Through the Bible - John

Father, we love You so much because of all that You have done for us. Lord, Your Word says that we love You because You first loved us. Over the last several weeks, as we have gone through the Gospels, we have seen Your love demonstrated for us.

As we look into this, the fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, I ask that You would speak to us and give us insight. Lord, continue to transform us by the renewing of our minds. Father, reveal to us how much You love us and how precious we are to You, so that, Lord, You would also be precious to us. Just as Peter says in 1 Peter, "Unto You, therefore, that believe, He is precious." Lord, You are precious, and how awesome it is to be able to serve You, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We give You this night and ask that You would speak and open our ears, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Gospel of John is different from the other three Gospels, the synoptic Gospels. As we've gone through Matthew, Mark, and Luke, you've seen that they are relatively the same. Now, how many of you read through the Gospel of John over the last week? A couple of you, a few of you.

As you go through the Gospel of John, you'll see that it is different from the other Gospels. In fact, there is almost 90% new material in the Gospel of John. When I say that, it doesn't mean that it's a different Jesus; it's just Jesus revealed from a different point of view. In the other Gospels, we have somewhat of a chronological movement following Jesus' life and ministry.

But in the Gospel of John, we get to see some individual moments of Jesus speaking one-on-one with people. Jesus speaks one-on-one with Nathaniel, with Nicodemus, with the woman at the well, with the woman caught in adultery, with the man at the pool of Bethesda, and with the man who was born blind. These accounts are not found in the other Gospels.

As we look through this Gospel, we get to see some things taking place, and we see Jesus in a different light. The Gospel of John reveals Jesus as the...

Son of God. We considered that Matthew revealed Jesus as the Christ of the Old Testament who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Mark reveals Jesus as that great servant, the one who came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many. Luke reveals Him as the Son of Man who has come to seek and to save that which is lost.

The Gospel of John has a theme verse found in John chapter 20, verse 31. The author of this book writes, well, actually, we'll look at verse 30 first. There are two words mentioned in that verse that are seen over and over again in the Gospel of John. The first one is the word "believe." The word "believe," the Greek verb "pisteo," is seen 98 times in these 21 chapters. There are an awful lot of times that he mentions this whole idea of believing because that is the focus of the Gospel.

For by grace are you saved through what? Through faith, and that not of works. It is not of works lest any man should boast. John zeroes in on this aspect of the Gospel that has to do with our faith, placing our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, that He is the Christ, the anointed one of God, the very Son of God. He speaks of believing time and time again.

The other word in John chapter 20, verse 31, is the word "life." That believing you might have life through His name. Life is seen throughout this book. Jesus says, "The thief has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you might have life, and that to its fullest, that more abundantly." Jesus tells us in this book, "I am the resurrection and the life."

We see, also, very early in this book, the whole idea of life. The whole purpose of this 21-chapter discourse is that you might read it and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name. The key to eternal life is faith, right? Believing.

Now, back in John chapter 1, verse 1, we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And the same was in the...

Beginning with God, all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

Now there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but he was sent to bear witness of the light, that it was the true light which lights every man that comes into the world. The light was in the world, and the world was made by Him, but the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.

In these first twelve verses of the Gospel of John, we see the whole idea of life and belief, that this life is the light of men. Imagine, if you would, that you are in a dark room, seeking for something. You need light; you are seeking for the light. This represents the whole of mankind, even though they may not realize that they are seeking for the light. They are seeking for something.

However, we also find in this great Gospel that men do not like the light because they love darkness, as their deeds are evil, as stated in John chapter 3. John is writing to man to picture, portray, or represent the light.

It is interesting here in verse 6 that he mentions a man sent from God whose name was John. This John is not the author of the Gospel; it is John the Baptist. Notice why John the Baptist was sent: he was not sent to be a baptizer. Many times, we think that because he is called John the Baptist, that was his whole focus and purpose for being here—to baptize people. That is not the case. He came to bear witness. We should probably call him John the Witness, because that was his purpose: to proclaim the way or prepare the way of the Lord.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John, and he came to be a witness. This is the same purpose for which you and I are sent forth into the world. Peter tells us in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9, that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God's own peculiar or special people. Why? That we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. That is our purpose, our call: to proclaim the message of the good news. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. The whole purpose of us preaching the message is to share this light with the world.

The gospel is that people might believe. As they believe, we are told in John 20:31 that they might have eternal life. This is the abundant and eternal life that God desires to give. Man is dead; through one man's sin entered the world, and death through sin. Death spread to all men because all sinned. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. He has come to give us life and that more abundantly.

This book is built upon seven statements that Jesus made, known as the seven "I am" statements. You'll remember back in the book of Exodus, in Exodus 3, that Moses had an encounter with God. He saw a bush that was burning but not consumed. As he drew near to check it out, he had never seen anything like that before. A voice from heaven called to him, saying, "Take the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground." He was fearful, but God spoke to him from the midst of this burning bush and called him to go down to Egypt to bring the people out of bondage. The people there in Egypt were slaves, and we also were slaves, dead in trespasses and sins. Jesus came to set us free, just as Isaiah 61 proclaims. That is the ministry of the Messiah: to set the captives free.

Moses was to go, somewhat of a type of Christ, down to Egypt to set the people free. As he was being sent, he asked, "Lord, who am I supposed to tell them sent me? When I go and meet with Pharaoh, or even with my own people, who is it that sent me?" God replied, "Tell them I AM has sent you."

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the words "I am" given in Exodus 3 are the words "ego, emi." Every single time these words are used in the book of John, Jesus refers to Himself as "ego, emi," or "I am." Seven times He says these words. The first instance is found in John 6:35, where Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." A couple of chapters later, in John 8:12, Jesus is at the Temple Mount, and...

A woman is brought to Him, caught in adultery. The Pharisees and the scribes are seeking to find out what Jesus would do in this situation. She was taken in adultery, and according to the law, she should be put to death. It was a capital crime that deserved capital punishment.

After this whole discourse that takes place in the first 11 verses of John chapter 8, we read in verse 12, "Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world, and he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'"

Again, in John chapter 10, we see two new "I am" statements of Jesus. In John chapter 10, verses 7 and 9, Jesus says, "I am the door, I am the gate for the sheep." In that same chapter, in verses 11 and 14, Jesus declares, "I am the good shepherd."

Then in chapter 11, something phenomenal takes place as Jesus speaks to Martha when He comes into the city of Bethany. He says to her in verse 25, "I am the resurrection and the life, and he that believes on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die."

Over in John chapter 14, verse 6, as Jesus speaks with His disciples, He is preparing them for His departure, getting ready to ascend to the Father after going to the cross. He says to them, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

In John chapter 15, we read in verse 1, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." Again in verse 5, He reveals, "I am the vine." These are just seven of the "I am" statements given in the Gospel of John.

There are other areas in this Gospel where Jesus says, "I am." In fact, one such time, Jesus is met by a group of Pharisees and lawyers who are asking Him a question. As He speaks to them, He makes the comment, "Before Abraham was, I am." They knew very well what He was saying.

When Jesus made these "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, He was clearly asserting, "I am, as I am God." The Jews understood this because several times they took up stones to kill Him, claiming that He had committed blasphemy by calling Himself God.

These 21 chapters focus on Jesus being the Christ, the Son of God.

God. These seven statements that Jesus gives in these chapters focus on Him being God. But there are not just seven statements; there are also seven miracles that Jesus performs in the Gospel of John. So, we have seven statements and seven miracles.

As we've been going through the Gospels, one of the things I've been saying is that the miracles are always for what purpose? That's right; they are to substantiate the message. The message of Jesus in the Gospel of John is, "I am God." These things are written that you might believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God. He says, "I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gate for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the true vine." Then He performs these miracles to substantiate the message, to prove who He really was.

Interestingly, in John 15, Jesus says, "I am the vine." He substantiates that as we read His very first miracle in John chapter 2, where Jesus had gone to a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. While He was there, His mother came to Him and said, "There's a problem. They've run out of wine." What did Jesus do? He asked the servants that were there. Mary told these servants, "Whatever He tells you to do, do it." That is some good advice from Mary for you and me. Whatever He tells you to do, do it.

So, Jesus tells them to fill the water pots up with water to the top. These were water pots used for the purification of the Jews, which means that those water pots were considered unclean in the eyes of the Jews ceremonially. He has those water pots filled with water, and then He tells the servants to go and take the water to the master of ceremonies, to the governor of the feast. That took some faith to carry that to the governor of the feast and say, "Here, have a drink."

When they brought it to him, he found that it wasn't water any longer, but it was the best wine he had ever tasted. Jesus turned ordinary water, in fact, unclean water from unclean water pots, into wine. He says in chapter 15, "I am the true vine." The message is substantiated there in John chapter 2, His very first of the seven miracles that are performed.

His second miracle is found in John chapter 4, verses 46 through 54, where Jesus heals the son of a rich man, an official from Capernaum.

This man had a son who was sick, to the point of death, and yet Jesus revived him. Jesus gave him life because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. His third miracle is found in John chapter 5, where Jesus goes up to Jerusalem during one of the feasts. As He does, He goes through the sheep gate, which is just north of the east gate in Jerusalem, near the temple mount.

At the sheep gate, there was a pool called the Pool of Bethesda. There was a fable among the Jews that from time to time, an angel would come down and stir the water of the Pool of Bethesda. Whoever was the first person to get into the pool would be healed of whatever infirmity they had. You can imagine this place was filled with many sick people, all waiting, as the Bible says in John 5, for the moving of the water. They were all intently watching the water for it to move.

Jesus went to the Pool of Bethesda, and there was a man who had been lame for 38 years. He had been sick longer than Jesus had been alive. Jesus came to him and asked, "Would you like to be made well?" The man's reaction was interesting. The first thing he said was, "I don't have anybody to help me down to the water. I'm never the first one in."

Jesus then told this man who was lame to rise, take up his bed, and walk. He did. He rose, took up his bed, and walked. This is the third miracle that Jesus performed as He healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda.

In John chapter 6, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." What great miracle did He perform in John chapter 6? It was the feeding of the 5,000. He brought bread from heaven and fed them. The bread of life fed them there in John chapter 6.

Also in John chapter 6, after He had fed the multitudes, Jesus sent His disciples out on the Sea of Galilee while He tarried in the wilderness on the mountaintop to pray. Remember last week when we were going through the Gospel of Luke? We noted that every time Jesus was in the middle of the multitudes, He preached. Every time He was alone, He prayed. So, He sent His disciples away, and He was alone.

He was up there praying while they were out on the Sea of Galilee, and a great storm came. Jesus went walking upon the water to them. In John chapter 6, we see the fifth miracle of Jesus walking on the water. In John chapter 9, Jesus meets a man who was born blind, and He heals this man also on the Sabbath day. That's the sixth miracle that Jesus performed.

Remember the words of Jesus in John chapter 8, verse 12. He said, "I am the light of the world." Now, He heals this man who was born blind, who had always lived in darkness and had never seen. There is an interesting exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees at the end of John chapter 9, where they ask Him in verse 40, "Are we blind also?" He reveals to them that, yes, they are in darkness. Even though this man was physically blind, the Pharisees were spiritually blinded. This was exactly what God had told the prophet Isaiah to do unto the children of Israel: to preach unto them until their eyes were shut and their hearts were hardened. It was a pretty difficult ministry that Isaiah was given from God.

In John chapter 9, Jesus heals the man who was born blind. Then, in John chapter 11, we find the last of the miracles that are written in the Gospel of John. You'll remember that Jesus, in John chapter 11, verse 25, said, "I am the resurrection and the life." He substantiates His message and proves that it is true by raising Lazarus from the dead. As He came into the city of Bethany, He was met by Martha, Lazarus's sister, who was very distraught and grieving over the death of her brother. She said, "If you had only been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus replied, "Your brother shall rise again."

Martha responded, "I know that he'll rise again in the resurrection," but Jesus informed her, instructed her, and revealed to her what the resurrection was all about. You see, the resurrection, until the coming of Christ, was a mystery. It was not fully understood by the Jews and not fully comprehended. We see this in various places in the Old Testament. They had a hope of the resurrection and looked forward with faith to it, but they didn't fully comprehend what it was all about. So cloudy was their understanding that by the time Jesus came, there were two different groups in Israel. One group completely denied that there was a resurrection; they were called the Sadducees. The other group was the Pharisees.

They held strong to the idea of the resurrection. In fact, that was the populist view; the majority believed in this coming resurrection. However, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, and of course, that's why they were so sad, you see. I know it's been beaten too many times, but they truly did not believe in the resurrection.

Most of the people did, and we see that in the heart of Martha. She says, "I know that he will rise again at the resurrection." Jesus came to bring to light life and immortality through the gospel. This is what we see in 2 Timothy. If we look at 2 Timothy chapter 1, starting at verse 8, we notice something significant in verse 10.

In the Old Testament, the idea of the resurrection and the great salvation and glorification that God promised was a mystery. They did not fully understand it, but they looked forward to it with faith. How do we know they looked forward with faith? Hebrews chapter 11 tells us about the kind of faith Abraham had.

Remember in Genesis chapter 22, God told Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. Abraham took his son, bound him on the altar, and was ready to take his life when the Lord called from heaven, saying, "Do not lay a hand upon the boy." The Lord provided a ram that day for the sacrifice.

Hebrews chapter 11 fills us in on what Abraham's faith was like. It says that Abraham believed God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. So, what did Abraham have faith in? He had faith in the coming resurrection. Not only did Abraham have faith in the resurrection, but David did as well, as seen in 2 Samuel chapter 12.

You remember that David had sinned with Bathsheba, and she had become pregnant. Ultimately, she gave birth to a son, and the son became very sick and was going to die. God told David that his son would die. David fasted for seven days, supposing that perhaps the Lord would answer his prayer and spare the child. Ultimately, the child did die.

David got up from his fasting, took a bath, put on new clothes, and went to worship the Lord. He then returned to his home and asked his servants to bring him something to eat. His servants didn't understand his actions. They looked at him and said, "Why did you grieve before the child was dead? Now you're fine after the child has died."

David made a great profession of faith there, saying, "The child will not return to me, but I will go to where he is." You see, David had faith in the resurrection. It was a mystery in the Old Testament; they didn't fully understand it, but they looked forward to it. Now, here Jesus brings to light life and immortality through the gospel, the message He gave. He unwraps the package, so to speak, and shows us what it's all about.

In John chapter 11, we see the package unwrapped. Martha says, "I know that my brother will rise again in the resurrection," but Jesus responds in verse 25, "I am the resurrection and the life." To prove what He said and to substantiate the message, He goes and calls Lazarus forth, saying, "Lazarus, come forth." As He does, they were all worried because they were opening the tomb, and he had been in there for a few days and would stink. But Lazarus came forth fully alive.

Jesus was attested by miracles, and His message is proven to be true. This book, as I've said, is a powerful gospel. It is often recommended to new believers that they should read the Gospel of John. However, I found that when I used to read through the Gospel of John in high school or maybe in junior high, I always had a hard time with it. It's not an easy book to understand unless you really take some time to go through it.

I encourage you to take some time and read through it verse by verse, line upon line, and see what the Lord has to speak through this. The primary purpose for telling new believers to read this book is that it reveals Jesus as the Son of God who gives life. He is the only one who can give life, and man is seeking life from so many other sources. This is beautifully pictured in the story of the woman at the well in John chapter 4. If you turn there, we will look at two different people.

In John 4, we're going to look at the woman at the well, and then we're going to go backwards to John 3 to examine Nicodemus. I want you to consider for a moment that there are really two different kinds of people in this world today: the heathen and the religious. Here, we have the heathen in John chapter 4. Jesus took time to go out of His way to visit Samaria to find the heathen because He has come to seek and to save that which is lost. He is the missionary God.

In John chapter 4, verse 1, we read, "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus Himself baptized not but His disciples, He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. And He must needs go through Samaria." Then He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour, or noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink," for His disciples had gone away into the city to buy a meal. There are some interesting things we see right off the bat here. One of the things you find when you study the social customs and history of this day is that women were the ones who would draw water, but they wouldn't do so in the heat of the day. They would come either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, generally in groups to help each other. However, this woman comes in the middle of the day by herself, which seems to indicate that she is something of an outcast.

So, Jesus says to this Samaritan woman, "Give me a drink." This woman knew something of proper protocol, and she responds in verse 9, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, which is a Samaritan woman? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." It's interesting to me that she reminds Jesus of the proper protocol, telling Him that He is not supposed to be doing what He is doing.

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to you, 'Give me a drink,' then you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water." Notice that Jesus reveals to her two things that she was ignorant of: the gift of God and who He is.

It is that speaking to you. She didn't understand what the gift of God was, nor did she understand who it was that she was speaking to. In the next several verses, Jesus is going to systematically reveal first what the gift of God is and then who the giver of the gift is.

In verse 11, the woman said unto Him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou this living water?" The first thing that she does is focus upon His limitations. She says, "You don't have anything to draw water out. Of course, you're asking me for a drink. Why do you say that you can give me something to drink?" She didn't get it at first; she was focusing on His limitations. She asked, "Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank thereof himself and his children and his cattle?" That's a great question. Are you greater than our father Jacob? He was, and she would ultimately find out that this is the case.

Remember the two things that He is going to reveal to her: first, what the gift of God is, and secondly, who the giver of the gift is. He starts by saying, "If you knew the gift of God, you would have asked of me, and I would have given you living water." So that's the gift, and He is going to explain it.

Jesus answered in verse 13 and said unto her, "Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. The water that I shall give him shall be in him as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life." He reveals to her now the first thing that she was ignorant of: the gift. He says, "The water that you're drinking of, seeking to be satisfied, will never satisfy. You'll always be thirsty. If you drink this water, you will thirst again. But if you drink of the water that I give, of this living water, you shall never thirst. It shall become like a river springing up unto everlasting life."

The woman said unto Him, "Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come here to draw with." Now, remember what Jesus had told her back in verse 10? He said, "If you knew the gift of God and who it was that said unto you, 'Give me a drink,' then you would have asked, and He would have given." Well, now she asks, but He doesn't give. She says, "Sir, give me this water that I no longer have to thirst and that I don't have to come here anymore."

But remember, He has only revealed part of the story. He said, "If you knew the gift of God and the giver of the gift, you would have asked, and He would have given." You see, there are a lot of people who want the gift of God, but they are not willing to come into a relationship with the giver of the gift. Here, Jesus reveals what the gift of God is, but now He has to reveal...

To her, the question of who the giver is becomes significant. She says, "Lord, sir, give me this water so that I no longer have to thirst or come here anymore." I believe that she fulfills James chapter 4 here because she asks amiss, wanting to spend it upon her own pleasures. Jesus says, "You have not because you ask not, and you ask and receive not because you ask amiss, that you might spend it on your pleasures."

She had a selfish motive for wanting the gift. She expresses her desire not to have to come out and carry the jug anymore, lower it down the deep well, and carry the heavy water back to the city. So, she asks, "Give me this water to drink." There are some people in this world who are hedonistic; they want only what God will give, but they don't want the giver. However, Jesus is going to reveal both things. He has already revealed what the gift is, and now he is moving into the next section of revealing who the giver is.

The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water." Jesus responded, "Go and call your husband to come here." It is interesting how he begins to reveal who he is to her. He says, "Go and get your husband." The woman answered, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said that you have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. In that, you have spoken truly."

I think Jesus is so gracious in this moment because she essentially lies to him. She says, "I don't have a husband." While she might be partially truthful, she has had five husbands and is living with a man who is not her husband. If Jesus were anything like us, he might have said, "You liar! How dare you lie to the Son of God?" But instead, he commends her for what she said, which is surprising. He acknowledges her truthfulness but reveals the area where she was wrong.

When the woman heard this, she said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet." She thinks he might be a prophet because how else would he have known this? Again, he is revealing the giver of the gift, and she is starting to recognize that he is something more than just a Jewish man standing by the well outside Sychar. She has a kind of prophet test; she wants to figure out if he is indeed a prophet.

Really, Jesus is a prophet. In verse 20, the woman says to Him, "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." There was a great dilemma or problem between the Jews and the Samaritans; they did not get along at all. The Jews looked at the Samaritans as if they were half-breeds, while the Samaritans viewed the Jews as a bunch of arrogant snobs.

The Samaritans came from a group that, when the Assyrians overtook the northern ten tribes and led them away captive, repopulated the area around the northern ten-tribe region. They faced many challenges and had a hard time taking care of the land. The Assyrians brought some Jews back to help them, which led to the formation of a new religion and the emergence of the Samaritans. They built a temple on top of Mount Gerizim, located in the middle of the area called Samaria, and worshiped there. In contrast, the children of Israel worshiped at the true temple in Jerusalem.

The Samaritans believed that someday a Messiah would come to correct worship. The woman says to Jesus, "We believe that one day somebody's going to come and fix all this stuff. Who's right? Who's worshiping in the right way and in the right place? Fix this whole problem. Answer this question if you're a prophet."

Jesus answered her in verse 21, saying, "Woman, believe me, the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; that is the practice of the heathen. They worship things that they don't understand. We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

Remember, the Samaritans believed that one day a Messiah would come to fix worship. Notice what the woman says in verse 25: "I know that the Messiah comes, which is called the Christ, and when He is come, He will tell us all things." Jesus replied, "I that speak to you am He." In the original language, He says, "I am that speaketh unto you," or "Ego e me."

He reveals Himself to this woman, and upon this, His disciples came and marveled that He talked with her.

With a woman. Yet no man said, "What seekest thou? Or why talkest with her?" And the woman did what? Verse 28. What does it say? She left her water pot. Why did she come out there in the first place? To get water. But I suggest to you that she found the water that quenches her thirst. You see, He revealed to her the gift of God and the giver of the gift, and she received it.

So we see here the heathen, as Jesus reaches out to this woman who had a seedy background. Yet Jesus came and found her because He has come to seek and to save that which is lost. I mentioned that there are two kinds of people: the heathen and the religious. In John chapter 3, we find Jesus interacting with a very religious man, a man who probably thought that he had done everything necessary to inherit eternal life. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus (John 3:1). He was a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him."

Well, Jesus answered and said unto him, "Truly, truly, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Now this man, Nicodemus, I believe thought that he had it all bound and sealed up—getting into heaven, getting into the kingdom of God. It was like a done deal, a foregone conclusion. He had lived the life, circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. No doubt he was just like Saul of Tarsus. This guy thought he had it made.

In fact, Jesus goes on to ask him, and a portion of this we'll see in a moment, "Are you not the master or the teacher in Israel, and you don't know these things?" This indicates that he was one of the head guys. If you wanted to know about religion, if you wanted to know how to approach God, you would probably ask Nicodemus. He was the professor, the PhD in Jerusalem. That's why the Pharisees sent him to speak to Jesus, to examine Him and find out, "Who are you?"

The first thing Jesus says to this man wipes away all the pomp, all the religion, and everything else. He says to him, "Unless you're born again, you're not going to see the kingdom of God. You're not even going to come near enough to see it." Moses was able to see the promised land from Mount Nebo.

But you won't even get a chance to see it unless you're born again. Now, what do you think? If you were like Nicodemus and you had lived a perfect life, following religion completely, and now this guy, who you might think is from God, tells you that you're not going to heaven, what might happen in your mind? Some anger? Some frustration? I think his mind just immediately started going into overload. He began to think about every possible scripture he had ever read and every possible thing he had ever said or taught. Here this guy says to him, "You won't even see it unless you're born again." You're lacking what you need; you're lacking the one thing that you need. Nicodemus had never heard this.

So, Nicodemus said unto him in verse 4, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb?" In one sense, it's kind of mocking. He says to him, "What in the world do you think you're talking about? Born again? What is this whole born again thing?" But he wants to understand how a man is born again. How does it really happen?

I had a very interesting conversation this last week. The rest of the staff and I went out to lunch on Wednesday. As we were coming out of the restaurant, I was walking with Josh and Roberto. We came around the corner, and a couple of guys came right up behind us and started talking to us. I don't know about you, but I don't deal well when someone just comes right up behind me and starts talking. So it kind of took me by surprise. I turned around, and it was a couple of elders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—some 20-year-old elders. They wanted to talk with us.

Man, that's like prime target right there. It's like, oh sure, you got three pastors, and you just tapped us on the back and said, "Hey, guys, how you doing?" They didn't know what hit them. It started about an hour-long conversation. Roberto had to leave, but Josh and I stood there and talked with these two guys, David and Tyler, for an hour. While we did, I asked David, who was the most engaged—kind of like Saul of Tarsus, just going for it. The other guy, Tyler, just kind of stood there and watched.

The first thing I asked him was, "How is a person saved?" He said, "Well, you have to place your faith in Jesus. He died for your sins. You have to repent, and you have to be baptized." I said, "Really? Explain that to me."

He said that he just tried to explain the whole thing: faith, repentance, and baptism. I asked, "So does that mean if I've placed my faith in Christ, repented, and been baptized, I'm going to heaven?" He replied, "No, because you have to be baptized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." I responded, "Well, the Bible doesn't say that." He insisted, "Actually, the Bible says that you have to be baptized to be saved." I asked, "Where?" He cited John chapter 3, verse 5, and said, "Let's read it."

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man is born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." When he mentioned John chapter 3, verse 5, my mind started racing like Nicodemus's, and I thought, "Oh man, you're in trouble now. How dare you try and use that passage against me?" I said, "I think you've read that passage wrong. You need to read the next verses."

Nicodemus wanted to know how a man could be born again, as this didn't make any sense to him. Jesus said, "Unless a man is born of the water and of the Spirit." Remember, Nicodemus's question in verse 4 was, "Should a man enter into his mother's womb a second time?" He understood that the water of birth referred to physical birth. Jesus explains this in verse 6, saying, "That which is born of water is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Jesus is saying that you must be born again by the Spirit, which is not a new concept. This was seen in the Old Testament as well as in the New. In Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26, God prophesied through the prophet Ezekiel that one day He would give them a new spirit and a new heart. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needs to be born of the flesh and of the Spirit if he wants to enter the kingdom of God.

"Do not be amazed," Jesus continues, "or marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again. For the wind blows where it lists, and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell whence it comes and whether it goes. And so is everyone that is born of the Spirit."

Jesus explains that you don't see the wind; you can't see where it's coming from or where it's going, but you can see the effects of the wind—the way it blows on the trees or stirs up the dust. The same is true for one born of the Spirit. You cannot see the Spirit with the physical eyes of the flesh, but you can see the effects of the Spirit in the life of the believer. The fruit of the Spirit is evident.

Clearly, Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, "How can these things be?" He still doesn't get it. But Jesus is full of grace and truth, and He is a great teacher. So, Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the master in Israel, and you do not know these things? Truly, truly, I say unto you, we speak that we do know and testify what we have seen, and you receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things? And no man has ascended up into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven."

Now, Jesus answers the question that was given in verse 9: "How can these things be?" Look at this, verse 14: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

He that believes on Him is not condemned, but he that believes not on Him is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the condemnation: that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed or reproved. But he that does the truth and comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

This religious man, who believed that he was a shoo-in for heaven, comes to Jesus by night, and Jesus says to him, "You ain't getting in, buddy." That probably just totally chapped his hide; he was not happy about it. So he says to Jesus, "How can this possibly be?" But Jesus, full of grace and truth, the marvelous teacher, tells him, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."

Remember the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and they were murmuring against God. They were very good at...

Murmuring. That's all they ever did. The Lord sent vipers, snakes, into the camp, and whoever was bitten by the snake would die. Now, the snake is a symbol of what in the Bible? A symbol of sin. The people cried out to Moses because of the snakes, and Moses cried out to God. God said, "Take a piece of bronze, form it into a snake, and put it up on a pole in the midst of the camp. Whoever is bitten by the snake, if he looks at the bronze serpent, he will be saved. He will be healed."

Now, what is bronze a picture of? Judgment. The sin is judged there on the pole. I guarantee you that Nicodemus had probably read that passage from the Book of Numbers, and he probably didn't fully understand its significance. Now, Jesus explains it to him. He says, "Just in the same way that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so shall the Son of Man be lifted up." There, when Jesus was on the cross, sin was judged for you and me. Whosoever believes shall be saved. All they had to do in Numbers was look at the serpent.

Now, it totally defies logic. It goes against all our intellect. It just seems completely contrary to our understanding. How is that going to save me? But it did. I guarantee there were some people who got bitten by the snake and wouldn't look at the serpent because they were too proud, too arrogant, too haughty. And they died. There are always going to be some very religious people who are too proud, too arrogant, too haughty to look to Christ on the cross that they might be saved.

But Jesus has come to save the heathen and the religious. Sometimes, the religious—well, most of the time—are harder to reach than the heathen. Just as it was this last Wednesday, Tyler and David walked away and wouldn't repent. They are very religious and know their stuff, so to speak. They are very hard-hearted. I encourage you to pray for both Tyler and David. I think the Lord is speaking to Tyler because, at one point in our conversation, I kind of determined that I wasn't getting through to David. He was like a piece of quartz crystal.

So, I looked at Tyler, this kid who is 19 years old, and he was just kind of standing there looking at us. I had no idea what was going through his mind, but I said to him, "Tyler, I want to talk to you. How is a person saved?" He started to...

Say something, and he kind of got mixed up, and he said exactly what we believe. His friend David interjected, "No, no, that's not what he means." I told David to stay out of it and turned to Tyler, asking, "How are we saved?" Ultimately, I referred him to this passage right here: all you need to do is place your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the perfect Son of God.

I asked him, "Is Jesus Christ the propitiation for our sins?" He looked at me and said, "Propitiation? What's propitiation?" I then asked, "Is Jesus Christ the atonement for our sins, the only atonement for our sins?" Tyler replied, "Yes, he is." I continued, "Then Jesus would have to be perfect, wouldn't he?" He said, "Well, yeah, I guess he would." I explained, "Only God is perfect, Tyler. Jesus must be God." Of course, David piped up and said, "Well, he's a God." I corrected him, saying, "No, he's the God, the very God of gods."

If you think about it, pray for Tyler, because I believe Tyler is just like Nicodemus. He wants to know the truth. There are many religious people out there who also want to know the truth. John 8:32 says, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." It is very true that it is often easier to reach the heathen than the religious. Religion has a way of making people very haughty and never joyful.

Religion is built upon standards, rules, and regulations that you have to keep. We all know that we can't keep those standards, rules, and regulations, so we never have any personal joy. Yet, we always have to appear as if we are keeping our rules and standards before everyone else, which means we never have any humility either. Religion breeds arrogant, unhappy people.

If you've ever lived a religious life, and most Christians have gone through a legalistic period, you will remember that you didn't have any joy and probably had very little humility. If tonight you find yourself lacking joy and feeling a bit arrogant, it might mean that you're trying to live a religious, legalistic life. Jesus has come to set you free. Amen?

The Gospel of John reveals the Son of God who came to give His life as a ransom for you and me. All these things that John wrote were written so that you and I might believe that. As we believe, we receive life. It has nothing to do with baptism. It has nothing to do with works. It has everything to do...

With placing our faith in Jesus Christ, faith involves trust. It's not just a mental assent that Jesus is a nice guy and that he might be God. No, it involves laying yourself upon Him, recognizing that He is the only way for salvation. There are many people who say they believe in Jesus, yet they are still trying to work it out and do good works to make themselves right before God, and it will never work. He is the only way; He is the truth and the life.

Let's stand and pray. Father, we thank You that You sent Your Son for us. We thank You that we can have life through His name. There is no other name under heaven whereby men must be saved. Jesus, we thank You that You came and laid down Your life for us. Lord, we thank You that You seek after the heathen and the religious alike. We thank You that You saved us, whether we were heathens once upon a time or the most religious Pharisee You could find.

God, I know that in the lives of each of those in this room tonight are family members and friends who are lost, dead in trespasses and sins. I pray, Lord, that You would use us as You did John the Baptist, John the witness, to be witnesses of the light, the only true light which comes into the world and lights every man.

Lord, give us boldness to speak the truth at any time, to be ready in season and out of season, to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. May we preach the gospel and not be ashamed, for the gospel is Your power to bring salvation to everyone who believes. Thank You, Lord, for saving us, and give us a passion, a burning passion, to take this truth to those who are in darkness.

For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Yes. Amen. Amen. Thank you.