The Living Water (John 4:1-30)

[Sung Psalm: 147]

[We regret that audio for this sermon is not available. Please see transcript.]

People sometimes wonder what was so special about the Jews? Why did God choose them?

In reality, there was nothing special about the Jews. God chose them because that was his choice! He did not do this for any other nation.

Some might say, "Why couldn't God reveal himself in different ways to different peoples?" If it was just a matter of revealing useful ideas to help people live a good life – well, actually that is exactly what God has done! All through history God has helped the human race by sending wise teachers to teach us lessons about being better people!

There's only one problem. We are very bad students. Confucius and Socrates and all the other wise teachers haven't actually given us enough wisdom to figure out how to be right with God.

Because our problem is not primarily an educational problem. We know how to live a good life – our problem is a primarily ethical. Our problem is that we don't want to do the right things!

And for that problem, no amount of moral teachers will work. We need a Redeemer. We need someone who will pay the price for our sin. We need someone who deliver us from bondage to sin and death!

And for that, God needed to come in our flesh. And therefore he chose one nation – and in his great wisdom he chose the smallest of nations – a people whom he delivered from slavery in Egypt – and who remained a small, divided people on the fringes of empires.

God likes to use little people to do his great works.