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The Gospel of John III - Lesson 2

Reaching Souls from Samaria to Cana                      John 4:1-54                                         (Continued)

  1. CHRIST’S TESTIMONY TO THE SAMARITAN WOMAN (John 4:7-26) (Continued)
    1. The Explanation of True Worship (John 4:20-24)
      1. The meaning of worship
        1. The word worship comes from worth+ship. It means to declare the worthiness of (Revelation 5:9-12).
        2. Therefore, worship is not limited to a place or the performance of a ceremony. Rather, it is an inward attitude of reverence and exaltation expressed by an outward act of praise (Psalm 29:2).
      2. The place of worship (John 4:20-21)
        1. Not Mount Gerizim
        2. Soon not to be Jerusalem
        3. But wherever God’s people meet with Him (Matthew 18:20)
      3. The character of true worship (John 4:22-24; Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:31)
        1. Sane (John 4:22) – “we know what we worship” (1 Corinthians 14:14-15, 26-33; Colossians 3:16).
        2. Spiritual (John 4:24) – “in spirit” (Philippians 3:3)
        3. Sincere (John 4:24) – “in truth”
          1. Matching our deeds (1 John 3:18)
          2. Without hypocrisy (Philippians 1:18)
          3. Without falsehood (Mark 12:14)
      4. The participants of worship (John 4:23)
        1. True worshippers
        2. Sought by the Father – “the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
      5. The object of true worship (John 4:23-24)
        1. The Father
        2. God who is a Spirit
          1. Changed in most bibles with “a” being removed so that “God is spirit.” However, this denies the personality of God making Him impersonal.
          2. That God is a Spirit means that He is a spiritual being. He does not have a fleshly body. Therefore, He is not pleased by fleshly actions. A spiritual being demands spiritual worship.
      6. The actions of true worship (John 4:24)
        1. Praise (Psalm 138:2)
        2. Prayer (Psalm 95:6)
        3. Song (Psalm 66:4)
        4. Giving (1 Chronicles 16:29)
        5. Obedience (Hebrews 13:15-16)
    2. Special Notes: What the New Testament Says about the Jew [Does the New Testament teach us to look on Jews as Christ-killers? Is the blood of Christ still on their hands?]
      1. Salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22); Jesus came to fulfill the Jewish law (Matthew 5:17).
      2. God’s word came through the Jews (Romans 3:1-2); this includes the New Testament books.
      3. God’s gifts to man came through the Jews (Romans 9:4-5).
        1. The law – the basis for all good law
        2. The promises – the basis for all hope for man
        3. Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15; Hebrews 2:16; Isaiah 9:6)
      4. The Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah (Acts 2:22-23).
        1. They accepted the blood of Christ (Matthew 27:22-25).
        2. But Christ prayed for their forgiveness because of their ignorance (Luke 23:34; Acts 3:17).
        3. Jesus was rejected by all men (Acts 4:24-28; 1 Corinthians 2:8).
      5. The Jews attempt to establish their own righteousness (Romans 10:2-3).
        1. The example of Paul (Philippians 3:5-9)
        2. The need of all (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:3)
        3. The curse of the law (Deuteronomy 27:26; Romans 7:10-14; Galatians 3:21-22)
        4. The redemption of Christ (Galatians 3:10-13; Romans 8:3)
        5. The power of imputation (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
      6. The Jews will yet receive their kingdom (Acts 1:6-7; Romans 11:25-27).
      7. Some Jews will come to Jesus as Messiah even today (Romans 11:1-5).
    3. His Expression of His Identity (John 4:25-26)
      1. Her expectation of Christ (John 4:25)
        1. He will come.
        2. He will tell us all things.
      2. The identity of the Christ (John 4:26)
  2. CHRIST’S TEACHING OF HIS DISCIPLES (John 4:27-38)
    1. The Wondering Disciples (John 4:27)
      1. Their surprise – “marveled”
      2. Their silence – “no man said”
    2. The Witnessing Woman (John 4:28-30)
      1. Her thrill (John 4:28) – “left her waterpot”
      2. Her target (John 4:28) – “to the men”
      3. Her testimony (John 4:29) – “is not this the Christ?”
      4. Her triumph (John 4:30) – “they…came unto him.”
    3. The Working Saviour (John 4:31-34)
      1. The meat of the disciples (John 4:31)
      2. The meat they knew not of (John 4:32-33)
      3. The meat of the Master (John 4:34)
        1. To do the will of God (John 5:30; John 6:38; Hebrews 10:7)
        2. The meat offering (Leviticus 2); the bloodless sacrifice points to a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).
          1. A picture of the life of Christ
          2. A picture of the life of the surrendered believer
David Reagan

Daily Proverb

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.