Sermon #27                                                                                                                    JohnÕs Gospel

 

      Title:                     ÒGo, Call YOUR HusbandÓ

or

Sin Exposed

 

      Text:                                 John 4:15-18

      Subject:               The Necessary Exposing of Sin

      Date:                                Sunday Morning — October 26 2008

      Tape                     John #28

      Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

      Introduction:

 

Illustration: WhitefieldÕs Counsel to the Young Maid – ÒAsk the Lord to show you yourself.Ó— ÒAsk him to show you himself

 

If ever God is pleased to save you, he will cause you to see yourself as you really are; and he will cause you to see himself as he really is. No one has ever been saved without seeing who he is and who God is. These two things always go together. You can never see God in his greatness, glory, and grace in the face of Christ, without seeing yourself in your corruption, confusion, and condemnation.

 

This is not a conclusion I have reached by reason. It is a fact plainly revealed in Holy Scripture. Every person in this Book, who is set before us as seeing God, immediately fell before him, broken and contrite, confessing his sin.

 

á      Job

á      Moses

á      David

á      Isaiah

á      Peter

á      Saul of Tarsus

 

Proposition: You will never be saved until you see who God is and see who and what you really are, until you are compelled by sovereign grace to bow in the dust before the throne of God almighty, confessing yourself to be a justly condemned sinner before the holy Lord God, whose only hope is Christ.

 

ÒChristianity begins by bringing men to the truth about their own depraved condition, but it does so to convince them of their need of Jesus Christ and to prepare them for understanding who He is and what He has accomplished for them by His death and resurrection.Ó                                                          James M. Boice

 

1.    The only place you will ever see God in his true character is in the face of his crucified Son (2 Cor. 4:4-6). – ÒIn the cleft of the Rock!Ó

2.    If ever you see God in Christ, you will confess and acknowledge your sin. This is where Holy Spirit conviction is wrought in the hearts of eternity bound sinners (John 16:8-11). – ÒGod, be merciful to me, the sinner!Ó

 

(John 16:8-11) "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."

 

3.    As soon as you confess your sin, you will obtain the forgiveness of sin by the faithfulness and justice of God, through the blood of Christ (1 John 1:9).

 

Turn with me to John 4:15-18. In the story of the Samaritan woman recorded in this chapter, we see the Lord Jesus, the great soul winner, graciously bringing a sinner to just this place. The good Shepherd is here seeking one of his lost sheep; and he will not rest until he has fetched the sheep to himself.

 

(John 4:15-18) "The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. (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."

 

The title of my message is, ÒGo call your husbandÓ or Sin Exposed. I want to show you three things in this message.

 

Not Always Climactic

 

First, in verse 15, we learn that conversion is not always climactic. — Redemption is climactic. — Regeneration is climactic. — But conversion is usually a process. Conversion is an experience of grace that is a process. — ÒThe woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to drawÓ (v. 15).

 

I can almost picture the scene. The Lord Jesus has been talking to this old gal about eternal life, grace, and salvation. But she did not understand anything he said. She was a little cocky, sarcastic, and rude. She was, she thought, just engaged in another banter about religion. She could not care less about what the Master was telling her. As she drops her water pot into the well, holds the rope with one hand, and wipes the sweat off her face with the other, she says, ÒGive me that water and you wonÕt see me doing this again.Ó

 

Yet, we should not be too harsh in our thinking about her, and the myriads like her. The carnal mind is always occupied with carnal things. The natural man sees everything with the confined vision of his depraved nature. He lives in the cramped, confined quarters of carnality. Therefore, all he can see, sense, and judge is limited to the carnal, the material, the fleshly. Left to himself, there he will live and there he will die.

 

Look at this poor woman. The Savior of the world was standing in front of her, but she did not know him. The Light of the world was in front of her, but she could not see him. The Sun of Righteousness was shining in her face; but she was not warmed by him.

 

She was, like most, full of questions. The Savior asked her for a drink of water, and she said – ÒHow?Ó He told her to ask him for water, and she said – ÒFrom whence?Ó He spoke to her about living water, and she replied with a snicker – ÒSir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.Ó

 

All the while, the Lord Jesus was preparing her for grace. He was in the process of making her willing in the day of his power. There are some lessons for us to learn here.

á      Our Lord does not deal with us all the same way, or bring us all down the same path.

á      We must never presume that a person will never be converted because he is not immediately converted.

á      When witnessing to people, we must not allow them to distract us either by their skepticism (countless questions) or their sarcasm.

 

Suddenly, the Master did something totally unexpected. He stuck his finger right into her heart. He raised an issue she had no interest in discussing. He had been sort of poking around until now, waiting for and creating the time to say what he had come there to say. Then, at precisely the right moment, he sticks his finger right into her heart and conscience. Look at verse 16. — ÒJesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither

 

Immediately, the woman responded, ÒI have no husbandÓ (v. 17). She wanted the conversation to end right there. (At least, she thought she did!) But the Master had her on his hook. He was not about to let her go. Read onÉ

 

Conviction the Forerunner

 

(John 4:17-18) "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."

 

Here our Lord shows us, secondly, that the conviction of sin is the forerunner of conversion.

 

Many imagine that such talk is unkind, that preachers ought never make people feel terribly uncomfortable. Preaching, these days, is intentionally evasive. If evil is dealt with, it is dealt with in such general, ambiguous terms that no one feels as if the preacher might be talking to them.

 

The Lord Jesus here slapped this woman in the face, at once exposing her deepest guilt, making her know that he knew. That slap across the face was the sweetest, kindest, most gracious and loving thing he could have done for her. Now, her pretensions were useless. She still tried to change the subject (vv. 20 and 25); but the hook was set. She did not really know what was going on; but she knew that all her thoughts and actions were known to this man who spoke to her. She knew that this man was able to tell her all things that ever she had done. Can you imagine how shocked, how utterly horrified she must have been?

 

Why did the Lord Jesus put her through this? Surely, there must be a better, an easier, a less painful way to deal with men and women than this. There isnÕt. The doctor who promises to cure your cancer without surgery or drugs, discomfort or inconvenience, may make you feel good, but he is your enemy, not your friend. And those deceivers of menÕs souls who would Heal the wounds of your souls Òslightly, crying Peace, peace, when there is no peace,Ó are butchers, of souls not the servants of God.

 

The fact is, no one ever sought Christ who did not need him. You will never be saved until you are lost.

 

(Mark 2:17) ÒWhen Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.Ó

 

Salvation is deliverance from danger. You will never flee to Christ for Refuge from the wrath of God until you know that you are under the wrath of God and deserve to be. You will never trust Christ until you know you are going to hell, and ought to. There is no conversion, without conviction. There is no pardon of sin without a confession of sin. And there will never be a confession of sin from you until it is wrung out of you by the power and grace of God the Holy Spirit.

 

This was the turning point in this womanÕs life. It is the turning point in every chosen sinnerÕs life. Like the prodigal, you must come to yourself, or you will never come to Christ.

 

The Word of God declares that we are all sinners. — The totality of manÕs depravity, the utter corruption of our hearts and our nature is so plainly and frequently stated in the Word of God, that it simply cannot be denied. Sin is what we all are, what we all do, and what we all love. Solomon said, ÒThere is no man that doeth good and sinneth not.Ó

 

(Genesis 6:5) "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

 

(Psalms 14:1) "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

 

(Psalms 143:2) "And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified."

 

(Galatians 3:2) "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"

 

(Romans 3:10-23) "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (12) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (13) Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: (14) Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (15) Their feet are swift to shed blood: (16) Destruction and misery are in their ways: (17) And the way of peace have they not known: (18) There is no fear of God before their eyes. (19) Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (20) Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (21) But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (22) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

 

(1 John 1:8) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

 

(1 John 1:10) "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

 

á      Hedonists – Self-centered, Make me Happy, Materialists – (Romans 1:18-32)

á      Moralists – Philosophical Ethicists (Romans 2:1-16)

á      Religionists – (Romans 3:10-23)

 

Every manÕs conscience condemns him for his sin. — No matter what the rule book is by which you pretend to live, which you claim to be your standard, you do not measure up.

á      The Ten Commandments

á      The Sermon on the Mount

á      Ben FranklinÕs Ethics

á      The Golden Rule

 

Yet, no man can convince another man of his utter sinfulness, his total depravity, his just condemnation. Only God himself can do that!

 

ÒIt is as difficult to convince men of their lost condition as it is to recover them from it. 0nly God can do both! You cannot help anyone until he is willing to be helped; but our Lord can make him willing. A man cannot truly bear the gospel of sovereign grace until HE CANNOT BEAR HIMSELF !"                                                                               — Milford Hall

 

That is what the Lord was doing with this Samaritan woman. The day of his power had come. Therefore he was making her willing. He makes us willing to be saved by getting us lost. He makes us willing to wash in his blood by making us get a smell of ourselves. He makes us willing to be robed in his righteousness by stripping us naked before him.

 

What a thought that is! We are naked before the all-seeing eye of holy omniscience! — God sees behind the masks men wear! — ÒNeither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doÓ (Hebrews 4:13).

 

The Samaritans

 

Turn back to 2 Kings 17:29-33. Let me show you something else. When the original inhabitants of Samaria were exiled from their land by the Assyrian king, people from five different places, each with their own gods, were brought in from Babylon to inhabit the land.

 

(2 Kings 17:29-33) "Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. (30) And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, (31) And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. (32) So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. (33) They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence."

 

If we would be married to Christ, we must be made to see that the gods of this world are false gods and the religion of this world is wicked, abominable, and adulterous.

 

This poor sinner could not be married to Christ (spiritually) until she acknowledged that her Samaritan religion was adultery (whoredom), that her former gods were her adulterous lovers (whoremongers), and that her preachers were prostitutes. You may think I am stretching the allusion just a little. — LetÕs see if this is not exactly what the Scriptures tell us about all free will, works religion.

á      Does not the Holy Spirit call the preachers of works dogs (male prostitutes)? — ÒBeware of dogs!Ó

á      Does not the Lord command us to abandon the adultery of false religion, to come out of Babylon, lest we be partaker of her sins and of her judgment? (See Rev. 18:4; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1.)

 

(Revelation 18:4) "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

 

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18) "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

 

(2 Corinthians 7:1) "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

 

ChristÕs Purpose

 

Look again at John 4:16, and learn this: — If the Lord Jesus ever exposes your sin to you, if he brings you down in the dusts of humiliation, it is that he might bring you up to himself.

á      He exposes that he may pardon.

á      He abases that he may exalt.

á      He empties that he may fill.

á      He strips that he may cloth.

á      He slays that he may make alive.

á      He destroys our refuge of lies that he might compel us to flee away to him for Refuge.

 

ÒJesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.Ó — The Master did not simply say, ÒGo, call thy husband.Ó He said, ÒGo, call thy husband, and come hither.Ó I know that our first, immediate reaction, once we have seen ourselves corrupt and naked before God, is to run from him. Our first thought is – ÒHow can God have anything to do with one so vile as me?Ó He canÕt, except by Christ. Only by ChristÕs blood atonement and imputed righteousness can the holy Lord God embrace such trash as we are. But, blessed be his name, in Christ he can, and he does!

á      First, the Lord Jesus spoke a word of piercing truth to her conscience. ÒGo, call thy husband.Ó

á      Then, he spoke this word of matchless grace to her heart. ÒAnd come hither!Ó

 

ÒThe force of what He said was this: If you really want this living water of which I have been telling you, you can obtain it only as a poor, convicted, contrite sinner. But not only did He say ÔGo,Õ but He added ÔCome.Ó She was not only to go and call her husband, but she was to come back to Christ in her true character.Ó — A. W. Pink

 

Illustration: The Artist and the Beggar

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

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