Life Transforming Testimony

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Gospel of John.

I love the Gospel of John.

I love the Gospel of John.

Echoing through the book is this particular truth Jesus loves me.

The Gospel of John is one of the few books of the Bible where the reason he's writing is clearly stated at the very end John 20, 30, 31,.

John says, therefore, many other signs Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book, but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

And this year, in our efforts to reach our friends, co-workers, families, neighbors with the gospel of Jesus, I'm convinced the gospel of John can help us gain insights in how to do that.

That's why we're looking at John, chapter 4, last time and this time.

John 4 · chapter mention

Last week, in John chapter 4, we learned about the life-changing power of the gospel.

John 4 · chapter mention

When Jesus struck up a conversation with the woman at the well, using the metaphor of water in this arid climate, jesus tells her that he has a gift.

All she has to do is ask for it and he would give her living water, which refers to the Holy Spirit, comes inside us when we believe in Jesus.

John, chapter 4, verse 10, he says this he answered and said to her if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.

John 4:10

And then I'm just going to review a little more of this passage before I pick up where we left off.

In verses 13 to 18, jesus said to her Everyone who drinks of this water meaning the physical water, are going to thirst again.

Of this water, meaning the physical water, are going to thirst again.

Whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst, but the water that I give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

Well, the woman said to him Sir, give me this water so I won't be thirsty.

Nor come all the way here to draw.

He said to her Well, go call your husband and come here.

The woman answered and said I have no husband.

Jesus said to her you have correctly said I have no husband, for you've had five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband.

This you have said truly.

He goes on in verses 25 and 26.

The woman said to him I know that Messiah is coming, he who is called Christ.

When that one comes, he'll declare all things to us, basically what she said he'll explain all this stuff to us.

Jesus said to her I who speak to you, am he Now last time.

The first thing we learned from Jesus' encounter with this woman is that everybody, everyone, is searching for deep soul satisfaction, but they're trying to get it in things that will never satisfy.

She was looking at relationships with men.

Everybody's looking for it and trying hard to get it some way deep to remove the existential angst we all feel.

What am I here for?

What are we doing?

The second thing we learn is that Jesus, the Messiah, said he can quench that deep thirst by giving us his Holy Spirit, which he refers to as living water when we believe in him.

The third thing that we learned is the spiritual life Jesus offers us and I can't emphasize this enough is a gift.

That's why he says if you knew the gift, no one's worthy of it, no one can earn it.

Jesus' gift of life is for anyone and everyone who believes in him, regardless of their background, their race or whatever.

And as the woman shows us, an encounter with Jesus is absolutely life-changing.

Today we're going to look at one way.

Her life was changed very dramatically as we continue the passage.

After believing in Jesus, she wanted to tell everybody about Jesus.

Listen to it, john 4, breaking into verse 27.

At this point well, let me back up.

Jesus said to her, after he said this I who speak to you, am he?

At this point, his disciples came and they were amazed that he had been speaking with a woman.

Yet no one said what do you seek or why do you speak with her?

So the woman left her water pot, went into the city and said to the men come and see a man who told me all the things I've ever done.

This is not the Christ, is it?

Well, they went out of the city and were coming to him.

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

He said to them I have food to eat that you don't know about.

So the disciples were saying to one another no one brought him anything to eat, did he?

And Jesus said to him 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 and then comes the harvest.

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest Already.

He who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

For in this case the saying is true one sows and another reaps.

I sent you to reap for that which you did not labor, and others have labored and you've entered into their labor Now from that city.

Many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified.

He told me all the things I have done.

So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking him to stay with them.

He stayed there two days and many more believed because of his word.

And they're saying to the woman it's no longer because of what you said that we believe.

We've heard for ourselves and know that this one is indeed the Savior of the world.

Wow, this woman's response, which we're going to look at here, after she believed that Jesus was the Messiah, this woman's response after she believed, can be summarized in one word Testimony, testimony.

Today we're going to look at three things.

We learn from this woman about what it means to be a testimony for Jesus.

We're going to look at what is a testimony.

Second, we're going to look at what did she testify to?

And third, how did she testify to?

And third, how did she testify?

First, we're told that many of the townspeople believed in Jesus because of the woman's testimony.

We've read it from that city Many Samaritans believed in him verse 39, because of the word of the woman who testified.

He told me all the things I've done.

See, after seeing what Jesus did, hearing what Jesus said, the woman at the well was converted.

She needed to know nothing else.

She believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

She was so excited about what happened to her she literally left her water pot and ran into town to tell people about her meeting with Jesus and, as a result of her testimony, the townspeople believed in Jesus.

So what is a testimony?

Well, the word testimony, criminal courts and courtrooms In courtrooms, a testimony in court is a witness who bears a firsthand account of what took place that will be instrumental in the court to make a decision.

That's what our testimony for Jesus means.

For Jesus means we're giving an account from our own life, important information that will be important for others to make a decision.

The woman is giving people what she knows, first-hand, personal account of her meeting with Jesus and how he helped her.

What's interesting to me about this word, witness or testimony?

It's the same word in Greek, it's the word martyria, from which we get the word martyr, and we're going to talk about that in a minute.

But let's go to what fact did she testify to about Jesus?

Well, if you look at what she actually says, her testimony includes two things I believe should be part of our testimony about Jesus as well.

First, she testifies about something that was subjectively true for her.

Second, she testifies about an objective truth that applies to everybody.

Two things subjective what he did for me.

Objective, what applies to everybody.

In her subjective testimony about Jesus, she relates what Jesus did for her personally.

Her personal experience actually is mentioned twice and she went back to the people she knew and said come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.

Why does she say this?

I ever did?

Why does she say this?

Why does she say that?

Because it was something extraordinary at this time, especially First.

Jesus did what was against all social conventions of the time.

Men did not speak to women in public.

They did not know.

Second, jews and Samaritans didn't get along.

Yet here was Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, talking to her, a Samaritan woman who was way down on the social moral ladder, even in Samaria.

She's testifying that this man made a point to talk to her personally about her life, in a kind way, not condemning she had never seen anybody do that who didn't care first of all about the racial, social, religious barriers in front of them.

First of all about the racial, social, religious barriers in front of them.

Yet Jesus crossed all of them to have a personal conversation with her, and he did it with grace.

Jesus was different.

He was interested in her life.

He identified himself as the Messiah and told her about the gift of life.

Now, when the disciples returned to Jesus, they were also shocked, and they didn't really say anything.

They're literally shocked that he's talking to a Samaritan woman alone, alone.

Notice in chapter 4, verse 8 earlier, that just before he meets the woman, jesus sent the 12 guys into town to get food for 13 people.

Why did he do that?

Couldn't he have just sent three?

Why did he send them all.

I think he wanted to talk with this woman personally and privately.

What's interesting about the woman's testimony reminds me of when I came to faith in Christ.

She doesn't know much about Jesus at all, yet she's very close to grasping the very core of the gospel, which is Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, and he's telling her that the spiritual blessings he offers are available to anybody, even her.

She grasped that Jesus was talking about grace.

You know why?

Because she was actually experiencing grace from him.

That was her own subjective experience testifying about Jesus.

He talked to me kindly.

He crossed all these barriers For some reason.

I was important to him.

But then she also was bearing witness to an objective truth about Jesus and the gospel.

I want you to listen to the progression of her testimony.

To the people she knew she testified that this man, a Jewish rabbi, defied all cultural barriers to extend grace to her and offer her a spiritual gift.

She then testified by way of polite suggestion that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah, and invited them to check it out for themselves.

After they did John 4, 42, they said to the woman we no longer believe because of what you said.

Now we've heard and seen for ourselves and know this man is the savior of the world.

Now, when they say that, when the townspeople say that, what that means is that's what the woman told them he's the savior of the world, is it, don't you think?

In the woman's testimony note she didn't say he touched me with grace and I felt all warm fuzzies all over.

She told them the objective truth he is the savior of the world for everybody.

She did not say this man is just the Savior of the Jews.

Nor did she say he's just the Savior of Samaritans.

Nor did she say he's just the Savior of good people.

Nor is she saying he's just my Savior.

She's not saying that he's just he's true for me, maybe he's not true for you.

Not saying that.

She's stating very clearly the subjective truth that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

He's the Savior of every single person.

She's saying if you don't believe me, go check it out, see what you think.

She's bearing witness to the life-changing Savior of the world who saves everyone, like she was, by grace.

That brings us to the next point how.

What is the testimony?

It's a first-hand account.

What has happened to me?

Important information other people need to know, and the testimony she gave was both how he personally helped me my experience and then the objective truth he is.

I believe he's the savior of the world, not just me, everybody.

But then we come to how did she testify the truth of Jesus?

There's lots of ways to do that, you know.

I noticed four things, four characteristics of how she shared this news with the townspeople, who, keep in mind, they didn't have much respect for her in the first place.

So how did she do it?

First, she testified with urgency.

She literally dropped her water jar and ran into town to talk to people about Jesus.

What she had discovered was just too important Urgency, don't let this pass.

Second, I believe she testified with humility.

She didn't go into town preaching this fire-breathing sermon to them, condemning them for their sin and saying the grace of God can save you.

When she met the townspeople, she understood they considered her probably the worst of all sinners.

She's not going to come in self-righteously saying hey, no, no, no, no.

Very humbly, she gave her testimony in a very disarming way and just saying this is what happened to me, this is what happened to me.

Could it be that this and she encourages them to check it out Urgency, humility and, I believe, simplicity.

She didn't have a theological education.

She just had an encounter with Jesus, a profound encounter with Jesus.

She told them about how she met him and the grace he showed her, and she asked them in a non-threatening way if they thought he was the messiah.

So she shared two things in her testimony that I believe, in review, should be part of ours.

Here's what happened to me when I met Jesus.

Here's how I came to faith.

Here's what happened to me.

And you know what?

I think there's a very good reason that he's the promised Messiah, the Savior of everyone who believes in him.

Lastly, I believe she testified with bravery.

You've got to say it took a measure of courage to run into town and start talking to people about Jesus.

I think it always involves courage to share about our faith in Jesus.

It's probably why one reason the Greek word testimony and witness is martyria, from which we get the word martyr.

These early Christians were called witnesses, testimonies, martyrs, testimonies, martyrs, and I think the point is sometimes it costs us to share our faith in Jesus.

This woman risked a whole lot.

Sometimes it costs us to share our faith.

I'll tell you what it costs some Christians in the first and second century their lives.

We have books of martyrs.

Read Hebrews, chapter 11, to see some others.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

They were lifted up and honored.

They lost everything for their faith in Jesus.

It takes a measure of bravery to do that.

For some of us, being a witness for Jesus may cost us our job, may cost us a loss of approval of others we want to be liked by, may even cost perhaps our life at some point.

It takes courage, but I will say and look, I'm preaching to myself here.

I've always been a chicken.

I struggle with the same things.

You know, I want people to like me, but as soon as people find out that I'm a pastor, I become in their eyes a religious assassin and they avoid me like the plague.

I've never liked that.

So I have this.

It takes courage for me too.

But here's the deal I've learned just be honest with people.

If we're not willing to identify ourselves as a Christian, a believer in Jesus, not willing to share our testimony, you know what we're doing.

We're hiding who we really are.

If you are a Christian, jesus should be the center of your life.

It's how you set your priorities.

It's how you face life's problems.

It's how you set your priorities.

It's how you face life's problems.

Jesus purchased our pardon of sins forever by his blood.

We can learn a lot from this woman's testimony.

As a witness, she shared the news about Jesus with a sense of urgency, disarming humility, uncomplicated simplicity and a bold bravery.

But how was she able to do that without thinking about her reduced social standing to the people who may just dismiss her?

How'd she do that?

What was going on?

I'm telling you, there's something going on in this woman that we desperately need too, and I think it starts with.

The reason why this woman could be as humble, disarming and effective in talking to her friends is because of the way she was treated by Jesus himself, because of the way she received Jesus' life-changing message of the gospel.

She was able to offer it to others in a way the world really needs.

The world needs people out there making truth claims about Jesus in a way that's humble, respectful, full of grace, not with pride, harshness, self-righteousness.

How do we do that?

Take a look at this woman again.

I want to take you through the previous passage we looked at last week to show you what happened to literally transform this woman's life.

What may have caused this woman to run to tell her friends about Jesus.

First Jesus takes the initiative to talk with her.

She's initially shocked this is unusual.

This man's different.

He doesn't care about the racial, gender, religious barriers.

But then Jesus talks about living water he can give her and never thirst again as a gift.

So she asked him for the water.

Now she's probably thinking this guy knows I'm a Samaritan, I'm a woman and I'm amazed that this Jewish rabbi is talking with me.

Thank goodness he doesn't know I've had five husbands and the guy I'm living with right now isn't even my husband.

Glad he doesn't know that, because if he knew that, see, as a Jewish rabbi he would never be offering any grace or living water.

He wouldn't even be speaking to me.

He would be condemning me.

I know it.

I don't want to be judged anymore.

Well, after asking Jesus for the water, jesus told her to go get her husband.

Now inside she's probably going uh-oh and says I have no husband.

Then, after Jesus reveals he already knows she's had five husbands.

The man she's living with is not her husband.

I think probably her heart literally dies inside her, perhaps waiting for the judgment and condemnation she's used to experiencing.

Her heart probably sinks.

He knows he knows me Awkwardly as we continue.

She tries to change the subject, talk about temples, religious differences, samaritans and Jews, how people can connect with God, but Jesus isn't daunted.

He looks at her and said you know, the hour is coming, and now is when you won't need a temple to worship God.

The woman claims ignorance, says well, you know, we'll know all that when the Messiah comes.

I who speak to you am he.

I'm the one you've been waiting for.

It is then.

It is then the woman realizes the truth of the gospel and that Jesus is offering her living water.

And he already knows all about her.

Well, that's when she literally dropped the jar and ran into town to tell others why she had just seen a beauty she had never seen before.

She had just experienced a love and a grace never experienced before.

When you experience something so beautiful, so wonderful, you just have to grab somebody and say come and look at this, and if you really love something, you're desperate to share it.

What beauty and love?

Listen to me carefully, because this is true for every one of us who believed in Jesus.

What beauty and love did she see and experience in Jesus?

Come and see a man who saw me to the very bottom and yet loved me to the skies.

Wow, how is that possible?

To be loved and not known is really superficial, very unsatisfying.

To be known and rejected is perhaps our greatest nightmare, but to be known all the way down and loved endlessly is heaven.

That's what she tasted.

That's what she tasted For Jesus to do.

That is the beauty of Messiah, the wonderful news of the gospel.

She couldn't wait to tell others he loves me all the way down, all the way down.

How is it possible for Jesus to give living water to somebody who is so undeserving of it?

Well, we talked about this last time.

The answer lies in something he said to her about the hour is coming, and now is when all the temples will be obsolete.

I'm not sure she understood what Jesus meant by that, but we do.

We do Nowhere in the book of Gospel of John does Jesus ever talk about the hour or his hour without referring to his death on the cross.

That hour was when Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins, and while he was on the cross he cried out I am thirsty, I'm thirsty.

And he got the thirst we deserved so we could receive his living water forever.

He went to the cross so he could say I don't care about your immoral past or what sins you've committed, turn to me.

I have living water for you to drink.

You won't ever be thirsty again.

Jesus did say later in John he's the way, the truth and the life.

We get his salvation when we admit our failure and believe in him as our savior.

And it's not just a future salvation we get.

We get his life, he said, right now, in the person of the Holy Spirit, this living water who fills our soul with God's presence, love and joy.

I'll say something about this in a future sermon.

But one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit that he sends into our hearts if you read it in Romans 5, is he's in us, testifying that we're now children of God, and his job is to make inside us, make God's love real to us.

We know it.

Jesus' words to the woman still echo through the years, to the present day, to anyone who hears them.

John 4.10,.

If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you give me a drink, you would have asked him.

Ask him and he'll give you living water.

It's a gift.

And if you've never received Jesus' gift.

And if you've never received Jesus' gift, picture me running to you with my water jar down there and saying listen, this couldn't be the Christ.

Could it Call on him, ask him, receive him into your heart for the free gift, free gift of eternal life.

And if you have received that gift, you need to remember you've met someone who loves you all the way down and to the uttermost.

You know what With that, I think it's time to go tell our friends how beautiful Jesus is.

Let's pray, father, thank you today for Jesus, who died for our sins and gives us eternal life, and did so because he loves us all the way down.

Would you please help us, those of us who know him, who have experienced his love, who knows it, help us to have the courage to tell others about how he loves them too.

I pray in Jesus' name, amen.