what we see happening in the lives of those recorded for us in the New Testament

            than at this point.

We tend to believe that the life of Christ through us

      and His leadership in our lives

            is something that happens only on rare occasions,

                  perhaps as the result of some special effort or commitment on our part.

The Christians in the early church, however,

      simply believed that Christ was telling us the truth

            when He told us that we are now His physical body on this earth

                  and He is living His life out through us each day.

GAL 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

It’s His promise to us,

      His commitment that He both can and will live His life through us.

And He does it perfectly

      through all the tiny details of human existence.

Even through our getting tired

      and getting thirsty.

Maybe I can say this best

      by putting it into the form of a prayer,

            a prayer that has become a regular part of my life with my King.

“Lord, thank you for your commitment and your ability to live through me this day.

      Please give me eyes to see what your doing

            and the will to cooperate with it.”

To be honest,

      by far the greatest challenge for most of us

            is not in knowing the leadership of God in our lives,

                  it’s in accepting it

                        because rarely does it look like what we expect

                              or what we think we want.

A few days ago I let a young friend of mine

      get some winter driving experience with me in my little Ford Ranger.

We were on a back road in Kenai

      and he tried to take a corner too fast

            and we ended up flying off the road and into the ditch.

It was obvious to both of us

      that there was no way we were going to get that thing out of there on our own.

Now where’s the leadership of God in all of that?

If you would have asked me

      what I believed the will of God should have been,

            I would have said that it should have been to keep us safe, and comfortable, and out of the ditch

                  during our little driving adventure.

But God had a better idea.

He thought perhaps what was really needed

      was for my young friend to see how I responded to him

            when he drove my truck off the road,

and for he and I to share a little adventure together,

      and for both of us to see once again

            how carefully our God times every aspect of our lives.

Even though were on a back road,

      we hadn’t been in the ditch five minutes

            before a huge SBS truck showed up out of nowhere,

                  pulled right up behind us,

                        hooked onto my little truck

                              and pulled us out.

PRO 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

And just so you don’t miss my point here,

      let me state it as clearly as I know how.

Most of the time

      the will of God for us as His children

            is our discovering day by day

                  and hour by hour

                        that He is more than adequate for us

                              in the most basic duties and routines of life.

Throughout the month of December

      Sandee and I had our daughter, Joni,

            and our two year old grandson, Matty,

                  and our two month old granddaughter, Anabelle, living with us.

During that month

      my grandson sprang out of bed at 5:00 a.m. every day,

            full of energy and ready to get the party started.

And my granddaughter, Anabelle,

      showed no interest in going to sleep in the evening

            until late in the evening.

I remember what James Dobson said once

      when his wife broke her leg

            and he had to take over the care of his two small children for several weeks.

He said, “Not only is the grass not greener on the other side of the fence,

      it’s not even edible!”

I stand in awe at what countless mothers face every day of their lives.

It was a great reminder for me

      that both the highest and most challenging calling most of us will ever know

            is the calling of finding our God faithful

                  in giving us the ability to meet the needs of our children

                        one day at a time.

Does it look glamorous to the world around us?

They don’t even notice.

Is it really what God is doing through us?

Absolutely.

And it will impact both us and our world

      more powerfully than anything else we could ever do.

Well, we didn’t get far into this passage,

      but we’ll pick it up here again next week.