The Day Jesus Crossed the Line, Part 5 (Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign, Day 38) TEXT: John 4:16-24 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. ---------- Today, I am continuing the daily Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign sermon series, which is aimed at sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers and reminding Christians, in this important election year, to keep the main thing the main thing -- and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents and politicians but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to obey God's Great Commission and who have refused to obey God's repeated commands to "pray without ceasing" for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders. Yes, you should pray for the right candidate to win; yes, you should vote for the candidate that the Lord gives you peace about voting for. But, don't get caught up in it like the world does. Nothing much is going to change until people get saved and get their hearts right with the Lord.

This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Acts 5:42 which says, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do hope you are one of those saints who still loves to hear the "Old, old story of Jesus and His love" -- As the hymn says, "For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest." This series is primarily for unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel and be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell. This is message number 38.

Dr. Kenneth Boa said, "The Jews are the ones who were the fathers and it was from them that the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, would ultimately come. We don't want to minimize that. Jesus is making it clear that not all religions are acceptable before God. Popular religiosity would have us believe that all religions are equally valid attempts to reach God -- not according to this." When Jesus confronts the Samaritan woman about her sinful past and her current sinful lifestyle, she is convicted and understandably embarrassed and shocked. She responds, "Sir, I perceivest that thou art a prophet." Notice the progression of thought as Jesus talked to her: first, she thought He was just another Jewish male; then she calls him a "great" man and compares Him to the patriarch Jacob; now, she realizes that she is talking to someone who has supernatural knowledge of her life, so she calls Him a "prophet." Then, she completely changes the subject, saying, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye [the Jews] say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." She brings up a theological dispute, quickly and feebly reconstructing the wall of religious division between herself and Jesus. Some believe that she did this because she did not want to talk to Jesus, this "prophet" who knew all about her, about her personal life. Others, however, have stated that her inquiry about a spiritual issue is actually evidence that she is opening herself up further to Jesus' message. She knows she has a spiritual problem, so she is trying to get a handle on that spiritual issue based on her limited spiritual experience. Jesus allows for this changing of the subject at hand. He says, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the

Jews." In His response, Jesus removes the issue of place when it comes to one's' relationship with God. Salvation is not bound to a particular location. You do not have to be in any church to meet with God. Some of the most intensely spiritual moments of my life have come as I was driving down the road and praying to God. God does not care where you are when you come to Him; He only cares that you come. So, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that it doesn't really matter which mountain she worships in, while still asserting the theological importance of the Jews. He says, "salvation is of the Jews." The Messiah came forth from the Jewish people; that was part of God's plan all along for the Jews to be a blessing to the nations, including the Samaritans. Then Jesus explains what true worship is: He says, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The Greek word which Jesus uses for "worship" means to prostrate oneself, or to kneel before someone in order to express respect, to make supplication, or to express reverence or adoration. God is not that concerned about us kneeling physically if we are not kneeling spiritually. David Guzik said, "To worship in spirit means you are concerned with spiritual realities, not so much with places or outward sacrifices, cleansings, and trappings. To worship in truth means you worship according to the whole counsel of God’s word, especially in light of the New Testament revelation. It also means that you come to God in truth, not in pretense or a mere display of spirituality." Jesus' message to the Samaritan woman is that she does not need to worry so much about where she is, as she needs to be worried about where her heart is. If she genuinely wants to submit her heart to God in accordance with the truth that she has just received, God will receive her. And God will receive each of us as well if we come to Him sincerely. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you want to get to know Him today, you must first accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,

and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door." Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please e-mail me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop. God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.