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This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world

Text: John 4:1-42
13 April 2008

(I) A GREAT DIVIDE

(In the first century)

1. Between Jews and Gentiles

2. Between Jews and Samaritans

(II) REASONS FOR THE GREAT DIVIDE BETWEEN JEWS AND SAMARITANS

1. Racial issues

2. Religious issues

3. Historical issues

4. Personal issues

(III) TEARING DOWN THE GREAT DIVIDE

1. Jesus and His ministry to a woman of Samaria (John 4:1-28)

2. The witness of the Samaritan woman

“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4:29

“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.’ ” John 4:39

a) “He told me all that I ever did”

i) Her past

ii) Her present

b) “Could this be the Christ”

i) A growing concern

ii) A growing conviction

3. Jesus and His ministry to the Samaritans

“Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” John 4:30

“So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.” John 4:40-41

a) Coming to Jesus

b) Inviting Jesus to stay on

c) Listening to Jesus

d) Believing in Jesus

(IV) THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAMARITANS

“Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” John 4:42

1. We ourselves have heard Him

a) Personal knowledge

b) Not “hearsay”

2. And we know

a) Knowledge

b) Obtained

i) Through hearing

ii) Through raising of questions

3. This is indeed the Christ

a) The Anointed One sent by God

b) He is the Christ

Common theological belief in the coming of the Messiah

4. The Saviour of the world

a) Not just of the Jews

b) But of the Samaritans

c) And of the world