Sharing Good News: Transforming Lives Through Jesus
Summary
As we gather today, I want to extend a warm welcome to everyone, especially those joining us for the first time. We are in the midst of our series, "Change Your World," where we explore the kind of people and church we need to be to make a significant impact in our community. Our vision for 2027 is to connect more people to God and each other, develop disciples, and engage our world for good. We are praying for transformation in our community, for those who are isolated, anxious, or disconnected to find peace, joy, and God's wisdom.
In a world filled with bad news, Jesus stands as the embodiment of God's good news. He brings hope, healing, and new beginnings, regardless of whether the challenges we face are due to our own actions or circumstances beyond our control. Jesus is an equal opportunity deliverer of good news, offering grace, redemption, and freedom from shame and guilt. He invites us into community, teaching us love, courage, and peace, and then calls us to share this good news with others.
The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, as recounted in John 4, illustrates this beautifully. Jesus crosses cultural and social boundaries to engage with a woman who is a social outcast. Despite her past and the societal norms, Jesus reveals himself as the Messiah to her, demonstrating that he meets us in our places of shame and isolation. This encounter transforms her, and she becomes a messenger of good news to her community, inviting them to meet Jesus.
We are called to do the same. Each of us has a "good news" story to share, a testimony of how Jesus has intersected our lives. We are placed in specific contexts—our "Sychar"—where God wants us to share our stories. As we approach Easter, I encourage you to pray for those around you and invite them to experience the transformative power of Jesus. Let us be bold in sharing our stories, inviting others to "come and see" what God has done in our lives.
Key Takeaways:
- Jesus as Good News: In a world overwhelmed by bad news, Jesus is the embodiment of God's good news, offering hope, redemption, and healing to all, regardless of their past or present circumstances. He meets us in our places of shame and isolation, transforming our lives with his grace and love. [04:22]
- Crossing Boundaries: Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman demonstrates his willingness to cross cultural and social boundaries to bring good news. He challenges us to do the same, to reach out to those who are marginalized or different from us, and to share the love and truth of the gospel. [08:42]
- Personal Testimony: Each of us has a unique story of how Jesus has intersected our lives. This testimony is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel. By reflecting on our journey—who we were, how Jesus met us, and who we are now—we can effectively communicate the transformative power of Christ. [13:39]
- Inviting Others: Like the Samaritan woman, we are called to invite others to "come and see" what Jesus has done in our lives. This invitation can disrupt social norms, but it is worth it to bring others into the experience of God's love and grace. [16:44]
- Praying for Others: As we approach Easter, we are encouraged to pray for those in our lives who need to hear the good news. By committing to pray for specific individuals, we prepare our hearts and theirs for the opportunity to share the gospel and invite them to experience Jesus' transformative power. [21:04]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [02:00] - Vision 2027
- [04:22] - Jesus as Good News
- [06:30] - The Samaritan Woman
- [08:42] - Crossing Boundaries
- [10:15] - Cultural Context
- [13:39] - Personal Testimony
- [16:44] - Inviting Others
- [18:30] - Jesus' Impact in Samaria
- [21:04] - Praying for Others
- [23:00] - Sharing Your Story
- [25:30] - Preparing for Easter
- [28:00] - Prayer and Commitment
- [30:49] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- John 4:1-42
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Observation Questions:
1. What cultural and social boundaries did Jesus cross in his interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well? [08:42]
2. How does the Samaritan woman's response to Jesus' revelation about her life demonstrate a change in her perspective? [13:39]
3. What was the reaction of the Samaritan community after the woman shared her encounter with Jesus? [16:44]
4. How does the sermon describe Jesus' approach to delivering good news, regardless of personal circumstances? [04:22]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. Why might Jesus have chosen to reveal his identity as the Messiah to a Samaritan woman, who was considered a social outcast? [08:42]
2. How does the story of the Samaritan woman illustrate the concept of personal testimony as a tool for sharing the gospel? [13:39]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman challenges social norms and expectations? [16:44]
4. How does the sermon encourage believers to view their personal stories as part of God's larger narrative of redemption? [21:04]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt isolated or marginalized. How can Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman encourage you to seek his presence in those moments? [08:42]
2. Identify a "Sychar" in your life—a place or community where you feel called to share your story. What steps can you take to begin sharing your testimony there? [21:04]
3. Consider the social norms in your community or workplace. How might you disrupt these norms to share the good news of Jesus, as the Samaritan woman did? [16:44]
4. The sermon emphasizes the importance of personal testimony. How can you practice sharing your "I once was, then Jesus, now I'm" story with someone this week? [21:04]
5. As Easter approaches, who are the individuals in your life that you feel led to pray for and invite to experience the transformative power of Jesus? How will you commit to praying for them? [30:49]
6. Reflect on the sermon’s call to be bold in sharing your story. What fears or hesitations do you need to overcome to invite others to "come and see" what Jesus has done in your life? [13:39]
7. How can you create opportunities in your daily life to engage with those who might feel like social outcasts, similar to the Samaritan woman, and share the love of Christ with them? [08:42]
Devotional
Day 1: Jesus as the Embodiment of Good News
In a world often overshadowed by negativity, Jesus stands as the embodiment of God's good news, offering hope, redemption, and healing to all, regardless of their past or present circumstances. He meets us in our places of shame and isolation, transforming our lives with His grace and love. Jesus' message is not limited by our failures or the challenges we face; instead, it is a universal invitation to experience a new beginning. His presence in our lives brings a profound sense of peace and joy, reminding us that we are never alone in our struggles. [04:22]
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12, ESV)
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to embrace the good news of Jesus today, allowing His grace to transform your shame into peace and joy?
Day 2: Crossing Cultural and Social Boundaries
Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman demonstrates His willingness to cross cultural and social boundaries to bring good news. He challenges us to do the same, to reach out to those who are marginalized or different from us, and to share the love and truth of the gospel. This act of crossing boundaries is not just about physical spaces but also about breaking down the walls of prejudice and fear that separate us from others. By following Jesus' example, we can become agents of change, bringing hope and healing to those who feel isolated or rejected. [08:42]
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, ESV)
Reflection: Who in your life is different from you and might feel marginalized? How can you reach out to them this week to share the love and truth of the gospel?
Day 3: The Power of Personal Testimony
Each of us has a unique story of how Jesus has intersected our lives. This testimony is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel. By reflecting on our journey—who we were, how Jesus met us, and who we are now—we can effectively communicate the transformative power of Christ. Our personal stories of faith are not just about us; they are about God's work in our lives and His desire to reach others through us. Sharing our testimony can inspire hope and encourage others to seek their own encounters with Jesus. [13:39]
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15, ESV)
Reflection: What is one specific moment in your life where you experienced Jesus' transformative power? How can you share this story with someone who needs encouragement today?
Day 4: Inviting Others to Experience Jesus
Like the Samaritan woman, we are called to invite others to "come and see" what Jesus has done in our lives. This invitation can disrupt social norms, but it is worth it to bring others into the experience of God's love and grace. Inviting others is not just about words; it is about living a life that reflects the joy and peace that come from knowing Jesus. As we share our stories and extend invitations, we create opportunities for others to encounter the transformative power of Christ in their own lives. [16:44]
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)
Reflection: Who is one person you can invite to "come and see" what Jesus has done in your life? What practical steps can you take to extend this invitation today?
Day 5: Praying for Others as We Approach Easter
As we approach Easter, we are encouraged to pray for those in our lives who need to hear the good news. By committing to pray for specific individuals, we prepare our hearts and theirs for the opportunity to share the gospel and invite them to experience Jesus' transformative power. Prayer is a powerful tool that aligns our hearts with God's will and opens doors for meaningful conversations and encounters. As we lift others in prayer, we become partners in God's mission to bring hope and healing to the world. [21:04]
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (1 Timothy 2:1-2, ESV)
Reflection: Who are three people in your life that you can commit to praying for as Easter approaches? How can you intentionally pray for opportunities to share the good news with them?
Quotes
"I want to again welcome those of you who are joining us for the first time, whether you're in person or online. We're so, so glad that you are here and joining us here today as we kind of make our way to the spring and toward Easter. Welcome, welcome, welcome. It's a great time to join us here at Chatham Community Church. Like I mentioned earlier during announcements, several weeks ago we rolled out sort of our big vision 2027, kind of what we're hoping and praying God might do over these next couple of years to sort of move our church in a new direction and help us make a bigger impact in our community than ever before. We're praying that God might do these kinds of things." [00:00:02] (33 seconds)
"We're praying that people who are isolated, lonely, anxious, fearful might find peace, might find joy, might find comfort, might find God's wisdom. We're praying for people in our community that are disconnected, that are hungry, that might be fed. We're praying that the Lord might work through our little church to change our little world. So this is week five of our series called Change Your World. We're talking about what kind of people do we need to be individually to make a kind of difference in the world that we want to make, and what kind of church do we need to be, to be the kind of church that God might delight to sort of do what only He can do to change a little community." [00:00:51] (35 seconds)
"And Jesus is the one who brings God's good news. In fact, he doesn't just bring God's good news. He himself is God's good news. But Jesus is the one who brings hope to the hopeless. Rescue, healing, new start, restart. Hey, any of you here could use a restart today? So here's what the Lord does, and here's what's so remarkable about what Jesus does. He doesn't seem to care if the bad news that happens in your life is the consequence of stuff that you've done or not, right? Like, you could be a total victim, right? You've done nothing to deserve this. You haven't made any bad decisions. Bad things just happened to you." [00:02:44] (36 seconds)
"Or your whole life is a complete dumpster fire because you've made a whole bunch of bad decisions that you now regret. You know what? Here's the good news. Jesus is an equal opportunity good news deliverer. He doesn't really care. He doesn't care if your life is a train wreck because of something you've done or something that's happened to you. He just brings good news to everyone. Isn't that remarkable? So part of what the Lord does is he brings grace, hope, redemption, forgiveness, freedom from shame and guilt. He breaks cycles. He invites us in the community. He teaches us to love. He teaches us courage and hope and gives us his peace." [00:03:03] (36 seconds)
"That's exactly what's happening in the story that Sean just read for us from John chapter 4. Now, where Sean started was sort of toward the tail end of this conversation. So let's back up and tell a little bit about the back story, about this conversation that Jesus has between this woman at this well. In fact, this is one of the longest recorded interactions we have of Jesus with anyone. John spends more ink on this story than almost any other story, any other part of the Bible, any other part of Jesus' ministry, and any other interaction. So it really, really matters that we understand what's going on. It's very important to John as he's writing his story and to us as Jesus' followers." [00:04:31] (33 seconds)
"So here's what Jesus is doing. Jesus goes out of his way to not go out of his way, to cross what we would call today racial lines, ethnic lines, national lines, to have a conversation with a woman in public. Now, this is all part of the culture of the day, right? In first century Judaism, a good Jewish man would not talk to a woman in public, wouldn't even talk to his wife at the marketplace. Like, honey, should we get more eggs? Don't talk to me. Like, literally, a man would not talk in public to any woman. And so Jesus crosses racial lines, crosses gender lines, having this crazy conversation with a woman he has no business having a conversation with, there in the heat of Sychar, in the middle of Samaria." [00:07:39] (43 seconds)
"Listen, we talked earlier about being in seasons of life where all you're getting is bad news, bad news, bad news, bad news. Listen, if that's you today, if you feel like you're drowning in bad news, news I've got some really really good news for you Jesus loves to meet people in the middle of bad news Jesus up to me loves to meet people in the middle of bad news the well is her symbol of shame her outcastness her aloneness and Jesus meets her right there and reveals more of himself to her than to anyone else almost in the entire Bible and if you're here this morning and you feel like you're drowning in bad news if you're here this morning you feel like I'm not good enough for this church thing like the songs we sing about God's love and God's grace not for me not for me I'm particularly bad I big bad decisions I feel dirty I feel gross I feel like I've been sort of on the wrong side of a bunch of different things I've made a bunch of different mistakes if you're the one everyone's been talking about if your family loves to talk to you talk about you behind your back people at work love to talk about you behind your back people at school to talk about you behind your back I've got really really good news for you Jesus came to bring good news to you for you to stick the woman up the well and the invitation this morning in the midst of whatever your bad news is whatever you're caring is will you open up and let Jesus in let him come on in let him bring grace let him bring healing let him bring truth let him bring wisdom let him bring peace let him bring redirection correction sometimes will you open up your life and let Jesus in Jesus had a date with the woman at the well he has a date with you here today that's why you're here will you open up and let the king of kings lord of lords the one who made you the one who created you the one who redeems you the one who loves you will you let him in now after Jesus has this back and forth with this woman she does this remarkable completely counterintuitive thing she does the thing that I don't think I would have done if I were her right so she's coming out to the well sicker at noon she's the town that she's a town person that's kind of the outcast and all kind of thing and here's what happens she goes out to the well at noon and she meets the Messiah everyone's looking for this person everyone's waiting for this person this is the one good thing that's happened to her maybe in forever right the one good thing that's happened to her in forever and what does she do she goes back to the town that rejected her and tells them the good news and that ridiculous look at this leaving a water jar woman went back to sicker the town that hated her and kicked her out and outcast her and said to the people who talked about her behind her back all the time come see a man who told me everything" [00:11:07] (152 seconds)
"This past week, my two kids in college, home for spring break, and we were having dinner together. And we started for some reason down the memory lane of COVID and the COVID era of our family life. So much fun, so much fun, so much fun, COVID. And my wife pointed out that we got to know our neighbors during COVID much better than we had before because we had nothing else to do. So before, the social arrangement with my neighbors was we waved, but we didn't say hi. We didn't talk because no one had time. We're all too busy. We're all going, coming and going, coming and going. We didn't really know. We knew a few names, but didn't know a whole bunch of people. And so we just drove back and forth, waved. But the social arrangement was we don't have time to talk. We just waved. But then COVID came and blew all that up. And suddenly we're having fire pits around the cul -de -sac and we're getting to know our neighbors and the kids and their names and their stories. Something came that disrupted the social normal arrangement. I want to tell you that Jesus is worth disrupting your social normal arrangement for. Jesus is worth it." [00:14:00] (58 seconds)
"Jesus is worth blowing up the social status, the social norms, because he has come to bring salvation, healing, hope, truth, peace, restoration, forgiveness to people whose lives are, many of whom, drowning in bad news, all kinds of challenges, all kinds of struggles. The people come out of the town. Maybe they're so shocked. Again, she's breaking the social norms. They're like, okay, let's go see what happens. So they came to him, and they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. This is not on Jesus' travel itinerary. This is not what he wanted to do. It wasn't a plan. But he changes his plan, and the disciples hate this. Oh, my gosh, the disciples don't want anything to do with this. Disciples want to get through Samaria as quick as possible. But staying for two days means they stay in a Samaritan house." [00:16:02] (42 seconds)
"By doing something in your life, meeting you, and then inviting you to go into the places he has you, your sickers, to bring the good news, to change your world. Here's what I want to say to you. If you're a follower of Jesus, if you're already a follower of Jesus, I want to tell you three things are true. One, you have a good news story. It might not be crazy. You might not think it's like dramatic and powerful and crazy, but you have a good news story. We're going to talk about this. Two, you have a sicker, a place where God has put you or God has sent you to share your good news story with people around you. And then three, you have a message, and the woman of the well gives us a great message. Come and see, and here's what he's done for me. It even rhymes. See, that's nice. Come and see, and here's what he's done for me." [00:18:22] (41 seconds)
"i'm grounded i'm a lot more fun to be around i'm more playful the energy i have that i drive is steered in a really good way but then it has boundaries around it i can stop working i can have friends i'm a healthier more grounded more rooted person when i'm in christ when the spirit's at work and control i'm not giving over my identity to something has no power to do that what is you when the holy spirit's at work in you what's the holy spirit best version of you because you have a story it sounds like i once was this is me apart from christ without christ then jesus now i'm that's your good news story for any of you who walk with jesus longer than five minutes you have some story where god's intersected your life in some way and redirected you and all you have to do is learn how to tell it because you have a good news story and here's the other thing you have a sicker you have people who need to hear your good news story who where has god sent you to tell you a good new story do you know how many workaholics god brings across my path it's awesome because i totally get you i'm one of you let me tell you how god's redirected me let me tell you god saved me from workaholism such a great gift god is going to bring people across your path who need to hear your good news story where are you who your place is in your work at your school your co -workers your neighbors your extended family who has god put in your life are you taking that opportunity and responsibility seriously before the lord that hey god has sent me here for a reason and here's the good news jesus is already there waiting for you and waiting for them just like he's waiting for the woman at the well but there's still a call on us to be willing to go and declare this good news and the good news might sound something like the woman at the well who said hey come and see and here's what he's done" [00:22:51] (112 seconds)
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