John 4:40

“40 So, when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.”

              Have you ever seen the signs that say, “Slow, traffic ahead?”  Or, “Slow, children playing?” 

              These signs make me laugh sometimes.  One could read the sign “Slow, children playing.” Or they could read, “Slow children playing.”  I always hoped my kids would be quick children. . .

              The purpose of those signs were to make us slow down.  This was not necessarily for our benefit, but for the benefit of the children, the workers or vehicles ahead of us at a construction site.

              Someone once said that the greatest ability we can have is flexibility.  And Jesus certainly had that.  He is leaving Judea heading home to Galilee.  And the scripture tells us that, at the urging of the Samaritans, Jesus stays two days with them.  These were not planned days, the disciples didn’t know that this city was on his schedule.  But when urged, he stopped.

              In our never ending pursuit of Jesus, this issue of flexibility becomes important, for Jesus was certainly flexible.

              But hidden in this flexibility, this waiting two days, was rigidity to something.  Jesus appeared to be flexible to us.  I think most of you have agreed with me to this point.  But in fact, he was very rigid.  This rigidity directed his life as a stiff rudder on a sailboat.

              Jesus was rigid about doing the will of his Father in heaven. “38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” John 6:38, NIV.  Jesus was rigid about this.  When faced with a difficult moment in his life in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said, “Not my will but thine be done.” 

              Because Jesus was rigid about doing the will of God, he did things that made him look flexible to us, but really were a sign of a man with a purpose.  Why did Jesus stay two days with the Samaritans?  Because it was the will of his Father.  Why didn’t Jesus stay three days?  Because it was not the Father’s will.

              Again, look at Romans 1.

“8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” Romans 1:8-10, NIV.

Notice that he wanted his travel to be in the will of God.  He was hindered from coming.  But God was the one who held him back.  So he yielded to the will of God.

              Paul encourages us to have this same rigidity in our lives. “58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV.

              Notice the words, “Let nothing move you.”  Notice again, “give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord…”  These are commands for us to be stubborn, for us to be rigid, for us to be focused in life.  The words are not a blanket statement on stubborness, they are a blanket statement that we are to be rigid, giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. 

              When we do, we make decisions in our live based on the will of God

              For example, I could ask this question: “Who are you going to marry?”  The normal answer is, “Someone who I like and who likes me…” But for the Christian, the answer is, “I want to marry someone in the will of God.”  So they will connect with a Christian who is living for Jesus.  They will avoid immorality with that person, they will keep themselves pure.  They will try to establish spiritual habits and connections before they are married that will continue into a marriage.  They may pray together, read their Bible together, serve God together.  Why?  Because each one is seeking to live in the will of God.

               Some people make decisions based on one factor.  They decide where they will live based on money.  Or they made decide on being near family.  The decision may be to run away from one place and be anywhere except where they are now.  But I want to encourage you to think about this.  Live where God wants you.  I can’t give easy answers on how you will discover that, but I do know this promise Jesus made.

              “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.”

              Jesus stays two days.  Why? Because he was responding to the will of his heavenly Father.

              Nancy Williams shared Wednesday night that she was in a store and walked by a woman who seemed troubled.  No one was around to help her, so Nancy thought she should go back to talk to the woman to see if she was all right and needed help.  She went back and asked the woman if she was all right.  The woman replied, “My husband just died and this is the first time I have been shopping without him.”  Nancy said,
“I’m sorry for your loss.  You do know that Jesus loves you?”

              What kind of a response would you expect if you said that to someone?  Would you expect a nasty stare?  An angry, “I don’t believe in God?”  Would you expect an awkward silence? 

              The reason that we don’t take time is because our heads are filled with doubt.  What Jesus wants us to do is to follow him, not follow our fear. 

              The woman exclaimed, “Oh I know he does.  I couldn’t make it without his help.”  At that point, Nancy, the one blessing, becomes the one blessed.  Why?  Because she thought about doing the will of God, which was slowing down on her agenda to do what God was prompting her to do.

Simon and Garfunkel, great theologians from the 60’s and 70’s said this: “Slow down, you move too fast, you've got to make the morning last Just kickin' down the cobble-stones, lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy Feeling groovy.”

              Now we would certainly change the last lines on this.  We are looking for Jesus.  We find a rush, a joy, a sense of purpose, when we live for Him and do his will.  If that’s “groovy” then Christians who do the will of God feel groovy.

              An internet site pointed this out from a British newspaper. “Do you feel like you’re rushing all the time? If so, you might not be imagining it. There's a story in the papers today on the pace of life in the world's cities. And it's 10% faster in 2007 than it was in the early 1990s.

The study is based on the speed that pedestrians walk at - which they say is a good measure of the pace of life in a city. Going so much faster is not good news. They reckon that people in fast moving cities are less likely to help other people and have higher rates of coronary heart disease.”

Jesus experienced this.  He wanted his disciples to know it and for us to know it.  Slow down.  Do the will of God.  Be rigid about that.  And then be willing to be flexible in obedience to God’s leading and direction in your life.

So where does this hit you?  Is there some area in your life that is right now outside the will of God?  Are you aware that the will of God is not even on your own radar screen?  Are you so focused on pleasing God that you are flexible in bending to his will in all things?

If not, God really wants us to change. 

Selah!