The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” vs19

Sinners will try to wiggle out if you give them a chance. Here the woman is under conviction, so she turns the conversation to religious matters. Where we are to worship, what times, etc, which are merely external things that don't change the soul or alter the perception of God. These are tactics of devils to stifle conviction, and turn us from the truth of the gospel.

We must not get distracted. We must stick to the point. Christ came to save sinners, and there's a true way to worship him - by faith and in love.

We are to believe the gospel and preach it. We are not interested in culture wars and government policies. We are not merely arguing about religion. We keep Christ crucified before our hearers, and we fill our sermons with gospel talk, so they can be saved. We point to God's Lamb. Jesus did not get distracted, and neither must we. Souls must be saved!

Secondly, we must be frank and bold. vs21-22

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

We cannot be timid with the truth, trying to win friends, instead of souls. We must be direct and clear in our teaching, not teaching in a way that they can miss it, but using unmistakable clarity.

Jesus has given us the word, and we’re to preach it with power and authority, calling people to Christ from their sins. We must make plain that they are wrong, so they can be right. “You worship what you do not know;” We don’t want them to hear us and to hear false prophets without distinction. We want to suffer for Christ, if that’s what it takes.

Many preach the gospel in a muddled way, so they suffer no persecution. Few are bold like Paul, who said,

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!” --Gal 1:8-9

He’s not playing games. He’s not saying that it doesn’t matter what you believe. He’s patient, loving, and willing to explain… but he says the gospel MUST BE BELIEVED as it is, or you are lost. This is the boldness that we need - the concern for souls and the concern for God’s glory.

Thirdly, we must worship in spirit and truth. vs23-24

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. "

The Holy Spirit must influence our spirit in the truth of the gospel, so that we worship God accurately from the heart. It cannot be the mere externals of religion; it must not be merely according to tradition; it must be the truth received into our hearts by faith, which is why we must be born from above. We must receive a new heart with the law written upon it, and we must be enabled by seeing the Son of God.

True worship cannot be passed on by bloodlines; it is the gift of God [John 1:13]. True worship is MORE THAN right words; it is the attitude, love, and the affection of genuine faith; it is an unseen thing where the soul communes with God in spiritual dependence, adoration, and willful obedience; it cannot be forced: the spirit yields to God’s Spirit submissively [2 Cor 9:5].

This is the heart surgery that brings forth genuine fruit. This spiritual aspect of worship can be seen, but it can also be faked with smiles, praises, and sincere tones. It is, however, the deepest part of man - the real inner person - worshiping God, because he sees Him glorious in the gospel. This is where our gospel must touch - real sinners with a real Savior. It is leaning on the gospel with real faith!

Finally, Jesus revealed Himself plainly to this woman. vs25-26

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

This is plain preaching, and we want the same. Do away with ambiguity. Don’t try to sound acceptable to all. Don’t make your gospel muddy, so that people can’t distinguish.

As a younger man, I asked about a particular preacher. The experienced evangelist shook his head, “No distinctiveness.” I thought he was talking about me, and I felt the conviction.

I tried to preach without suffering. I didn’t want to be too strong, because I didn’t have the Spirit powerfully working in me. Hear Micah, however,

“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”

He wasn’t fumbling for words. Yes, we can be unnecessarily offensive, and we ought to use loving words, but tell them straight! Preach the pure doctrine of Christ. Men under older pastors often have this difficulty: They don’t want to offend the leaders, they don’t want to offend the people, and they don’t want to be identified with the HATED CHRIST!

Many a man knows Christ in the coffee shop but not in the pulpit. I remember a well known calvinist did an interview with a popular preacher, where he sheepishly agreed with the five points. Yet, this man’s preaching bears no resemblance to the interview. His hearers will not get anything distinct from him, and they’ll be offended by clear truth.

No, we must cast off these grave clothes, and suffer according to the power of God [2 Tim 1:8]. Preach the text. Preach Christ clearly and compromise for no one. It is wonderful to hear hard truth graciously presented, but let it be crystal clear and demand that it be believed [1 Tim 4:11].