John Chapter 4:23-30

The Creator of the universe, interacting with all these people on this planet, desires for you, and you, and you, and all of us in here to worship Him.

He not only hears and acknowledges, He seeks. He wants you to worship Him. I don't feel like worshiping. What do you mean you don't feel like worshiping?

What does that have to do with anything? We worship because God is worthy to be worshiped. That word, worship, comes from the Old English, which was worth-ship, worthy of our praise, worthy of our worship, worthy of our adoration. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of The Bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Today, Pastor David continues teaching through John chapter 4 with the message, Give me a drink.

We're also excited to have in the studio with us D.A. Brown, one of David's associate pastors. Welcome, brother. Bob, everything is craving our worship and attention, but we leave unsatisfied, even sometimes discouraged. But when we worship Jesus, we are fulfilled, we are blessed, and we are motivated. Continue to follow Him with all our heart, soul, and strength.

Sounds good, D.A. So let's listen as David McGee continues with part 4 of the teaching, Give me a drink. Verse 23 says, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

What an awesome concept. The hour is coming when we will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Jesus is, He's saying, you know what, we're going to do away with this whole Jerusalem thing.

So this Jerusalem, Gerizim thing, that's going to be a non-issue. But what the Lord is looking for is for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Now, I believe firmly we're supposed to come together as an assembly, fellowshiping with one another.

And Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 tells us, Not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. So, you know, stay in fellowship. This doesn't mean that you worship outside of a body of believers that you're committed to.

I think you're supposed to be committed to a body of believers. It's one of the easiest things that you can do to give you strength in your spiritual life. Worship in spirit and in truth. You realize worship doesn't require music. Now, music is helpful to worship. And if you don't have worship CDs, you need to get some. And play them in your house, play them in your car, because they can help you to refocus and worship the Lord.

But look at this. The Father is seeking such to worship Him. That's our next life lesson. Our Father God seeks us to worship Him. Isn't that an amazing thing? The Creator of the universe interacting with all these people on this planet desires for you and you and you and all of us in here to worship Him. He not only hears and acknowledges, He seeks. He wants you to worship Him.

And He's worthy to be worshiped. And I know sometimes, you know, folks come in here and it's awesome to see the Holy Spirit just break them down. Because they come in here and, I don't know, maybe it's their first time and I don't mean to offend anybody, but, you know, maybe it's your first time you come in and go, what is this? And then you come in here and, you know, and, oh my gosh, it's a rock band. Where's the pipe organ?

Well, you know what? Scripture says praise Him with a loud noise with a stringed instruments. That's what we try to do here. But I love hymns and we do hymns and we're introducing some more hymns in the future and doing some of those. The Lord wants you to worship. And what happens sometimes is we go into a situation like that and we find what we think is wrong with it. And we say, I'm not going to worship.

Or here's the kicker. I don't feel like worshiping. What do you mean you don't feel like worshiping?

What does that have to do with anything? We worship because God is worthy to be worshiped. That word worship comes from the old English, which was worth-ship.

Worthy of our praise, worthy of our worship, worthy of our adoration. So we don't worship because we feel like it. We worship because the Lord is worthy to receive our praise.

Remember that next time you come in here. And I understand sometimes you might not feel like worshiping, but that has no bearing on whether you should worship or not. He's worthy and He's seeking for you to worship Him. Verse 24, God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

It's a great verse, a great verse. Spirit and in truth. See, this is a balance that I think a healthy church should maintain, because I don't think churches maintain this sometimes.

What do I mean? I've been to churches that were very, they would call it spirit-led, but there was very little truth there. And I've been to other churches where there was a lot of truth that was kind of dead. And in one, you know, people say things like, oh man, the Holy Spirit moves so powerfully, the pastor didn't even open his Bible. And they say that like it's a good thing.

Or everybody denies any sort of spirit-filled adoration. Look, a person's putting their hands up. What are they doing? They shouldn't do that. Do they want something?

Probably want Jesus. Amen. It's in the Bible, folks, raising your hands in the Bible. If you're not comfortable with it, you don't have to.

We're not going to make you. But don't judge other people who are raising their hands in spirit-filled worship. And occasionally somebody may say hallelujah louder than a normal speaking voice.

Don't let that freak you out. Heaven, we're told heaven is going to be a loud place. We need to start getting used to some of that.

Amen. Because if you're uncomfortable with loud worship, you're going to be uncomfortable in heaven. So we're just trying to prepare you.

We're trying to help you along the way to be ready for that big gig in the sky. But if you have the Spirit without truth, that can be dangerous. Because then you're not looking at what Scripture says, how the church is supposed to operate. If you've got truth without the Spirit, it's dead. But the Spirit and the truth is an awesome thing.

It's an awesome balance. In verse 25, the woman said to him, I know the Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. Christ is from the Greek word Christos, which is anointed one, which refers back to the Hebrew word Mashiach, where we get our word for Messiah. And again, notice that John explains the Hebrew term Messiah to his audience, which once again tells us he's not just writing for the Jewish people.

He's writing that all might believe in Jesus. When he comes, he will tell us all things. This woman was looking for the coming of the Lord.

And you know what? We need to be looking for the coming of the Lord. We need to be excited about the coming of the Lord. We need to be talking about the coming of the Lord.

You know why? Because it will change the way we live. When you realize that any moment in time Jesus could appear and rapture the church out, it will change the way you live. Because you will think, you know what? I don't want to be engaged in this behavior or doing this thing when Jesus calls me home.

Well, then you shouldn't be doing that. And if you live in that expectation that any minute it could happen, it will change the way you live. How awesome would it be if you were sitting there witnessing when the Lord came?

Wouldn't that be cool? Well, in order to do that, you've got to be out witnessing. Amen? Jesus in verse 26, Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am he. And looking at translations, I kind of prefer the New Living translation because it's a little truer to the Greek in the original languages. John 4 26 in the New Living translation, then Jesus told her, I am the Messiah. That I am phrase is really important. As we go forward, we're going to look at how that is a claim of deity. This is the first of the I ams in the Gospel of John, but there's a lot of them.

And we can learn a lot about Jesus. And it's just silly to me that some people would say Jesus never claimed to be God. When he uses the phrase I am, it refers back to the way Jehovah, well, Yahweh really. Jehovah is kind of a German derivation that's a little further away from the Hebrew, Yahweh. Our Jewish people say the God who has no name. He's calling himself God. I am that I am. You remember the passage when Moses said, Who shall I say sent me? He says, I am that I am. Tell them that.

I am. And Jesus uses this. And if you look at the passages, sometimes this is where the Pharisees get really freaked out and get mad. Whenever you see a Pharisee getting freaked out, ask yourself why they're getting freaked out. You can learn a lot about scripture just through that. And it was the belief that that day and this day that the Messiah would be God.

Some people say, well, he might have been Messiah, but it wasn't God. You can't divide those two. Scripture doesn't divide that too.

It includes them together. But here's the real mind blower here. Look at the first person Jesus chose to tell that he was the Messiah. He didn't go down to Jerusalem and say, you know what?

I've got to meet with the chief rabbi, got some important stuff to discuss with him. He didn't do that. He didn't go to the king and say, you know, I know you're king, so I want you to be the first to know this important news.

It's not what he did. This lady received the most glorious, the most incredible, the most important news the world has ever known. It was presented to a lady in the bondage of her sin who had lived a hard life, a sinful life. And this is the person Jesus chose to share this great truth with. Isn't that awesome? And you know what's just as awesome? He's still choosing people just like that to tell him, to say, you know what? I am he. I am the Messiah.

I'm so glad. Jesus has given us the keys to be set free. I don't understand why some people, it's like the key is in the door of the jail cell, and some people will sit there and say, well, you know, I don't know about the key. I don't know if the key is real. And they sit in bondage. I'm standing here this morning telling you that the key is real, it is simple, because God made it simple, and I've been set free.

And it's an awesome thing. We'll be right back with more from David Magee 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. 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 Magee as he continues teaching verse by verse. Verse 27, And there's actually books out, and I understand, and there's some value in what they say, but, you know, what they say is, well, you know, what you got to do is you look for the captain of the football team. And if you can reach him, then you can influence others. You try to reach the mayor or the president. A lot of times, those people are unreachable. They don't want to hear it. Who did Jesus reach in this chapter?

A Samaritan woman in bondage. And somehow, I believe Jesus knew. Now, it wouldn't have mattered if nothing else went on with this woman.

He would have still done it just to reach her, but he knew by reaching her, he would reach others. I think we forget that sometimes. I think a lot of times, and don't misinterpret what I'm saying. When you're one-on-one with somebody, you shouldn't be sitting there going, gee, if I just get this guy, he'll bring everybody else he knows with him.

Maybe. But you shouldn't be thinking about that. But what you should know that possibly there's the possibility that if that person is reached with the gospel, you never know.

You never know what will happen. A hundred and twenty-five years ago, a Sunday school teacher in America, his prayer was that all the kids in his Sunday school would be saved. And incidentally, there's not a week that goes by that kids don't get saved in the children's ministry classes here.

It's an awesome thing. And he wanted to see them all get saved, so he went personally to talk to each of them. His name was Edward Kimball. And as he went around to the people who were coming to his Sunday school, one of them worked at a shoe store, and he went in and talked to the guy and presented the gospel. And he prayed with the guy, but he walked out of the store thinking, you know what, that was probably the worst gospel presentation I've ever heard. And I did it. That was just a failure. That's what he thought for the rest of that day.

For a number of years, actually. But the young man that day that was in the shoe store working, his life was changed. He became a new creation that day. That man's name was D.L. Moody, one of the most powerful evangelists in America. Then D.L.

Moody goes over to England and is ministering in the church, and this guy really had him in the church just to, you know, kind of disprove him and to make fun of the way he spoke. F.B. Meyer. F.B.

Meyer has Moody in. F.B. Meyer catches on fire. He says, you know what, I need to be more like this guy and start sharing the gospel more.

F.B. Meyer comes over to the United States. He shares in meetings. He encourages a man named J. Wilbur Chapman. J. Wilbur Chapman began traveling and being an evangelist.

He met a young man who had been playing, who had been a professional baseball player. And he started speaking with the guy and encouraging him in ministry. And that young man's name was Billy Sunday, who preached to, they estimate, a hundred million people with no electronic device a hundred years ago.

Estimated a million people came to the Lord through this guy. Billy Sunday actually went to Charlotte, North Carolina, preached a revival. In this revival, a lot of people got saved and they really loved it.

And so 15 years later they thought, man, we'd like to see revival break out again here. So prayerfully, because these people had been impacted by Billy Sunday coming, they prayed and they invited Mordecai Ham to come to Charlotte. Now the crowds weren't as they expected, but one night a young man got saved. That young man's name was Billy Graham. All this from one man witnessing to a young man working in a shoe store and he thought he did a bad job.

I like this saying, you can count the seeds in one orange, but you can't count the oranges in one seed. You never know, guys. You never know the impact the Holy Spirit using a man or a woman's life can have. Sometimes we wait for God to use us in big ways.

God's waiting for us to do the small things in a big way just to share our heart with somebody else, to share the love of the Lord with somebody else. Verse 28, the woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city and said to the men, come see a man who told me all things that I ever did, could this be the Christ? And she left her water pot. The reason for her being at the well was left behind.

Why? She doesn't need it to quench her thirst anymore. She found Jesus. The thing that brought her to the well doesn't matter anymore. It's no longer important.

Guys understand something. I'm not sure any of us come to Jesus for noble reasons. Some of us are half dead before we come to Him.

We've trashed our lives. We're in places of great pain, tragedy, but those things aren't really important. It's the fact that we come to Him that's important. You may be here for mixed reasons this morning. You may be here because your wife said you had to come or your husband said you had to or your dad said you had to or your kids said you had to come. It's just important you're here because Jesus is here. He's here to meet you wherever you are in whatever need that you have.

And this woman discovered this. The life lesson here, quit looking down at a hole in the ground and look up to God. Don't get trapped in your situation. Let your situation lead you to God. God will deliver you out of whatever you found yourself trapped in. I say that with full assurance because God's a powerful God. God can do anything.

And you know what? You can do anything with God and through God. Scripture says that. What can you do without God? Scripture talks about that too.

You can't do anything. Nothing is what's used in the King James. Verse 29, come see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? Then they went out of the city and came to Him. They came to check it out because of her witness. And she brought Him to Jesus. Guys, that is a ministry in and of itself, bringing people to Jesus.

And you know, some of you, I don't get to say this much, but man, I so appreciate it because some of you are like, it's like every other week you're coming in here and going, hey, this is my neighbor. I brought Him to church. Praise God.

And a couple of weeks later, hey, this is somebody I work with. I brought Him to church. Praise God. And what's really cool is to see people invite other people and then to see those people come down front on a Sunday morning and receive the Lord as their Savior. And then to watch the people that brought them just beaming like they're a new daddy. And spiritually, they are.

That's an awesome thing. And that's a ministry of bringing people to Jesus. Oh, maybe you've invited people and they're not coming. Just pray for them and be patiently persistent. Be patiently persistent.

And mention, you know what, and this is a kicker. This gets people. Well, you know, I'd like for you to come to church. I'm not going to church. Churches are all about money. Well, actually, you know, our church, we don't pass an offering plate.

What? We don't pass an offering plate. You won't be hammered to pull out your wallet and empty it. Sure it's a church? Yeah, I'm sure it's a church, but we don't pass a plate and they're not going to hammer you or manipulate you or anything. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe biblically a Christian is supposed to give, no doubt about it. But also unbelievers use that as an excuse sometimes. But we've got the boxes in the back.

That's one of the reasons we don't pass a plate. Invite people. Keep inviting them. And when they get saved here, that's fruit that we all share in. As you pray for me with a message, as you pray for your neighbor or a coworker, as you bring them, as you support the ministry, this is fruit that we all share in. And the thing that we think, well, yeah, but you know, I can just do small things. Guys, look around the room. What if each of us did a small thing for God?

You understand what that would look like? And look what the Lord did with 11 people. He turned the world right side up. I love this story and I'll close with it. A little boy was walking down the beach. He was picking up starfish and putting them back in the ocean. An older man saw what he was doing and said, what are you doing? He said, well, I'm putting a starfish back in the ocean because if they stay in the sun all day, they're going to die. An old fellow said, son, look at the beach.

It's miles long. There's starfish all over the sand dunes here. What you're doing doesn't matter. An old boy picked up another starfish and as he put it into the ocean water, he said, it matters to this one. Guys, today, you're the one that matters to Jesus. And if you're here and you don't know Jesus as your Savior, I want to introduce you.

You don't have to jump through hoops and do this and do that and do the other. You just need to understand that according to the Bible, your sins have left you condemned and you need a Messiah. You need to be saved. And if you're willing to change your mind about who Jesus is this morning or to by faith accept Him and confess Him with your mouth, He's willing to wipe away your sins and He'll do it.

He's done it in my life. If you're seated here this morning and you already know what I'm telling you, you've already been born again, you know what's going to happen? Sometime today, tomorrow, sometime this week, you're going to be one-on-one with somebody who needs to hear what you know and you're going to have a choice. You're going to have a choice to share the love of the Lord or to keep your mouth closed.

Don't keep your mouth closed. You may be the one that God has selected to share with that person. Maybe you're not an eloquent speaker. Maybe you don't know a lot of Scripture, but you know what God has done in your life. And that's enough. That's enough to see somebody come to the Lord. 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.

Jesus said He would not turn anybody away who comes to Him, and He came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness, those who were sick, not the righteous. So congratulations, friend. You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can visit crossthebridge.com to receive our First Steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

Or you can write to crossthebridge at P.O. Box 12515, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27117 and share how God is working in your life. Well, D.A., before we go, what are some ways that we can bless our 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 D.A., 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 livestream at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, or on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Time? Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our livestream 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.