Sermon #1390 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: “I AM HE”
Text: John 4:26-27
Subject: Christ’s
Reveals Himself to the Samaritan Woman
Date: Sunday Morning – February 6, 2000[1]
Tape
# V-68a
Reading: Isaiah
52:1-13
Introduction:
There is
a day appointed by God for the salvation of his elect, a day fixed from
eternity when grace will come to the chosen sinner, an hour determined before
the world began when the Good Shepherd will seek out and find his lost sheep.
There is a time fixed before time began, called “the time of love,” when the predestined child, the elect sinner,
redeemed by the blood of Christ, must be saved. At that hour, salvation must
and shall come to the soul loved of God with an everlasting love.
It is my
heart’s prayer that this is the hour appointed of God for some of you. I have
been praying for some of you with unusual urgency this week, and for many
others scattered around the country. Because the Lord has given me the burden
to pray, I fully expect that this shall be a day of great in gathering in the
kingdom. O Spirit of God, come here, and gather sinners to the Savior by your
almighty, omnipotent, irresistible grace, for Christ’s sake!
Some of
you, I am sure, are in such a state of mind that you are already asking yourself,
perhaps you have been asking for some time, “If God is pleased to save me, if
he is pleased to grant me life and grace in Christ, how will I know? How will I know when the Lord has saved
me? How will I know that God has performed his work of grace in me?”
If you
will turn with me to John chapter four, I will show you. But before I give you
my message, a word of warning is needful. While
there clearly is a pattern of grace revealed in Holy Scripture, it is only a
pattern. There are several, specific things God does in and for sinners
when he saves them by his grace. But the experience of grace differs widely.
With some of God’s elect, conversion is a climatic, revolutionary experience.
With others, it is a very gradual thing. We must never judge the validity of a
person’s faith by the yardstick of our experience, or the validity of our faith
by the yardstick of another’s experience. We examine our faith by the Word of
God alone.
Illustration: “I found
myself believing.”
– Pastor David Simpson
One other
word of caution. – It is a mistake to
make the order in which we experience the various aspects of God’s grace a
matter of great concern. Our perception of things in the experience of
them is often very different from reality. For example: There is no question
that the new birth is the cause of faith; but we know we are born again only
after we believe. Repentance and faith are so closely mingled that it is
impossible to distinguish one from the other, though they are separate graces.
So, as I
show you what happens when God saves a sinner, while I will give you five
distinct things, do not concern yourself with the order of these things, just
with the reality of them.
Proposition: When the Lord Jesus Christ
comes to save a sinner by the power and grace of his Spirit, he does for that
sinner exactly what he did for the Samaritan woman in John 4.
I do not know whether you will ever be saved or not; but I
do know this – If ever you are saved, you must and shall be saved by God’s
work, not your own, by God’s will, not your own, by God’s doing, not your own
(Rom. 9:16). And if God almighty ever saves you by his grace, some how or
another, he will do these five things for you and in you.
1.
If the Lord Jesus Christ ever saves you by his
grace, he will cross your path.
(John 4:3-7)
"He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria,
which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there.
Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey,
sat thus on the well: and it was
about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh
a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink."
What a wonder! – The Son of God came to Samaria to seek out
a fallen woman from Sychar! This woman could not and would not come to Christ.
He came to her! The name of God’s church is “Sought
Out!”
(Isaiah 62:11-12) "Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto
the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation
cometh; behold, his reward is with
him, and his work before him. 12 And
they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt
be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken."
Salvation does not begin with man seeking God, but with God
seeking man. You will never be saved, unless and until God almighty steps in
your way, crosses your path, and stops you in your mad rush for hell.
2.
I do not know whether you
will ever have an interest in spiritual things or not, whether you will ever be
concerned about sin and righteousness, grace and eternal life, salvation and
the things of God. But I do know this – You
will never have an interest in these things unless the Lord God creates an
interest in you.
That is what our Lord did
for this Samaritan woman. When she came out to Jacob’s well, she had no
interest in him, in the glory of God, or in eternal life. Oh, she was
interested in religion and in staying out of hell; but she had no interest in
the things of God, until the Lord Jesus made her interested.
In verses 7-15, the Master got her interested in water. No
doubt, she was at first only interested in water for selfish, carnal reasons.
Yet, there was such spiritual truth in what the Master said that she could not
put it out of her mind. I can almost hear her.
·
“Who is this man?”
·
“What is this living water?”
·
“Where does he have this water?”
·
“How can he give it to me?”
·
“I sure would like to have whatever it is he is talking about.”
3.
But something must also be
done. If God ever saves you, if the Lord ever has mercy on your soul, if ever
the grace of God that brings salvation comes to you, the Lord God will expose your sin. – “Go, call thy husband.” – “I perceive that thou art a prophet.” (vv. 16-19).
Painful as it is, and it is painful, you are going to have
to face, deal with, and honestly confess your sin before the holy Lord God. It
is painful business for God to stick his finger in your heart and rip it open;
but if he never rips it open, he will never bind it up.
·
He wounds first. Then he heals.
·
He strips. Then he clothes.
·
He slays. Then he makes alive.
·
He takes away. Then he gives.
·
He creates a thirst. Then he quenches it.
·
He makes you hungry. Then he feeds you!
4.
I do not know whether you
will ever flee to Christ for refuge or not; but I do know this – You will never flee to him for refuge,
until he destroys your false refuge.
I do not know what your refuge of lies is; but I know you
have one; and you will never forsake until God destroys it.
(Isaiah 28:14-20) "Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye
scornful men, that rule this people which is
in Jerusalem. 15 Because ye have
said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement;
when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for
we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD,
Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious
corner stone, a sure foundation: he
that believeth shall not make haste. 17 Judgment
also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail
shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding
place. 18 And your covenant with
death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when
the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by
it. 19 From the time that it goeth
forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and
by night: and it shall be a vexation only to
understand the report. 20 For the
bed is shorter than that a man can
stretch himself on it: and the
covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it."
Before the Lord saved this Samaritan harlot, he destroyed
her religious refuge (vv. 19-24).
Now, I want you to look at verses 25-26. Here is the thing
I have been working up to.
(John 4:25-26) "The woman saith unto him, I know that
Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all
things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
5.
I do not know whether you
will ever be saved or not; but I do know this – If ever the Lord God saves you, if ever you come to know and trust
the Son of God, he must reveal himself to you and in you.
Salvation comes by revelation. You cannot trust an unknown
Christ. And you can never know him until he makes himself known to you.
(2 Corinthians 4:4-6) "In whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ."
(Galatians 1:15-16) "But when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb, and called me by
his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in
me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with
flesh and blood."
(John 4:25-26) "The woman saith unto him, I know that
Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all
things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
Never did the Lord Jesus, while he walked upon the earth,
make himself known to anyone more clearly and fully than he did here to this
Samaritan sinner. Here, Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. The Master declares to
this woman his great name _ “I AM HE.”
(Isaiah 52:6)
"Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I."
Three things are obvious here. Let me give them to you, and
I will be done.
I.
When the Savior said, “I AM HE,” he was saying to this woman,
I am he of whom the Scriptures speak.
We must never underestimate
the faith and knowledge of God’s saints in the Old Testament. God's elect were
saved in the Old Testament in exactly the same way they are today. God has only
one way of saving sinners. That way, as you know is Christ alone, by grace
alone, through faith alone. Christ was the Object of all true faith in the Old
Testament, just as he is today. What amount of knowledge those Old Testament
believers had, I cannot tell. It is not clearly revealed. Yet, we do know that…
·
Eve understood the promise that the Redeemer would be a man of the
woman's seed (Gen. 3:15).
·
Abel knew about blood atonement (Gen. 4).
·
Abraham knew that the Redeemer would be God incarnate (Gen. 22:8).
·
David clearly understood that forgiveness is sure through the blood
atonement of a crucified Substitute (Ps. 22; 32, 51).
·
Enoch even spoke plainly about the Lord's second advent (Jude 14).
·
Even Job, probably the first book written in the Inspired Volume,
describes Christ as our Redeemer and speaks of the resurrection at the last day
(Job 19:25-27).
·
Isaiah understood that the sinner's Substitute is both God and man in
one person, whose work of redemption and grace must be effectual to the salvation
of chosen sinners (Isa. 7:14; 9:6-9; 52:13-53:1-12).
Numerous other references
could be given. These are, truly, only a few; and they were randomly selected.
Yet, they will suffice to make my point irrefutable. Old Testament
saints knew and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their effectual, almighty,
crucified, risen, reigning Savior.
It is also clear, to even a
casual reader of Holy Scripture, that the saints of the Mosaic era clearly
understood and rejoiced in the doctrines of God's free and sovereign grace in
Christ. –
·
Divine Sovereignty (Ps. 115:3; 135:6; Dan. 4:35-37; Isa. 46:9-11)
·
Total Depravity (Ps. 14)
·
Unconditional Election (Ps. 65:4; 2 Sam. 23:5)
·
Limited Atonement (Isa. 53:8-11)
·
Irresistible Grace (Ps. 65:4; 110:3)
·
Perseverance of the Saints (Ps. 23:6)
In a word, God gave those
saints in the Old Testament faith just as he gives us faith, by supernatural
revelation, by revealing Christ to and in chosen sinners. Obviously, the
Revelation of God in Scripture was not as full in Job's day as it was in
Moses', or in Moses' day as it was in Malachi's, or in Malachi's day as it was
in John the Baptist's, or in John the Baptist's day as it was in Paul's.
Yet, I must personally
acknowledge that I have never begun to experience the quality of faith that
Noah exhibited in building the ark, Abraham exhibited on Mt. Moriah, or Moses
exhibited in dealing with Pharaoh and Israel.
Those men believed God. They knew, worshipped, and trusted the Lord
Jesus Christ, of whom the Scriptures of the Old Testament speak.
(John 5:39)
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
The Book of God is all about the Son of God.
II. When the Lord Jesus said to
this Samaritan woman, “I AM HE,” he
was declaring himself to be God incarnate, the great “I AM” in human flesh.
We lose much in our English translation of this 26th
verse. It would be far more accurate to translate the Master’s words, “I AM.” This was the Old Testament name
by which God revealed himself to Moses, “JEHOVAH.” This was a name no Scribe
would write, without first bathing himself. Yet, here is a man, standing in
front of a sinner in need of mercy, declaring himself to be the “I AM.”!
Our Lord Jesus Christ made this claim no less than fourteen
times in John’s gospel. Fourteen times he publicly took to himself this title
which belongs to none but God (4:6; 6:20; 8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5). He said “I AM…
·
“the Bread of Life.” (6:35)
·
“the Light of the World.” (8:12; 9:5)
·
“the Door.” (10:7,9)
·
“the Good Shepherd.” (10:11, 14)
·
“the Resurrection and the
Life.”
(11:25)
·
“the Way, the Truth, and the
Life.” (14:9)
·
“the Vine.” (15:1,5)
This name – “I AM” –
is our Savior’s declaration that he is God come to save! He made himself known
to this sinner as the One of whom the Scriptures speak, and as God in human
flesh.
III. And when our Master said, “I AM HE,” he was declaring to this
woman that he is the Messiah promised long before.
The word Messiah means “Anointed.” It means exactly the
same thing as the word “Christ.” As it was used among both the Jews and the
Samaritans, had three basic. They expected the Messiah to be a man, anointed,
chosen, set apart, consecrated by God and to God, in whom all the divinely
appointed offices of the Old Testament would be fulfilled. Prophet, Priest, and
King.
The Lord
Jesus declared to this woman that he is that man, and that he is God as well!
·
A Prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18) – To show us all things.
·
A Priest Like Melchizedek – To bring us to God.
·
A King Like David – To deliver us from all our enemies, to rule us, to
protect us, to provide for us.
(John 4:28-29) "The woman then left her waterpot, and
went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is
not this the Christ?"
Application: This man, the man who died
at Calvary, the man who is the Christ, the man who now sits in glory, this man
who is the Savior of the world, says to you and me – “I AM HE.”
·
He of whom the Scriptures speak.
·
God incarnate - the I AM!
·
The Christ – The Messiah, the Salvation of Israel!
(Isaiah 25:9)
"Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will
save us: this is the LORD; we have
waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Amen.