John 5:24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life."
These are words that almost everyone is familiar with. The 2007 political campaign of the Democratic nominee used this saying as a key-note phrase in its march to the White House. In all likelihood you are reading this blog because the title of this familiar phrase caught your eye.
Well, I hope that I don’t let any of you down who are reading this blog. My intention is not to discuss politics or discuss whether or not the democratic nominee who won the White House is truly carrying out his campaign promises.
For, if we are all honest, no matter what political party we are affiliated with, at the end of the day men and women will always let us down. The best man with the best intentions will fall short and in the end we will be disappointed in the decision that was made.
My purpose is to set before us one who will never let us down, who will never make a wrong decision, and will never lead us into any danger. The One I’m referring to is Jesus. When Jesus promises change, this is change that we can hang our hats upon, or we could use a biblical phrase, Jesus is the anchor of the soul! (Heb 6:19).
Men offer change. We have all had someone who has let us down, and we have had some who have let us down big-time. And to our shame we could all list many times that we have not been faithful in a promise and have let some one else down!
The faithfulness of Christ is absolutely amazing! The God-man came to this earth and the very ones He created refused to worship, or to love Him, yet thrust Him upon a cross.
So, with that in view, let’s take a few moments to look at an event which powerfully presents to us the unrelenting love of God, which gives us the confidence to say, “Jesus does provide for us change we can believe in!”
The testimonies of scripture are too numerous to mention, so I will just highlight one here and seek to glean from others later. The woman of Samaria is one who is well worth noting. John, the gospel evangelist, records for us the meeting of Jesus and the Samaritan woman in Chapter Four. Jesus and His disciples are on their way from Galilee to Judea, and upon there travels Jesus tells His disciple that He must pass thru Samaria. In other words what Jesus was saying is that He had some real change to accomplish in this city!
The disciples are unaware of the purpose of this stop, but the Son of Man was on a mission to bring real change in the heart of a woman living in adultery and others living in that town as well. Jesus sits down beside the well in anticipation of the Samaritan woman who is on her way. She arrives, and Jesus explains to her that He is the living water and all who drink of Him and look to Him will have everlasting life. John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
At first the woman was not convinced that the change this Jewish man was speaking of to her could bring change she could believe in. But upon the prophetic words of her adulterous lifestyle and the fact that Jesus knew that she had five husbands and the one that she was presently living with was not her husband was a shell-shocker.
The woman perceives that Jesus is a prophet, but He explains to her that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of Sinners and that thru Him only true worship can take place.
I love the account of her wonderful response. John 4:28-29 “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"
“Change you can believe in” was her testimony! She went thru the whole town declaring the news about Christ. What is fascinating is that upon her word the whole town went to see this man who promised such great change. Her excitement about this man sparked others’ great excitement. Surely the people thought that there was no hope for this woman. She’d been living in slavery to sexual immorality for years what in the world could cause such excitement?
What is even more astonishing is that the people of the town, upon hearing the words of Him who is the fountain of life, were convinced that in Him there was change they could believe in! These words reveal to us the change that took place. John 4:39-42 “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
The same change that Jesus offered to the woman at the well is the same change that He is offering to all who are reading this blog right now. The only way that real change that we can believe in can take place is that there must be a real faith and trust put in Him who alone can save ruined sinners. Saving faith came as the people of Samaria believed the words of Christ. The scripture teaches us that saving faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
This day believe in Him who offers real change. Trust Him with all your heart and believe His word and He will not only be the Savior of the world, but today He can be yours!
Well, I hope that I don’t let any of you down who are reading this blog. My intention is not to discuss politics or discuss whether or not the democratic nominee who won the White House is truly carrying out his campaign promises.
For, if we are all honest, no matter what political party we are affiliated with, at the end of the day men and women will always let us down. The best man with the best intentions will fall short and in the end we will be disappointed in the decision that was made.
My purpose is to set before us one who will never let us down, who will never make a wrong decision, and will never lead us into any danger. The One I’m referring to is Jesus. When Jesus promises change, this is change that we can hang our hats upon, or we could use a biblical phrase, Jesus is the anchor of the soul! (Heb 6:19).
Men offer change. We have all had someone who has let us down, and we have had some who have let us down big-time. And to our shame we could all list many times that we have not been faithful in a promise and have let some one else down!
The faithfulness of Christ is absolutely amazing! The God-man came to this earth and the very ones He created refused to worship, or to love Him, yet thrust Him upon a cross.
So, with that in view, let’s take a few moments to look at an event which powerfully presents to us the unrelenting love of God, which gives us the confidence to say, “Jesus does provide for us change we can believe in!”
The testimonies of scripture are too numerous to mention, so I will just highlight one here and seek to glean from others later. The woman of Samaria is one who is well worth noting. John, the gospel evangelist, records for us the meeting of Jesus and the Samaritan woman in Chapter Four. Jesus and His disciples are on their way from Galilee to Judea, and upon there travels Jesus tells His disciple that He must pass thru Samaria. In other words what Jesus was saying is that He had some real change to accomplish in this city!
The disciples are unaware of the purpose of this stop, but the Son of Man was on a mission to bring real change in the heart of a woman living in adultery and others living in that town as well. Jesus sits down beside the well in anticipation of the Samaritan woman who is on her way. She arrives, and Jesus explains to her that He is the living water and all who drink of Him and look to Him will have everlasting life. John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
At first the woman was not convinced that the change this Jewish man was speaking of to her could bring change she could believe in. But upon the prophetic words of her adulterous lifestyle and the fact that Jesus knew that she had five husbands and the one that she was presently living with was not her husband was a shell-shocker.
The woman perceives that Jesus is a prophet, but He explains to her that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of Sinners and that thru Him only true worship can take place.
I love the account of her wonderful response. John 4:28-29 “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"
“Change you can believe in” was her testimony! She went thru the whole town declaring the news about Christ. What is fascinating is that upon her word the whole town went to see this man who promised such great change. Her excitement about this man sparked others’ great excitement. Surely the people thought that there was no hope for this woman. She’d been living in slavery to sexual immorality for years what in the world could cause such excitement?
What is even more astonishing is that the people of the town, upon hearing the words of Him who is the fountain of life, were convinced that in Him there was change they could believe in! These words reveal to us the change that took place. John 4:39-42 “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
The same change that Jesus offered to the woman at the well is the same change that He is offering to all who are reading this blog right now. The only way that real change that we can believe in can take place is that there must be a real faith and trust put in Him who alone can save ruined sinners. Saving faith came as the people of Samaria believed the words of Christ. The scripture teaches us that saving faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
This day believe in Him who offers real change. Trust Him with all your heart and believe His word and He will not only be the Savior of the world, but today He can be yours!
No comments:
Post a Comment