Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm19990804.htm

JOHN: TRIUMPHING IN LIFE'S MOST CRITICAL ISSUE
Part II: Presentation Of The Messenger Of Salvation
B. Christ's Credentials Exposed Unto Men
6. Christ's Gospel of Unmerited Favor Revealed In His Encounter With The Ungodly Samaritan
(John 4:1-42)
  1. Introduction
    1. The Apostle Paul said that salvation was by faith alone in Christ alone, that it was not by works.
    2. However, many in Christendom balk at that idea, insisting that reformation or works must play a part in it.
    3. John provides us an invaluable and irrefutable piece of insight on Jesus' view of the gospel in John 4:1-42:
  2. Christ's Gospel Of Unmerited Favor Revealed In His Encounter With The Ungodly Samaritan.
    1. Jesus left the throngs to minister to the lone individual, a revelation of grace to that party, John 4:1-3, 7.
    2. Jesus reached out to "apostate" Samaria opposite what the Jews of His era would do, revealing His grace:
      1. Contrary to the Jewish practice of skirting Samaria, Jesus expressed His strong desire to take the direct route to Galilee through Samaria instead of circumventing it via the Jordan Valley, John 4:4.
      2. Samaria was despised by post-exilic Jews in Palestine because its people were "apostate" Jews who, during the Captivity, intermarried with Gentiles and mingled their beliefs with paganism, 2 K. 17:24-41.
      3. Thus, Jesus showed great grace in reaching out to disciple the people of despised, apostate Samaria.
    3. Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink from her pot as a Jew, revealing His grace:
      1. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink from her water pot at the well, that woman expressed her amazement that He, a Jew would even talk to her as a woman of Samaria, John 4:7, 9.
      2. Samaritans were considered so vile that were a Jew to eat with them would be likened to his partaking of forbidden swine's flesh, Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, v. i, p. 401.
      3. Thus, for Jesus to ask a drink of this woman's pot was for Him to violate every scruple in pure grace!
    4. Jesus offered this woman eternal life by pure grace, revealing salvation was by grace apart from works:
      1. Since the woman was alone, and she had come in the incredibly uncomfortable noonday heat to draw water (cf. John 4:6 with Ryrie Study Bible, KJV ftn.), she was an outcast of her own people!
      2. Jesus later revealed that she had lived a very immoral life, and was currently living out of wedlock immorally with a man, confirming her currently very wicked condition, John 4:17-18.
      3. Yet, in spite of her sin, Jesus offered this woman living water, or eternal life if she merely asked it of Him in faith, John 4:9-10, 13-14. That revealed Jesus' eternal life was available by grace alone!
    5. When the woman stalled at Jesus' offer of salvation, Jesus graciously put her back on track with the truth:
      1. The woman perceived that Jesus was a prophet, and attempted to get Jesus into an argument on comparing her Samaritan beliefs with the Jewish beliefs on where properly to worship God, 4:19-20.
      2. Jesus did not back down on His beliefs, but pointed out that Jerusalem was the proper place by stating that the Jews knew what they believed where the Samaritans did not, John 4:22.
      3. Nevertheless, instead of getting bogged down on this divisive issue, Jesus graciously stated God looked for worshippers from Jerusalem or Samaria who worshipped Him in Spirit and in truth, John 4:23-24.
      4. He then revealed that God was looking for such, and implied with His earlier call for her to ask Him for the water of life that she could qualify as such an acceptable a worshiper by faith, Jn. 4:21, 23-24.
    6. Jesus then graciously revealed He was the Messiah in accord with the Samaritan hope of Messiah, 4:25.
    7. This woman believed in Jesus and spread news of Him to the whole town (John 4:28-29), creating a great outreach in that area as many more despised Samaritans came to faith in Him by grace, John 4:39-40.
    8. Additional Samaritans believed not for the woman's word, but for His own additional words graciously given to them in addition to His former words, revealing Jesus' abundance of grace to them, 4:41-42.
Lesson: When Jesus gave His gospel to the ungodly, in EVERY way, He did not express the need for WORKS to PRECEDE their acquisition of forgiveness: RATHER, as they were all very lost, He offered ETERNAL LIFE by FAITH in Him as salvation is by His ABUNDANCE of UNMERITED FAVOR!

Application: Rest assured that the pure-grace-gospel of the Apostle Paul is the same as that of Jesus! BOTH promoted the idea that even the completely GODLESS would be saved by FAITH alone!