Savage Street Church of Christ

01212015JesusWorksInYou#2DonRuhl

Jesus Works in You #2 

Colossians 3.11

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • January 7, In the year of our Lord, 2015

Prelude: 

1. Do we believe and practice the following truth?
   
   11 …there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all (Col 3.11).
   
2. First, what did Paul mean? 
   1. Did he mean that we are no longer these things?
   2. Does Christ make a distinction among groups of people?
3. Two questions: 
   1. Do we believe Christ can be in others as much as He is in me?
   2. Do we believe Christ is in us?

Persuasion: 

1. Two People Who Demonstrate Christ Is All and in All 
   1. Nicodemus – John 3.1–21
      1. A man
      2. A Pharisee
      3. Named
      4. Ruler of the Jews
      5. Professional
      6. Appeared to have it all together
      7. An insider
      8. Reputable
      9. Approached Jesus
      10. Happened at night
      11. A man risked his reputation
      12. Knows Jesus
          1. to be a rabbi
          2. to be from God
      13. Had something on his mind about Jesus
      14. Did not understand the new birth
      15. Conversation of the Spirit
      16. Teacher but ignorant
      17. Did not receive God’s witness
      18. Did not understand earthly
      19. Needed to know Jesus is for the world
   2. The Samaritan Woman – John 4.3–26
      1. A woman
      2. A divorced and remarried woman
      3. Unnamed
      4. A Samaritan
      5. Layperson
      6. Did not appear to have it all together
      7. An outsider
      8. Disreputable
      9. Jesus approached her
      10. Happened in daylight
      11. God risked His reputation
      12. Did not know Jesus
      13. Did not have something on her mind about Jesus
      14. Did not understand living water
      15. Conversation of the Spirit
      16. Ignorant but learning
      17. Received God’s witness, perceiving Jesus as a prophet and the Messiah
      18. Did not understand spiritual
      19. Needed to know Jesus is for her
   3. What do you think of these two narratives of people encountering Jesus?
      1. Who is the very opposite of you?
         1. Is Jesus for that person also?
         2. Think of approaching that person and conversing with them.
      2. Can you see Jesus in your in your everyday, ordinary life?
      3. Who are these two stories about?
         1. Are they about Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman?
         2. They speak to us of Jesus and the Spirit.
      4. The conversations address the greatest issues of life, yet,
         1. the topics did not cover theological issues
         2. that no one, except for the highly educated, could understand.
            1. What elements comprised the discussions?
            2. With Nicodemus, he and Jesus spoke of:
               1. Birth
               2. Kingdom of God
               3. Water
               4. Spirit
               5. flesh
               6. wind
               7. Moses
               8. God’s love
               9. Belief
               10. Light
               11. Darkness
               12. Everlasting life
            3. With the Samaritan woman, she and Jesus spoke of:
               1. Water
               2. Drinking water
               3. Jews
               4. Samaritans
               5. Women
               6. Gift of God
               7. Living water
               8. Jacob
               9. Thirst
               10. Everlasting life
               11. Husbands
               12. Marriage
               13. Men
               14. Worship
         3. Can you talk about these things?