Soul Satisfying Labor

Amen. You may be seated.

Kiddos, you are excused to your King's Kids class.

! And if you would open up your Bibles to John chapter 4.

John 4 · chapter mention

Wirt's family, we had people who were greeting people, welcoming them in.

We had people who were preparing food and serving food.

We had people who were setting up chairs, taking down chairs, directing people where they could sit.

It was such a joy to be serving with you yesterday.

And so I just want to say thank you for serving this family as you did.

It was a kindness.

Where do you find joy?

Children? Oh, children bring joy.

Grandchildren? Grandchildren bring joy.

Maybe you've recently set a new PR, personal record in something.

There's some joy in that.

Have you seen the Grand Canyon?

There's joy in the Grand Canyon.

Maybe you find joy working with your hands.

Maybe you find joy in a variety of different things.

But did you know that there is a soul-satisfying joy?

A deep joy.

Where do you find this deep joy?

There is a source of deep joy that sadly many Christians, they don't experience.

It's joy in Jesus.

And I'm not just talking about your personal joy in Jesus for what He has done for you,

for the joy it is to be in a relationship with Him.

I'm talking about this cascading joy.

A multiplied joy.

When you start delighting in others treasuring Jesus.

When my joy is not only in the Christ I treasure,

but my joy exponentially multiplies when more and more people are treasuring Jesus too.

It's that kind of joy that is remarkable.

It's the joy of helping other people find their greatest treasure in Jesus.

Now you may have a question right now.

I'm not sure how many of you may be asking this,

but you might be asking this question.

Pastor Mike, are you tone deaf?

Are you not reading the room?

We had a memorial service yesterday for a man that would have been 44 last week.

He widowed his wife.

He's left behind five children.

And you're talking about joy.

Friends, I am reading the room.

Because people, Christians and non-Christians,

struggle with hopelessness, aimlessness, joylessness, despair.

And so this passage that we're looking at,

John 4, 27-42, is incredibly timely.

Because one of our greatest joys is helping others treasure Christ above all else.

How many people do you know who aren't experiencing fullness of joy?

Last week, Jesus, while standing next to Jacob's well,

he offers living water to a Samaritan adulteress.

He offered her soul-satisfying water.

And today we're looking at another conversation that Jesus has at Jacob's well.

And it takes place in between.

So Jesus has been talking to this Samaritan woman.

And then she gets it in her mind,

I've got to go tell my townsfolk back in Sychar.

So she leaves her water jug and she takes off.

And we see this in 27, 28, and 29, and 30.

She goes to the town and she tells her townspeople,

who knew she was an adulteress,

she goes, this guy knows everything about me.

Is this the Christ?

And then we're told in verse 30 that these people start moving out.

They start coming to Jesus.

And in between, they're leaving the town to get to Jacob's well and Jesus.

Jesus has a conversation with his disciples.

Let me read it.

Starting in verse 27.

Just then, his disciples came back.

They marveled that he was talking with a woman,

but no one said, what do you seek?

Or, why are you talking with her?

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town

and said to the people, come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.

Can this be the Christ?

They went out of the town and were coming to him.

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat.

But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about.

So the disciples said to one another, has anyone brought him something to eat?

Jesus said to them,

my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Do you not say, there are yet four months, then comes the harvest?

Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.

Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life,

so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

For here the saying holds true, one sows and another reaps.

I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor.

Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.

39, many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.

He told me all that I ever did.

Verse 40, so when the Samaritans came to him,

they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there for two days.

And many more believed because of his word.

They said to the woman, it's no longer because of what you said that we believe,

for we have heard for ourselves,

and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.

We're going to look at three things this morning.

Mission shock.

Mission labor.

Mission joy.

This is all about soul-satisfying labor in Christ's mission.

Mission shock.

In verses 27 through 30, we have this transition where the disciples come back from buying food,

and then the Samaritan woman leaves, so there's this kind of transition going on.

She goes and tells the people in Sychar, could this be the Christ?

Remember last week, we were looking at the beginning of John chapter 4,

John 4 · chapter mention

and this woman shows up to Jacob's well at noon by herself, which is weird,

and there's Jesus waiting for her.

And Jesus starts a conversation with her, which is a huge cultural no-no.

He offers her salvation, living water, the Holy Spirit springing up within her unto eternal life.

I'll take some of that.

Somehow she's convinced of what Jesus says, and so she leaves her water jug,

and she goes and goes, sows gospel seeds into her townsfolk friends.

In verse 30, those townsfolk start to come back.

Verse 40, they arrive.

And in verse 20, though, we read that these disciples return while the Samaritan woman was still there.

So, and they marveled.

Did you see that?

They came back.

They marveled.

Usually when you see that language used of the disciples with Jesus,

usually means Jesus has done something phenomenal, something amazing.

And they marveled.

That's not the kind of marveling going on here.

They're aghast.

They are like, what is he doing?

They're astounded.

Because in their minds, what he's doing, talking to this woman,

is culturally, socially, religiously improper.

So they were marveling at the improperness of what was going on.

And by the way, that Samaritan woman,

she was amazed by this conversation too.

Remember in verse 9,

the Samaritan woman said to him after he says, give me a drink,

how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me?

A Samaritan woman.

This is just culturally odd.

Jesus kind of pushing the envelope of a cultural line.

And the disciples knew enough not to say anything.

But John records what they were thinking.

They didn't ask, what do you seek?

That would have been a question put to the woman.

In other words,

are you,

ma'am, are you propositioning my rabbi?

Are you, are you trying to hook up with my pastor?

That's what they're thinking.

Like, what are you doing here?

And what are you talking to him for?

And Jesus, they were thinking,

why are you talking with her?

She's a tramp.

She's a Samaritan.

Rabbi, this does not look good.

So what we're being shown here

is how the disciples are reading the situation.

They see the Samaritan woman.

They see her as someone to avoid tainted goods.

It's not something you want.

It's someone you want to be around.

She's an outsider.

And so you stay away from her.

Not someone that is hopeless, aimless, joyless.

Someone in need of the eternal life

Jesus alone has to offer.

So the summary here is that

the disciples were shocked.

They were culturally shocked

because Jesus is stepping over

a cultural boundary.

They couldn't get around

their cultural prejudice

of this woman.

She was a stumbling block to them.

Here is this harvest in front of them.

And they couldn't see it.

They couldn't see what Jesus was really doing.

He was sowing a gospel seed

into the heart of this Samaritan woman.

We all know

what it feels like

to be seen

but not seen.

To be seen

but demeaned.

To be seen

but written off.

Pushed to the periphery.

Avoided.

Belittled.

Not thought

as an equal.

We've all experienced that

in some context or another.

Jesus never demeaned anyone.

He dignified all.

Because Jesus saw people

as image bearers

and potential worshipers.

I mean that's why God had sent him

to seek true worshipers

who would worship God

in spirit

and in truth.

How do you see people?

How do you see people

who are like you

and how do you see people

who are unlike you?

What if

you stopped

looking past people?

What if

you stopped

seeing people

as stumbling blocks

people to avoid?

You pay more attention

to their appearance

and their background

than whether they're

a worshiper or not.

What if

you stopped

looking at people

like that

and started

seeing people

as worshipers

of God

or not?

I have a 30 second

dignity theory.

Here it goes.

This is what it does.

I have this theory

that within

30 seconds

of you meeting someone

that someone

will know

intuitively

whether or not

you're treating them

as an equal.

Whether or not

that you're dignifying them.

Whether or not

you're treating them

as a fellow image bearer.

Someone with a story.

Jesus always dignified people.

He always treated them

with the respect

due another image bearer.

Jesus had a reputation.

If you don't know this

you need to know this

about Jesus

because if you become

a follower of Jesus

you're going to get

this reputation too.

Here's Jesus' reputation.

Not only did he

hang out with

religious insiders

he hung out

with religious outsiders.

Jesus had a reputation

of spending time

with sinners

and tax collectors

and prostitutes.

Shameful people.

Now

if Jesus

was raising eyebrows

with his disciples

in the first century

at Jacob's well

he's going to raise eyebrows

in the 21st century

here in Kenosha.

So you've got to prepare yourself

brothers and sisters

if we're going to be

about what God

is doing

in our city

we are going to

push some cultural

boundaries

because Jesus

pushes cultural

boundaries.

He sees

people

as worshippers.

This mission shock

that I'm talking about

this is a culture shock

of sorts.

It'll make you

uncomfortable.

It will stretch you.

It's not a bad thing though

because when you get

stretched

God works

and when you

stretch

to move towards

other people

who are unlike you

you get to start

you start to see

God's heart

for all people.

It's beautiful.

Why is Jesus

at this well?

Some people would say

you know what

he was in southern

Judea

and he needed to get

to northern Israel

to Galilee

he didn't want to go

around Samaria

he got to get there

really quick

so he went through

Samaria

that's not why

he's in Samaria.

He's in Samaria

because he's on mission.

He is wanting

to bless

the nations

of the earth

with salvation.

and he has

this evangelistic

appointment

with this woman

at the well.

That's mission shock.

Mission labor

is in verses

31 through 38.

Verses 31 through 38

his disciples

start

a conversation

with Jesus

and this conversation

goes from

talking about

food

food

in verses

31 through 34

to talking about

harvest

in 35

through 38.

So let's take a look

at this food talk

in 31 through 34.

We see in verse

31

meanwhile

the disciples

were urging him

saying

Rabbi

eat

eat something.

Now

what I'm about

to share with you

is strictly

speculation.

Everybody

understand that?

now

Jesus

had been traveling

all morning long

it's noon

it's hot

dirty

maybe his disciples

were a little hangry

but they just

watched him

talking to

for all they knew

a prostitute.

Could it be

that they're

kind of like

oh he's not

thinking straight

Jesus

would you please

eat something?

Jesus

your blood sugar

is obviously low

you're not

thinking well

why are you

talking to this

floozy?

You need to get

something to eat.

Rabbi

needs something

to eat

eat.

Jesus

says to their

surprise

verse 32

I have food

to eat

that you do

not know about.

Guys

I've got a

stash of food

come on.

Verse 33

they say

has anyone

brought him

something to

eat?

Obviously

there was not

DoorDash

in the first

century

but are like

did he order

DoorDash?

Like what do

you mean he's

got other food?

Like I

do you see

food on him?

Like where's

the food?

Now this

this picks up

on a pattern.

Do you remember

the conversation

that Jesus had

with Nicodemus?

And he started

talking about

born again

and Nicodemus

was like

how am I

supposed to

get back

into my

mother?

He's thinking

literally.

And Jesus

is like

I'm not

talking about

that kind

of born again.

And then

when Jesus

is having

the conversation

with the

women at

the well

he's like

hey

if you

asked

the guy

talking to

you

I'd give

you living

water.

And she's

like

but you

don't have

a bucket

or string

what well

are you

talking about?

She was

taking him

literally too.

She didn't

understand

what he

was talking

about.

And now

here is

Jesus

talking to

his disciples

and he's like

I've got

this food

and they're

like

food?

What food?

What are you

talking about?

They don't

get it.

There's this

string of

people not

getting it.

And so

Jesus

in verse

34

I

again

it's kind

of like

oh guys

come on.

my food

guys

my food

is to do

the will

of him

who sent

me

and to

accomplish

his work.

That's

what satisfies

my soul.

That's

what

satiates

me

is to

do the

will

of my

father.

That gives

me strength

it presses

me on.

What Jesus

is talking

about is

the strength

that comes

from being

on mission

on God's

mission

on the

mission

of God.

And God's

mission

is his

this is

displayed

throughout

the entire

Bible.

God's

mission

is to

bring glory

to his

name

by blessing

all the

nations

of the

earth

through

Jesus

Christ

to

gather

a

multi-ethnic

multi-national

group of

people

to worship

him.

By comparing

this work

to food

Jesus is

saying

hey this

is

this is

what gives

me strength

this is

this is

this is

soul

satisfying

labor

and we're

just been

given an

example of

that

because he

just was

speaking about

the gospel

to this

Samaritan

woman

he's like

I've

I got

food

to bless

all the

nations

of the

earth

that was

a promise

that God

made to

Abraham

that God

would bless

all the

nations

of the

earth

through

an

offspring

of

Abraham

and according

to Paul

in the book

of Galatians

that offspring

is Jesus

to bless

all the

nations

with salvation

including

Jews

including

Samaritans

including

Gentiles

this work

to accomplish

the work

the pinnacle

of the work

that Jesus

came to do

was his

death on the

cross

as we

get into

John

more and

more

we'll see

that

the day

that Jesus

died on the

cross

is the

day of

glorification

where God

is exalted

!

Because at that

moment

Jesus has

made a way

for all

the nations

of the

earth

to be

blessed

Jesus

took

great

satisfaction

in

accomplishing

the work

of his

father

have you

tasted

that?

Have you

tasted

of the

goodness

of being

about

our

father's

business

about

doing

his

will

of

expanding

his

kingdom

of

advancing

the

saving

reign

of

God

this is

about

bringing

people

to

Jesus

it's

about

sowing

and reaping

and in

verses

35

through

38

we

have

a

shift

in

the

topic

the

subject

we

go

from

talking

about

food

to

talking

about

harvest

and

we're

not

talking

about

a

harvest

of

wheat

we're

not

talking

about

laboring

in

the

fields

of

barley

Jesus

is

talking

about

a

different

kind

of

harvest

in

verses

35

through

38

now

I

just

want

to

remind

you

of

where

Jesus

and

his

disciples

are

at

this

moment

they

are

in

Samaria

many

Jews

would

not

even

have

stepped

foot

in

Samaria

because

they

considered

Samaritans

they

resented

them

they

considered

them

moral

half

breeds

they

wouldn't

have

anything

to

do

with

them

Jesus

intentionally

goes

through

Samaria

because

he's

on

mission

Jesus

isn't

in

Samaria

to make

good

time

he is

he is

in

Samaria

to speak

of the

gospel

that

changes

lives

if you

look at

verse

35

Jesus

asks a

question

do you

not say

there are

yet four

months

then comes

the harvest

do you

know what

he's

talking

about

he's

putting

a

time

frame

on

something

in

that

day

if

you're

going

to

grow

wheat

you're

going

to

plant

wheat

seed

and

then

four

months

later

you

reap

it

so

there's

this

gap

between

sowing

and

reaping

it's

a

four

month

gap

who

likes

sweet

corn

oh

yeah

summertime

sweet

corn

do you

know

the

time

gap

in

terms

of

planting

and

reaping

sweet

corn

is

about

three

months

oh

it's

so

good

and

when

sweet

corn

is

ready

to be

harvested

the

silk

in

the

ear

of

the

cob

becomes

brown

and

dry

and

brittle

and

so

you

know

when

to

harvest

that

you

poke

a

kernel

with

your

thumb

or

your

fingernail

and

this

white

fluidy

stuff

comes

out

it

just

tells

you

it's

ready

it's

ready

to be

harvested

in

Jesus

day

when

they

were

sowing

and

reaping

wheat

when

the

wheat

when

the grain

was

ready

it

it

would

become

a

palish

yellowish

gold

you

look at

it

from

afar

it

had

a

white

hue

to

it

and

so

when

Jesus

says

at

the

end

of

verse

35

look

look

I

tell

you

lift

up

your

eyes

and

see

the

fields

are

white

for

harvest

what

he's

talking

about

is

talking

about

this

field

ready

to

be

reaped

what

field

is

he

talking

about

what

are

they

looking

at

are

they

looking

at

Samaritan

wheat

fields

at the

moment

look

guys

they're

ready

to be

harvested

he's

not

do you

remember

what's

happening

the

Samaritan

woman

has

left

the

well

and

she's

gone

to

the

town

of

Sychar

and

she's

told

everybody

hey

is

this

the

Christ

and

they

leave

Sychar

and

they're

coming

back

to

the

well

where

Jesus

is

I

think

there's

a

real

possibility

that

when

he

says

lift

up

your

highs

the

fields

are

white

for

Samaritan

harvest

they're

actually

looking

at

people

coming

people

if

sowing

is

sharing

the

gospel

with

other

people

reaping

is

bringing

people

to

faith

it's

bringing

worshippers

to

God

it's

sowing

and

reaping

in

verse

36

Jesus

has

just

sown

the

seed

of

the

gospel

and

now

it's

time

to

reap

it's

only

been

minutes

it's

only

been

minutes

so

that

the

sower

and

the

reaper

rejoice

together

you see

that in

verse

36

so

that

the

sower

and

reaper

may

rejoice

together

that

is

a

very

unique

kind

of

harvest

when

there

is

sowing

and

reaping

going

on

simultaneously

that's

not

the

four

month

gap

that's

happening

it's

a

unique

unique

kind

of

harvest

it's

a

twist

it's

a

different

kind

of

harvest

it's

not

wheat

it's

people

it's

worshippers

it's

those

people

who

have

heard

the

gospel

and

believe

the

gospel

and

they've

been

granted

eternal

life

and

now

they've

been

made

alive

to

worship

the

one

and

only

God

so

this

is

a

different

kind

of

harvest

because

the

sower

and

reaper

they're

working

simultaneously

and

what's

being

reaped

are

worshippers

there's

this

great

rejoicing

!

that's

happening

rejoicing

!

in

this

harvest

of

souls

those

who

believe

in

Christ

this

is

the

most

unusual

harvest

isn't

it?

this

is

mission

labor

sowing

and

reaping

in

verse 38

Jesus

says

I sent

you to

reap

that

for

which

you

did

not

labor

others

have

labored

and

you

have

entered

into

their

labor

who's

he

talking

about

he

could

be

talking

about

the

Old

Testament

prophets

he

could

be

talking

about

John

the

Baptist

he

could

be

talking

about

himself

he

could

be

talking

about

the

Samaritan

!

woman

!

these

Samaritans

are coming

to the

well

and the

disciples

had nothing

to do

with it

they're

there to

start

reaping

this

is

this

is

gospel

ministry

sowing

and

reaping

I

want

to

help

you

see

a

connection

because

one

can

think

that

this

conversation

is

just

about

food

and

just

about

harvest

but

let

me

ask

you

a

question

when

is

there

a

great

feast

related

to

the

harvest

it's

the

harvest

feast

it's

it's

it's

when

this

fruit

is

harvested

that

huge

groups

of

people

would

come

and

enjoy

that

together

celebrating

God's

bounty

I

think

what

we've

got

going

on

here

is

harvest

feast

Jesus

delighting

in

the

fruit

that

God

is

bearing

and

that

is

being

reaped

already

verse 36

the one

who

reaps

is

receiving

wages

and

gathering

fruit

for

eternal

life

so

that

the

sower

and

reaper

may

rejoice

together

this

is

the

soul

satisfying

labor

this

is

why

we

do

king's

kids

in

king's

place

this

is

why

we

have

life

groups

this

is

why

we

have

regular

moments

where

we're

sharing

the

gospel

in

very

different

ways

to

be

about

sowing

and

reaping

one

of the

joys

that we

get

is to

see

God

work

in

people's

lives

and

move

them

from

spiritual

death

to

spiritual

life

to

move

them

out

of

spiritual

darkness

and

into

spiritual

light

to

go

from

being

dead

to

being

made

alive

from

going

from

the

domain

of

darkness

to

being

brought

into

the

kingdom

of

the

beloved

son

that

is

joy

there

is

great

joy

when

we

get

to

be

a

part

of

what

God

is

doing

where

does

this

happen

for

us

wherever

you

are

that's

where

it's

happening

wherever

you

are

how

are

you

seeing

the

people

that

live

next

to

you

do

you

see

them

as

people

to

avoid

or

people

to

approach

because

they're

worshipers

of

something

this is

the

soul

satisfying

labor

of

being

on

mission

are

you

a part

of

that

labor

we go

from

mission

labor

to

mission

joy

this

is

in

verses

39

and

42

but

let

me

just

point

back

to

verse

36

already

the one

who

reaps

is

receiving

wages

and

gathering

fruit

for

eternal

life

so

that

the

sower

and

reaper

may

rejoice

to

gather

what

are

they

rejoicing

over

what's

what's

the

source

the

cause

of

their

joy

it's

it's

the

gathering

of

the

fruit

of

eternal

life

and

that

means

those

who

believe

in

gathering

some

people

are

sowing

the

gospel

while

other

people

are

reaping

worshippers

leading

people

to

Christ

and

what

we see

in

verses

39

through

42

what

John

doesn't

tell

us

he

shows

us

the

harvest

many

Samaritans

from that

town

believed

in

him

because

of

the

woman's

testimony

he

told

me

all

that

I

ever

did

so

when

the

Samaritans

came

to

him

they

asked

him

to

stay

with

them

and

he

stayed

there

two

days

and

many

more

believed

because

of

his

word

they

said

to

the

woman

it's

no

longer

because

of

what

you

said

that

we

believe

for