Sermon nuggets Tues, March 11,2008
Theme Harvest
Verses- John 4:25-30 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"
30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.(NIV)
Testimony
Last week we looked at some elements of witnessing. But when you meet Christ one of the most effective means of being a witness is sharing your story. This woman at the well told others what happened. It was natural, normal, and exciting.
A testimony is one’s own story of a Christ encounter. It is significant because it is your story. People can either investigate for themselves or ignore or reject it. But they cannot deny it didn't happen to you.
What makes up a testimony? Typically your God story tells what life was like before Christ. It also includes your encounter with Christ. It reveals your response to Christ. And lastly, what happened in your life after Christ.
I would be stretching it to make this woman’s own story fit that common formula, but those elements are there for us to see. We are told her past. We learn the details of her encounter with Jesus. She was becoming convinced that because of his knowing all about her He must be the prophet promised by God. Then we see she was a believer. (John 4:39-40 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did.") She was excited and wanted others to know about Him.
God used this rejected, sinful woman to share her story and it resulted in many others getting saved. The woman at the well was the first evangelist to tell the good news of Jesus Christ in Samaria. Once she got the water of the Lord, she forgot all about the water of this world. She left her jar behind and ran back to town to tell her story.
41 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."(NIV)
They went to see for themselves and believed in Him for themselves. But some believed just based on the woman’s testimony.
Your testimony is a powerful tool to share with other people. It may not be dramatic. You may not have had a life full of dramatic sins. But facing the past, meeting the Lord and responding to him resulting in a changed life and future helps others accept, reject, or investigate for themselves. The Holy Spirit does the rest.
What is your story? A skeptic may deny your doctrine or attack your church, but he cannot honestly ignore the fact that you found hope in personally putting your faith in Jesus. He may never listen to a sermon or read a Bible, but there is attraction to stories that are true with people who are also in need of “living water”.
If you haven’t done it before, why not write out your salvation story? Include your life before you came to faith in Christ. Write how you were introduced to Jesus as Savior. You may have been a church goers all your life and known about Jesus, but what was it that made you take seriously that you were a sinner in need of savation? What happened that moved you to respond to believe and accept Him? What is your walk with Christ like since then? It is your unique experience that God can use in someone’s life.
In your worship today, thank the Lord for your story and how He saved you.
Pastor Dale
