Is That All there Is?
Is That All there Is?
The Samaritan Woman At The Well
John 4:1-26
Pastor Barry Kerner
Last Sunday we celebrated Easter. We recalled that momentous day when the world was forever changed as Christ rose conquering the grave.
Since then, the week has come and gone with us going back to huddling in our homes, social distancing from the effects of the new Coronavirus Covid-19. Many who just last Sunday celebrated Christ’s triumph over death spent the week filled with anxiety and in fear of these unsure times.
But Paul reminds us as when He told his protege Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 1 Timothy 1:7
But the high of Easter Sunday has given way to the doldrums of everyday life as we have moved back to our new normal routines of living our lives in isolation and uncertainty. Some may be questioning their faith and wondering if there isn’t more to this life. With the world coming to a standstill, they may be asking if there isn’t more to following Christ.
Way back in 1969, Peggy Lee had a hit song called, Is That All there Is? It was a very depressing tune outlining all of the things that had happened in her life that should have been exhilarating but left her feeling sad and empty and wishing for more. The message was that, If That’s all There Is, then let’s keep dancing. If That’s All There Is, then this life on earth is all we have so let’s have a good time while we’re here. Someday we’ll all die and we’ll still be asking, If That’s all There Is?, so let’s make the most of it now
What a downer. Our country was in the midst of the Vietnam War, there were daily protests in the streets and mothers and sons dreaded the draft lottery that was to be held in November. A song about depression and giving into it became a hit at that time. Our nation, and in fact the world, have been in similar dark and bleak situations many times. And the reason is—we are living in a world ruled by the evil and selfish nature of man.
Some of Jesus’ followers may have been asking themselves the same question. They saw their Lord, who they had followed for three years, die on the cross. They saw His broken and scarred body laid in a borrowed tomb and a great stone rolled in place. Their minds must have been racing with the thought, “Is That All There Is?” For others who had heard of this Man of god, Jesus, and His crucifixion their question was also, “Is That All There Is?” “We thought He might be the one. We thought He might be our deliverer. But He’s gone. Is That All There Is?” For unbelievers and those who are lost and have never heard the Good News, life is just a series of ups and downs. Their weary souls must often ask, “Is That All There Is?” For many believers who continue to trust in themselves or in the world and are disappointed in the outcome the same question may be breathed with a sigh of longing, “Is That All There Is?”
Edgar Allen Poe wrote, “When the excitement dies, the elevation of soul ends and so does the poem, in so far as life is a poem.” What do you do when the band stops playing and the “Amens” are no longer shouted? What do you do when it seems like faith has been misguided? What do you do when you start to raise the question, “Is That All There Is.”
Have you ever said to yourself, “There has got to be more to life than this?”
Maybe in regards to your faith you have said something like, “There has got to be more to being a Christian than this.”
Maybe regarding your church experience you have said, “There has got to be more to church than this.”
Each of these expressions has something in common … unrealized expectations, disappointment, maybe even emptiness. Maybe, at some level, you’re wondering whether you have settled for second best or maybe you are even wondering if you have been duped … sold snake oil.
There were many people in the first century that were wondering the same thing about their lives and religious experiences. They were keeping the rules, doing their time, paying their fair share and yet life was … empty … hollow.
And then someone came on the scene who offered hope. His name was Jesus. He spoke as no man had ever spoken and he made claims that most other men would dare not make. His claims were so bold that the “know it alls” of the day called him on it … they tried to expose him as a pied piper … a deceiver. They even said he was “demon possessed and raving mad!” (John 10:21).
Jesus made a lot of claims suggesting there was more to this life and offering more from this life. He told people they were made for more than this. He said audacious things like: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
You have to admit … Jesus’ claim is very brazen! He set himself against all other competitors. He separated himself from the herd and declared himself to be the real deal.
There are a lot of people (and things) that claim to be the real deal aren’t there? They claim they can give you that inner fulfillment you are looking for. Watch advertisements on television. Watch how sex, money and power are framed in ads. Listen to the average politician. They all claim to be the solution; but we know they lie. To use an Oklahoma term they are “all hat and no cattle.” They tend to talk boastfully without acting on their words.
So, why should you believe Jesus when he makes claims that are even more bold? Well, I would suggest that the proof is in the pudding. I would suggest that the testimony of those who have followed him the last 2000 years is evidence that he can provide all that he offers.
Do you remember the story of the woman at the well (John 4)? Here was a woman that was “all used up.” She’d been passed around by various men and was now living in utter humiliation. Jesus approaches her, points to the well she is getting water from, and says “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (v. 13-14).
That’s a pretty bold statement! That’s nothing short of audacious! But do you remember how that story ended? Not only did she discover that Jesus could deliver on His promises but the townsfolk did too. The story ends with these words: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (verses. 39-42).
Now please hear me, Jesus’ claim to give you more from life than you can find elsewhere comes with “a catch” … a caveat if you please. Now be assured, Jesus is up front about it. He doesn’t use bait and switch tactics. He doesn’t get you hooked and then up the ante. No Jesus is very clear from the “git go” about his expectation of you. In fact, 27 times in the Gospels “the catch” is recorded. Twenty seven times Jesus clarifies what is required of you.
Just listen to what he says in John 8. Listen for the audacious claim and as well as “the catch.” “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12).
Are you looking for more out of your life? Out of your religious experience? The answer is clear and available … you will find what you are looking for when you follow Jesus.
Truly following Christ requires everything you have. It is total dedication of your life and your resources to the cause of Christ. Jesus called people to follow Him, many of whom became His disciples. You can find their stories in Matthew 4:18–22; 8:22; 9:9; 10:2–4; Luke 9:23; John 1:43 among others. When people were interested in what Jesus had to offer them, He put out a call to follow Him: “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it'” (Mark 8:34–35; see also John 3:16).
The requirements to follow Christ are not for the faint of heart. Jesus said: “‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).
He concluded this passage by saying “‘therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple'” (Luke 14:33; see Luke 14:25–33). This is strong language.
Does it really mean that we have to hate our family members? Hardly! This passage does not mean that we cannot love or care for our families or the things we have been given, but rather, it makes the point that everything we may possess needs to be held with an open hand so that we may release it to Christ at any moment. It means we have to value Him more than we value anything or anyone else.
Jesus said that when we follow Him we will experience persecution for His sake (John 15:18; Matthew 5:10, 44; 10:17–18). Paul said: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Persecution is uncomfortable. Following Christ may mean we are ridiculed by those who are closest to us. Even some of Jesus’ disciples deserted Him on the night He was arrested (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).
Look at the example of Moses found in Hebrews 11:24–26: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
When we persevere with Christ, even through adversity, He promises us rewards in heaven (Matthew 5:11–12; 6:19–21). This is the greater treasure.
To follow Christ means that every area of our lives is submitted to Him. As we surrender every part of ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we are cleansed of unrighteousness and He is able to rule and reign in our lives, making us vessels acceptable for use: “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).
As we follow Christ, He becomes our primary desire and the measure by which we live our lives.
We seek His presence and abide in Him (John 15:1–17).
We seek to obey Him by loving God wholeheartedly and loving others as ourselves (John 13:34–35).
We are responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Philippians 2:12–13).
Like the after Easter disciples, at times our souls may be weary and we may ask, “Is That All There is?” But, the good news is that it’s not. God has a plan to restore us to a new Heaven and a new Earth where His love and power will reign. We won’t be singing songs celebrating sadness but songs of joy celebrating our creator. Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things will have passed away.”
Psalm 33:20-22 tells us where we find our hope, “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”
These promises of God, through His word, are to be relied on in truth and hope.
Hebrews 6:19 tells us, “We have this hope (that God fulfills His promises) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
in Matthew 24:35 Jesus told His followers, “Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words will never pass away.”
I’ll leave you with this thought: In following Christ, we understand that this world is not ultimately our home, so we are willing to give our all to Him, knowing that true life is found only in Jesus (Matthew 10:39; John 10:10; 17:15–18; Philippians 3:20–21)
We know that this isn’t all there is because we have this promise found in James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Let us pray…