(Following the Footsteps of Christ) at Sychar's Well — Willie Mullan

913, please. 913, I don't think we ever sang this in at any time during the whole 20 years that I've been here, but we're going to try it tonight. 913, shall we meet beyond the river, where the surges cease below, where in all the bright forever sorrow ne 'er shall press the soul.

And we're trying it to an old-fashioned tune, you'll easily get it. 913, listen for the tune. Pull out the stops, all the singers. Don't be slipping into the other old chorus, we can sing this one alright.

Everybody's got it now. Alright, deep breath and we're there, thank you. Chapter 3 again this evening, Gospel by John, and we're at the third chapter. You remember last week that we finished up the twelfth verse of John 3, where the Lord had this great discourse with Nicodemus.

Following the Footsteps of Christ in Personal Work

And after that meeting last Tuesday, there were two men saved, and when you take two on Tuesday and four on Sunday, it's going pretty well, and for this we must all together thank the Lord. For the past two weeks, we've been following the footsteps of Christ in the days of his public ministry, down in Jerusalem.

And we were looking at the irresistible power when he cleansed the temple. You know, he took a scourge of small cogs, and he cleared out all the money changers and overthrew the tables. And his irresistible power was noted on that particular evening.

And then last evening we were looking at him charging Nicodemus, and his unmistakable preaching was heard. It was quite clear, quite simple, quite unmistakable. He must be born again. And as we have followed the footsteps of Christ, we have noted his irresistible power, and we have listened to his unmistakable preaching.

Now this evening as we come to the well at Sycor, and see him changing the woman of Sycor this evening, I think we're going to note tonight his incomparable patience, and grace, and love, and mercy. So that as we follow the footsteps, we note his irresistible power, and his unmistakable preaching, and his incomparable patience.

And so we are at this wonderful fourth chapter, but before we go there, just let's get the hold of this. You see, I believe with all my heart that the twelfth verse of John chapter 3 is the finish of the discourse between Christ and Nicodemus.

Whether John 3:13 Continues Jesus’ Discourse

There are arguments about this. Some people have said that Christ is going on talking after verse 12. I don't think so. I think that Nicodemus came in the night time to hold this discourse up to verse 12.

I believe when we have verse 13, it's John the Apostle, he's continuing the writing here. And why I'm sure it's not the discourse and John writing, verse 13 says,. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven.

And you see John wrote this gospel, and wrote this verse, after the resurrection. Yea, long after the resurrection, and after the ascension. And so he can say, no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven.

And then he goes on to explain how we get eternal life. I don't think it's the discourse at all. I think it's John's writing. And you'll find when we come to verse 22, it says,. After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea.

And there he parted with them and baptized. I think you see that he came down and cleansed the temple. Then there came that night when Nicodemus came to see him, I believe it was on the Mount of Olives.

And we find that he went around the whole district of Judea, and of course down to the Jordan and was baptized. And the rest of John chapter 3, brings up John the Baptist before us again, giving testimonies to Christ.

You see verse 29, He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom. Don't you know that the friend of the bridegroom is different from the bridegroom and different from the bride?

But the friend of the bridegroom that standeth and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. John wasn't a part of the bride. John was a friend of the bridegroom.

I wonder that people don't see that. All the church of Jesus Christ is the bride of Christ. But some of the Old Testament prophets and saints like John the Baptist, they're just friends of the bridegroom.

And the Lord will tidy it all up by and by. And so these wonderful things are said about him from John's lips in the latter part of the chapter. And then we come to chapter 4 where we are this evening.

The Woman at Sychar’s Well as a Lesson in Personal Work

And this brings us to Cycles well this evening. And I want to take a great part of this chapter this evening down to verse 26. The first 26 verses. And I want to expand and explain this great discourse that Christ had with the woman at the well.

Now that's my task all the time when we take a portion. To expand and explain the doctrines and the fundamental and prophetical things that we find in the paragraph. But there's another way of looking at God's word that I want to do along with the expanding and explaining this evening.

And I want you preachers to look at that. Always even when we're expanding and explaining a passage, there are little incidentals that will pass by quickly. And I want to gather up the incidentals for you this evening just to let you know they're there.

Very often I pass them by and they're in my mind and I think that maybe you don't see them at all. But I don't only want to expand and explain this passage. And together I can point out and bring out the incidentals that are here.

But I believe in all my heart and soul with a very deep conviction that this is the greatest lecture that was ever given on personal work. If you're a personal worker then I don't think you can buy a book that will help you better than listening to how Christ went about the business himself.

Because I think this is the greatest lecture that was ever given on personal work of people going personally to seek and to save that which was lost. So that I'm doing three things. Pointing out the incidentals as we go along to show you how much is in the passage.

Then taking my time as a teacher to explain and expand the paragraph properly. And at the same time to show you what the lecture is saying to you about personal work and how to get about it and how to do it.

So we'll do them all together. That makes it tighter for me but it should make it more blessed for you. We'll do chapter 4. Verse 1. When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John.

There are two little incidentals there. I don't know whether you noticed them or not. When therefore the Lord knew. Now that's the first time that our Lord Jesus Christ is called the Lord in John's gospel.

That's the first time. Oh I know he was always the Lord. And I know that Luke's gospel when angel came and announced to the shepherds unto you this day in the city of David is born the Savior which is Christ the Lord.

I know the word there. But I am talking about John's gospel. It's the first time he's called the Lord. You know there's a little suggestion in the first chapter but you'll see it's only a suggestion. John chapter 1.

John the Baptist is asked by the Pharisees who he is. Who art thou it says in verse 22. And he answered like this in verse 23. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord.

Remember he's cooking for my fire. No the first time our Lord Jesus is called the Lord. Even John chapter 4. It's only a little incidental but it's worth noting and it's worth noting how the word changes.

We're back at chapter 4 verse 1. Then therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard the deacons. They only knew him as deacons. When the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard the deacons. Did you see that now?

Those are incidentals that you would walk past. Now here's another one that stirs up you out of this first verse. Then therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized.

And you can't do it any other way. It's not baptized and made you know. The Father baptized. Did you get the hold of that because that's how it's in the book you know. If I should say that I anointed a man.

That I poured oil on a man's head and anointed him. You couldn't say I anointed him and poured oil. You have to keep it in it's proper way. You lift disciples and then you baptize them. You don't baptize them.

Punish them. It's an incidental but I wonder did you find it in the book as you read it. There's a lot of little things like that that I shall take time with this evening. Just to make you pay attention to the reading itself.

When therefore the Lord knew. And remember the Lord knows everything as we are going to see in this chapter. When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John.

The Lord Jesus himself baptized not. But his disciples did the baptizing. I think you know the Lodax Aparentetical little verse. It's very important. Because you know it's not who baptizes you that's important you know.

It's what you mean when you baptize that's important. Because baptism is the entrance of a good conscience towards God. That's what this book says baptism is, it's the entrance of a good conscience. I asked an old bishop once, does a child have a good conscience?

This is when you baptize them. It looks daft when you bring it from the book you know. Properly always looks daft when you bring it from the book. But the Lord Jesus didn't do any baptizing himself because you know some people would have gone on through life all exalted into the heavens just because Jesus baptized them.

So he was very particular about this. He wasn't letting anybody glory through anything that he would do. And you'll find this out. When therefore the Lord knew how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit had heard what Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John.

That Jesus himself baptized not but his disciples.

Leaving Judea and the Necessity of Evangelical Mission

He lost Judea.

I want you to get hold of that. He was down here at the temple you see. Angel flew and he'd been wandering around here and had been baptizing or his disciples had been baptizing in the Jordan Hills. Now the moment that he heard, the moment that he knew that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit had heard that he baptized more disciples than John,.

He left Judea.

It's something I think that we could learn from, you know. We must use all lawful means to protect our lives. Do you get it? Because I think there's some people who talk about walking about by faith. I know some of the policemen in some news evening and they wouldn't wear a faithful jacket for anything.

I think you're a fool, that's what I think about you. I think that we should use all lawful means to protect ourselves. Because the moment that the Master knew that the pharmacies and health patients are coming after him, he left Judea.

Yes he did. He left Judea and that's the reason he left Judea. These are just incidentals and they have nothing to do with the expedition that we're going to come to. But it's a quick time to point them out as we go along and it will make you read carefully ever after.

Now he left Judea and departed again into Galilee and he must go through Samaria. That's where we begin the expedition of the passage. And I call that the necessity of the church. You know he he felt that this was a necessity, he must leave.

But let's get the hold of this, it was not a geographical necessity. You see if he'd wanted to go into Galilee when it's down here at Jerusalem or into Judea he could have crossed the Jordan and have gone up what we call the eastern side of the Jordan and then he could have crossed up there and went into Galilee quite easily.

And that's the route that Jews always took. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, they wouldn't go through Samaria. The old orthodox Jews believed that even the dogs took Samaria and their sandals would be higher homes.

But Jesus was spinning a necessity here. It's a necessity that's found. Let me get this, it's not a geographical necessity. No, it's an evangelical necessity. There was a woman on the calendar of God for more eternity who was to meet face to face that day with the Christ of God and that's what makes it necessary.

He knew that she would be there although she didn't know that he would be there. It was absolutely a necessity. Not a geographical necessity, there's another way round. Evangelical necessity. You know, for you preachers there's a lot of places you can mark these necessities.

You know, Bethlehem was a necessity. If he must meet, come to Bethlehem. Ah, that's not an evangelical necessity, that's a physical necessity. He must be born there. That's physical, that's right. And he must meet God through the river, there are temptations too.

And that's not evangelical or physical, that's moral. That was a moral necessity. God was going to prove to the devil face by face that his son was bigger than he was. That was a moral necessity. And he must meet God through salvary.

That was a vital necessity. Absolutely vital.

And the day he left the Mount of Olives, he must meet God through the clouds. That's a triumphal necessity. If he didn't rise and go backward of all men was miserable. Ah, you can rip the rest of them out on your own, can't you?

Well, this is the evangelical necessity that's here. He must meet God through salary. He knew all about this woman, and the wonderful transaction that would take place that day. Then he came with me to the city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Becket gave to his son Joseph.

That's the history that's recalled there when we come to the exposition. A little incident was there. You know, I remember the day that we climbed up the hills of Samaria and sat on that well. And Henry Crawford, the late Dr. Crawford, sat beside me.

We'd come a long way, and Henry wasn't as fit as he might have been. And I can see him sitting with his shirt open on the edge of the well, and he says, it's really wonderful, isn't it, to sit here? I said, are you thinking about Jesus?

He said, yes, it's up here. I said, you know, Jacob was here too, coupled with Jacob that dug this well. This is what a woman is going to tell the Lord in the mornings after our greater than our father Jacob would give up the well.

So Jacob was there. And this was the council of ground that Jacob gave to Joseph, so Joseph was there. You know, when you sat still and began to think that I'm on the spot where old Jacob stood, and where Joseph stood, and where Jesus stood, it's really the truth, isn't it?

And that's just recalling the history, so that we're on the exposition of the phonograph, you can see the necessity that was felt, and the history that's recalled. And then I want to linger here with the humanity that's noted.

Christ’s Humanity and the Weariness of Personal Ministry

Then come with me to a city of Somalia which is called Sycamore, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now, Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey.

Now, that tells you that the Lord was perfectly human. You see, the well is exactly 34 miles from Jerusalem. Our Lord was down at Jerusalem, and He had cleansed the temple, and outside Jerusalem He had met with the demons, and then we found that He had gone through Judea.

I think that the day or two before that, He had wandered right through Judea, which would have cut down the mileage. You're going to find in a moment or two He met the woman at the well at 12 o 'clock in the day.

I think He started the journey early in the morning, all right, but I don't think that He covered 34 miles. I don't think it would probably be possible to cover 34 miles in that burning, blistering sun with a long eastern robe on.

I think in the days before that, He'd wandered throughout Judea. He'd cut the distance between. I think that probably He came about 10 miles that morning. And I assure you, you would need to be a pretty fit character to do 10 miles in the morning in the burning sun of the Far East with a long eastern robe.

And this is the proof that He was perfectly human. He was weary with a journey. I walked 8 miles in the burning sun one day. It took us quite a few hours to do that, Mr. Patterson and I, when we went right down the mass roads.

And I can tell you the Lord was weary here with a journey. You know, I mustn't forget the other side of the story. I don't only want to expound this, and then show you the incidentals, but I want to go on with the lecture at the same time.

Because I think that if you're going to be a personal salvator, there are places you have to go that other folks don't want you to go through. Because I know when they set out to go through for Mary, all the Jews around them, even his own followers, said, Lord, the Jews have no dealings with us in our church.

If you're going to be a personal salvator, then you'll have to get by all this beggary. You will, you know. And I'll tell you another thing, if you're going to go in for salvation, there will be times when you'll be tired.

And I could tell you more about that than a whole lot of folks. I went to Glen Gormley to the church on Sunday, and the deacons and elders are there sitting now beside me, and we had a great day. I think it's going to be remembered.

But I never said one squeak about me being up all mountain hill. Did I say one squeak? Not one squeak, I think. Now, I was tired, but they didn't know I was tired. And if you're going to win polls, you have to be tired at times.

It isn't fun, you know. If it's only some clowning on a platform with choruses. God dang it! Now, there's more work in it than that, I assure you. So that we're getting the incidentals, and we're learning the lecture as we go along, and trying to expand at the same time, which is quite a bit of a job this evening.

Now, I want you to get this. These are two incidentals I'd like to know. You know, the Lord Jesus was really with the journey, which is proof that he was perfectly human. I know that he was God, manifest in flesh.

He was very God, we can prove that at times. But he was also human. Perfectly human. But although he was really embodying with the journey, he knew there's a woman coming up the hill in a moment or two, and she'd been weary with her whole existence.

Always remember that when you really embody, you're holding out for people who are weary in thought. Always remember. That's the job. Now, we'll start the new one. This woman was weary with what she called life.

She never had life. She was only weary with her earthly existence. I'll tell you this. If you're going to be a person of truth on earth, you have to be there before the church. He was there first. I see them talking about preaching the gospel and coming to St. Simmons, and they're coming creeping into the meeting at the last moment.

You don't tell me you didn't even see him. I assure you I was pushed here tonight. He prayed down here before any of you were seen, and this is the corner he was next. I was here when he came to me. He was there first.

Are you on the job at all? We're talking about personal work now. I don't have them running round your control here. He was there, all right. And he had a long way to come to do it. It is a distinctive difference that he can read back this evening, but I think it's worthwhile.

I'll not do this lesson to you because it's really too much. But I'm trying to teach you tonight to just look. It doesn't go along. And so you can see the necessity that was felt and the history that's recalled and the humanity that's lived it.

Look at the next book in the exposition. It's the humanity that's seen. There comes a woman and asks for Mary to draw water. Well, he knew she was coming, all right. And before she got the water dropped from her head at all, Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink.

Humility, Directness, and Spiritual Thirst

Now, I know that that was taking the lowly place as far as his nation was concerned. You see, the pharisees taught the nation of the Jews that to speak to a woman asks to marry her with a sin. They wouldn't speak to her.

And to ask her for something was a bigger sin as to ask her in such speeding language, Give me to drink, was a scarlet sin. You have to get back past all that bigotry of the elders at times.

You have to get past it, you know. And the Lord of Glory.

Took the humble place and said to this woman, Give me to drink. Now, was he really physically dry? And he might well have been after that long walk. Because I feel as you go through Palestine, you drink more than you do at home of water and minerals and all the rest of it.

When we were there, Pastor Irvine drank this lemonade. It wasn't just like the lemonade we have. It was really yellow stuff. I don't know what it was. But he drank it in bowels. And then he sweat, he sweat yellow sweat.

Yes, I'm sure the Lord was physically dry. But it wasn't because he was physically dry that he gave me to drink. Was it just physical? Or was it social? Was he trying to be nice? I'm sure it was social too.

But it was more than physical and more than social. It was spiritual. He was starting now on the day of Jehoshoah. And when you're going to start, you're not so hungry yourself. We're back to the lecture now.

You're going to be a personal worker. You're going to be a good worker, you know. And you'll have to be tired. And you'll have to remember the other person's tired soul. And you'll have to remember, you'll have to humble yourself.

You'll start like a weeper. I think it's the greatest lecture that was ever given on soul, personal soul. I've learned a lot from it. I trust you will too. I think it was more than physical and more than social.

It was spiritual and the last is more than the first two. Now here's another incidental in verse 8. It's another parenthetical verse. For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy bread. I think the Lord organised that.

He didn't want them around at all. Sometimes, you know, when I want to deal with souls, I have to organise some people out of the way. I did call everything for this, but I don't give two hoots about you, you know.

Souls are more important to me than real friendship. Sometimes when I throw people out of the room and say, look, let's have this out on our own. Shut the door. They look at me. That's him. Yeah, that's him.

And they'll be until he dies. I've got souls to deal with and you've got to get out of the Lord. And I think the Lord organised this. It's the way you tell it on the end of the sermon, buy bread. You know, you must organise to get along with the Lord.

You must, you know. I think he wanted them away until he would get along with his father. Talk to him about the woman that was coming up the hill that he knew all about. And I assure you he knew all about her and I'll prove it to you.

Yes, it's a great incidental, isn't it? The moment he said to her, give me to drink. You know, you can see the humility that's seen here. He took the humble place. Verse 9, Then said the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, art to think of me?

And get the word thou and get the word me into your mind. She said, How is it that thou art to think of me? She just recognised him immediately as a Jew. He would have no trouble doing that. His clothes would tell her.

His face would tell her. His speech would tell her. Because the Jews talk much softer than the Samaritans. You can usually tell a fellow from the South, so can you if he's lived all his days in the South.

You can tell him right away. It's quite easy. She just saw him as a Jew. She was really surprised, you know, that a Jew would stoop so low to ask for a drink of me, a woman of Samaria. I don't think she said this bit.

I think the Holy Ghost put this in for our information so the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. I'm sure the Spirit of God put that in. It's not in the story at all. But sometimes the Spirit of God enlightens us as we go along.

So she was taken back a bit. She began to talk about Jews and Samaritans. The way we talk about Catholics and Protestants. Are you following me very tightly just now? The moment she started to talk like this, this is what the Master told her.

Jesus answered, verse 10, and said unto her, If I use the gift of God and who it is, you know, he wasn't entering into her argument at all. He wasn't picking up Jews or Gentiles. He was trying to direct her attention to himself.

Often I've gone into that room and somebody's come in, a lady came in some months ago and shut the door. I said, sit down. She said, I'm a Roman Catholic school teacher. Drop it to us. There are Protestants with patches on going to hell.

And there are Roman Catholics with crosses round their necks going to hell. Let's drop it. We are both sinners. And if you're going to go to heaven, I need to tell you about the Savior. Don't enter into the argument.

Tell you that I learned that right here. I wasn't entering into the argument. I have no notion of entering into the argument. It will get me nowhere. My job is to lead her to her truth. He was shaking her up with himself.

Didn't enter into, and she goes like this, the gift of God and who it is, that's after he'd give me to drink. Then you'd just have asked him, and he would have given me living water. The woman sat up and went, it's one of the incidentals.

You know, she shifted her view now. She called him Jew. Now she said, sir, she's getting nicer. You'll find out before she's finished. She shall call him Messiah. But she's just coming on slowly. As far as I have nothing to draw with him, the well is deep from where I'm slain.

I'll pour that living water. Aren't they a group of unapologetic of them? She's back to the argument. You know, he could have argued with her, that she wasn't the father of the Samaritans, and so could I.

He didn't do it. You don't go to search souls to argue with them. You can win the argument, but you'll not win the soul. This can't be. Many of our footballers want to win the argument, sir. If you win all the arguments, I'll tell you this, this looms at a time.

This is a lecture on personal evangelism, isn't it? He never took it up. He could have said, Richard, your father Jacob, dear. Jacob wasn't the father of the Samaritans, and if you want me to take that up, you know I wrestled with him in the middle of the night, and touched his thigh, and even cuddled for life.

Richard, it's all a thing or two about what you were talking about. Don't be doing that.

It's to leave that to the side. That's not the job at that moment. She'll learn all about Jacob by and by, if she could tell it. And so he didn't take it up, you see. She said, art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave up the whale and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his people?

What then? Deeper than Britain, said, and our whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, he's going unto himself again, isn't he? He was a great fisherman.

He has cast the line, and he's holding on to it. And she's struggling a bit, but he's dealing with her very gently. I think this is a great lecture on how to get about it. Don't enter into the arguments.

Oh, you know you can win them. Oh, you know, don't be showing off before a sinner. I've been in inquiry rooms that would make you go mad where men try to show off before sinners. No wonder we have so many Dutch lawyers.

They wouldn't know how to deal with us, or they shouldn't. At the end of the meeting, never mind the inquiry room. It's an important business dealing with souls. I've led persons to the Lord, and they've gone to heaven yet.

And there are times when I know to let the line go. And they'll turn up again, all right. You see how very wonderful this is. Jesus answered and said unto him, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. I'll give him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman said unto him, Sir, give me this water. This is the one bit of this discourse that I would love to hear.

You see, I'm teaching a class of young preachers out here, and I'm so thankful that so many are doing so well. And I try to tell them, you know, you've got to try to hear the thing out. It was soundly.

There's so many ways you could say this. Give me this water. She could have stood back in a happy mood and said, All right, come on then, give me the water. Well, she couldn't do that. Was she really honest when she looked at him and said, Sir, I'm fed up with the whole length of my days.

I've been bothered about my men. Permission for what you're talking about. Give me this water. I would love to have heard the same. And I want you to see something that's most important now, if you're going to be a soul winner.

Testing Honesty and Confronting Sin

The woman said unto him, Sir, give me this water. Did I first not know that she had some heather to draw? Jesus said unto her, Go call my husband and come back again. Come, Heather. Now, that's a change in the discourse, isn't it?

It's a great change. Why did he do that? Well, I think you know that he's testing for honesty now. Because when people are coming from this profession of faith, I would need to be sure that they're honest.

Because I've seen boys in the inquiry room who were not honest enough. It's not faith they want because if we laugh in the meetings and they're coming from this profession of faith, it's not the faith that they want.

Because when they're dealing with me, they're dealing with a no-hander. And I'm not a bit blunt of breaking the discourse and asking something that they don't enjoy. And you just have to leave there with no reason.

I learned that answer from the Lord. I'm not just rough and ignorant, you know. I won't stop at the Master's feet. I know a fellow says when he looks at you, he looks through you. They all said to me, the other day, those honesty viewers, you can see into my very soul.

I said, what are you hiding down there? You're slipping and getting it. I get gleaned for everything. I tell you, I learned at Jesus' feet. I've enough to be said to her. Go, call my husband and come back again.

This is a very lovely bit. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. I think her head was down now. I'm sure she was blushing a little bit. I think she stood at the side of the well and put her head down and said, I have no husband.

And I've heard honesty, you know. She's honest now. She means business now. The Master was fishing well, wasn't he? I wish we could learn. Yes, what's this? Jesus said unto her, thou hast well said, I have no husband.

For thou hast had five husbands and he whom thou knowest is not thy husband. But I think the Master did this. He said, thou hast well said, I have no husband. For thou hast had. And the way he said, thou hast had intimates to me that she was the one that had them and probably got rid of them.

Or maybe by divorce, maybe some of them died. But she she was a woman who wanted a man and got him and got rid of him. And she's got another woman and she's not married to him at all. I think the Lord wasn't soft about sending her.