Keys to Effective Rescues - The Sequel

Well, it seems that the trend in Hollywood these days is to make movies in threes. You find trilogies coming out one right after another. It seems like the first one takes you only so far in the story. Then there is a sequel which will take you a little further and then finally there's a third in the trilogy that will kind of complete the story. It's been done for quite a while actually but recently we've seen that with everything from Transformers to the Hobbit to the Hunger Games and the latest one out divergent which will also be a trilogy based on a series of three books. So that seems to be the trend in Hollywood. Well, that's what we're doing with John Chapter 4. We're doing a trilogy. Last week we began with the story of the woman at the well and the first message was last Sunday. We only got so far in the story before we had to stop and there actually will be a closing to this story in another message after today. But I know that sequels have a way of kind of working on you. You know you watch a movie and it gets right to a critical point and then the end comes across the screen and you're left hanging and really wanting to see the sequel and that's the way I felt last week. You were on the edge of your seats hanging on every word. There was a collective groan when we got to the end of the message before the end of the story. Oh no way to say that was in a dream. It's a little dangerous to do sequels in church you know because you never have the same crowd from week to week. How many of you were not here last week not able to be in church last Sunday okay. So several of you didn't hear the beginning of the message. How many of you were here last week but you're not here today. Yeah a few of you too. You're dangerous to preach anything to. A little dangerous to do sequels for that very reason. You don't have the same group every week at least with a movie people can say I want to go back and see the sequel. But we're going to hazard that anyway because of that dynamic I want to kind of bring you up the speed with where we are in the story. It's John chapter four with Jesus interaction with a woman at a well in Samaria and as Jesus talks with her and gradually introduces her to her need for Christ and who the Christ is we find a masterful model of effective rescues spiritual rescues rescuing someone from the darkness of sin and bringing them into the light of the gospel of Christ those kinds of rescues are the ones we're talking about. We saw last week that Jesus in his model of effective rescues gives us three keys to an effective rescue. He first of all showed us that in order to reach lost people we need to enter their world. He went to Samaria even though that was not the normal route for people going from Judea to to Galilee. He went through Samaria because if you're going to reach Samaritans you got to go to Samaria and so he went where she was and we saw that we need to reach people where they are we need to go out be outward focused reaching out to neighbors co-workers people that we have as friends in our circle of influence and as a church we need to partner with you to develop and we have through the years develop many ministries which are outward focused and focus on people's needs you can bring folks to like Jim mentioned in his prayer celebrate recovery in the 3D archery yesterday he had what 90 90 some people 92 people yesterday showed up for that a great outreach into the community so we're trying to do that enter people's world where they live what they're interested in what their needs are to partner with you and giving you an opportunity to bring them to where they can hear the gospel enter their world and then Jesus showed us how to focus on one person he did not go into the city of Cicara and start a street campaign or street meeting or a gospel tent or go door to door knocking on doors although all those things have been used by God and maybe valid Jesus focused on one person because evangelism is a multiplication process and that one person would go back and reach her own village for Christ and so Jesus focused on one person we were challenged last week because of that dynamic to find one person to focus on one person in our lives our circle of influence that we could seek to reach for the gospel for Christ this year and then we saw that Jesus created spiritual curiosity he started with that what he had in common with this lady and that was water she's there to draw water he's there because he needs water he's thirsty and so that's what they have in common and he begins there by talking about water and and using that common ground establishes a ground on a platform for then sharing more with her but he starts by creating the spiritual curiosity and he's asking questions and she begins asking questions about this living water that he is offering her and so her curiosity is up and she wants whatever it is that will keep her from having to come back and fill her thirst over and over again it as well and so there's a spiritual curiosity that's been raised let's pick up the story in verse 13 and see a fourth key the first one for today to effective rescues and that is start with a need they recognize start with a need they recognize now I know what some of you are already thinking you're already thinking shouldn't we start with sin isn't that the place to start with people to make sure they understand their sinners before they realize they need a savior shouldn't we start with sin well that's typically what we have been taught to do an evangelism that's typically what we what we have done and certainly Jesus did die for sins but we increasingly live in a culture that does not understand sin and is not willing to admit sin and the reason is we have accepted the religion of tolerance and pluralism which basically says in in combination that there is no right or wrong there is no authoritative right or wrong final right and wrong and every view has an equal hearing every view is of equal value and it just depends on what works for you and so because we as a culture have kind of swallowed that no absolutes and every view deserves an equal hearing because we kind of swallowed that religion people don't understand what sin is anymore people don't have the same basis even culturally of biblical values and morality and this is wrong and this is right this is sin and this is not people don't have that background as much anymore so yes we eventually need to get there we're gonna have to address sin but maybe in our culture we need to back up a step and start earlier than that before we address sin we need to address a need they recognize that that's what Jesus did so again let's just see where Jesus started let's follow his example where did Jesus start look at verse 13 again Jesus answered after the woman had asked him for this this water and do you have something to draw this water from she says Jesus answered everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life the woman said to him sir give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water now we're gonna see in a little bit that this woman has shopped in love in many different ways through a series of relationships she has shopped for love and not found it and she is now living in a relationship which is immoral we're gonna see that Jesus will confront that Jesus will deal with her sin but that is not where he starts he starts by talking about her thirst he starts with physical thirst in fact he starts with his physical thirst and moves on to talk with her about physical thirst but then he transitions into a spiritual thirst a deeper thirst a thirst that only he can satisfy and he says if you only knew who it was it was talking to you and the kind of water I'm offering then you would ask me and I would give you a living water that would quench a deeper spiritual thirst that's what Jesus is talking about and so he moves from the concept common ground of physical thirst to the spiritual principle of a spiritual thirst and what she says in verse 13 or what Jesus says in verse 13 describes her life perfectly everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again that's true of the physical water from the well it's also true of her own soul because Jesus is going to talk about a different kind of thirst and a different kind of water what a statement about her life and what a statement about hours everybody who goes to the wells of this world to try to satisfy the deepest thirst they have is going to thirst again you will never quench the deep thirst of your soul through the methods and offerings of this world anything you can find here you will just get thirsty again every relationship on this earth leaves us thirsty for more every accomplishment you attain on this earth will leave you thirsty for more every possession you get on this earth will only leave you thirsty for more you'll just want to keep coming back to that well because you will be thirsty again because this is deeper than a physical thirst this is a soul thirst this is a thirst deep down in your heart that's a spiritual emptiness that can only be filled with a relationship with God you see it's a different kind of thirst it's a spiritual thirst a soul thirst and Jesus is offering her living water which can quench that deepest thirst in her soul in her spirit and she will never thirst again because she will have found that which meets the deepest need and longing and thirst of the human soul a relationship with God you see unsafe people sometimes need to lost people need to be brought along that process to understand that there are thirsts that they have deep down in their soul which cannot be met in any other way they try except through Jesus Christ let me give you an example from the medical world when a person develops cancer obviously it is the disease itself which is the real problem that's the real problem but at first the person doesn't recognize that's the problem they don't know they have cancer yet but they are noticing some symptoms and that's the reason they go to the doctor they have discovered a lump they they have a persistent pain or headache or something like that there's unusual bleeding there is a mole that has changed shape and color there's a symptom that they do spot they do recognize they do feel they're experiencing that that's the reason they go to the doctor they don't know yet they have cancer the doctor is going to be the one that helps them to understand what the real problem is what the deeper problem is it's not the symptom that your problem it's the underlying tumor or cancer that is the problem that's where lost people are especially in our culture people may not recognize the disease of sin but they sure are experiencing symptoms they know there's an emptiness in a thirst they can't quench and that's where we need to begin with people so if that's where we need to start it's not where we're gonna stop for those of you who are wondering but if that's where we're gonna start with people to help them with the symptoms they're feeling then what are those symptoms what should we be looking for what should we we be seeking to notice in people's hearts and lives that are symptoms of a deeper spiritual thirst that is brought about by separation from God through sin what are the symptoms here's some modern day symptoms and by the way let me say this every life without crack without Christ will experience some of these symptoms of sin every person without Christ will experience one or more or some that I won't mention of symptoms of a broken relationship with with God you know why because we were created we were made for a relationship with God look at this verse Colossians 116 the end of the verse says this all things have been created through him and for him everything in this universe was created for the glory of God you are made for him you are made for a relationship with him but there is something that separates us from that relationship Isaiah 59 to tells us what it is but your iniquities have separated you from your God your sins have hidden these face from you so that he will not hear now that's the real problem you were made for a relationship with God but sin that we are all born into this world with that kind of nature sin separates us from the the capacity to have that relationship with God separates us from God and because we may try to fill that void that separation with all other kinds of things we have symptoms of a broken relationship we have the symptoms of sin and here are some of them that people experience loneliness loneliness a lot of lost people are experiencing the symptom of loneliness the feeling of loneliness relationships are superficial they haven't worked out they're unsatisfying they're breaking or they are broken and so many people who are lost go through relationship after relationship after relationship because they can't find what they're looking for there's a loneliness now that's not the problem but it is a symptom it is a symptom of a broken relationship that can never be filled with a human relationship can only be filled with a relationship with God so it's a symptom of a much deeper need the problem is not you don't know how to do human relationships now there may be some work needs to be done on that level but the problem is not really that the problem is you don't have a relationship with the one person in the universe you were made to have a relationship with that's why the loneliness in your heart can never be filled with another human relationship so loneliness is a symptom second symptom is restlessness a restlessness what I mean by that is you get to a certain point in your life you get to a destination that you thought would would bring fulfillment and peace and happiness maybe it was that relationship you finally married the person of your dreams and you felt like that's it that will bring me ultimate peace and joy and life but there's still a restlessness there or maybe you finally accomplished that achievement in life that you wanted to accomplish you won the award you did come in first place you were player of the year you are the president of the company you you you've reached that accomplishment but somehow you're still restless inside you still feel like there's more really haven't gotten what you thought you'd get maybe you finally got that dream job or reached that income level where you felt like I know I'll be satisfied if I make this much or maybe you have finally gotten your house the one you planned and schemeed and drew out on paper over and over again you finally got it somehow you're not satisfied somehow there's still a restlessness inside that's a symptom of a much deeper need third symptom that a lot of people have is hopelessness hopelessness you finally come to a point in your life where you are aware of a problem that you are unable to conquer you have tried you've worked hard to get over that problem with your temper you've been told since your child that that was a problem and you've worked at it worked at it and you just can't seem to beat it or maybe the problem is depression or selfishness or some kind of addiction and you've tried and for a while you've done okay and then you crashed again and you've fallen again and you just feel like right now I'm just hopeless there's no I can't do this hopelessness my friend is a common symptom in the hearts of people who have a deep spiritual thirst and just don't know where to go to get the living water that will quench that thirst that will deal with the deeper need here's another one uneasiness this a huge symptom in our world today uneasiness there's a feeling of insecurity a growing sense of uneas about your future maybe or maybe about your finances or maybe about your family or maybe about the world situation as a whole and you look around at whatever of those you're thinking about and is really pressing in on your attention and there's a sense of uneasiness about a lack of security about the future and what's going to happen or here's a fifth one pointlessness this is a symptom that a lot of people have pointlessness lack of purpose lack of direction in life lack of really knowing what am I here for what am I supposed to be doing a few years ago I read a survey in USA today newspaper the survey asked Americans this if you could ask a supreme being is how they word the question if you could ask a supreme being any question what would it be here were the answers 16% of the top three at least 16% said I would ask this question why do bad things happen and that is a big question for a lot of people believers and unbelievers why do bad things happen 19% of people ask what about life after death if I if I wanted to know something from God that's one thing I'd want to know what what about life after death is is the really life after death do I need to get ready for heaven or hell hell do I what what happens when I die so that's what 19% of people said double those two put together put them together 34% of people said my question would be what is the purpose of my life what is the purpose of my life what am I here for anyway and a lot of that comes because of all these other symptoms of loneliness and restlessness and hopelessness and uneasiness and you've tried everything you thought you would reach a certain stage and it would be better but it's not and so now you're asking well what what am I here for anyway what is the meaning of life what really does bring fulfillment and purpose and satisfaction you see those are the symptoms that people face they're not the real problem but they are the symptoms that people will recognize and it's the reason they want to go to the doctor it's the reason they'll reach out for some help so if you are aware of and sensitive to those kind of symptoms in a lost person's life you have a ready-made opportunity to talk with them about what the real need is start with a need they recognize that's exactly what Jesus did he started with thirst her thirst physically and then spiritually the deeper thirst that she needed living water for and she would never thirst again that's what he's talking about that deep soul thirst that she had in her heart so start with a need they recognize and then Jesus as the story goes on gives us another key to effective witnessing and evangelism and that is help them see their real need if you're talking with a neighbor family member a coworker whatever help them see their real need now notice what Jesus does Jesus in verse 16 moves from symptoms to sin he moves from the symptoms to say he doesn't leave her in just talking about the symptoms he doesn't stop there he does move into the area of sin and notice how he does it with surgical precision he takes the scalpel of his word and and applies it straight to her heart for 16 he told her go call your husband and come back he's been masterful in in finding common ground they could begin a conversation on focusing on her alone and creating some spiritual curiosity by drawing her into a discussion about water and thirst and and he has started with a need that she recognizes she has a deep inner thirst that has never been filled but now he goes straight to the real need and the real need is her sin and what he says in verse 16 is basically designed to put the finger right on the sin in her life bring your husband she's being brought face to face with her sin notice her response verse 17 I have no husband she replied now that answers interesting for a number of reasons but it's interesting interesting most of all because of how curt and short it is her first response to him was 18 words her second response to him was 44 words her third response to him was 22 words here it's four words suddenly she doesn't want to talk as much suddenly she's not quite as wordy why because he has put his finger right on her main problem and that's sin lie have no husband and Jesus takes the scalpel and surgically with precision applies it to her heart and digs down very deep with a penetrating prophetic insight into her heart notice it for 17 note of the verse Jesus said to her you are right when you say you have no husband the fact is you have had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband what you have just said is quite true now we don't know a whole lot about this moment's background we don't understand why she'd had five husbands but it was clearly out of the norm for the day the rabbis would say you are allowed to have two maybe in worst case scenarios three divorces in in that day that was considered the upper limit she's had five and she's now living with a man who is not her husband at all she's living in immorality now here's the issue the issue is not the number the issue is evidently she has been responsible is totally out of the realm of what happens in that day she evidently has been responsible for the breakups of her marriages and the fact that she doesn't want any kind of commitment like that again but she does want to live out her desires and so she's living with someone else that is not her husband she's living in immorality that's clear but Jesus has put his finger right on the heart need the deep need and that is her sin basically saying I know all about you and you know what God knows all about us too with the surgical precision of his word he penetrates deeply into our hearts as well and puts his finger right on the problem that we have the sin that we face that we struggle with in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 notice this verse on the screen for the word of God is alive and active sharper than any double-edged sword there's your scalpel surgical precision that it takes notice it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit joints and marrow and that's just showing us that it goes deeper than anything else can I mean it goes where doctors don't go it it goes into heart it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart so the word of God is God's scalpel his two-edged sword that penetrates deeply into our hearts Jesus gets to the deepest need probing deeply into our heart and he does the same with us and notice her response in verse 19 she says sir I can see that you are a prophet now you know what that means you know what she's saying she understood what a prophet was in Bible times a prophet was someone who received information from God direct revelation from God and communicated it truthfully to other people spoke God's truth to others both of those elements were true of a biblical prophet you received information from God direct revelation from God you communicated his truth to other people so what she's saying basically is there's no way you could have known about this about me except you got it from God you got direct information from God your prophet and she's also saying you are speaking truth to me basically if if what she said before I have no husband shows conviction and I believe it does conviction of sin she now is confessing her sin she now is saying you are right about me you have received this information from God and you have communicated it truthfully to me I am a sinner I am living in immorality I admit I am a sinner now please notice what Jesus has done I want to focus for just a moment on the danger of dealing with symptoms it may be where we need to start but it is certainly not where we need to stop let me go back to the example of disease if you skip the cancer and go straight to a cure for the symptoms or treating the symptoms you haven't really done yourself any good if a doctor tells you you have a tumor or a cancer you say would it just give me a shot or a pill to ease the pain or you know patch up something to where the bleeding will stop that's not really going to help treating the symptoms is not the real problem the real problem is the underlying disease that needs to be dealt with it is the symptoms which make you aware of the disease and create the feeling of a need to go to the doctor and that's what happens spiritually too people symptoms of loneliness uneasiness all those other things create the the sense of a need and a willingness to go to someone who can help spiritually but that's not what needs to be treated it is the underlying disease of sin it's not oh I'm so sorry you're lonely just you know Jesus loves you and he'll beat your best friend that's not what people need he will be their best friend but they don't need a best friend they need a savior you know we can clean people up and help them feel better about themselves but they'll still go to hell unless they get a savior then you a savior from sin that's what the real need is that's what the real problem is if we only treat the symptoms we're not really doing them any good so yes make them aware through symptoms of what the real need is but if all we do is clean people up and sober people up and dress people up and get him fixed they'll still go to hell if they don't know Jesus as their savior from sin so there's a danger in stopping with the symptoms yes we got to start there but we can't stop there because our real need is our sin the real issue is not the lump of loneliness or the ache of hopelessness it's the cancer of sin that is the real problem Jesus did not die to rescue us from restlessness or insecurity he died to rescue us from sin now if we understand that and we trust Jesus as our savior to take away our sin then the symptoms will go away but you don't just treat the symptoms you got to treat the disease when you effectively treat the disease the symptoms go away so you will deal with the hopelessness the restlessness the only all of that you'll deal with all of that but you got to deal with it from the root from the cause the symptoms will be taken away but it doesn't work the other way around we begin with symptoms but we go straight to the heart disease of sin and if we never get to that level we haven't done people any good my friend you need to realize that your real problem is not that you feel restless and hopeless and have no purpose and direction in life your real problem is that you're a center I'm a center that's my real problem and what I need is not a self-help psychologist I need a savior I need Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins that's what I need that's what you need and so that's what we have to get to help them see their real need of a savior but then I love what Jesus does next and it teaches us what we should do in reaching people with the gospel and that is keep the focus on Christ keep the focus on Christ because people will try to take you any number of other directions and so Jesus shows us how first of all to avoid religious traps look at verse 20 she has just said in verse 19 I can see that you are a prophet verse 20 our father's worshiped on this mountain but you just claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem you see what she's doing okay oh so you're a prophet that means you get information from God and communicate it to people then maybe you can help solve this centuries old religious dispute for us where's the right place to worship and this was a huge question for people in that day when the Israelites came back from captivity from Babylon they settled back in Jerusalem and Zorubbable started building the temple the Samaritans who had other agendas wanted to kind of come in and kind of bring two religious systems together and Zorubbable said no way you're not going to help us rebuild the temple and so the Samaritans basically said okay you don't want us to build we'll go build our own temple and they did they went up in Samaritan built the temple on Mount Gershim that's the very one she's talking about did you know about 130 140 years before Jesus was born Jewish leaders called the Maccabees had destroyed that temple so you talk about bad blood between the Samaritans and the Jews over where's the right place to worship this is not just an academic question for her this is something that's really on her heart and mind but it's a diversion from the real problem the real need the real topic of discussion let's try to solve this religious dispute one of Satan's favorite tricks is to detour spiritual conversations into religious disputes he'll do it any number of ways you're talking to someone about their life and their need and they'll say do you all believe in eternal security let's talk about that or if the Bible is right and why are there so many denominations or I know you all baptized one way but this church will hear baptisms different what's the right way to baptize and they will get you off on any number of questions well I don't know about this Bible stuff I can't swallow that creation business and they'll get off on any other topic other than what really needs to be the focus and the focus needs to be on Christ don't take those detours now I understand there is a place for answering people's questions and giving people proofs I understand that but you've got to even be careful with that because that can become such a detour that it takes you way far away from the gospel or from their need of Christ so be careful bring it back now notice how Jesus does it Jesus does it this way the focus must be on relationship not religion has to be on relationship not religion now it's interesting that Jesus will answer her question at least to some degree but he will quickly bring the focus back there's nothing wrong in answering people's questions but don't get in an hours long weeks long months long debate about denominations that's not going to get you anywhere eternal security is not what a person needs to hear at first they need to hear about their sin and their need of a savior so notice what Jesus does verse 21 Jesus declared believe me woman and again woman is a very tender affectionate term a polite term it would be like our saying ma'am believe me ma'am the time is coming when you will worship the father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem okay he gets right to the issue the issue is not where you worship it's who you worship okay the issue really isn't this mountain or Jerusalem that that's not the issue the issue is who now notice how he does answer her question he's not gonna he's not gonna let her just stay hanging and believe that pluralism pluralism intolerance is okay that every view has equal merit that he's not gonna say well you know it doesn't matter you can worship here in Samaria if you want to on this mountain you can worship in Jerusalem that matter God doesn't care about that he's gonna answer a question verse 22 you Samaritan's worship what you do not know we worship what we do know for salvation is from the Jews basically saying lady ma'am because you only recognize the first five books of the Old Testament you worship what you don't know you're you're worshiping an ignorance you don't believe the historic books which make it very plain that God wanted to temple in Jerusalem and that he restricted the the worship of Jews to that place you're worshiping out of ignorance you're wrong and so he answers her question and you also need to know that salvation does come from the Jews it is the Jews that God chose out from all the peoples of the earth to raise up a Messiah the Savior comes from the Jewish nation and Jewish race and so basically he's saying answer your question is you're wrong so it doesn't just leave her hanging but then he quickly refocuses the topic verse 23 yet he says yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and truth for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and truth verse 24 God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth in other words the real question is not where that's all going to be done away with anyway in fact the time is now is coming it's here it's here in the Messiah and Christ the time is here when even the temple in Jerusalem is not going to be the place to worship the place is not the issue it is who you worship and how you worship him worship the father the relationship with him is what's most important and he says it is important that you worship him in spirit and truth because he's a spirit being so we must connect with him from our spirit by the way I don't think verse 24 is talking about the Holy Spirit the original language there's no V it is worship in spirit talking about the the style the way in which we worship nature of our worship we worship in spirit and in truth so Jesus is saying it's the relationship with God that's important not the place so come back to the main focus your relationship with God it's not eternal security it's not denominations it's not creation it's not baptism it's not where's the right place to worship the key thing you need to be thinking about is your relationship with God what's that and he with a with a heat seeking missile like focus brings it right back to that now I can't can't leave this text without reminding us of the fact that Jesus is telling is not only who to worship but how to worship and that is worshiping in spirit and truth to worship in spirit means that we worship him with our whole spirit with our whole heart with everything that we are with our focus on him it means that we put everything else out of our mind from the death of our inner being with all of our heart that we don't just go through the motions of a service but that we truly focus up on him it is possible to look at words on a screen and sing and never worship because you're thinking about a number of other things it is possible to pray and use the right words and do the right thing that will be acceptable in a church setting and never worship God because you're not really thinking about him it's possible to give and do the right things that way and never worship God because we're not thinking about him we're thinking about I'm supposed to do this it's possible to look like we're interested and not really be interested or into it or involved in it and never worship as Jesus tells us to worship because our minds are in a hundred other places we're doing our work for this week we're answering this or that of the other in our minds is how we're going to deal with this this week we're thinking about any number of other things and I our mind is far away from God the kind of worship for God is seeking that's the reason why we're saying we shouldn't be talking with everybody else we should be focused on God and worship of him worshipping with all of our spirit it's a reason why we shouldn't be working on next week's work during a church service because this is the time to focus on God those are the kinds of worshipers he is seeking he's longing for those who worship and spirit and in truth in accordance with what God has revealed about himself John 17 17 says Jesus said sanctify them through thy word thy word is truth my word is truth this is where we learn about who the God is that we worship and so we need to we need to understand his truth in order to respond to him in the appropriate way in worship if you understand the greatness of our God the holiness and majesty of our God then you'll understand that worship is not just some you know cosmic force out there that we bow to but it's also not a pal in a buddy or a spiritual slot machine that we put our desires in and get our little spiritual candy to meet our needs worship is is bowing in reverence before an almighty God the God who created this universe the God of such great holiness and majesty and mercy and grace that he made everything but he would still reach down to love every one of us awesome awesome and that's who we worship the God declared in his truth that's what Jesus focused her mind back on let's not talk about which is the right place to worship let's talk about your relationship with God and then he really nails it at the end because the woman takes another diversion and what Jesus is going to basically say to her is this relationship with God as possible only through Christ she's going to say verse 25 I know that Messiah called Christ is coming when he comes he will explain everything to us basically what she's doing is saying you know this whole topic of where we worship I hear what you're saying but you know it's really too deep for either of us we were gonna have to wait till the Messiah comes he'll straighten it all out for us when he comes he'll tell us what's the right place and I appreciate your thoughts and your insights and all of that but we'll wait for him to come settle this and what Jesus said next must have absolutely hit her like a bolt of lightning because in verse 26 Jesus declared I who speak to you and he I am the Messiah wow it shattered her whole world view it completely disarmed her of all of her religious arguments and what Jesus did is zeroed in on the fact that your real issue is a relationship with God and that relationship with God can only be through me I am the Messiah now I know that got through to her you know how I know that because when she goes back and starts talking to the people of her village you know what she says comes see a man who told me everything I ever did is not this the Messiah is not this the Christ she wasn't saying well you know what I learned I learned that it's okay to worship in Mount garrison or no I learned we're wrong and Jerusalem's right place to worship no no she wasn't thinking about any of those kind of questions anymore she was she was thinking about Christ because she had come face to face with the only one who could meet the deepest thirst of her soul she'd come face to face with Christ and now she has something to share with other people so don't don't let people take you off of the subject of Christ keep the focus on Christ because that's what people need avoid religious traps avoid endless discussions about other topics that may satisfy the curiosity but never reach the deep need of a person's heart well the story has another sequel we're not done yet and I realize next Sunday's Easter I did a lot of thinking about this this week I'm going to twist the rest of this message into an Easter message somehow but we're not going to stop we're going to get through this story because what happens as a result of her coming to Christ is an amazing illustration of the zeal of new life in Christ Easter zeal we'll get there next week let's pray father help us to help us to see what Jesus did and understand how he dealt with this poor lost woman and help us to understand that he is the model for us and how to reach the lost I pray father that you would help us to be as wise and as sensitive as he was in dealing with her help us Lord to to go where the lost people are to enter their world or if we bring them here to do it by entering the world they live in their interest in they have needs with help us father to focus on a person at a time and to create spiritual curiosity with them and then gradually introduce them to their need help us to show them that we understand and we feel for their symptoms but their real need is deeper it's sin broken relationship with God which nothing can satisfy apart from Christ so help us to be clear focus and how we deal with lost people so Lord help us with those people you've laid up on our hearts our neighbors maybe a coworker maybe a friend maybe even a family member help us to follow the model that Jesus set for us in seeking to reach them with the gospel we ask in his name amen