John Chapter 4:31-39

The disciples go into town and they come back with food but without anybody with them.

And these are the guys, these are, you know, this is the first stringers, these are the boys. And the woman who was in such bondage, the woman who had been so beaten up by sin, goes into town and what does verse 30 tell us? Then they went out of the city and came to him. She brought most of the town out to sin. The disciples come back empty handed with nobody following them and the woman who had been in such bondage and sin came up with half the town. I think this is interesting.

Why? Because God uses the people you don't think he would use and realize that everything turns into an opportunity to witness. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of The Bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Today, as Pastor David begins a message, Make a Difference, based in John chapter 4, we have a special guest in our studio. Welcome Pastor D.A.

Brown. Hey Bob, I'm really excited about this teaching. It's exciting to hear that God wants to use us to be a blessing to other people's eternity. Not just their next 10 minutes, not just their day, but be a blessing to their eternity. Bob, this is a teaching you don't want to miss.

And folks, you're in the right place because now here's David McGee with his teaching Make a Difference. So verse 31, now we've been talking about the woman at the well in John chapter 4. We've been going through the chapter here. And then what's happened at this point is the woman has realized that Jesus is the Messiah because he told her. So the woman goes into town and the disciples are coming out of town.

So let's pick it up in verse 31. In the meantime, his disciples urged him saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat of which you do not know. Verse 33, therefore the disciples said to one another, has anyone brought him anything to eat?

Now, don't miss the irony of what's going on right here. Because first of all, the disciples go into town and they come back with food, but without anybody with them. And these are the guys, you know, this is the first stringers.

These are the boys. And the woman who was in such bondage, the woman who had been so beaten up by sin goes into town. What does verse 30 tell us? Then they went out of the city and came to him. She brought most of the town out to sin.

The disciples come back empty handed with nobody following them. And the woman who had been in such bondage and sin came up with half the town. I think this is interesting. Why?

Because God uses the people you don't think he would use. Amen. I mean, even in our mind, we have this thing of, you know, you got to do this. You got to do that. You got to go to school for seven years.

If you're really, if you're really serious, you need to go for nine. And then perhaps God might use you. But look at who it is that God uses and realize that everything turns into an opportunity to witness. Look for opportunities. Look for them where you used to not see them. Look in the grocery store.

Look in the restaurants. Look at the co-workers. Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verse 4 says, he who observes the wind will not sow and he who regards the clouds will not reap. Don't let your fear or your anxiety keep you from sharing your faith. Perhaps you remember, if you're old enough, the first time you drove, how nervous you were and sweaty palms and you were very, very anxious. Why? Because you hadn't driven that much. Well, hopefully if you've been driving a little while, you didn't feel that way as you got behind the wheel this morning. You got behind the wheel and you were comfortable.

Why? Because you're used to driving now. Well, the same thing can be applied to sharing your faith. Granted, the first time, the first couple of times you may get really nervous, sweaty palms and old no, but as you begin to share your faith more and more, it becomes a habit, if you will, a good habit. And that anxiety begins to go.

And let me ask you a question. If the enemy can get you to not share your faith through anxiety, do you understand he has a vested interest in making sure you feel anxious before you share your faith? Yeah. And if he can share your faith through anxiety, do you understand he has a vested interest in making sure you feel anxious before you share your faith?

Yeah. And if he can shut you down that way, then he'll pour it on. And then the disciples, Jesus says, I have food to eat of what you do not know. And the disciples said, somebody else brought him something to eat.

I don't know what happened. There they are again, encouraging us. See, it's interesting because if you follow kind of like church history, you know, you have St. John, St. Mark and St. Matthew, but look at the reality of Scripture. Do you understand the reality of Scripture paints a different picture? Because we think of, I don't know, we get this picture in our head of what the disciples were like. First of all, we think they were very tall and they had deep voices and they spoke about deep theological issues. But is that what Scripture says? Do you understand what this book says?

The deep theological issue they discussed more than anything else was who was going to be the greatest. And if that's not bad enough, remember that two of them sent their mother to ask Jesus when he wouldn't answer. I don't know, mom, he never answers. We've asked him lots and he just starts talking about servanthood.

Would you ask him? And we're going to see some stuff as we go through the Gospel of John. The disciples missing it. And why do I bring that up? Well, so I can get beat up when I get to heaven.

No, that's not reasonable. Because when we paint the disciples as something superhuman, then we think, well, I can never do that. I can never be like that. I think there was a special anointing on these guys, but I also see that they were human, that Jesus was teaching them. And we need to remember that and we need to be encouraged because when I see something like this where the disciples obviously missed what Jesus was trying to tell them in a weird way, it encourages me. Because I've missed sometimes what Jesus meant to tell me. What Jesus was saying is that there's a satisfaction to doing the Lord's work, a sustenance, an energy thing that comes with it. In verse 34, Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Early on, fourth chapter of John, Jesus is talking about finishing the work. Where was his work finished? It's on the cross. Remember he said, it is finished.

The telestai in the Greek, paid in full. That's what he was here to do. And I don't know if you've ever thought about it, but obviously we think about Jesus on the way to the cross, but understand there was a real challenge in front of Jesus as well. He had to disciple these 12 guys. He had to impart to them the wisdom and his mission that was going to change the world. And he had three years to do it, 36 months, 1,095 days.

And he accomplished his task. That's an amazing thing to me. And it's amazing as the disciples were empowered by the spirit of God. When you start reading the book of Acts, it's like different men than you read about in the gospels. They had had a very real encounter with Jesus Christ and they had been filled with God's Holy Spirit.

And it makes all the difference in the world. Are you doing the work of the Lord? Wasn't that your job, Pastor? It's not just my job.

It's everybody's job. I think we've somehow we've gotten off track to think that Christianity is like a spectator sport. And somehow we've painted the picture that as long as you give God, you know, like an hour and a half or so on Sunday morning, that's about all he desires from you.

Man, that's nothing could be further from the truth. He wants your heart. He wants your life. He wants you to tell about the goodness of God to others. Proverbs chapter 10 verse five says, he who gathers in summer is a wise son. And he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. In verse 35 of John chapter four, he says, 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. I wonder how many people are waiting to share their faith for how many different reasons here this morning? Maybe you're thinking, well, I just don't know enough scripture. Well, before the end of the service today, I will give you enough scripture to lead somebody to the Lord.

You probably already have enough now. The anxiety God will help you with that fear and overcoming the fear of man. And Jesus is saying the fields are white with harvest. And certainly that was true right then and right there.

And it's also true today. A parallel passage, Matthew chapter nine verse 37. Then he said to his disciples, the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. This is an interesting prayer that the Lord tells us to pray. He says, pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.

Let me ask you a question. If you're here this morning and you're willing to pray this prayer that Jesus himself recommends you pray, do me a favor, raise your hand and say, yes, I'll pray that prayer. Praise God.

Let me tell you something. As you pray this prayer, you will begin to realize something. As you're praying for laborers to go forth in the harvest and you're thinking of some guy maybe in India, God's got somebody different in mind.

He's got you in mind. And as you pray this prayer, what happens so often is you begin to realize, you know what? I'm a laborer. This is something I'm supposed to be doing.

Not just somebody overseas, not just somebody around the world, but something I'm supposed to be doing. Now you've just raised your hand to pray that. Are you open to the fact that Jesus may say, okay, you're a laborer, you're a laborer, you're a laborer.

Are you ready to go? Are you open to the fact that Jesus might tell you that? Raise your hand again if you're open to that fact.

Okay. We've got you all on video. You're committed now. Praise God. Now don't be afraid because here's what happens so often.

The enemy comes and goes, don't raise your hand. You hate the cold and he'll send you to Alaska. Somehow we get in our mind this really twisted thing about doing the will of God, doing the work of the Lord.

But you know what? It says that God will give you the desires of your heart. Now I've heard people twist that scripture and they say, well, what that means is that God will give you whatever your heart desires. No, no, no.

That's not what it says. See, I believe that scripture says that God will place in your heart his desires. You will desire to do the right thing. And you know how I know that God is at work in your life this morning? It's because you're here.

You're here. And that shows me that God is at work in your heart. But are you doing the work? Are you talking to people about your faith? Are you inviting people to church? You realize that some people may be waiting on you to invite them. They did a study that said 75% of unbelievers would go if they were invited to church. The harvest field's ready.

Are you ready to do the work? See, now when I think of that, when I think 75, three out of four people would say yes if you invited them. You know what that makes me think? They're probably sitting there wondering why you haven't invited them to church. Maybe they've seen that you're a believer or heard that you go to church and then they think, wow, why isn't he asking me to go to church? There's he or she think there's something wrong with me? Do they think I don't measure up? Do they think I'm going to make a mistake and so they're not inviting me to go with them to church? See, and we think, well, you know, if I invite them, they're going to feel weird.

No, chances are they're already feeling weird because perhaps you haven't invited them. So take that step. We'll be right back with more from David McGee on Cross the Bridge. Right now, here's a word from associate pastor D.A.

Brown. Hey, Bob, we're excited to be here and listen to the teaching. I want to pray for some people in our listening audience today, specifically these cities in California.

Rincon, Rio Linda, Salinas, San Ardo, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. God, we thank you for the people in these cities today. We pray that they would tune in and be encouraged in your word. Lord, help them have an open heart that you want to speak directly to them. God, that you want to forgive them of all their sins.

And Lord, you want to use them to be a blessing to other people so others can be forgiven too. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Thank you, brother. And now, let's get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. Daniel chapter 12 verse 3 says, Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever. First life lesson is the Lord in the Scriptures tells us to tell others. We are either telling others or we are in disobedience to what he told us to do. That's one of the things I love about the Bible.

There's not a lot of gray areas. And Jesus has told us to tell people. He's told us to invite people.

He's told us to go into the highways and the byways. And we're either doing that or we're in disobedience. And verse 36 says, And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this, the saying is true, one sows and another goes and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored.

Others have labored and you've entered into their labors. There's a lot of things going on in this church. There is a lot of outreach ministries going on. We're doing the radio broadcast. We're also going into prisons. We've got the teachings that are on the website.

We hear from places all over the United States and actually had some people in Germany going to the website listening to the teachings. Understand our heart in this. It's not about just the four walls of the church. And I will, as a person with a heart for the lost, it will never be about the four walls here. Ever, ever. Jesus said we'll be fishers of men.

He never said we'll be keepers of the aquarium. Amen. Well, you sure are passionate about this lost people thing.

You bet you. You know why? Because I think that's the heart of the Lord. I don't understand a Christian that would look at lost people and go, yeah, yeah, maybe somebody will reach them.

No, no. It's our job. And there's a whole team that's involved. There's a team of prayer support.

There's a team of financial support. There's people actually doing the work of the ministry. And it's important that we all join together and that we not lose heart. Galatians chapter 6 verse 9 says, so don't get tired of doing what is good.

Don't get discouraged and give up for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. It's interesting too, that this portion of scripture, and you may want to read this later or something. Acts chapter 8 verse 1 through about 25, Philip walks into Philip walks into a revival going on in Samaria that the seeds are planted right here.

And that's important to remember too. First Corinthians chapter 3 verse 6 says, I planted a polished water, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

I like that verse. So then neither he who plants is anything. I like that part of it because every now and again, somebody will say, so you planted this church. No, God planted this church.

God's the one that started it. So in and reaping, so on and reaping, so on and reaping. Do you realize that in the United States, the average person hears the gospel is presented with the gospel seven times before they make a decision for Jesus. Now you never know if you're the first or you're the seventh.

And to be honest, it doesn't matter. It's not up to you, but understand every time you share with somebody, they perhaps are one step closer to receiving the gospel. And so you're planting the seed. God gives the increase who's responsible for the increase. Okay. Well, there's a couple of people that who's responsible for the increase.

Well, one more time, then we move on. Who's responsible for the increase. There we go. Why is that so important? Because here's what happens. Sometimes when people start sharing their faith, they begin to think that they are responsible for the increase. So they're going to do everything, including stick their foot in the door and start to holler at the person as they're walking off because they think they are responsible for the increase. So they're going to do increase. If you think you're responsible for the increase, you're in trouble because then you will get in the flesh trying to create that increase. God is responsible for it. Well, I just don't have time to talk to people about my faith.

You don't have time to wow. No, I need to mow the yard and clean the house, wash the car. At some point, you will say goodbye to your house and your car and your yard and you will say hello to eternal rewards. The car is going to be gone. The house is going to be gone.

Everything is going to be gone. The only thing that's left is what you will have done for the Lord. So where should you be spending part of your time, your energy and your efforts in doing these things for the Lord? Now, another thing that's interesting to me, in this passage, Jesus talks to Nicodemus. I think we look at that passage and he goes, well, that's good. Jesus was trying to influence the influential.

That's good. Look who he chooses in John chapter 4, the woman at the well. And what I have found, when I start trying to witness to somebody and share my faith with somebody, it's interesting. Do you know the door that gets slammed the quickest is of those people who are religious that don't think they need Jesus because they're trusting in their goodness? That's the door that slams the hardest. And what I found is that the people who are struggling, the people that have problems, those people are more open to the gospel. The people who are down and out, the people at your workplace that may be on the verge of getting fired because of their performance, because they come in late because of last night's activities or whatever. And they're probably more open than anybody else in the workplace.

Everybody else kind of looks at them thinking, oh, man, I don't want to talk to him, don't want to talk to her. There's an openness there. Reach out to the Samaritan. Reach out to the people that are hurt.

The harvest is waiting. And it's often less intimidating to us to reach out to those who are struggling. The second life lesson, this fellowship is a team to reach others with the good news. Are you on the team?

Are you on the team? See, I know there's a lot of people who are committed to this work and committed to this fellowship. And sadly enough, we also have spectators. I don't sit, just because other fellowships are at 5%, and that's the average 3 to 5% in the church, or 5 to 10, or probably in excess of 25%. I'm not kicking back going, oh, praise God, that's great.

When we have 100%, maybe. We're all supposed to be serving. None of us are supposed to be spectators. If you can show me from scripture, from verses, that we're supposed to be spectators, I'll buy it.

I'll go with it. I don't see it. I see that we're all to be discipled and we're all to be serving the Lord. Now, there's many things and many hands joined together in this work.

The people that, there's so much that goes unseen. There's people that come in every Saturday to clean the church. They're sowing. They're investing.

Because they realize if somebody comes into a totally nasty, dirty church that nobody has taken care of, they might not come back. We have people that go over the grounds. We have people help people park.

Why? Because we realize that if people hit a snag there, they may not come in the doors. It's all joining together as a team to reach the community. And we need to join together. Because that's what it takes.

It takes a team. Verse 39 says, 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. Again, guys, look who Jesus is using. You keep coming back to that pastor. Right, I do.

You know why? Because I don't think we get it. I don't think we realize that God wants to use you. I mean, we look at pastors and go, well, yeah, you know, God wants to use Him. And sometimes we even make the mistake of thinking, well, it's obvious why God wants to use Him. And sadly, some pastors go on and on about why God is using them. Because they're this, because they're that, because they're so highly educated. I had nothing against education.

I studied the Word, and I've studied it for years. But I think when we use that as a reason not to be active in serving the Lord, that's not what God intended. Look where He picked these disciples from. Did He pick them from Jerusalem, from the schools of the rabbis?

No. Eleven of them came from the Galilee region, which was known for, well, modern day English for their partiers. That's where the partiers hung out.

That's where the people who weren't really interested in spiritual things hung out. Oh, He did get one from Judea. That was Judas. God wants to use the foolish things to confound the wise. He wants to use every person in here. Do you realize that to God, nobody is unusable? Look at Peter. When he denied Jesus, did Jesus go, well, you know what? You're done. It's not going to work out for you. I'm sorry.

We're going to have to let you go. That's not what He did. He actually went out of His way as they were sent. He said, go to the disciples and Peter, special invite for the guy who denied the Lord. The amazing thing is that from Peter's denial, made him usable. Before the denial, God couldn't use him. You know why? Because Peter had a lot of pride.

He had a lot of spiritual pride. You can see it in the discussions. Are you guys going to leave me? And Peter would say, well, maybe all these guys, but not me, Lord. But when Peter broke, when Peter realized he could no longer put faith in Peter, man, Peter became a great tool in the hands of the master. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking Him to help you to live for Him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven. And I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life. And I've done wrong things. I have sinned.

And I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer, according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. listeners. Each day, you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David through the Word of God with his email devotional, life lessons to consider, a daily reading plan, and a thought to meditate on throughout your day from the heart of David McGee. That sounds good, Pastor DA.

And again, it's been great to have you with us on the program today. But tell us, what else can our listeners find on crossthebridge.com? If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday, why not join us for our live stream at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, or on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Time? Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our live stream link. There, you'll experience a live service from David's home church, The Bridge in North Carolina. Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time as David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the Gospel of John.