Joseph Prince - When Your Emotions Come Under Attack
One of the ways that God teaches me is by comparing and contrasting, all right? And you find that that comes out a lot in my ministry. Like, the law demands, grace supplies. And that helps people understand, okay? Law demands, grace supplies. And one of the revelations that many of you have heard me share is how God put two chapters together, all right, side by side, in juxtaposition.
The Lord gave me these beautiful side by side chapters in John 3 and John 4. John 3, you have Nicodemus, the story of Nicodemus. John 4, you have the story of the Samaritan woman, okay? Jesus at the well. Do you remember that? Okay, so again, they are in juxtaposition, side by side. And let’s compare and contrast, okay? There are lessons there for us to learn. And you will know what Jesus is pleased with. You will know how to flow with him. You will know what he’s looking for, amen.
Now in John 3 is Nicodemus. Let’s read the story here. «There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews». Now when the Bible says he’s a Pharisee and then a ruler, that means he’s the creme de la creme, you know? He’s the best of the Pharisees. He belongs to the Sanhedrin. In fact, later on Jesus says, «Are you not a master in Israel»? The word there is, aren’t you the master, in New King James, definite article. So he is a person who is a Pharisee of Pharisees, all right? A person of stature. Not just an ordinary Pharisee, okay?
So you see this man, he came to Jesus by night. He was ashamed, all right, to have his colleagues, and the people see him come to Jesus, all right? Obviously, Jesus evoked in him a thirst for something more. With all his learned, you know, his being erudite and in skill in the Torah, in the laws, in the rabbinical literature and all that of his day, he’s considered as like a Harvard student graduate, you know. But the thing is that there was a hunger in this man. He came to Jesus. In John 4, it was a Samaritan woman.
So let’s compare. John 3 you have Nicodemus, a man. John 4 you have a woman. Contrast. John 3, all right, he came to Jesus by night. He didn’t want anyone seeing him. John 4, the Bible gives us the time that Jesus met the woman at the well. It was the 6th hour, noonday sun, broad daylight. You see that?
All right, so Nicodemus came at night, Jesus met the woman in broad daylight. Then another thing is this, in John 3 for Nicodemus, he sought Jesus. John 4, Jesus sought the woman. Jesus went all the way to where she was. Here you find… so the thing is this, some people think that the more learned you are, you know, the more, you know, the kind of ideas they have about holiness. This Nicodemus, he’s a theologian. The Samaritan woman is ignorant of the Bible.
In fact, she’s a Samaritan. You know what’s a Samaritan? Samaritan claim themselves to be Jews, but they’re not Jews. You find their history in 2 Kings 17. How the king of Assyria during the time of Hoshea, king of Israel, this king of Assyria came, all right? Took the people of Israel captive because they were in idolatry, all right? God allowed him to come and take the people of Israel captive, and then the Assyrians planted their own people with some Babylonians in the place called Samaria.
So, Samaritans claim that they are Jews, but actually they are not. They’re actually Assyrians and Babylonians, okay? But they have the same Old Testament as the Jews, and they claim that God is to be worshipped at Mount Gerizim, in Samaria. So the Jews didn’t like them and they didn’t like the Jews. Are we clear on that? Okay, so here you have a man who is a upper class man, okay, Nicodemus, a Jew of Jews, a Pharisee of Pharisees. John 4, you have a sinner woman who is a Samaritan. One is a Jew; one is a Gentile, okay? Which one is Jesus more comfortable with?
In this case, John 3, the man sought Jesus. In John 4, Jesus sought the woman. Let’s see what Jesus did, all right? In John chapter 4: «He left Judea,» don’t forget why he left Judea, they rejected him, «and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria». I love that phrase. You know, «He needed to go through Samaria». Why is that word «needed» there? In the Old King James, «He must needs go through Samaria,» because that woman was there. The Savior, having been rejected by his own people, has so much grace, so much love, that he knew there’s a woman who needed that love.
And that woman had been looking for love in all the wrong places. She had five husbands, and she was living currently in adultery. People say things like if someone had five husbands and they are now living in adultery, means divorced all the five and now living in adultery, you know, I don’t think Jesus will come to find them. Here you have a story. He must needs. «He must needs to go through Samaria». He needed to go through Samaria. John 3, the theologian sought Jesus.
John 4, Jesus sought the sinner. Don’t you just love him? All right, the Bible says, back to John 4: «So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph». And Jesus was sitting at the well, waiting for the woman and she came in the noonday’s heat of the sun to draw water. Most women would not come during that time. And he says to her, «Give me water to drink». And she says, «How come you’re a Jew asking me, a Samaritan, for water? The Jews have no dealings with Samaritans».
And Jesus says, «Woman, if you knew who is the one talking with you, and who is it that says to you, 'Give me the drink, ' you would ask him, and he will give you living waters». And she says, «How can I do it? You don’t have any rope, nothing. How can you draw from this deep well»? And Jesus says, «The water that you drink from here, you will thirst again,» all right?
Now don’t forget, later on, we find out that she had had five husbands. So do you think Jesus was talking about the water? When you drink this water, you will thirst again? Obviously, he’s talking about her search for love. Her thirst for true love. If you drink from human relationships, all right? Just solely from human relationships, you can be thirsty again. But Jesus says, «But if you ask me, I’ll produce in you a well of living waters, and you will never thirst again».
So a lot of people, they have a thirst. I’m not talking about physical thirst. I’m talking about emotional thirst, spiritual thirst. You know, they think that thirst can be quenched by going for a holiday. They come back thirsty, sometimes more thirsty. They feel like the thirst can be quenched by getting into a relationship, all right? Illicit even. But the thirst is not quenched. So they are looking for the quenching of their thirst outside them when Jesus says, «I’ll produce inside you a well, springing up into everlasting life». Are you listening?
When you’re alone with Jesus, I can tell you the number of times, you feel like something is flowing on the inside, amen. And when you meet people, you just speak, people are refreshed. People are blessed. People are helped. They love to have you around, amen. That woman was only concerned about her water pot. And she says, «Oh, give me this water so that I never have to come here again and draw water».
You see her thinking? She can’t go beyond the water pot. She is what you call natural. But notice how with divine precision and skill, the loving Savior brings her to a place where her concern is no more the water pot, but something deeper because her thirst was deeper, all right? But at the present moment, she cannot see beyond her toil, cannot see beyond her water pot. So she looks at Jesus and says, «Give me this water so I never have to come here again». All she can think of is physical water.
Then Jesus says, «Go call your husband here». She looks at Jesus, «I have no husband». Jesus looks at her and this is what I call the divine sandwich. You’ve heard me share this, all right? He said to her this: «You have well said, 'I have no husband.'» So he complimented her first: «You have well said». The word, «well said». «Well» is kalos in Greek which actually, literally, «You have beautifully said you have no husband». I can’t imagine a preacher today telling someone who is living in adultery, «You have beautifully said you have no husband». It’s more like, «You, you…» you know? It’s like, this is Jesus of the Bible, amen.
Now, is adultery wrong? Yeah, of course. But notice how he brings her out of it. Not with condemnation. Later on, she’ll realize that she’s in the presence of someone who knows all about her sin and yet not judge her, yet not repelled by the sin, amen. Jesus said, «You have well said you have no husband. You’ve had five husbands, and the one whom you are now living with is not your husband; in that you spoke truly».
Here comes the next compliment. The first one: «You have beautifully said». The last one: «You said honestly». Now, John 3, Nicodemus, he says, «How can these things be? Born again. Can a man go again down to his mother’s womb»? And Jesus says, «Are you the master in Israel and you do not know these things»?
So for the theologian, he humbled him. For the sinner, he lifted her. Are you listening, people? Do you know why he wanted her to know that he knows everything about her? Because you will never know that you are loved until you know that person knows everything about you and still loves you. So Jesus was bringing this woman to a place where he wanted her to know he knows everything about her in spite of her sin. He knows about her sin. He wants her to know that he knows about her sin, that she’s not trying to deceive him. He knows about her sin and yet he drew near. Yet he’s not repelled by it. Yet he asked her for a favor. I love this Jesus.
Another thing we need to see is that Nicodemus… finally by the way, Nicodemus, he didn’t get a chance to hear John 3:16, right? It’s in John 3. But again, it was a correction for this Jewish mind that says that God is only for the nation of Israel. Rightly so, God is for the nation of Israel. He has a covenant with them. But, God’s love: «For God,» Jesus told Nicodemus, «For God so loved the world». Not just Israel; the world. «He gave his only begotten Son».
Now which of the persons that we are looking at, the woman and Nicodemus, did Jesus reveal himself as the Messiah? Now, this is powerful. After the woman realized that Jesus knew about her, «You have had five husbands,» John 4 again, she says, «Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet». Now that’s progress, isn’t it? First of all, first of all, she called him, «Sir, you have nothing to draw from the well». Note that it’s «Sir». Now, «Sir, I perceive You are a prophet».
That’s deeper, isn’t it? Then she says, «I’ve always had this question». She says, «Our people,» the Samaritan says, «must worship God on this mountain, Mount Gerizim. You Jews say must worship God in Jerusalem». Jesus said, «Woman, trust me. The time is coming that the Father is seeking true worshipers that will worship him in spirit and in truth». And the fact is Jesus sought her which means only those who receive his grace are the ones who can worship the Father in spirit and in truth, amen.
Do you see a God who is holy yet he’s not turned off or repelled by her sin? He came so close. He stooped down to even ask her for a favor. Something that others would never do. «I’ll never ask anything of her. Terrible, she’s living in adultery,» you know? But Jesus stooped down and asked a favor, and it changed her life. Then she said, «When the Messiah comes,» the woman says. «I know when the Messiah comes, he will tell us everything». Jesus looked at her and said, «I who speak unto you, I am».
Now, your English Bible has the word «he». It’s in italics, which means it’s not in the original. Jesus literally told her, «I who am speaking unto you, I am». I am. Moses asked God, «What is your name? So I can tell the children of Israel your name when they ask me». God says, «Tell them, I am that I am». And here she says, «When the Messiah comes,» Jesus says, «I am,» wow! Nicodemus never heard Jesus say, «I am the Messiah». The woman heard Jesus say, «I am,» wow! When grace touches someone, even though they don’t have Bible knowledge, all they can say is, «Come, see a man,» testimony, «who told me everything that I did».
You want a bit more? Want to go a bit deeper into Bible prophecy? Because God hides truths in the Bible. Okay, then the disciples came back, and they saw Jesus refreshed. And Jesus told them, «I have food to eat you do not know of». Why? «A sinner came and take from me». When someone takes from Jesus, he’s refreshed. It’s the opposite of man. The more you take from God, the more he’s refreshed. He loves it, amen? Then the woman went and now let’s follow the story of that woman, drop down. «Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Christ because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all that I ever did.' So when the Samaritans had come to Jesus, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days».
When the Bible mentioned two days, nothing is without significance. There’s meaning if you want to go deeper. All right, now two days with the Gentiles. Go back to what Peter said in 2 Peter 3, real fast. «Beloved, don’t forget this one thing. With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day». He stayed with the Gentiles, go back again, two days. Watch this now, 2000 years with the Gentiles. Next verse: «And many more believed because of His own word. They said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not because of what you said. We ourselves have heard Him and we know that this indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.' Now after the two days He departed from there and went back to Israel, to Galilee».
After two days. Let me bring this to a close. Last portion. Did God hide this story? Don’t forget, Jesus told Nicodemus as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness… let’s go to the story, we end, okay? All right, go to Numbers 21. Now, everyone say, «Numbers 21». Now say «21» three times. All right, if anyone asks you, «Where was that story that Jesus told Nicodemus as Moses lift up the bronze serpent»?
You know the story, right? The people complained, snakes came and bit them. They were dying, people of Israel. Then God told Moses the solution. Take a bronze snake, not a real snake, a bronze snake, all right? Put it on a cross, even before Jesus came. And God says, «Lift it up high! And everyone who is bitten, when they look at the bronze snake they will live». And in John 3 Jesus quoted the Old Testament to Nicodemus, «Even as Moses lifted the snake, so I must be lifted up,» okay?
So this story happened in Numbers 21. See, Moses made a pole, «and the children of Israel moved on and camped in Oboth». And from then on, they journeyed from Oboth to Abarim, towards the sunrise. This is the first time Israel camped. You know Israel was camping at different places during the 40 years? In fact, 42 stations during the 40 years. And this is the first time they turn around and face the sunrise. That means the story of the bronze serpent happened spiritually at night. John 3, right? Sunrise.
The story of the woman in the well was bright daylight. Is there a well in Numbers 21 as well? Do you think there’s a well? If there’s a bronze serpent, John 3 is reflected here, hidden. There must be a well somewhere, isn’t it? Let’s drop down, same chapter. «From there they went to Beer». Beer in Hebrew means well, «which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, 'Gather the people together, and I’ll give them water.' Then Israel sang this song: 'Spring up, O well! All of you, sing to it.'»
This well is a person. All in the same chapter. John 3 was hidden there, John 4 was hidden there. And the sadness is that Moses told the people of Israel, Israel sang the song, Spring up, O well. It was meant for Israel to enjoy. But Israel rejected the fullness of grace when he came, and he did not destroy them. He just turned back and he go to the Gentiles. And the Gentiles enjoyed the well, amen. I wonder today, how many of you, you’re willing to come to God in your need, in your sin, and know that he will not be repelled by it. For this reason he came. But if you come and say, «No, no, no, no, no, no, I wasn’t worried, I was just concerned. No, no, no, no, I wasn’t angry, I was just affirming my voice. No, no, no, no, no, you know, I’m not mad at you, you know, I’m just thinking. No, no, no, no».
We are so defensive, why? We are defensive people because we have no assurance that our sins are forgiven. That’s why we are defensive. It’s all forgiven. All your sins are forgiven. There’s no more ledger of debt left, amen. When you look at it, it’s all P-A-I-D, hallelujah. «But what if I lose my cool tonight, Pastor Prince»? It’s forgiven.
Now some people think that if you believe this, you are giving people license to sin, but Jesus said it differently. Jesus believed that when people know they are forgiven much, they will love him much. And that woman became an immediate evangelist because she knew she was forgiven much. If you talk to the Lord openly, there’s no room for temptation. And he craves aloneness with you. Not that you always have to, you know, spend time without anyone around. For a mother, it’s kind of hard with young children and all that. I understand that, but I’m just saying inwardly just know that this person will understand you like no one else can, amen?
«What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry. Everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry. Everything to God in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms he’ll take and shield you. You will find a solace there»
That’s our Lord Jesus, amen? Just tell him. Just tell him. Learn to talk to him. Learn to share your everyday life with him. When you are angry, tell him. When you’re tempted, tell him. When you’re sad, tell him. When you tell him, later on in the evening or whatever, when all of a sudden you find full of peace, full of joy, all of a sudden you find it’s good to be alive, don’t forget, it’s because Jesus filled you with that.