Preaching the Gospel Of New Life.

July 2, 2006. Preaching the Gospel of New Life. John 4:1-38.

The next characteristic of the citizens of Zion is our determination to preach the gospel of new life to the lost. The reality of new spiritual life that is one of the main themes of the gospel of John and the ministry of our Lord Jesus as told in that gospel. Our Lord’s ministry therefore as recorded in John’s gospel offers us a powerful reason to devote ourselves to preaching the gospel of new life wherever and whenever we have the opportunity. In particular this story recorded in John 4 gives us a number of insights into how our Lord viewed preaching the gospel to the lost.

Preaching the gospel of new life was the passion of our Lord Jesus’ ministry. He viewed it as His life’s purpose, not an afterthought or appendage to His ministry. His works of righteousness and justice provided a platform to proclaim the gospel of new life of which He is the source. That this must be the priority of the life of our Lord is evident from the fact that without Him we are walking dead people. Salvation is God’s idea not ours. Seeking and saving the lost was the passion of Jesus’ life. Mark 1:35-38 (NIV) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. [36] Simon and his companions went to look for him, [37] and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" [38] Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Scripture teaches that God always initiates our relationship with Him. This is true since we must depend on God’s grace being that we are dead in sin and therefore totally unresponsive to spiritual things.
John’s gospel also highlights the reality that everyone needs the gospel of new life. The Samaritans were considered unclean by the Jews. That is the Jews considered them to be an inferior group of people to the point that contact with them even through the use of the same eating utensils would make them unable to enter and be accepted in God’s presence. In many ways this woman was the total opposite of Nicodemus the Jewish ruler whose meeting with Jesus is recorded in John 3. Nicodemus was male, educated, religious and powerful. She was female, uneducated, not religious and probably a social outcast. What both had in common was a need for true, vital, spiritual life found in Jesus Christ.

Has there ever been anything in your life that you had to tell somebody else about? Do you believe that the greatest need of your friends, family, co-workers, and community is a worshiping relationship with Jesus Christ.

Preaching the gospel of new life leads to a number of revolutionary realities.
Salvation removes artificial barriers. New life brings us into a covenant community in which the old barriers are removed and replaced by a new communion. Therefore, it renders finding ultimate significance in your ethnic group, income level, achievement level, educational attainment, etc. meaningless and somewhat silly since those aren’t the things that bring true life.
New life is found and experienced in Jesus and Jesus alone. Christianity is emphatic that the gift of new life is through Jesus and Him only. John 1:1-4 (NIV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
John 5:39-40 (NIV)
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
Salvation is living water, that is real, vital, lasting spiritual life. Since we are spiritual beings it is ridiculous to believe that we can experience and enjoy true lasting satisfaction apart from spiritual life. Only when we’re experiencing new spiritual life through Jesus Christ can all of the other aspects of our life bring an authentic measure of fulfillment. You can enjoy new life in Christ despite your past. Salvation means the removal of our sin. (guilt, power, penalty, and ultimately presence. Because Jesus paid the full and final price demanded by God’s law for the sin of all His people we who believe in Him need not worry about our past. The reality of new life means that we need not fall back into sinful practices in a vain attempt to find meaning and satisfaction. Jesus brings up the woman’s past not to condemn her but to reveal that her search for significance was over.

Very few if anyone in Philadelphia uses a horse and buggy as their main form of transportation any longer. Though we see them on the street we recognize that they are a quaint relic of the past.
Are you living in the past and not enjoying new, vital, spiritual life in Christ?

Preaching the gospel of new life brings those who believe into a worshiping relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We use the term worshiping relationship to define the kind or type of relationship we have with Christ. Thus our relationship is characterized by consistent, heartfelt worship of our Savior.
Worship must be in spirit. That’s opposed to the kind of worship exemplified by the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. Their worship was merely a series of meaningless rituals done because they were convinced that God would give favor based on their formalized religious efforts. Worship in spirit means that the worshiper has been awakened from his or her sin, confessed Jesus Christ and is now spiritually alive and able to genuinely worship God for His nature, attributes, character and works. Worship in spirit doesn’t mean that the act of worship is always enthusiastic and emotional filled. It does mean that those who worship in spirit do so because they are moved from the heart and really want to worship the Lord. Worship must be in truth. God desires worship based in the truth of new life found in His Son Jesus Christ. Thus to approach God in worship apart from acknowledging His Son is an exercise in futility. True worship recognizes the value and necessity of the Cross. It realizes that like Abel we can never approach God unless a blood sacrifice has been made for us.

Preaching the gospel of new life is the privilege and responsibility of God’s people.
Jesus said that what sustained, moved and motivated Him was doing the work of His Father. God has decided that preaching that is declaring the gospel publicly and privately is the way He’ll call, change and lead to faith those He’s chosen from all eternity. Preaching the gospel brings joy to our lives. It is like the joy the father of the prodigal son had when he returned home.
In order for us to be more effective in sharing the gospel we like our Lord must look for opportunities to declare the gospel. Of course we must know what the gospel is and have a firm grasp on the core truths of the gospel as revealed in Scripture. Finally, the people of God must convinced that the gospel is God’s power of salvation for all who believe.

To Him Who Loves Us...
Pastor Lance