[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 4th of September, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Do you remember the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well? This woman had a checkered past so she always went to the well about midday, to avoid the other women. Jesus happened to be there one day and He spoke to her and offered her the Living Water. After He told her all about her life and her past, she came to believe that He was indeed the Messiah. So she ran back to the village to tell all the people about Him.
Just as she was leaving, though, the disciples came back after getting themselves and Jesus something to eat. Listen and follow along to this brief interlude between Jesus and His disciples before the woman returned with other townsfolk, as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account, chapter 4, verses 27 through 38, from the New King James Version…
Just as she was leaving, though, the disciples came back after getting themselves and Jesus something to eat. Listen and follow along to this brief interlude between Jesus and His disciples before the woman returned with other townsfolk, as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account, chapter 4, verses 27 through 38, from the New King James Version…
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
--John 4:27-38 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, just like Jesus knew all about that woman at the well, You know all about us. You know what we are thinking, what we are feeling, what we are going through at any given time. Help us focus on You right now, Father. Help us block out any distractions that will keep us from hearing Your message this morning. In the holy name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
The personnel manager looked across the desk at the young job applicant and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't hire you. There just isn't enough work to keep you busy."
The young man replied back, "Oh, you'd be surprised how little it takes."
And that brings to mind a certain church where the new pastor was nothing at all like the former pastor. He didn't care to do the repairs and mowing around the church and parsonage. He hired someone to do those chores. The additional cost concerned the church Deacons. One of them approached the new pastor and addressed this issue, saying, "Our previous pastor mowed the lawn himself. Have you considered this approach?" The new pastor responded, "Yes, I'm aware of this. And I asked him. But he doesn't want to do it anymore."
Many hold to different definitions of “work”, it seems. I believe some consider it a vulgar four-letter word. Some even seem allergic to work, and try to avoid it as much as possible. I’ve seen some folks that worked harder trying to keep from working than if they’d just gone ahead and worked!
A couple weeks ago we talked about the people who stand at busy intersections holding signs that say, “Will work for food”, and we wonder if their need is real or they’re just pulling a scam, trying to keep from doing a real job. And then there are those who seem quite content letting someone else do all the work.
None of these describe Jesus, though, do they. So if we’re going to be more and more like Him, then none of this should describe us either.
Jesus was certainly no stranger to work, not even before He came to earth as one of us. He was there at the very beginning, helping His Father God create the universe and all that is in it!
Do you remember what happened after all that work of creation was completed? Listen to the words Moses recorded in his Book of Genesis, chapter 2, verses 1 through 3…
The personnel manager looked across the desk at the young job applicant and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't hire you. There just isn't enough work to keep you busy."
The young man replied back, "Oh, you'd be surprised how little it takes."
And that brings to mind a certain church where the new pastor was nothing at all like the former pastor. He didn't care to do the repairs and mowing around the church and parsonage. He hired someone to do those chores. The additional cost concerned the church Deacons. One of them approached the new pastor and addressed this issue, saying, "Our previous pastor mowed the lawn himself. Have you considered this approach?" The new pastor responded, "Yes, I'm aware of this. And I asked him. But he doesn't want to do it anymore."
Many hold to different definitions of “work”, it seems. I believe some consider it a vulgar four-letter word. Some even seem allergic to work, and try to avoid it as much as possible. I’ve seen some folks that worked harder trying to keep from working than if they’d just gone ahead and worked!
A couple weeks ago we talked about the people who stand at busy intersections holding signs that say, “Will work for food”, and we wonder if their need is real or they’re just pulling a scam, trying to keep from doing a real job. And then there are those who seem quite content letting someone else do all the work.
None of these describe Jesus, though, do they. So if we’re going to be more and more like Him, then none of this should describe us either.
Jesus was certainly no stranger to work, not even before He came to earth as one of us. He was there at the very beginning, helping His Father God create the universe and all that is in it!
Do you remember what happened after all that work of creation was completed? Listen to the words Moses recorded in his Book of Genesis, chapter 2, verses 1 through 3…
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
--Genesis 2:1-3 (NKJV)
After all the work was done, they rested – not before.
Jesus broke all kinds of rules of the day when He stopped and talked to that woman at the well. But He had a reason, He had a specific job to do. And He completed that little piece of work quite well. The entire village was saved that day stemming from that conversation with the woman, and then her spreading the message and bringing folks to see Jesus, to see for themselves.
But this little interlude - after their conversation and while the woman ran off to tell the others - this provides a powerful message for us. Remember that Jesus was fully man, even while fully God, and as a man He too had to eat to be physically nourished. But what does He tell us here? The nourishment of our soul is more important than the nourishment of our body. It is more to our ultimate advantage that our eternal soul be fed rather than our mortal body.
And how do we feed our soul? Do we just eat plenty of soul food? No, the food for our soul is to do the will of God! And if we truly understand that Jesus is God, then we will see that doing His will, as He commands, also provides food for our soul.
In his Gospel account, the Apostle Matthew describes how Jesus sent His disciples out to do His will. Listen to what Jesus says in this account, from Matthew chapter 10, verses 7 through 10…
Jesus broke all kinds of rules of the day when He stopped and talked to that woman at the well. But He had a reason, He had a specific job to do. And He completed that little piece of work quite well. The entire village was saved that day stemming from that conversation with the woman, and then her spreading the message and bringing folks to see Jesus, to see for themselves.
But this little interlude - after their conversation and while the woman ran off to tell the others - this provides a powerful message for us. Remember that Jesus was fully man, even while fully God, and as a man He too had to eat to be physically nourished. But what does He tell us here? The nourishment of our soul is more important than the nourishment of our body. It is more to our ultimate advantage that our eternal soul be fed rather than our mortal body.
And how do we feed our soul? Do we just eat plenty of soul food? No, the food for our soul is to do the will of God! And if we truly understand that Jesus is God, then we will see that doing His will, as He commands, also provides food for our soul.
In his Gospel account, the Apostle Matthew describes how Jesus sent His disciples out to do His will. Listen to what Jesus says in this account, from Matthew chapter 10, verses 7 through 10…
7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.”
--Matthew 10:7-10 (NKJV)
Jesus said to go and preach the Gospel, and don’t worry about money or what you might have to wear or any other material things. He also said a worker is worthy of his food. And while we can take that to mean that folks who do the work of God should be compensated for their efforts, at least to have their mortal body fed, I believe He also means that doing the will of God makes a person worthy of the food the Father will provide for their eternal soul.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that He could give her Living Water, for which she would never again thirst. And of course we know He means that through Him, she and we can have eternal life in heaven. When His disciples brought lunch, He told them that He had food they didn’t know about, meaning that doing God’s will was the food He needed and received.
Let’s look just a little further ahead in the Gospel account of John, to soon after Jesus had fed 5000 men and their families with only five loaves of bread and two small fishes. Listen to what Jesus said to the people, in John chapter 6, verses 26 through 27, 32 through 33, and 35…
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that He could give her Living Water, for which she would never again thirst. And of course we know He means that through Him, she and we can have eternal life in heaven. When His disciples brought lunch, He told them that He had food they didn’t know about, meaning that doing God’s will was the food He needed and received.
Let’s look just a little further ahead in the Gospel account of John, to soon after Jesus had fed 5000 men and their families with only five loaves of bread and two small fishes. Listen to what Jesus said to the people, in John chapter 6, verses 26 through 27, 32 through 33, and 35…
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
--John 6:26-27; 32-33; 35 (NKJV)
The food of God, the food that will nourish our soul, is Jesus! Jesus is the bread of life. Those who come to Him will never hunger; those who believe in Him will never thirst. He is the living water; He is the bread of life. Through Him our eternal soul is fed and nourished.
Let’s not hold up a sign that says, “Will work for food”, hoping the world will take note. Let the world see our work, so that they too will hunger after righteousness. Show them where to go to be fed. Show them Jesus.
In His holy name. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for helping us see enough of Your will in our lives that we may work according to Your great plan, doing as You would have us do, feeding our eternal souls by Your word and our works on Your behalf. Continue to bless us, please Father, that we might see more of Your will. Nourish us with Your Bread of Life, Your Son Jesus.
Hear us now, Father, as we come before You in this quiet place with bowed heads and humbled hearts. Please listen to our prayers, spoken silently from our hearts, and speak to us Your word…
Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life and all we need. You send us out into the world to do our Father’s work, and You provide for our needs so that we might not worry about worldly material things. You bless us so much that we have more than enough to bless others in their need. Help us be more of a blessing in this hurting world, Lord Jesus. Help us bring more of the lost back to You and Your redeeming love.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Master, in whom we place all our trust, and all our hope. Amen.
Let’s not hold up a sign that says, “Will work for food”, hoping the world will take note. Let the world see our work, so that they too will hunger after righteousness. Show them where to go to be fed. Show them Jesus.
In His holy name. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for helping us see enough of Your will in our lives that we may work according to Your great plan, doing as You would have us do, feeding our eternal souls by Your word and our works on Your behalf. Continue to bless us, please Father, that we might see more of Your will. Nourish us with Your Bread of Life, Your Son Jesus.
Hear us now, Father, as we come before You in this quiet place with bowed heads and humbled hearts. Please listen to our prayers, spoken silently from our hearts, and speak to us Your word…
Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life and all we need. You send us out into the world to do our Father’s work, and You provide for our needs so that we might not worry about worldly material things. You bless us so much that we have more than enough to bless others in their need. Help us be more of a blessing in this hurting world, Lord Jesus. Help us bring more of the lost back to You and Your redeeming love.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Master, in whom we place all our trust, and all our hope. Amen.
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