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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
February 24, 2008
The Messiah’s Call to Worship
John 4:1-26
INTRODUCTION
Sometime ago I had quite a bit of correspondence by e-mail with a fellow that avowed himself to be an atheist. Through the church website he had sent me an e-mail with some rather silly statements and then signed off with “atheism rocks.” I was about to just delete the message as just another piece of junk e- mail, but then thought it would be better to respond and ask him a couple of questions. My reason for engaging this self described atheist came out of the Scripture passage we will be looking at this morning in John 4. We are to engage those around us and try to bring them to a knowledge of the truth. It does not matter the person’s background or what sins they have committed.
As we saw a few weeks ago in John 3, God loves the world and He sent Jesus to save sinners. We will meet a sinner in our text this morning. A woman that the religious community of the time would have been considered to be an outcast too far away from God to merit any attention. Yet, God loved her. We might think an atheist too far gone to be worth the effort, yet God loves even those that deny His existence. We are to love those that God loves, for Christians are to be reflections of Jesus, and that includes engaging people in spiritual conversations even if our initial impression of them is that they would not be interested. We need to at least find out.
Often the most difficult part in talking to someone about spiritual matters is getting the conversation turned to them. Today we will see how Jesus accomplished that. Turn to John 4.
DEPARTURE FROM JUDEA (John 4:1-3)
As this chapter begins we find that Jesus and His disciples are still in Judea baptizing those who were repenting, but some news comes that causes Jesus to change both His location and His ministry.
John 4:1 (NASB) When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
Jesus’ ministry had expanded past that of John the Baptist just as John said it would (John 3:30). The apostle John clarifies that it was not Jesus Himself that was baptizing, but rather His disciples. This practice would have removed any claim by someone to having a superior baptism because Jesus did it. Jesus does not leave because His ministry is overshadowing John’s, as if there was competition between them. Jesus leaves because His increasing ministry had attracted the attention of the Pharisees and with that would come their increasing opposition, and it was not yet time for that. A minor theme throughout John’s gospel is the importance of Jesus being on a timetable. Jesus had opposition from the very beginning of His ministry and He knew that the opposition of His enemies would one day bring about His crucifixion, but Jesus was in control of when that would occur. He would not bring it about prematurely.
John the Baptist was taken into custody in December A.D. 27 (see Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14), and so Jesus now sets aside the ministry of Baptism in the land of Judea and returns to Galilee where He had started a ministry earlier in the year with the miracle of wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2). Jesus will now focus on a ministry of teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing in the land of Galilee where there will be less opposition from the Pharisees (Matthew 4:23).
PASSING THROUGH SAMARIA (John 4:4-6)
John 4:4 tells us, “And He had to pass through Samaria. So He ^came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”
I like the way the KJV translates verse 4, “And he must needs go through Samaria.” Some commentators try to interpret this as just the normal way that Jesus would have gone back to Nazareth, for the Galileans did not avoid Samaria the way the Judeans did. However, that does not explain the statement that “He had to pass through Samaria.”
There was antagonism between the Jews and the Samaritans that extended back to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah some 400 years earlier. The Samaritans were the decedents of the foreign people that Shalmaneser had brought in after the Assyrians had conquered Israel and deported the Israelites to other lands. These were pagan people who pleaded with Shalmaneser to provide a priest from the Israelites so they could deal “with the god of the land” – which is how they viewed Yahweh (2 Kings 17:24-41). The result was a mixture of paganism and Jewish worship of the LORD. When Nehemiah returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem he refused to allow the Samaritans to help because of their mixture of truth and error though they claimed to be worshippers of the LORD. The Samaritans instead built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim and continued their own practices. The religious and racial antagonism continued in the time of Christ.
The Judean Jews, being a bit more snobbish, would not go through Samaria if they could help it. If they needed to go to Galilee, they would go down to the Jordan valley and then travel north through Perea and Decapolis. The Galileans, on the other hand, did not mind as much and would take the direct route north from Jerusalem through Samaria and into Galilee.
Some claim this is why Jesus went through Samaria. However, for Jesus, this would have been more effort because He was already in the Jordan valley, and it would have been a lot easier for Him to travel up the Jordan River road and then through the plain of Meggido to Cana than to ascend into the Judean hills and then travel north. The route he took would have been both farther and required climbing to a higher elevation, and when you have to walk, that makes a big difference! In addition, our text makes an emphasis on the fact that Jesus “had to” / “must needs” go through Samaria. Some have said that this was because Jesus was trying to avoid Herod. That is possible, but I think the story here proves more than adequate that Jesus had to go through Samaria because His Father had an appointment for Him at Jacob’s well near Sychar.
If you really believe that God is sovereign, then you do not see circumstances as happenstance, but God’s providence. That is also true with the people we meet. Our circumstances are not an accident, but divine opportunities to give glory to Him by what we say and how we act.
Since Jesus did take the more difficult route, we can understand the comment in verse 6 that Jesus was “wearied from His journey” and so was sitting by the well, or possibly even on the rampart that surrounded the well. It had been a long journey that morning climbing out of the Jordan Valley up to Shechem. It was now about noon (the sixth hour from sunrise), and Jesus sits down by the Jacob’s well, which is by the road there.
OPENING THE CONVERSATION (John 4:7-9)
While Jesus is sitting there, a divine encounter begins.
John 4:7 (NASB) There ^came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus ^said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman therefore ^said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
The disciples went into the city to buy some food and leave Jesus sitting by the well. A Samaritan woman comes to fill her pitcher with water, and Jesus’ surprises her with a request that she would never have expected. He asks her for a drink of water. She would have recognized that Jesus was a Jew both from His clothing and His speech. Just as there are regional accents today, so there was then, and the Jews and Samaritans had different accents. She does not understand how it would be that Jesus, being a Jew, would ask her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink. John adds a comment at the end of verse 9 to clarify the reason for her surprise. The translation , “the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” is not accurate. The fact is that the Jews would deal with the Samaritans and their land was not even considered unclean, even though the Judean Jews sought to avoid it. The Jews did buy and trade with the Samaritans even as Jesus disciples had gone into the city to do. They went to buy food from the Samaritans. This would be better translated as “for the Jews do not use together with the Samaritans.” The word translated as “dealings with” is sugcrwntai /sugxrontai which is a compound word from sun (sun) meaning “with” and crowmai (xroomai) meaning “to use” or “make use” resulting in “to use with.”
Jesus did not have anything to either draw water from the well or to drink from. His request required that He drink from her pitcher. This was considered an unclean practice by the Pharisees and the Jews in general. It is one thing to trade with the Samaritans, but quite another to actually drink from the same cup.
How do you get someone’s attention in order to talk with them about God and Jesus? We can learn from Jesus here that we should not act according to religious stereotypes but according to God’s Word. Jesus did not see this woman as an unclean Samaritan, but as the object of God’s love, and one day He would die for her sins in order to cleanse her.
How often do Christians act like the Pharisees with a religious snobbery that separates them from sinful people rather than reaching out to them as Jesus did? The result? They miss the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love and to tell someone the gospel that would save their souls and change them. Have you been like that? Are you like that? I am glad for the opportunities I have had in jail ministries, with rescue missions, hospital ministries and such to talk with and touch those considered outcasts by our society.
Do you want to open up a conversation with a non-Christian that could lead to sharing the gospel? Then don’t act in the stereo-typical religious manner. Demonstrate a true interest in others. Be kind to those who don’t expect it. Ask them questions and show genuine interest in their answers. Jesus even asked the Samaritan woman for help. Ask them for a favor or do them a favor. Either can open up a door into their hearts. Jesus’ request to the Samaritan woman opened the door for meaningful conversation with someone that would have otherwise ignored Him.
INVITING QUESTIONS (John 4:10-12)
Next, Jesus makes a statement designed to intrigue her and prompt her to ask questions. It is another mashal, a riddle-like saying that causes reflection to make a hidden point. John 4:10 (NASB) Jesus 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.”
Jesus statement lets her know that there is more to Him than what she sees. He interjects a statement giving a clue that He is talking about a spiritual subject, “If you knew the gift of God,” but she does not recognize it. Neither does she recognize the double meaning to “living water.” Jesus is talking about something spiritual, but she only understood the common meaning.
Water that was in a cistern or a stagnant well was referred to as just water. Water that was from a stream or a spring was referred to as “living water.” It was water that came from something that was moving or bubbling up. This kind of water is always better than stagnant water and therefore much more desirable. She is intrigued with His statement and responds in John 4:11,12.
She ^said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?”
She could only see what was before her and so she questions how Jesus could get this water since He did not even have a rope and bucket. She expects a negative answer to her question about Jesus being greater than Jacob, but the question shows that she is beginning to sense there is more to this stranger than meets the eye.
One of the tasks we have when witnessing to others is to try and get them thinking for themselves. Jesus does that here using a mashal. We may not be able to come up with something as profound as Jesus, but we can ask questions and make statements that speak of a world beyond the physical here and now. We can challenge people to think beyond their own little world and consider what may be beyond them. We can also ask some open ended questions to get them to think through issues. That is what I did with the professed atheist that e-mailed me. I challenged him to use the same logic he has used to claim there is no God and apply it to his own belief system. I also challenged him that he would not be an atheist since he is not omniscient. God could very well exist and he had just has not found Him yet. I asked him questions such as what is the source of his own ultimate origin, to explain the origin of moral good, and what caused the radical change in Jesus’ disciples?
The people you talk to, like the woman at the well, may not get it initially, but getting them thinking is the first step toward being able to explain to them spiritual truth.
INTRODUCING THE SPIRITUAL TRUTH ( John 4:13-15)
Jesus’ answer in verse 13 introduces the spiritual truth to her, but she still does not understand.
John 4:13 (NASB) Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. ” 15 The woman ^said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw.”
Even though all that Jesus says about this living water is contrary to physical water, this woman is still thinking in physical terms. Physical water cannot stop a person from becoming thirsty again. You have to drink again and again and again and still you will be thirsty in the future. The living water Jesus spoke of gives lasting satisfaction. Physical water must come from an outside source. The living water Jesus spoke of will be an internal spring of resource. Physical water is needed for life, but physical life is limited and in time it will end. Death statistics are pretty impressive. One out of one die. The only exceptions so far are Enoch, who was not for God took him (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah who was taken up in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Jesus died and then conquered death. The living water Jesus spoke of resulted in eternal life. In addition, as Jesus had already pointed out in verse 10, this living water comes as a gift.
Even though Jesus spoke of eternal life, which is certainly a spiritual concept, the woman did not understand the nature of what Jesus was talking about. She only thought of the convenience of not having to go to the well for water anymore. This was even better than running water in the house, because you never got thirsty.
Remember that Satan has blinded the eyes of the unbelieving so that they cannot see or understand spiritual truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). Don’t be discouraged when those you talk to about spiritual things do not understand. Until such point that they knowingly reject the gospel and become swine, before whom you are not to cast the pearl of the gospel (Matthew 7:6), you still have opportunity. Make more thought provoking statements and ask more questions. Perhaps it may also be time to make the spiritual truth personal to them. That is what Jesus does in verse 16.
CREATING THIRST (John 4:16-20)
John 4:16 (NASB) He ^said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus ^said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly. ”
Some have said that Jesus gives up and changes the subject here in verse 16. Others have said He is calling for the husband in hopes of him understanding. None of that is true. Jesus is omniscient. He knew the answer to His question before He asked it. He asks the question to make the spiritual matter He is talking about personal to her. His question is designed to force her to admit her need for spiritual help. He is creating a spiritual thirst within her by gently bringing out her sinfulness and need for a savior.
Her curt answer demonstrates that Jesus hit a soft spot of conviction. Whereas prior to this she had been pretty talkative, now her answer is very short, just three words in Greek. This is her defense. By quickly saying she has no husband she is trying to put an end to the subject. But Jesus does not leave the subject, and because He is omniscient, He reveals to her that He already knows all about her life.
We are not told why she had five previous husbands. Perhaps they had died, perhaps they had divorced her, or perhaps a mixture of both. The great conviction was in the fact that the man she was currently with was not her husband. She was living in an immoral relationship. She knew it, and so did Jesus.
We need to be gentle with people and show them love, but that does not mean we ignore their sin. We need to bring up the subject and point out that they have failed to meet God’s laws. It is best if you can get them to see that for themselves, as Jesus does here, than to bluntly accuse them of it. One of my favorite ways of doing this is to talk about someone else committing sin so they can see can see the parallel in their own life. That is what Nathan the prophet did with David when he had sinned with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah (See 2 Samuel 12).
Many have said that the Samaritan woman’s response in verses 19 & 20 is just trying to change the subject. While there may be a certain element of truth in that she does not want to continue talking about her own sinfulness, I see in her response a longing for something deeper in her life.
John 4:19 (NASB) The woman ^said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you [people] say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
By her own declaration she concludes that Jesus is a prophet. She knows she is not dealing with an ordinary man. That is why I do not believe her response is just trying to avoid further exposure. She has already been exposed by Jesus’ omniscience and is well aware that she can hide nothing from Him. I find in her statement a longing to know how to properly worship God. The Samaritans had produced their own copy of the books of Moses in which they had changed certain passages. From their adulterated Pentateuch they taught that the true worship of the LORD had to take place on Mt. Gerizim, which was directly south of where they were standing. She may well have pointed to it as she made her statement. The Jews argued from the uncorrupted books of Moses that the true worship of God was to occur in Jerusalem. This woman is appealing to a man she believes to be a prophet, and may have already been wondering if He was the Messiah, to solve this problem for her. How could she truly seek God if she did not even know where to go to worship Him.
We often find that non-Christians do want to want to know and worship the true God, but they do not know Him, and what they have been taught has been contrary to the truth.
DECLARING THE TRUTH (John 4:21-24)
Jesus responds to her with the truth. He is not afraid of offending her, yet He is gentle with her for He points her beyond the conflict between the Jews and Samaritans.
John 4:21 (NASB) Jesus ^said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. 22 “You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus makes it very clear that the issue in worshiping God is not the location, but the spirit and attitude of the worshiper. Jesus points out there was a time coming when true worship would not take place in either Jerusalem or on Mt. Gerizim. This is looking forward to the crucifixion and resurrection which would render the animal sacrifice of the Jews and the Samaritans obsolete. Jesus came to establish a new covenant. When Jesus died, the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. God would not dwell in a temple made of human hands, but in the hearts of those who love Him.
Jesus is also very clear that the Samaritans were wrong. They “worship that which [they] do not know.” Their attempt to worship the LORD was commendable, but it was perverted and so they had wrong ideas about God. The Jews were given the revelation from God and from it could know and worship the true God. But Jesus did not stop there. He goes on to declare the more important truth.
We too must be careful to press on to the more important truths. It is very easy to get wrapped up in winning the point and in doing so alienating the person we are trying to talk with. Yes, we declare the truth, but always in love and always with pointing to the truths of greater importance. God is seeking true worshipers and you can be one if you want.
Jesus states that “an hour is coming, and now is,” because that is the nature of His kingdom. It is still true. We worship God now, but the greater reality will be when we reach heaven. It is both future and present.
The true nature of the worship of God is doing so in spirit and in truth for that is in reflection of His own nature. God’s nature is completely spiritual. He is not a deity of stone or wood as the idolaters believe. He is not a God of just one location such as Samaria as the Samaritan forefathers had believed so many centuries earlier. He does not exist in the created elements as the pantheists believe. God is a spirit. He is incorporeal. He created the world and all that is in it and He transcends it.
The true worship of God does not occur in performing religious rituals. There are many that perform acts of humility and submission to a god of some sort, perhaps even in the belief it is worship of the true God, as did the Samaritans. Yet the whole time they live in a manner contrary to God’s commands. True worship comes from within the person’s spirit out of a desire to honor and glorify their Creator with their lives in every area. The outward actions of worship arise from an inward reality.
Truth is also essential for worship, and truth is determined by God and not man. That is the main reason that true worship has a focus on the Scriptures, for God’s word is truth (John 17:17 – See: The Centrality of the Word in Worship). Too many people formulate their own methods of worshiping God and then conclude that is the way God is to be worshiped. That is religion, not worship. (See: Worship That Pleases God, Pt. 2) True worship approaches God in the manner that God commands. It is with humility, faith, respect, honor, praise and confession (See: Marks of True Worship). True worship results in a manner of life that is in keeping with truth so that God is glorified by the things you do and say (See: Marks of True Worship, Pt. 2 and Worship That Pleases God, Pt. 1). The only way to actually worship God is in spirit and truth and that will come out in everything you do. Not only what may happen in a church service (See: Music in Worship and Expressing Worship), but in how you live daily life as well (See: Worship in Daily Life). Anything other than that is false worship.
We must remember when we are talking with people that the goal of our conversation is God’s glory and not our winning an argument. We seek to point people to God Himself that they may worship Him in spirit and in truth
PROVIDING HOPE (John 4:25,26)
Jesus’ conversation with this woman ends with hope.
John 4:25 (NASB) The woman ^said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus ^said to her, “I who speak to you am [He.”]
In many ways this woman is very ignorant, but she does understand some basic truths. She has no clue about when Messiah would come, but she yearns for that day, for in it there is hope. He would teach them all things. Jesus then declares Himself to be that very person. He is the Messiah.
We might ask why Jesus would disclose Himself to this Samaritan woman when He did not do so to so many others? We could speculate on this, but regardless of what speculations are put forth, the final analysis would have to be that God is gracious.
We must keep that in mind whenever we talk to someone. God is gracious. He has extended an offer to all mankind that “whosoever will” believe in Jesus Christ may be saved. We do not understand the spirit’s work on a human heart. We do understand that God is gracious and He wants us to tell others about it.
Jesus had a divine appointment by Jacob’s well where He asked a favor from a Samaritan woman that was completely unexpected. He was kind, gracious and humble to someone most people treated with contempt. He opened up a conversation and turned it to spiritual matters she did not understand. He created a spiritual thirst within her by pointing out her need for God. We was truthful with her, but also loving. He did not condemn her. He had no disdain for her. He treated her with grace and respect and revealed to her the hope she had always longed for.
That is what Jesus wants us to do as well. Let’s follow His example in reaching out to those disdained by religious society, but still loved by God. We need to tell them about the God they do not know. We are to speak the truth to them in love by giving them a hope they did not know they could have.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.
Sermon Notes – 2/24/2008 A.M.
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times “worship” is mentioned in the sermon. Talk with your parents about how worship God in spirit & truth, and how you can tell others about Jesus .
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Where as Jesus and what had He and His disciples been doing? Why did Jesus leave Judea for Galilee? What would have been the easiest route for Him to take to Galilee? Why did Jesus go through Samaria? Why was the Samaritan woman so surprised when Jesus asked her for a drink? How can you start a conversation with someone that would otherwise be repulsive or antagonistic to you? How can you make sure you have the right attitude? What was the double meaning of “living water” in John 4:10? What can you do to prompt another person to think? How did Jesus introduce spiritual truth to this woman? Did the woman understand? Why not? How can you introduce spiritual truth to someone? What can you do if they do not understand? How did Jesus create a spiritual thirst in the woman? How can you create a spiritual thirst? What was the desire of this woman? How did Jesus both correct her and give her hope? How can you bring a person to a knowledge of their sin without being accusatory? What did Jesus mean that worship would not be either at Jerusalem or on Mt. Girizim? What false ideas are corrected by stating that God is spirit? What are some of the ways that people give false worship to God? What does it mean to worship in Spirit? What are some of the ways this is often done incorrectly? What does it mean to worship in truth? How is truth determined? Why are both necessary to true worship? What is the evidence of true worship? Do you worship that way? What are the essential truths of the gospel? Write out a plan to witness to someone (a specific person would be best), have others pray for you and then carry out your plan.
The Messiah’s Call to Worship – John 4
Introduction
God loves the world and He sent Jesus to save __________
The hard part in telling someone about Jesus can be turning the conversation to _______________
Departure from Judea (John 4:1-3)
Jesus Himself was not __________
Jesus was on a divine _________. He would not __________________ before the proper time
Passing Through Samaria (John 4:4-6)
Jesus _____________ through Samaria
The Samaritans were a people of mixed heritage – _________ and those brought in by the Assyrians
Their religion was a mixture of __________ and paganism
Judean Jews would not travel through _________, but Galilean Jews would
It was more __________ and ____________ for Jesus to travel through Samaria
Circumstances are not happenstance, but part of Divine ___________ – God’s sovereignty at work
Jesus was _______ from His journey & sat down by _____________ near Shechem. It is about noon
Opening the Conversation (John 4:7-9)
The Samaritan woman is ___________ at Jesus’ request for a drink of water from her
“for the Jews do not use together with the Samaritans.” Jesus would have had to ______from her pitcher
We can get someone’s attention by ______________ and not acting with snobbish religious stereotypes
Demonstrate a true _________ in others. Be ______ to all. Ask genuine questions – even ask for ______.
Inviting Questions (John 4:10-12)
Jesus interjects a statement indicating that He is talking about a ____________ subject
Living water has a __________ meaning. A metaphor for ____________ or Water from a well or ______.
She responded with questions of her own. Try to get people to start ____________ for themselves.
Make statements, ask questions to prod them beyond the ___________________
Introducing the Spiritual Truth (John 4:13-15)
Jesus described the “living water” in terms that were ______________ any physical capacity
The woman did not _______________. Satan has ___________ the eyes of the unbelieving
Until a person knowingly ________ the gospel, you still have opportunity.
Creating Thirst (John 4:16-20)
Jesus is omniscient. He knew the answer to His question _________ He asked it.
Jesus brought her to a point of ________ conviction. She was living with a man who was _____________.
Try to get them to recognize their own sin rather than just ______them. Use Nathan’s example – 2 Sam. 12
She changes the subject from her personal sin to how to ____________God.
Declaring the Truth (John 4:21-24)
The issue in worship is not ___________, but the spirit and attitude of the worshiper
Jesus points out her error and _________her to the truth and ____________ to the more important subject
Declare the _________, but always in ______and always with pointing to the truths of greater importance.
True worship of God is in ________ and in ________ for that reflects His own nature
Religious rituals and works ______________ true worship of God
True worship comes from __________ the person’s ________ out of a desire to honor and glorify God
________ is also essential for worship, and _______ is determined by God and not man
When man formulates his own methods of worship, he only has _________
True worship _______God and comes to Him with humility, faith, respect, honor, praise and confession
True worship is expressed in a __________________ that is in keeping with the truth & glorifies God
Providing Hope (John 4:25,26)
The woman is ignorant in many ways, but she does long for the coming of _____________
Jesus reveals Himself to her because He is __________. We must follow His example
Jesus _________opened up a conversation with someone usually treated with contempt by His society.
Jesus turned the conversation to __________ matters and created a ___________ thirst
Jesus was truthful, but also _______. He treated her with _____and revealed the answer to her great hope.
We are to speak the truth to them in ______by giving them a ______ they did not know they could have
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