How can John 4:25 deepen our anticipation for Christ's return today? Setting the Scene at Jacob’s Well John 4 places us beside an ordinary well on an ordinary day—yet a woman’s simple confession cracks open eternity. “I know that Messiah is coming… When He comes, He will explain everything to us” (John 4:25). Her statement pulses with expectation: Scripture had promised a Deliverer, and she believed it. Moments later Jesus declares, “I who speak to you am He” (v. 26). First advent fulfilled—second advent guaranteed. What Her Expectation Teaches Us • Confident Hope – She banks on God’s prophetic word (Deuteronomy 18:15; Isaiah 9:6-7). • Personal Readiness – Her heart is tuned to recognize the Messiah when He appears. • Longing for Full Understanding – She trusts the coming Christ to “explain everything,” foreshadowing the day He will “disclose the motives of hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Linking First Advent Assurance to Second Advent Anticipation Because Jesus kept His word in John 4, we can trust every promise about His return: • Acts 1:11—“This same Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen Him go.” • Revelation 22:20—“Yes, I am coming soon.” Four Ways John 4:25 Deepens Our Expectation Today 1. Scripture-Anchored Certainty – The woman’s hope rested on written revelation. We hold tighter still to passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Titus 2:13, knowing God’s track record of literal fulfillment. 2. Eager Watchfulness – Her expectancy kept her alert. Jesus calls us likewise: “Be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming” (Mark 13:35). 3. Desire for Complete Understanding – She yearned for clarity; so do we. At His return, “we will know fully, just as we are fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Every unanswered “why” today finds resolution then. 4. Motivated Purity – Anticipation shapes conduct: “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). The promise of Christ’s appearing fuels daily holiness. Practical Ways to Cultivate This Anticipation • Read prophetic passages aloud, letting Scripture form your worldview. • Keep a journal of fulfilled promises in your life, reinforcing confidence that His final promise will stand. • Build worship playlists centered on Christ’s return (e.g., songs drawn from Revelation 19). • Encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18)—speak often about His coming. • Hold loosely the world’s trinkets, investing time and resources in eternal priorities (Matthew 6:19-21). Anchored Assurance “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). The Samaritan woman’s anticipation met its fulfillment in the face of Jesus. Our anticipation will meet its fulfillment in the skies when “the Lord Himself will descend” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Until that trumpet sounds, John 4:25 calls us to live with eyes fixed forward, hearts burning bright, and lives aligned with the certain, glorious return of Christ. |
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