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God Is The Greatest Giver
John 4:10, 'Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.'
Jesus asked this woman for a drink of water, but it wasn't water He was interested in. He wanted to give this woman eternal life.
God is the greatest giver there ever was. He lives to give. When He asks something of us we can be assured that it is only so He can multiply it and give it back to us.
God is not interested in the water we can give Him. We don't have anything to offer God that He doesn't already have. God wants us. And by...
WHERE IS YOUR "ALL THE WORLD"?
He Left Judaea
John 4:1,3, 'When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized disciples more than John...He left Judaea.'
MT. 4:12; MK. 1:14; JN. 4:1-3
This is an interesting passage of scripture. On the surface, it might look like Jesus was running from a fight. Now that John the Baptist was out of the way (he had been imprisoned), it was inevitable that the Pharisees would attack Jesus.
One thing we can be sure of is that there was no fear on our Lord's part. On other occasions He demonstrated that no one could do anything to Him if He didn't allow it (Lk. 4:29-30; Jn. 7:30, 44-46; 8:20, 59; 10:39).
Therefore we can assume that Jesus left because He knew it was God's will. On...
God's Idea Of Greatness
Luke 3:20, '....he shut up John in prison.'
MT. 4:12; MK. 1:14, 17-18; LK. 3:19-20; JN. 4:1-3
John spent 30 years preparing for a six month ministry, followed by one and a half years in prison before he was beheaded. Many people would not consider his life very successful, yet Jesus said John was the greatest man who was ever born (Mt. 11:11).
John's greatness didn't lie in his own success, but in the success of another. John stirred up the hearts of an entire nation in expectancy of their Messiah. The ministry of Jesus owed much of its success to the work of John. John had prepared a people to meet their God (Mal. 3:1).
In our celebrity conscious society, few people want to be the backup...
PUT YOUR TRUST IN JESUS
Humility Before Honor
John 3:30, 'He must increase, but I [must] decrease.'
JOHN 3:22-36
John the Baptist had spent 30 years in preparation for his ministry. He didn't enjoy the normal benefits of childhood or adolescence. He lived out in the deserts separated unto God instead (Lk. 1:80).
For approximately six months, he enjoyed success in his ministry like no other man ever had. He started preaching in the wilderness--not the centers of commerce. Still the multitudes flocked to him. He became the most influential man in Israel and even shot the hearts of Roman rulers. Everything was going John's way.
...Eternal Life--a Quality Of Life
John 3:16, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.'
JOHN 3:1-21
Most people focus on the part of this verse that promises us we won't perish. Although it's certainly a wonderful promise, it is not the focus of this verse. The primary purpose of Jesus' coming to this earth was not forgiveness of sins, but to give us eternal life.
Sin separated us from God so Jesus dealt with sin. However, His payment for sin was just a step toward His ultiimate purpose of reconciling man to God. If someone believes that Jesus died for their sins but doesn't go on to enter into the close fellowship with God that...