My Inconvenient Neighbor - Concord Church

SERMON NOTES

To be the greatest church, we must follow the greatest commandment, from the greatest person for the greatest glory.

The Big Idea
Identify ONE person this year to share your faith experience with through personal
conversations.
What If:
• You allowed your neighbor to get to know you?
• You allowed your neighbor to get to know the Christ in you?
• You invited your neighbor to participate in the Body of Christ
We must learn from Jesus about sharing.
Jesus because no one is better at sharing Jesus than Jesus.

Clash of Cultures
In 722 B.C. Assyria conquered Israel and took most of its people into captivity. The invaders
then brought in Gentile colonists “from Babylon, and the surrounding regions” (2 Kin. 17:24) to
resettle the land. The foreigners brought with them their pagan idols, which the remaining Jews
began to worship alongside the God of Israel (2 Kin. 17:29-41). Intermarriages also took place
(Ezra 9:1-10: 44; Neh. 13:23-28). Meanwhile, the southern kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon in
600 B.C. It’s people, too, were carried off into captivity. But 70 years later, a remnant of 43,000
was permitted to return and rebuild Jerusalem. The people who now inhabited the former
northern kingdom-the Samaritans-vigorously opposed the repairs and rebuilding and tried to
undermine the attempt to reestablish the nation. For their part, the full-blooded, monotheistic
Jews detested the mixed marriages and worship of their northern cousins. So walls of bitterness
were erected on both sides and did nothing but harden for the next 550 years.
(The Word in Life Study Bible, pgs. 340-341)
Note this:
Five centuries of hate stirred up by political and theological divisions did not keep Jesus from
his mission.
Past hate does nothing to blunt the present power of the Gospel.

John 4

1. Jesus did not allow past hate to keep Him from sharing in the present moment (John 4:4)
Ἔδει δὲ αὐτὸν διέρχεσθαι διὰ τῆς Σαμαρίας.
(Ἔδει- it is binding, it is necessary)

2. Jesus, once again, sees people as individuals.

 Jesus placed himself at the point of need (4:7-9)

 Jesus wasn’t afraid to talk about the big issues of life (4:11-15)

 Jesus pointed the conversation toward Himself (4:25-26)

Jesus understood the urgency of the moment, as well as the timing of the moment (4:31-
35).

Application (John 4:39, Rev 12:10-11)
Your testimony is:

Super Powerful

Probably Underutilized
Write out your testimony:

My life before Christ

The moment I met Christ

My life journey since I met Christ

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

TALK IT OUT:

1. Pastor Rusty suggests we allow our neighbors to get to know us. How might we do that?

2. He also challenges us to allow our neighbor to get to know the Christ in us. How can we help those who know us get to know the Jesus we know?

3. Pastor Rusty says, “We must learn from Jesus about sharing Jesus because no one is better at sharing Jesus than Jesus.” How did Jesus share Himself with the woman at the well?

4. There was an incredible amount of animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Jews and their Samaritan cousins had despised one another for five centuries. Jesus didn’t allow the two people group’s long history of hostility to blunt the power of the Gospel. What was He teaching us about the importance of the Gospel?

5. In John 4:4, we discover Jesus didn’t allow past hate to keep Him from sharing in the present moment. What groups are Christians tempted not to share the Gospel with today? How does Jesus’ example challenge us to share the Gospel with everyone lovingly?

6. Jesus saw people as individuals and placed Himself at their point of need. Where might you meet people at their point of need this week?

7. Jesus wasn’t afraid to talk about the big issues of life. What issues might God use to help you engage with people today?

8. Jesus pointed people He had conversations with toward Himself. How can we point others to Jesus in our conversations too?

LIVE IT OUT

Your testimony is super powerful and probably underutilized. Ask God to help you prepare a powerful testimony.