Come and See

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Today I want to speak to you today on the subject, Come and See. What if you could have a private conversation with Jesus? And you could ask Him whatever you chose to choose to ask Him. You could listen to Him one-on-one and personally engage our Lord. Well, one by one people in the New Testament and the stories of the gospels met Jesus and were personally invited to know Him and to experience a personal life-changing experience of salvation and new life. And one by one we are discovering how Jesus changes lives, individually and personally, so that you, you personally can know Christ and follow Him with all your heart. Now everyone who knows Christ has a story of a changed life.

And it is a powerful story and it is a story that you ought to tell. It is your testimony. The fact is all of us are representatives of Jesus Christ. We're all being watched. When you pull out of your driveway on Sunday mornings, people in your community, your neighborhood realize that you're a church-going person. So they may look at you a little differently. They may watch you since you claim to be a Christian. They may watch you very carefully when you bow your head in prayer over your meal at school or at a restaurant. People around you may take notice and they may begin to observe you and watch you and expect a different level of commitment from you.

When you read your Bible or people know that you're a follower of Christ, there is an expectation. People want to know, are you real? Are you authentic?

Are you legit? All of us are being watched. And all of us should be watched.

And we must be careful, therefore, how we live. I heard about a little boy who wanted to see what his pastor was like. So he went down to his pastor's home. The pastor had a workshop out behind his house. So the little boy just stood outside watching this man work in his carpenter's shop.

And he was just watching and watching. And the pastor thought, well, isn't this a good thing? This little boy just wants to see what his pastor does and how he's making things. And finally, the little boy never said a word. So the pastor said, son, what would you like?

Would you like for me to show you some of the things that I've been making? The little boy said, no, not really. He said, well, then why are you here?

He said, I just want to see what a preacher says when he hits his finger with a hammer. Well, people want to know how you react when you get hammered by life. When you are hit with hardships, what is in you? Are you contagious? Are you conspicuous?

Are you compelling? Are you contagious in your witness for the Lord Jesus Christ? The best argument for Christianity is a Christian.

Your love, your devotion, your joy, your peace, the way you live your life, your character. But while it's true to say that the best argument for Christianity is a Christian, it's also true unfortunately that we have to say the best argument against Christianity is a Christian who lives hypocritically or a Christian who is uncaring or a Christian who is judgmental or self-righteousness. And many times people are turned off by Christianity by the way we live our lives. Well, in John chapter 4 we meet a woman who met Christ and her life was so radically changed that she became immediately a powerful witness for our Lord. And she said to her entire community, come and see.

Come and meet a man who has changed my life. So in chapter 4 verse 4 we begin the story. And he, speaking of Jesus, had to pass through Samaria.

Now that's an important sentence. He had to pass through Samaria. The fact is that Jewish men and travelers would never go through Samaria on purpose. There was a long route around to Galilee that a Jewish traveler could get from Jerusalem to Galilee. And rather than pass through the Samaritan badlands, they would go all the way around, walk five and a half days typically to get to their destination rather than going through Samaria. Why didn't they want to go through Samaria? Because a hated group of people lived in Samaria. They were the Samaritans and these were considered half-breeds by the Jewish people. They had intermarried, intermingled among the Gentile nations. They had their own system of religion.

They had abandoned the Jewish faith. And so the Samaritans hated the Jews and the Jews hated the Samaritans. And so when the scripture says that Jesus had to go through Samaria, it wasn't because he literally physically had to take that route, but there was something else that was driving him to Samaria. And that something else was a woman he would meet at a well who needed to know him. Who would provide for all of us and to this very day an illustration of how Jesus moves beyond the boundaries and the barricades of life through culture, through prejudices, through social and religious extremes and moves to the heart of people where they are, meeting them there.

So Jesus engaged this woman because it was a divine encounter. He was on a mission. What did the scripture say?

I've come to seek and to save that which was lost. Verse 5 says, so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the field that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph. Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well.

It was about the sixth hour. Note that Jesus, who is God, was also man and he was physically tired, worn down by the road. He was thirsty and he was hungry.

He was one of us. And he shared the physical struggles of humanity. And so he's wearied from his journey but not only wearied physically but on his search for souls.

His heart is moved and he's tired in his pursuit of people. Verse 7 says a woman from 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 food. And the Samaritan woman said to him, how is it that you, a Jew, asks for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? She came to the well to get water. She came at high noon, the sixth hour of the day. That was an unusual time for a woman to draw water from the well. Typically, the women of that day would gather early before the sun came up, before the heat of the day and it was a time of gathering and conversation. But this woman came alone at high noon when the sun was hot.

Why? Perhaps because she was an outcast in her own community. She was tired of the snide remarks and the searing looks of the other women so she managed to wait until no one else was there to come and draw water. When she got there, there was a mysterious stranger sitting there. This man that she had never seen before and not just a man but a Jewish man. Who is this man?

What does he want? And he asked her for a drink of water. Kindly, he says, would you give me a drink? Now no Jewish rabbi, and Jesus was known as a rabbi, which means teacher, no Jewish teacher would converse with a Samaritan woman or a woman publicly. Not just a Samaritan woman, but a woman period. That was a part of the religious system of the day.

And so there would be no conversation. So no doubt this woman was taken back when this Jewish man begins talking to her. And she had quite a bit of experience with men, obviously, having been married five times and living with another man. And by now she's wondering, what does this guy want? So she's flippant.

She's casual. She says, well, why are you asking me for a drink of water? And that's when Jesus begins speaking to her of living water. Verse 10 says, Jesus answered her, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, sir, you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep.

Where are you going to get this living water? You can hear the hardness of her heart, the cynicism of her life. She came for water, but she had a thirst much deeper. It was the thirst of the soul. And Jesus is looking right through to this woman's soul.

And he begins to remind her of her spiritual need. You see, there is a spiritual thirst in every heart. There is a void, a vacuum that we try to fill up with the wells of this world, all the pleasure of this world, all of the possessions of this world. We try to fill up our lives with these things, but of course it never satisfies. Some try to fill up their lives with sinful things. Some try to fill up their lives with good things.

But good or bad, the things of this world can never satisfy or quench the thirst of the soul. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and his message, Come and See. Pastor, this month we have a special gift for our listeners who give a gift to PowerPoint. It's your brand new book, Re-Ignite.

What can you tell us about this powerful resource? My latest book, Re-Ignite, is out and it is definitely needed. The message of this book is needed today. It was actually born out of a personal experience, an emotional crisis in my life after a cancer surgery. And I discovered some things about Re-Ignited my life that I want to share with you.

If you find yourself exhausted, tired, depressed, anxious, uncertain about your future, then I believe this book is going to encourage you. Call today and get Re-Ignite as our thank you for your gift. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. Or text the word PowerPoint to 313131.

Text PowerPoint to 313131. Now let's get back to today's message, Come and See. So here she is, a social outcast, embraced by the love of Jesus Christ. Now, Jesus began conversing with her to bring her to Himself. And the woman said in verse 15, well let's back up to verse 14, whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, Jesus said, will never be thirsty again.

And the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. And the woman said to Him, sir, give me this water so that I may not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water. And so Jesus has her spiritual interests. But she's not ready to receive what Jesus is giving. And so Jesus says to her, go get your husband. The woman answered Him in verse 17, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you're right in saying I have no husband, for you've had five husbands. And the one you have now is not your husband. What you've said is true.

Oops. Now he knows her past. The woman said, what an understatement, sir, I perceive that you're a prophet. Now, Jesus wasn't being cruel or callous. When he tells this woman to go get your husband, as a matter of fact, just the opposite. He's not trying to drive her away. He's bringing her to himself. As many times as I had read this passage of scripture over the years, I don't know why, but I'd never really taken note of the fact that Jesus said to this woman, go get your husband and bring him here. Bring him out here to me.

I'll talk to him. He wasn't trying to run her off. He wasn't condemning her. He wasn't pushing her away. He's drawing her in.

He said, go get your husband and bring him here. And when she lied and covered up the situation, Jesus knew it. Because you see, Jesus looks right into our hearts. He knows who we are and what we've done.

The scripture says in the book of Hebrews that all creatures are naked before his eyes and exposed before God. And that we will give an account for our actions before a holy God. God knows everything that we've been doing. And as long as we're covering up, as long as we're being dishonest about who we are and what we've been doing, God cannot help us or will not help us. God sees and knows you. He wants to bring you to forgiveness.

But first, he must bring you to conviction. Because there can be no, listen to this, there can be no conversion without conviction. You can never be saved from sin until you admit your sin and recognize that you've broken God's commandments and failed to obey God. And that's what the Bible calls sin. So he's helping her to point out her own sin, to admit her sin. And as Jesus is getting close, maybe too close for comfort at this point, she changes the subject.

And like a lot of people, when you start talking to them about a relationship with God, she wanted to discuss religion. So as you read the passage here, she begins to ask him about this mountain in Jerusalem and that mountain there in Samaria. Look at verse 20. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. And Jesus said to her, woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know.

For salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. Like many people, when we get a little close for comfort regarding their lives, their spiritual lives in particular, they want to change the subject like this woman.

And the questions are typical. Well, what about people who've never heard the gospel? What about injustice in the world?

What about suffering in the world? What about all the hypocrites in church? The answers or the questions are typical, but it's always to revert, to reverse, to change the subject. And that's what this woman did. And Jesus refused to allow her to disengage in this conversation. He said, look, the fact is that we're not going to be worshiping one day at this particular place or that particular place on this mountain or that mountain because it's not a matter of the mountain, it's a matter of the heart. They that worship Him, the true God, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Now, Jesus did say to her, as we just noted, that salvation is of the Jews. He was bold enough and correct enough and honest enough to say, the way you're worshiping is the wrong way. Now, that's a daring statement, especially in this generation of pluralism and inclusivism. That's the ultimate politically incorrect thing to say in our culture, that you are worshiping the wrong way.

Say that at the next social gathering and just see where that gets you at the party. Because we have an idea that everyone is basically good and going in the same direction, maybe by different paths, by different religions. Many of us were taught this growing up. My generation, the generation of the 60s when we were in the university, one of the primary psychology books that we studied was a well known popular psychology known as, I'm okay, you're okay.

Remember that? I'm okay, you're okay. We're all okay.

Everybody's okay. But so many people today have the idea that, look, all religions teach the same thing. That's nonsense. All religions do not teach the same thing or the same path to God. They're contrasting to one another.

They conflict with one another. And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except by me. So, if you believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, that Jesus and Jesus alone died on the cross for your sins, that he rose again on the third day, how dare you say that all religions are the same? Well, you might say all religions are the same.

They're all going in the same direction nowhere. Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship with Jesus Christ. And if Jesus is not the only way to heaven, then he's none of the ways to heaven. For he claimed to be God. He claimed to be the Savior of all. Why would Jesus die on the cross if you could come to God in some other way? Why would God hang his darling Son upon the cross if all paths of religion lead to God?

Why would we send missionaries into the world to tell the good news of the Gospel if everyone could get there on their own way? Well, enough of that, but it's simple to say and it's clear to say Jesus himself said to this woman, look, salvation is of the Jews and you are worshiping the wrong way. And then he went on to say God is a spirit and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. This woman says to Jesus, verse 25, I know the Messiah is coming.

He who is called the Christ when he comes, he will tell us all things. And Jesus identifies himself. He said, I who speak to you and he he literally said, I am he who is speaking to you.

I am the one who's speaking to you. He took the I am name of God, God's only name. And almost apparently almost instantaneously this woman is transformed. Verse 28, so the woman left her water jar and went away into the town and said to the people, come see a man who told me all that I ever did.

Can this be the Christ? And they went out of the town and were coming to him. Now this woman is an evangelist. This woman, though fresh off an experience of meeting Jesus Christ, she knew hardly anything. She simply went to her friends back in the community, some who had laughed at her. She may have been the laughing stock of the community and she said, come and meet this man who has changed my life. Come and meet this man who looked right through me and accepted me and brought me to himself. What a story. This woman brought the whole community out to meet Jesus.

I don't know what happened after that because we're not told, but I'm sure that community was never the same. You see, God has called every one of us to be witnesses, to bring people to Jesus. You say, well, I don't know how to do that. Christ has changed your life. Just say, like this woman said, come and see, come and see for yourself what Christ can do for you. Come and meet this one who can change your life. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and his message, come and see.

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This personal account of how God led Dr. Graham through his own crisis will help you focus on God during difficult seasons so you can experience fresh passion and joy in Jesus. And we'll send you a copy as thanks for your gift today. So call now to request your copy of Reignite. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done or where you've been, no one is too far gone for Jesus.

Now that statement is important enough that it's worth repeating. No one, no one is too far gone for Jesus. And there's no better evidence of this than the woman that Jesus met at the well. She had been used and abused.

She had been divorced five times. She was living with her boyfriend and her life was a mess. Even so, Christ reached out to her with the living water of eternal life, the forgiveness of sin, and her life was instantly transformed. This woman, a woman who had been ravaged by regrets and failures and brokenness, this wasted, burned out woman, was made brand new because of the power of Jesus to change her. She wasn't too far gone for Jesus. And the application to your life and my life is really clear, isn't it? No one around us, no matter how wasted, no matter how strung out, no matter how far gone they may seem, that person, maybe someone you love, is not too far gone for Jesus.

And you know what? Neither are you. If you think God has given up on me, I want you to think again. Jesus loves you. And John 4 says, whoever drinks of this water, the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life. Jesus said, whoever drinks of the water, that he will give them eternal life. So like I've said before, no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, what sins you've committed, where you've been, you are not too far gone for Jesus Christ. You are a great sinner and so am I, but Jesus is a great savior.

It is my prayer that no matter where you have been in the past, that you will begin today in Jesus' name to live a brand new life. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint today, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, Re-Adnite, as our thanks. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about trusting in God's power and presence no matter what you're facing. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.