Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20050717.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING IN JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XII: Adopting GOD'S SHORT-TERM Goal In Discipling Others
(John 2:13-20, 23-25; 4:1-7)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

This past week, significantly fewer children attended our VBS ministry than in years past, a fact that could tempt the VBS staff to be discouraged. Of course, there was a big reason for this that the staff could not help: we heard another area Church that usually has many children saw only 20 come for its VBS this week; apparently secular school and camp programs are getting parents to sign up their children in the early spring before many churches can advertise their VBS ministries, and these draw many children from area VBS ministries.

Of course, we're not supposed to be discouraged at a smaller number; we learned from last Sunday's message out of John 3:22-36 that God expects us to look beyond just "numbers" as the basis of evaluating the effectiveness of a good ministry unto Him! However, in response and in view of the relatively low attendance at this past week's VBS ministry, someone may want to ask, "O. K., Pastor, I can accept the fact that numbers are not to be the big goal I should have in ministry -- I can accept that! However, since the Lord Himself told us to disciple ALL the NATIONS in Matthew 28:19-20, what AIM am I supposed to have in that PROCESS of discipling that IN TIME REACHES the nations! I need to know for SURE exactly what GOD has for ME to focus on so I know I am doing what HE wants ME to do in that process?!"



So, if LARGE NUMBERS of people is NOT to be the MAIN AIM in MINISTERING toward the discipling of "ALL NATIONS", in PRACTICAL terms, WHAT IS the PROPER SHORT-TERM AIM I am to have in this process, and WHY?!





(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "If AIMING for BIG NUMBERS is NOT the RIGHT SHORT-TERM GOAL for heeding God's call to disciple the NATIONS, what IS the RIGHT SHORT-TERM goal, and WHY?!"
  1. Though He was POPULAR with HUGE CROWDS of people in His ministry in Judaea, Jesus was OBVIOUSLY UNEASY there since His hearers had a FALSE FAITH in Him, John 2:13-20, 23-25:
    1. Jesus had a popular ministry among throngs of Judaeans: though John the baptizer attracted people from all over Jerusalem, Judaea and the Jordan (cf. Matthew 3:4-5), Jesus eventually had many more folk follow Him there than had even followed John, cf. John 3:26; 4:1!
    2. Yet, these crowds had a false faith in Him: they followed Christ to benefit from His miracles rather than trust in Him for salvation:
      1. Jesus detected a false faith in the people of Jerusalem, the city where God's temple was located; accordingly, He did not entrust Himself to them, John 2:23-25, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 280.
      2. Then when Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple for polluting it with commercialism, He was opposed by the religious leaders who challenged His authority to do so, John 2:13-20!
      3. So, from their religious leaders all the way down to the common people, Jesus met a false piety in Judaea, the center of Judaism!
    3. Thus, Jesus exhibited obvious discomfort in that ministry, even abandoning ALL JUDAEA just as His popularity there SWELLED!
      1. When Jesus heard the Pharisees knew He attracted more crowds than John, He ABANDONED His ministry to ALL Judaea:
        1. The verb depicting that Jesus "left" Judaea in John 4:3a (KJV, NIV, ESV) comes from the root word, aphiaymi that means to "abandon'", cf. Leon Morris, John (NICNT), 1979, p. 253.
        2. Thus, A. Plummer wrote: "First the Temple, then Jerusalem, and now Judaea . . . [was] to be abandoned . . .'" Ibid., ftn. #10.
      2. The false piety and risk of conflicting with Judaea's leaders too soon to fit the Father's TIME for the cross led Jesus to abandon Judaea. G. C. Morgan wrote of Jesus' reaction to Judaea, noting: "He did go back, but very seldom . . . He broke with it'", Ibid.
  2. However, Jesus GLADLY went to speak to a LONE, OUTCAST, SINFUL woman BECAUSE she was OPEN to trusting in Him for the salvation of her SOUL, John 4:1-7, 9, 15-19, 25-29, 31-34:
    1. In abandoning Judaea, Jesus desired to pass through Samaria to do God's will, a will that meant more to Jesus than food, John 4:4, 31-34.
    2. That will of God that He GLADLY did in CONTRAST to His DISCOMFORT with the superficial Judaean CROWDS was His work with one outcast sinner who was TRULY OPEN to the Gospel!
      1. The Samaritan woman to whom Jesus planned to witness was despised by the Jews for their mixed Jewish and Gentile blood and syncretistic beliefs; thus, they often took the route east of the Jordan to avoid Samaria, Ibid., B.K.C., N. T., p. 284; 2 K. 17:24ff.
      2. Yet, in abandoning His popular, thronging Judaean work, Jesus traveled into Samaria and ministered in great willingness and grace to this lone, outcast, sinful Samaritan woman, John 4:1-7:
        1. Jesus arrived at the well at noon in the heat of the day when women were least likely to haul water, 4:5-6, Ibid., Morris, 258.
        2. Since Jesus later noted she was immoral (John 4:17-18), she apparently came in the heat of the day to avoid having to deal with emotionally painful mistreatment from other women, Ibid.
        3. In that culture, it is amazing that Jesus would even speak to her: prejudices ran deep, inhibiting "public conversation between men and women, between Jews and Samaritans, and especially between strangers. A Jewish Rabbi would rather go thirsty than violate these proprieties." (Ibid., Bible Know. C., N. T., p. 285)
        4. Also, the rabbis felt Samaritan women were always unclean, so for Jesus to ask her for a drink from her vessel, a deed that would make Him unclean by their standards would have made His request an astounding act of great kindness, Ibid. with 4:7.
      3. Due to her awareness of her need, this woman was open to believe in Christ, something Jesus had not seen in the throngs of Judaea; He then GLADLY ministered His truth to her and she trusted in Him with a TRUE faith, John 4:9, 15-19, 25, 28-29, 31-34.
Application: (1) May we ACCEPT the fact that WE ALL are NEEDY sinners and TRULY trust in Christ as Savior from sin to receive eternal life, John 3:16. (2) In discipling others, may we adopt GOD'S short-term goal: (a) may we aim to work with the TRULY OPEN and (b) heed God's lead to reach THOSE folk for Christ and (c) leave the LONG-TERM results with Him!

Lesson: From the CONTRAST in Christ's COMFORT LEVEL between His growing work with many Judaeans who had a false faith in Him versus His ministry to a lone, outcast, sinful but OPEN woman, all in GOD'S WILL, we know GOD wants us to AIM to minister to TRULY OPEN folk as our SHORT-TERM GOAL in discipling the NATIONS!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 God abundantly applied this message in this last week's VBS:

(1) Though the numbers were significantly less, we received reports that several of the children, like the Samaritan woman Jesus reached in John 4, were VERY open to the VBS ministry! One young boy who is learning to write wrote out the daily Bible verse at home on his own initiative, and a girl brainstormed on all the ways she could earn money to donate toward the VBS missions project involving our missionaries the Trudeaus in the Philipppines!

(2) My wife reported that due to the fewer number of children, enough workers were on hand to make the ministry less stressful than it was in years when we had many students in each class! The quality of ministry per student was greater, something GOD the FATHER would approve as He did of Jesus in His leaving Judaea's spiritually fickle throngs to reach the truly open Samaritan woman!

(3) Finally, I was able to spend some quality time speaking with a parent outside of our Church who showed up early with his son for VBS throughout the week. In past years, that was practically impossible for me to do as the presence of many people usually made such in-depth discussions impossible. However, in this much more quiet setting, I was able to spend meaningful minutes both on Thursday and Friday mornings before the VBS ministry began, speaking with him about things important to him and his life that can be a building block for a future witness for Christ!

In fact, while talking with him both on Thursday and on Friday, I realized in both days I was living the sermon notes I was going to give this morning! Like Jesus Who was on assignment from the Father to reach that lone but open Samaritan woman, I found myself focusing at length on this man's concerns unchallenged by external distractions.

On both days that we conversed, when he had to leave and I had to go, he said, "I've really enjoyed speaking with you," and on Friday he even warmly extended his hand to shake mine!



In ministering to others for Christ, instead of AIMING for NUMBERS or THINGS to DO, etc., GOD wants us to AIM for HEARTS that are OPEN to Christ, be they MANY OR FEW! As we focus on THAT goal, like JESUS, we will be used of God to reach others EFFECTIVELY as GOD wants US to do!