Crucial Conversations |Jesus and the Outcast (Northwest)

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Transcript

July 9/10, 2016

Crucial Conversations | Jesus and the Outcast (Northwest) Jake Barker | John 4:1-42

Hey  Traders  Point.  I  hope  you  are  having  a  great  weekend  so  far  especially  if  you  are  new  or  one  of  our  guests.   Man,  we  are  so  grateful  that  you  would  spend  a  part  of  your  weekend  with  us  here.  We  don’t  take  that  lightly.   We  know  that  each  weekend  it’s  somebody’s  first  weekend—in  fact  last  week  82  different  people  told  us  that  it   was  their  very  first  time  with  us.  So  we  are  just  so  grateful  to  have  you.       And  really  our  whole  hope  is  that  we  could  help  you  connect.  We  know  that  this  can  be  kind  of  an  intimidating   thing  and  so  we’d  love  to  help  you  connect.  You  can  stop  by  Connection  Central  like  Petie  just  said.  Get  a  t-­‐shirt.   He  said  he’d  buy  it,  alright?  I’d  get  like  10  if  I  were  you.  Stop  out  there.  There  are  some  great  people  who  would   love  to  answer  any  of  your  questions  and  some  of  our  leaders  will  be  hanging  out  there  after  service  to  just  say,   “Hey.”  So  thanks  again,  so  much,  for  being  here.     Now  before  we  dive  into  our  message  today  I  think  we  would  be  remiss  if  we  didn’t  acknowledge  that  this  has   been  a  really  long  week—a  really,  really  difficult  one.  And  as  if  we  needed  any  more  evidence  that  we  live  in  a   broken  and  fallen  world,  we  got  it  all  over  our  news  feed  this  week.     The  deaths  of  Alton  Sterling  and  Philando  Castile  they  were  disturbing  and  they  were  heartbreaking.  And  then   the  dust  couldn’t  even  settle  on  those  moments  before  the  news  rolled  in  about  the  shootings  in  Dallas  and  you   and  I  were  left  to  look  at  each  other  and  ask  questions  like,  “What  is  happening?”  And,  “How  did  we  get  here.”   And,  “Where  do  we  go  from  here?”     And  moments  like  these,  they  threaten  to  steal  our  hope:  our  hope  for  humanity,  our  hope  for  a  better  future,   maybe  even  our  hope  that  God  has  a  plan.  And  there’s  one  thing  that  I  can  guarantee  you.  It’s  because  He  says  it   in  His  word  so  often,  it’s  that  Jesus  cares.  Jesus  cares  about  the  lives  of  those  two  young  men  and  the  families   they  represent.  Jesus  cares  about  the  families  and  the  lives  of  those  police  officers  who  were  wounded  and   those  who  lost  their  lives.  And  He  cares  about  generational  and  systematical  racism.       And  Jesus  cares  that  there  are  certain  people  in  our  community  who  are  scared  to  walk  the  streets  because  of   the  color  of  their  skin.  And  Jesus  cares  that  there  are  police  officers  who  are  scared  to  go  to  work  because  their   uniform  has  made  them  a  target.  Jesus  cares  about  every  single  bit  of  that.  And  because  Jesus  cares  about  that,   so  do  we.     So  we’re  going  to  do  two  things  today.  We  are  going  to  pray  and  then  we’re  also  going  to  act.  See  sometimes  I   know  that  in  my  life  I’ve  been  guilty  of  using  prayer  as  an  excuse  for  passivity  as  if  I  could  pray  and  not  actually   act.  Well,  I  know  that  I’m  called  to  act.  So  this  week  it  would  be  a  great  moment  for  you  to  call  someone  you   know.  Call  someone  in  your  workplace.  Call  a  school  mate,  a  team  mate,  someone  in  your  neighborhood  who   has  been  uniquely  affected  by  the  events  of  this  week  and  let  them  know  that  you  love  them,  let  them  know   that  you  care  about  them,  let  them  know  that  Jesus  cares.  So  were  going  to  act  and  we’re  also  going  to  pray.     Here’s  what  I’d  love  for  you  to  do.  I’d  love  for  you  to  grab  the  hand  of  someone  who  is  sitting  next  to  you.  If   you’re  not  next  to  someone  just  kind  of  scoot  in.  We’d  love  for  you  to  connect.  This  is  a  sign  of  unity.  It’s  a  sign   that  our  church  cares  because  Jesus  cares.  And  I  want  to  pray  for  a  few  things.  I  want  to  pray,  first  of  all,  for  the   return  of  Jesus  and  that  He  will  come,  that  He  will  come  soon  because  we  know  that  the  return  of  Jesus  will  be  

Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of  Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.

 

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  the  only  thing  that  makes  all  of  the  wrongs  right.       But  in  the  meantime,  I  want  to  pray  that  we  have  the  courage  to  do  the  right  thing.  The  courage  to  speak  up  for   those  who  cannot  speak  up  for  themselves.  The  courage  to  stand  up  in  the  face  of  injustice.  The  courage  to  say   that  we  love  people.  I  pray  that  our  systems  and  our  country  can  wake  up,  our  systems  and  our  country  can   treat  everyone  with  respect  and  dignity.       And  ultimately  I  want  to  pray  the  words  that  Paul  wrote  in  Galatians,  chapter  5.  He  put  it  like  this,  “For  you  are   called  to  freedom,  brothers.  Only  do  not  use  your  freedom  as  an  opportunity  for  the  flesh,  but  through  love   serve  one  another.  For  the  whole  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word:  ‘You  shall  love  your  neighbor  as  yourself.’  But  if   you  bite  and  devour  one  another,  watch  out  that  you  are  not  consumed  by  one  another.”  Paul  just  described   our  week  in  Galatians,  chapter  5  and  my  prayer  for  every  single  one  of  us  is  that  through  love  we  will  serve  one   another.  Will  you  pray  with  me?     Father,  we  are  sad  and  we  are  shaken.  Some  of  us  have  lost  our  hope.  Some  of  us  have  lost  our  confidence.  Many   of  us,  myself  included,  have  waivered  this  week  between  being  at  loss  for  words  but  knowing  that  silence  in  the   face  of  injustice  is  unacceptable.  So  I  pray  for  new  courage  that  You  can  put  inside  of  our  souls.  A  conviction  that   runs  so  deep  that  we  cannot  stand  by,  we  can  love  one  another,  we  can  serve  one  another.  I  pray  that  You,  this   week,  give  us  the  courage  and  the  humility  to  take  an  honest  assessment  of  ourselves,  our  hearts,  and  our  souls   and  if  there  is  an  ounce  of  racism  that  still  exists  inside  of  us  that  we  will  eradicate  it.  That  we  will  aggressively   attack  that  with  the  power  of  Your  Spirit  and  cleanse  that  from  our  souls  because  we  know  that  it  is  evil  and  it  is   not  from  You.       Father,  I  pray  for  comfort  for  the  parents  who  are  raising  children  and  they  are  scared.  They  are  scared  to  send   their  sons,  scared  to  send  their  daughters  out  because  they  don’t  know  what  is  going  to  happen.  I  pray  for  those   who  are  called  to  serve  and  protect,  that  they  will  do  it  with  the  same  courage  and  boldness  but  also  with   compassion  and  mercy.  Father,  we  pray  this  all  because  we  know  that  only  Your  justice  and  only  Your  mercy  will   solve  any  of  this.  It  is  in  Your  name  I  pray.  Amen.       Thank  you.     Well  today  we’re  jumping  into  week  three  of  our  summer  series  called  Crucial  Conversations  and  over  the   month  of  July  what  we  are  doing  is  that  we  are  taking  snap-­‐shots  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus.  And  we  see  that  Jesus   talked  to  all  kinds  of  different  people—I  mean  people  from  all  kinds  of  backgrounds  and  religious  experiences.       In  week  number  one  we  saw  Jesus  interact  with  a  guy  name  Nathanael  and  Nathanael  was  a  skeptic.  Nathanael   had  questions  about  Jesus.  He  had  good  questions,  he  had  honest  questions.  And  what  we  see  is  that  when   Nathanael  met  Jesus,  Jesus  didn’t  dismiss  him.  He  didn’t  chastise  him  for  asking  questions.  In  fact,  He  honored   Nathanael  and  He  answered  the  questions  because  Jesus  wasn’t  afraid  of  Nathanael’s  questions  and  He’s  not   afraid  of  ours  either.           In  week  two  Matt  introduced  us  to  a  guy  named  Nicodemus.  And  Nicodemus  was  the  morally  upright,  all  put   together,  Jewish  scholar.  He  knew  the  answers.  He  had  a  PhD.  He  had  the  GPA.  He  had  it  all.  And  Jesus  said  that   even  in  spite  of  all  of  that  he  needed  to  humbly  begin  again,  be  born  again.  Admit  his  dependence  on  Jesus.     So  last  week  Nicodemus  was  the  morally,  upright,  all  together  one—well  today  we’re  going  to  see  Jesus  interact   with  someone  who  was  the  complete  opposite,  who  existed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  whole  spectrum.  This   person  did  not  meet  the  social  norms,  and  niceties  that  we  might  expect.  In  fact,  we  might  expect  Jesus  to  hang   Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

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Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  out  with  the  religious  people,  but  today  who  He’s  going  to  talk  to,  it  might  be  a  little  surprising.     And  if  you  walked  in  here  today  with  any  pre-­‐existing  notion  of  who  Jesus  is  for  and  more  importantly  who  He  is   not  for,  if  you  had  any  ideas  about  who  the  kingdom  of  God  is  for  and  who  it  is  not  for  then  today  you  just  need   to  be  prepared  that  your  pre-­‐conceived  notions  will  be  demolished  in  John,  chapter  4,  alright?  If  you  have  a   Bible  or  a  Bible  app,  I’d  love  for  you  to  join  me  in  the  4th  chapter  of  John.  That’s  where  we’re  going  to  be  hanging   out.  You  can  get  a  head  start  and  head  that  way.     What  we’re  going  to  see  is  that  Jesus  is  going  to  interact  with  one  of  those  people.  You  know  who  those  people   are.  Those  people,  all  of  us  have  them,  all  of  us—no  matter  who  we  are  we  have  those  people.       They  are  a  group  of  people  to  whom  you  do  not  belong  but  you  assume  that  you  know  a  lot  about.  Maybe  you   don’t  even  know  one  person  who  belongs  to  that  category,  it’s  not  you  but  you  know  what  they  think,  and  you   know  what  they  value,  and  you  know  what  they  love,  and  you  know  why  they  are  the  way  that  they  are—those   people,  okay?     So  maybe  you  are  from  Indiana  and  you  talk  about  those  people  from  Kentucky,  alright?  I’m  from  Kentucky  and   you’re  sitting  there  and  you’re  from  Indiana  and  you  are  like,  “I  would  never.”  You  do,  alright?  You  do  on  a   regular  basis.  You  say,  “Those  people  from  Kentucky  marry  their  cousins.  And  those  people  from  Kentucky  they   don’t  have  all  of  their  teeth,  and  they  don’t  wear  shoes.  Well  I’m  here  to  tell  you  that  I  did  not  marry  my  cousin,   and  I  have  all  of  my  teeth,  and  I’m  not  only  wearing  one,  but  I’m  wearing  two,  shoes.  So  shut-­‐up.  You  hurt  my   feelings.     Now  beyond  any  kind  of  state  identity  groupings  we  talk—maybe  a  little  more  real,  we  talk  about  those  people   with  nice  cars.  I  know  about  those  people.  And  those  people  who  work  out  all  of  the  time.  And  those  people  who   go  to  that  church.  Or  we  talk  about  those  people  from  the  west  coast,  those  people  from  down  south,  those   people  who  live  in  the  Middle  East,  “I  know  about  those  people.  I’m  not  those  people.  I  don’t  know  any  of  those   people  but  I  know  about  those  people.”     And  if  anything,  in  our  season  in  our  country  right  now  there  are  those  people  in  the  republican  party  and  those   people  in  the  democratic  party  and  then  those  people  who  just  like  to  party—that’s  my  political  affiliation.   That’s  where  I  want  to  live.  With  those  people  who  like  to  party.     We  say  those  people  and  those  people  are  groups  to  which  I  do  not  belong;  I’ve  never  actually  experienced  that.   I  don’t  even  know  them  individually  but  I  know  a  lot  about  them  and  I  fill  in  the  blanks  about  them,  and  I  paint   with  broad  strokes,  and  I  assume  that  because  you  belong  to  that  group  that  you  must  be  like  this,  and  you  must   love  this,  and  you  must  like  this,  you  must  interact  with  people  like  this.  And  maybe  we  would  even  get  so  bold   as  to  suggest  that  this  is  what  you  believe  about  God.     In  John,  chapter  4  what  we’re  going  to  see  is  Jesus  interacts  with  one  of  those  people.  And  if  you  have  ever  been   labeled  as  one  of  those  people  then  you  need  to  know  that  this  message  is  for  you.  And  if  you’ve  ever  felt  like   you’re  on  the  outside  looking  in,  then  this  is  for  you.  And  if  you’ve  ever  been  labeled  the  outcast,  even  from  a   church  setting,  then  this  is  for  you.  John,  chapter  4.     We’re  going  to  begin  in  verse  3.  Watch  what  John  does.  He  kind  of  brings  us  back  into  the  story.  He  says,  “He,”   talking  about  Jesus,  “left  Judea  and  departed  again  for  Galilee.”  And  this  is  really  important,  “And  He  had  to  pass   through  Samaria.”  He  had  to  pass  through  Samaria.     Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

 3    

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  So  John  has  given  us  an  update  on  the  travel  log  of  Jesus  and  Jesus  is  traveling  from  Judea  to  Galilee.  In  between   those  two  places  is  a  place  called  Samaria.  And  John  says  that  Jesus  had  to  go  through  Samaria.  But  what  we   know  is  that,  technically  speaking,  Jesus  didn’t  have  to  go  through  Samaria.  There  was  actually  a  different  way.   So  why  would  John  say  it  that  way?  Well  he’s  pointing  out  to  us  that  Jesus  was  making  a  point.     See,  through  a  series  of  historical  events,  the  Jewish  people  had  come  to  despise  the  Samaritans.  In  fact,  the   Samaritan  people,  as  a  people  group,  began  as  Jewish  people  who  intermarried  with  people  from  pagan   backgrounds.  And  because  of  those  relationships,  they  introduced  new  religious  norms  and  customs.  They   introduced  new  cultural  customs.  So  they  became  their  own  people  group,  the  Samaritans.     And  the  Samaritans  decided  that  they  didn’t  need  the  temple  in  Jerusalem,  they  created  their  own  temple  in   Samaria.  And  they  said,  “Hey,  Jewish  people  we  know  that  you  have  your  Scripture,  but  we’re  going  to  pick  and   choose  which  parts  we  accept.”  So  the  Samaritans  only  accepted  the  first  5  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  and   they  rejected  the  prophets  and  the  Psalms.     So  the  Jewish  people  looked  at  the  Samaritans  and  saw  this  version  of  who  they  were,  a  version  of  their  culture,   a  version  of  their  faith  but  it  was  corrupted,  it  was  mutilated  and  they  despised  them,  they  hated  them.  So  much   so  that,  if  a  Jewish  person  was  making  the  same  trip  that  Jesus  was  making,  there  were  some  who  would   actually  go  way  out  of  their  way  to  avoid  Samaria.  They  would  go  the  long  way.  And  I’m  not  talking  about  some   slight  detour,  this  isn’t  the  scenic  route.  They  had  to  cross  the  Jordan  river  just  to  avoid  going  through  Samaria.   That’s  a  next  level  of  hatred  when  you  cross  a  river,  Oregon  trail  style,  just  to  avoid  people.  That’s  some   business.  You’ve  got  to  work  through  that.  But  that’s  what  it  was.  They  hated  them.     So  if  John  wasn’t  speaking  logistically,  like  Jesus  didn’t  have  to  go  through  Samaria  because  other  people  didn’t.   He  could  have  taken  the  same  route  that  other  people  did,  why  did  John  say  it  like  that?  Well  this  wasn’t  a   logistical  problem  that  Jesus  had.  In  fact,  Jesus  had  to  go  through  Samaria  because  He  had  a  divine  appointment   with  one  of  those  people  and  that  appointment,  that  crucial  conversation,  was  going  to  blow  the  roof  off  of  His   mission.     Watch  what  happens  next  in  verses  6  through  9.  John  says,  “Jacob’s  well  was  there,  so  Jesus,  wearied  as  He  was   from  His  journey,  was  sitting  beside  the  well.  It  was  about  the  sixth  hour.  A  woman  from  Samaria  came  to  draw   water.  Jesus  said  to  her,  ‘Give  me  a  drink.’  (For  His  disciples  had  gone  away  into  the  city  to  buy  food.)  The   Samaritan  woman  said  to  Him,  ‘How  is  it  that  You,  a  Jew,  ask  for  a  drink  from  me,  a  woman  of  Samaria?’  (For   Jews  have  no  dealings  with  Samaritans.)”       So  here’s  what’s  happening.  Jesus  moseys  on  up  to  this  well  and  it  says  that  it’s  about  the  sixth  hour.  And  in   Jewish  timekeeping  they  began  their  day  at  what  we  call  six  a.m.  So  what’s  happening  right  here  is  that  it  is  high   noon.  The  sun  is  at  its  highest,  it’s  the  hottest  part  of  the  day.  Jesus  has  been  travelling  and  He’s  tired  and  He’s   thirsty,  and  He’s  hot.  And  He  sits  by  this  well  waiting  for  someone  to  come  draw  water  so  that  He  can  have  a   drink.     In  comes  our  friend  the  Samaritan  woman.  Now  what’s  happening  is  that  in  this  day  there  was  yet  to  be  indoor   plumbing,  there  was  no  running  water  and  so  if  you  lived  in  town  you  depended  upon  a  well  that  was  on  the   outskirts  of  the  city.  Now  in  most  households  a  woman  would  rise  early,  before  the  sun  got  too  hot,  and  she,   with  her  counterparts,  would  go  to  the  well  and  draw  water  for  their  washing,  and  bathing,  and  drinking  for  the   day.  And  most  of  them  would  go  together  because  it  was  not  only  a  household  chore,  but  it  was  also  a  social   gathering.  This  is  what  the  ladies  did  together.     Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

 4    

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  But  here  comes  this  woman  at  noon  by  herself.  And  what  we’re  going  to  find  in  the  next  few  verses  is  why  she’s   all  alone.  But  before  we  do  she’s  just  shocked  that  Jesus  would  talk  to  her.  This  was  crazy  because  He  was  a   man,  and  she’s  not  His  wife.  And  He’s  Jewish  and  she’s  a  Samaritan.  And  for  multiple  reasons  this  would  have   been  an  incredibly  taboo  thing.  This  would  have  kind  of  been  scandalous  in  Jesus’  day.  But  if  you  spend  enough   time  with  Jesus  reading  His  word,  then  you’re  going  to  find  that  social  norms  and  presuppositions  are  not  the   guiding  force  in  Jesus’  life.  Jesus  was  on  a  mission  that  exceeded  any  man-­‐made  racial,  gender,  or  socio-­‐ economic  boundaries.  Jesus  had  a  divine  appointment  with  this  woman,  at  this  well,  on  this  day.     So  watch  what  happens—how  He  responds  to  her  question.  She  looks  at  Him  and  is  like,  “Why  are  you  talking  to   me?”  And  in  verse  10  here’s  what  He  says,  “Jesus  answered  her,  ‘If  you  knew  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  is   saying  to  you,  “Give  me  a  drink,”  you  would  have  asked  Him,  and  He  would  have  given  you  living  water.’  The   woman  said  to  Him,  ‘Sir,  you  have  nothing  to  draw  water  with,  and  the  well  is  deep.  Where  do  you  get  that  living   water?’”     Skip  to  verse  13,  “Jesus  said  to  her,  ‘Everyone  who  drinks  of  this  water  will  be  thirsty  again,  but  whoever  drinks   of  the  water  that  I  will  give  him  will  never  be  thirsty  again.  The  water  that  I  will  give  him  will  become  in  him  a   spring  of  water  welling  up  to  eternal  life.’  The  woman  said  to  Him,  ‘Sir  give  me  this  water  so  that  I  will  not  be   thirsty  or  have  to  come  here  to  draw  water.’”     All  right,  if  you  hang  with  us  in  this  series  and  if  you  spend  enough  time  with  Jesus  you’re  going  to  notice  that  He   has  this  weird  habit.  People  ask  Him  questions  and  He  never  directly  answers  them  at  all.  She  comes  to  Him  and   she’s  like,  “Why  are  You  talking  to  me?”  And  then  He  goes  on  about  this  thing  called  living  water.  He  says,   “Ma’am,  you  are  here  at  this  well  to  draw  water  that  will  last  you  the  entirety  of  one  day  and  then  you’re  going   to  be  back.  In  fact,  this  water  will  only  quench  your  thirst  for  a  day.”       You  and  I  know  this.  If  we  drink  a  bottle  of  water,  eventually  we’ll  be  thirsty  again.  And  Jesus  is  making  even  a   bigger  point.  He’s  saying,  “Ma’am,  your  life  revolves  around  providing  temporary  solutions  to  temporary   problems.”  And  for  many  of  us  that  is  exactly  where  we  live  on  a  day  to  day  basis  we  are  providing  temporary   solutions  to  temporary  problems.  We’re  living  one  day  at  a  time.  And  Jesus  says,  “I’ve  got  a  better  offer  for  you.   There  is  living  water,  which  is  an  eternal  solution  to  an  eternal  problem.”  He  says,  “If  you  knew  who  you  were   talking  to  you  would  ask  Me  for  that.  It’s  like  a  well  that  rises  up  in  people  and  provides  eternal  life.”     And  what  Jesus  is  letting  her  in  on  is  a  truth  that  you  and  I  know  is  true.  You  know  it  because  you’re  smart.  I   know  it  because  I’m  smart.  We  all  know  this.  We  can  mentally  agree  to  the  fact  that  very  few  of  us  have  actually   built  our  lives  as  if  it  is  not  true.  And  it’s  this.  Our  accomplishments  are  just  okay.       Our  accomplishments  are  just  okay.  The  things  that  you  and  I  can  do  in  our  own  power  and  with  our  own   intellect  and  resources—they  are  entirely  okay.  And  they  always  promise  that  they  will  fulfill.  And  they  always   promise  that  they  will  quench  our  thirst.  And  they  will  promise  eternal  satisfaction  but  then  we  get  into  them   and  we  realize  that  they  are  just  okay.     So  when  I  was  younger,  I  was  13.  I  was  a  student  and  there  was  one  thing  that  I  was  convinced  would  satisfy  me,   alright?  It  would  make  everything  alright  with  the  world.  I  thought  that  if  I  could  have  this  thing  that  everything   would  be  good.  If  you  can  imagine  a  13-­‐year-­‐old  boy  what  would  you  imagine  was  the  thing  that  he  would   want?  A  girlfriend,  alright?  That’s  really  what  I  thought  it  would  be.  All  the  guys  date  girlfriends,  and  I  didn’t   have  a  girlfriend.  When  I  got  a  girlfriend  everything  would  be  okay.     Then  I  got  a  girlfriend  and  it  was  just  okay,  alright?  I  mean  she  was  fine.  She  was  fine.  She  smelled  like  bar  soap.   Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

 5    

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  That’s  all  I  remember.  That’s  it.  It  was  just  okay.  It  didn’t  solve  anything.  It  didn’t  fix  anything.       And  then  later  in  my  life  I  was  convinced,  “Alright,  I  graduate  high  school.  I  graduate  college.  I  get  that  diploma   and  it  will  validate  me.  It  will  tell  me  that  I  accomplished  something.”  And  I  wore  that  goofy  hat  and  that  goofy   gown  and  I  held  that  piece  of  paper  and  it  was  entirely  okay.     And  then  later  in  my  life  I  thought,  “Man,  when  I  get  my  first  raise—if  I  could  just  get  a  little  more  money,  that   next  raise,  that  next  mark  will  be  the  thing  that  will  finally  satisfy  me.”  And  then  I  got  my  first  raise.  And  that  first   time  when  I  saw  that  new  deposit  in  my  account  I  thought,  “Oh  yeah.”  That’s  as  cool  as  I  get.  I  was  like,  “Oh   yeah.”  Maybe  I’ll  do  a  little  dance.  That’s  about  it.  That’s  all  I’ve  got.       And  then  two  weeks  later  when  the  exact  same  amount  of  money  was  deposited  into  that  same  exact  account,  I   thought  “Oh  yeah,  this  is  what  I  get  paid.”  That  was  just  it.  What  used  to  be  extraordinary  has  now  become   ordinary,  like  this  is  what  it  is.  It  didn’t  satisfy  anything,  it  didn’t  fix  anything.  It  was  just  okay.       And  I  have  a  feeling  that  many  of  us  in  this  room  have  something  next  that  we  are  aiming  at.  Something  that   someday  will  satisfy  us.  We  think  that  next  purchase,  and  that  next  accomplishment,  and  that  next  goal   achieved  will  finally  be  the  thing  that  puts  us  at  rest.  Finally  we  will  be  content.  It’s  that  next  car,  that  next   house,  it’s  that  next  vacation,  it’s  that  next  promotion,  it’s  that  next  spouse—whatever  it  is,  it’s  that  thing  that   will  finally,  once  and  for  all,  end  it  for  us.       And  Jesus  is  looking  at  her  at  the  well  and  He’s  looking  at  you  and  me  and  He’s  saying,  “No,  no.”  The  well  only   provides  water  for  a  day  and  our  accomplishments—they  are  just  okay.  Only  Jesus  can  provide  the  living  water   that  will  satisfy  us  for  eternity  and  He’s  giving  it.  He’s  giving  it  freely.  But  you  and  I  turn  it  down  so,  so  often.     So  Jesus  illuminates  the  truth  and  she’s  not  quite  understanding,  right?  This  woman,  if  you  look  at  her  response,   she’s  still  talking  about  H2O.  She’s  like,  “Alright,  Jesus.  That’s  sounds  great.  I  want  that  water.  Where  do  I  get   it?”  And  we  have  to  look  at  the  last  part  of  her  response  because  it  illuminates  the  person  who  Jesus  is  talking  to   and  it  lets  us  in,  gives  us  kind  of  a  window  into  her  pain.  Look  at  the  words  she  says.  She  says,  “Sir,  give  me  this   water  so  that  I  will  not  be  thirsty  or  have  to  come  here  to  draw  water.”     She  doesn’t  want  to  come  to  the  well  any  more.  She  doesn’t  want  to  come  in  the  scorching  heat.  She  doesn’t   want  to  be  by  herself  any  more.  She  doesn’t  want  to  be  the  source  of  gossip  any  more.  And  she  doesn’t  want  to   come  to  the  place  that  reminds  her  about  what  she’s  done  any  more.  She’s  lonely.  She  doesn’t  want  to  have  to   do  this.       And  maybe  you  know  what  that  feels  like.  Maybe  that  sounds  all  too  familiar  to  you.  Maybe  you  know  what  it’s   like  to  be  on  the  outside  looking  in.  And  maybe  because  of  a  decision  that  you  made,  something  that  you  said,   you  ended  up  on  the  outside  of  a  group  that  you  used  to  belong  to  and  the  isolation  is  terrible.  And  the  silence   deafening.  And  the  lack  of  community  is  completely  debilitating.  You  don’t  want  to  go  to  that  well  either.  You   know  exactly  what  that  is  like.     That’s  who  Jesus  is  talking  to.  Someone  who  is  in  real,  real  pain.       And  in  verses  16  through  18  we  find  out  how  she  ended  up  here.  It  says,  “Jesus  said  to  her,  ‘Go,  call  your   husband,  and  come  here.’  The  woman  answered  him,  ‘I  have  no  husband.’  Jesus  said  to  her,  ‘You  are  right  in   saying,  “I  have  no  husband;”  for  you  have  had  five  husbands,  and  the  one  you  now  have  is  not  your  husband.   What  you  have  said  is  true.’”     Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

 6    

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  So  here  we  have  the  bombshell.  Jesus  reveals  to  her  that  He  knows.  He  knows  the  thing  that  she  was  hoping   that  He  didn’t  know.  He  knows  the  thing  that  she  has  been  trying  to  cover  up.  Jesus  just  gently  lays  out  for  her   that  He  knows  who  she  is  just  like  He  knows  who  you  and  I  are.       Now,  it’s  so  important  for  us  to  understand  this.  If  we  miss  this  it  will  be  such  a  loss.  We  have  to  notice  the  tone   in  which  Jesus  laid  that  out  for  her.  All  He  told  her  was  that  He  knew.  There  was  no  follow-­‐up  statement  of   condemnation,  there  was  no  judgmental  tone.  All  He  said  is,  “I  know  who  you  are.”  He  laid  her  bare  right  there   at  the  well.       Now  you  and  I  have  to  ask  this  question.  What  would  motivate  someone  to  get  there?  How  does  someone  end   up  with  that  life?  How  can  someone  do  five  marriages  and  then  try  again  with  a  sixth?  When  do  you  throw  in   the  towel  and  when  do  you  give  up,  like  why  would  she  choose  that  life?  That’s  often  how  we  think  about   people.  How  does  someone  choose  that  life?     What  I’d  like  to  propose  to  you  is  that  you  and  I  actually  have  a  lot  more  in  common  with  this  woman  than  we   would  like  to  think.  That  you  and  I  have  actually  lived  a  life  to  where  we  make  the  same  kind  of  decisions  that   she  made.  And  they  are  decisions  that  look  like  this.  We  want  the  things  of  God  but  we  reject  the  person  of  God.   We  want  the  things  that  only  God  can  provide  but  we  don’t  want  to  deal  with  God  so  we  try  to  make  it  happen   on  our  own.       And  that’s  how  you  end  up  at  the  well  by  yourself.       See  you  and  I  want  purpose.  We  want  to  achieve  something.  We  want  to  know  that  our  lives  matter.  We  don’t   want  to  wake  up  every  morning  and  be  unsure  as  to  whether  any  of  this  matters  for  anything.  But  purpose  is   something  that  only  God  can  provide.  God  is  the  only  provider  of  purpose  in  the  world.  He’s  the  only  one  who   can  give  it.       But  you  and  I  don’t  want  to  deal  with  Him  so  we  try  to  make  it  on  our  own.  That’s  why  we  work  60  plus  hours  a   week.  It’s  why  we  obsess  over  our  jobs.  It’s  why  we  miss  ball  games  and  recitals.  It’s  why,  when  we  daydream,   our  minds  go  to  the  office.  It’s  because  we’re  trying  to  manufacture  a  purpose.  We  want  to  accomplish   something  so  we  try  to  do  it  on  our  own  even  though  it’s  something  only  God  can  give.     You  and  I  want  intimacy.  We  may  not  use  that  word  but  we  want  to  be  known,  and  we  want  to  love  someone,   and  we  truly  want  to  be  vulnerable  and  to  be  able  to  trust  someone.  But  we  don’t  want  to  do  it  God’s  way   because  we’ve  been  convinced  that  it’s  long  and  boring  and  so  we  try  to  do  it  ourselves.  And  that’s  why  we  end   up  in  flirtatious  relationships  with  married  co-­‐workers.  That’s  why  we  return  to  the  same  pornography  website   night  after  night.  It’s  because  we’re  buying  into  this  cheap,  generic  imitation  version  of  the  intimacy  that  only   God  can  provide.  We’re  trying  to  make  it  happen  on  our  own.  We  want  things  that  only  God  can  provide  but  we   want  to  get  them  while  we’re  calling  the  shots.     That’s  what  this  woman  did.  She  didn’t  wake  up  one  day  and  say,  “Hey,  I  want  five  failed  marriages.”  Or,  “Hey,   one  day  I  want  to  be  the  one  who  comes  to  the  well  at  noon.”  No,  she  was  just  trying  to  get  the  things  that  God   provides:  true  love,  and  true  comfort,  and  true  security.  She  was  trying  to  make  it  happen  on  her  own  just  like   you  and  I  do  on  a  regular  basis.     So  they’re  at  the  well  and  it’s  noon  and  Jesus  lays  out  for  her  the  things  that  she  was  hoping  He  didn’t  know  and   then  I  love  what  happens  in  verse  19  through  20.  I  love  what  she  does  next  because  she  does  exactly  what  you   and  I  would  do.  Look  at  what  she  says,  “Sir,  I  perceive  You  are  a  prophet.  Our  fathers  worshipped  on  this   Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

 7    

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  mountain,  but  You  say  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  people  ought  to  worship.”       This  is  so  fantastic.  She  is  so  great.  She  basically  says,  “Alright.  Things  are  getting  weird.  You’re  all  up  in  my   business  right  now.  ‘Squirrel!’”  That’s  really  what  she  does.  She’s  like,  “Hey,  can  we  just  not  talk  about  that  thing   that  You  brought  up?  I’m  going  to  bring  up  this  thing  that  I  want  you  to  talk  about  now.”  She’s  hoping  to  debate   this  Rabbi  into  a  lecture  about  the  finer  point  of  minutia  in  theology  so  that  someday  they  don’t  have  to  deal   with  her  stuff.”     And  if  you  and  I  were  being  really  honest—again  I  know  that  we  are  not  so  we’re  just  going  to  have  to  pretend   that  we’re  honest  people  and  we’re  just  going  to  say,  “Pretend,  just  pretend  to  be  honest,”  and  say,  “You  know   what?  There  is  a  possibility  that  you  and  I  have  done  the  same  thing.”       And  sometimes  it’s  easier  to  talk  about  the  ideas  of  God  than  to  really  get  to  know  God.  I  can  know  about  Him,   but  not  really  know  Him.  And  sometimes  it’s  easier  to  talk  with  people  about  the  stuff  that  is  kind  of  trivial  and   not  really  allow  people  into  my  life  who  can  really  see  how  I  am  on  the  inside.  We  are  her.     I  love  the  way  that  Jesus  responds.  He  knows  what  she  is  doing.  And  He  could  have  called  her  out.  He  could  have   dismissed  the  whole  thing.  But  He  didn’t.  He  was  very  patient  and  very  loving.  And  He  says,  “Yeah,  I’ll  go  with   you  on  this  question.”  He’s  like,  “Look  the  debate  is  that  there  is  a  temple  in  Samaria  and  there  is  a  temple  in   Jerusalem,  which  one’s  right?  Well  the  Jewish  people,  because  they  didn’t  pick  and  choose  which  part  of  God’s   word  that  they  wanted  to  believe,  they  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  In  four  sentences  He  just  like  drops  the  mic   and  totally  demolishes  the  whole  argument.  And  she’s  left  in  awe.     Look  at  the  words  she  uses  now.  She  just  called  Him  a  prophet.  Look  what  she  says  now:  “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  amazing!       Now  2,000  years  later  it’s  hard  for  us  to  fully  grasp  the  gravity  of  that  moment  because  we  live  in  a  different   time  and  we  live  in  a  different  culture.  There  are  some  of  us  who  have  grown  up  for  our  entire  lives  knowing   that  Jesus  is  the  Christ.  But  this  revelation  right  here  would  have  been  ground  breaking.  For  the  very  first  time  in   the  Gospel  of  John,  Jesus  point  blank  looks  at  someone  and  reveals  His  Savior  status  and  He  does  this  to  her.   One  of  those  people.  One  of  the  least  likely  people  who  we  would  ever  have  picked.       If  you  and  I  were  writing  this  story  we  would  have  written  it  totally  differently.  I  would  have  had  Jesus  reveal  His   Messianic  nature  on  a  CNN  special  broadcast  all  over  the  world.  The  bottom  trailer  would  have  said,  “Jesus  is   Lord?”  That’s  what  it  would  have  looked  like  on  CNN.  That’s  the  way  I  would  have  done  it.  Or  He  would  have   told  someone  really  important  like  a  king,  or  one  of  those  religious  people  like  Nicodemus.       And  Jesus  says,  “No,  I’m  telling  her.  I’m  telling  her,”  because  Jesus  is  unequivocally,  unequivocally  declaring  that   our  man-­‐made,  social  constructs  are  irrelevant  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  walls  we  built,  the  categories  we   created,  the  stereotypes  that  we  perpetuated  have  no  bearing  on  Jesus.  Jesus  is  for  everyone.  The  gospel  is  for   everyone.  Grace  is  for  everyone.  This  woman’s  gender,  race,  and  reputation  did  not  discourage  Jesus  and   therefore  nothing  in  your  life  will  discourage  Him  either.  This  is  good  news.  This  is  really,  really  good  news.     See  here’s  the  truth.  Man,  I  don’t  know  if  this  has  clicked  for  you  yet.  Maybe  this  sounds  foreign.  Maybe  this   sounds  a  little  crazy.  But  this  is  true:  God  is  pursuing  you.  God  is  pursuing  you.  If  you  have  yet  to  receive  Jesus   Christ  as  your  Lord  and  Savior,  you  just  need  to  know  that  God  is  chasing  after  you.  You  may  not  believe  me.  It   may  not  feel  like  that.     Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

 8    

Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

    I  guarantee  you  that  that  Samaritan  woman  didn’t  wake  up  that  morning  when  all  of  her  peers  were  at  the  well,   maybe  talking  about  her,  and  think,  “You  know  what?  Today  is  probably  the  day  when  I  meet  God  in  the  flesh.   I’m  going  to  show  up  to  the  well  and  He’s  going  to  be  there  and  we’re  going  to  have  this  nice  conversation.”       No,  it  sounds  like  she  had  kind  of  given  up.  It  sounds  like  she  had  kind  of  thrown  in  the  towel  when  it  came  to   God.  Maybe  she  assumed  that  her  baggage  and  her  story  disqualified  her.  And  Jesus  was  waiting  for  her.  He  was   at  the  well  for  her.  He  didn’t  have  to  go  through  Samaria  logistically.  He  had  to  go  to  Samaria  for  her.       And  I  am  pleading  with  you  right  now  to  consider  the  fact,  consider  the  idea—let  me  propose  to  you  that  God  is   chasing  hard  after  you.  That  no  one  is  beyond  the  grip  of  grace.       I  love  her  response  and  this  is  so  important.  She  has  this  encounter  with  Jesus  at  a  well,  He  tells  her  everything   that  she’s  ever  done  and  then  He  reveals  His  Messianic  nature  for  the  very  first  time  to  her,  at  a  well,  in  Samaria,   at  noon.  And  look  what  she  does  with  it  in  verse  28.  It  says,  “So  the  woman  left  her  water  jar  and  went  away   into  town  and  said  to  the  people,  ‘Come,  see  a  man  who  told  me  all  that  I  ever  did.  Can  this  be  the  Christ?’”     Jump  down  to  verse  39.  It  says,  “Many  Samaritans  from  that  town  believed  in  Him  because  of  the  woman’s   testimony,  ‘He  told  me  all  that  I  ever  did.’  So  when  the  Samaritans  came  to  Him,  they  asked  Him  to  stay  with   them,  and  He  stayed  there  two  days.  And  many  more  believed  because  of  His  word.  They  said  to  the  woman,  ‘It   is  no  longer  because  of  what  you  said  that  we  believe,  for  we  have  heard  for  ourselves,  and  we  know  what  this  is   indeed  the  Savior  of  the  world.’”       Man,  I  absolutely  love  her  response.  It’s  so,  so  good.  She  easily  could  have  said,  “Okay,  no  one  else  is  around.  I’m   apparently  talking  to  the  Messiah.  This  is  a  very  nice  interaction  that  I’m  having.  I  will  make  a  personal,  private   commitment  to  Him  and  it’s  no  one  else’s  business,  alright?  It’s  just  going  to  stay  between  me  and  Him.”  She   didn’t  do  that.  She  was  so  overwhelmed  by  the  grace  that  she  received  that  she  split.  She  took  off  back  to  town.   Forgot  her  water  jar.  Forgot  the  thing  that  she  had  come  for  in  the  first  place  and  she  used  these  three  simple   words:  “Come  and  see.”     Come  and  see.    And  if  you’ve  been  tracking  with  us  for  the  last  couple  of  weeks  you’ve  heard  this  already.  But   the  simplest  way  to  engage  anyone  in  a  conversation  about  Jesus  is  by  using  these  words:  come  and  see.  If   you’ve  been  wondering  how  to  engage  someone  whom  you  love,  someone  you  know  with  the  life-­‐changing   truth  of  Jesus  Christ,  it’s  these  words:  come  and  see.     I  love  her  model.  Follow  after  her.  She  said,  “Come  and  see  the  Guy  who  told  me  everything  that  I’ve  ever   done.”  She  said,  “Come  and  see  the  Guy  who  did  something  with  my  mess.”       And  I’m  not  talking  about  you  anymore.  I’m  not  talking  about  her  anymore.  I’m  talking  about  me.  God  did  some   amazing  stuff  with  my  mess.  I  have  a  mess  in  my  past  and  I’m  still  messy  and  I  am  in  process  right  now.  And  I’m   just  asking  you  to  come  and  see.  Come  and  see.       See,  she  didn’t  have  all  of  the  answers.  She’d  just  met  Jesus  minutes  ago.  She  didn’t  have  everything  that   Nicodemus  had.  She  didn’t  have  any  answers.  She  had  a  question  though.  She  said,  “Could  this  be  the  Christ?   Will  you  come  and  see  for  yourself?”       And  I  believe  that  if  we  say,  “Come  and  see,”  Jesus  can  take  care  of  the  rest.  See  when  the  Samaritans  went  out   there  they  were  there  because  of  her—because  of  her?  Seriously,  because  of  her?  That  one?  She  was  the  one   Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

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Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  who  He  talked  to.  That’s  amazing.  They  get  out  there,  they  meet  Jesus  for  themselves,  and  they  go  from  belief   because  of  her  to  belief  because  of  Him.  When  you  get  people  in  front  of  Jesus  they  are  never  the  same.  This  is   an  amazing  story  of  redemption—that  grace  is  big  enough  for  anyone’s  baggage.  Grace  is  for  everyone  no   matter  what  social  walls  exist.  Grace  is  for  us  all.       Now  it’s  possible  that  you  hear  this  story  and  you  resonate  so  clearly  with  her  and  her  story  sounds  a  lot  like   yours  and  you  used  to  be  a  part  of  something—maybe  even  the  church—and  then  because  of  some  decisions   you  made  you  found  yourself  on  the  outside.  You  were  the  outcast.  Maybe  you  still  are.  And  the  isolation  and   the  loneliness  are  killing  you.  And  maybe  it  went  so  far  that,  much  like  her,  your  sin  had  become  your  identity.   The  reason  she  avoided  the  well  was  because  of  the  scarlet  “A”  on  her  chest  and  she  couldn’t  bare  the  shame.     Maybe  you  don’t  know  if  you  can  go  home  anymore  because  you  don’t  know  how  you  will  be  received.  Or,  you   don’t  know  if  you  can  reach  out  to  those  friends  anymore  because  you  believe  that  the  bridge  is  burnt.  And   what  happens  is  that,  when  you  are  by  yourself  and  you  go  to  that  really  dark  place,  you  convince  yourself  that   because  those  people  are  not  there  for  you  anymore,  then  maybe  God  isn’t  either.     And  can  I  just  plead  with  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  Jesus  is  for  you.  Not  only  will  He  receive  you  but   He’s  been  chasing  after  you  whether  you  have  felt  it  or  not.  He  started  that  conversation  with  her  when  He   could  have  talked  with  anyone  else.  He  revealed  Himself  to  her  right  then,  at  noon,  when  He  could  have  said  it   to  anyone  else  in  the  world.  He  chose  her.  He  was  chasing  after  her  and  He’s  chasing  after  you.  Let  this  be  good   news  today.  He’s  inviting  you  into  His  saving  grace  right  now.     Now  there  may  have  been  some  of  you  who  might  have  been  waiting  to  come  to  Jesus  until  you  got  your  act   together  so  that  you  looked  the  part,  so  that  you’ve  gotten  your  answers.  Can  I  just  point  you  to  this  lady?  She   didn’t  look  the  part.  She  didn’t  have  her  act  together.  She  didn’t  have  any  of  the  answers  and  Jesus  met  her  right   where  she  was.  And  she  was  never  the  same.       If  you’ve  been  waiting  because  you’ve  convinced  yourself  that  grace  is  not  big  enough  for  your  baggage,  maybe   grace  is  big  enough  for  99.9  percent  of  people,  but  you’re  the  point  one  because  there’s  no  way  that  Jesus  could   forgive  you  of  the  thing  that  you’ve  done,  the  words  that  you’ve  said,  the  relationships  you  broke—can  I  just,   once  and  for  all,  tell  you  that  the  cross  is  enough.  Jesus  is  enough.  Jesus  is  more  than  enough.     So  here’s  what  we  are  going  to  do.  Right  now,  in  moments  like  these,  we  know  that  there  is  sometimes   something  welling  up  in  you  and  you’re  not  really  sure  what  that  is.  You  don’t  know  if  that’s  like  living  water.   You  don’t  know  if  that’s  like  the  burrito  from  last  night.  You’re  just  trying  to  figure  this  all  out.  You  don’t  know   why  you  are  feeling  the  way  that  you  are,  right?       Let  me  just  say  this.  There’s  going  to  be  a  song  and  there’s  going  to  be  communion—you’re  going  to  have  these   opportunities  to  talk  yourself  out  of  responding.  Then  you’re  going  to  leave,  and  you’re  going  to  get  into  your   car,  and  you’re  going  to  talk  yourself  out  of  it.  And  then  you’re  going  to  come  back  here  next  week  and  you   didn’t  do  anything  about  it  and  life  isn’t  different.     We’re  going  to  give  you  the  chance  to  respond  right  now  because  we  don’t  believe  that  Jesus  wants  you  to  drag   you’re  feet.  We  don’t  believe  that  Jesus  is  waiting  for  another  day.  We  believe  that  Jesus  has  met  you  right  here,   right  now  and  He’s  chasing  after  you,  and  He’s  been  waiting  for  you,  and  He  wants  to  give  you  the  living  water.     So  we’re  going  to  sing  a  song  and  there’s  going  to  be  staff,  and  elders,  and  volunteers  on  the  sides  of  the  room.   We  just  want  to  give  you  the  opportunity  to  go  now,  to  move  now,  to  respond  right  now.  Whatever  God  is  doing   Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

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Crucial  Conversations  |  Jesus  and  the  Outcast  (Northwest)  

July  9/10,  2016  

  in  your  life.  Whatever  He’s  unearthing—you  can  talk  with  someone  and  pray  with  someone.  And  I  promise  you   that  they  will  receive  you  with  the  same  grace  that  Jesus  received  that  woman  at  that  well  on  that  day  in   Samaria.     Let  me  pray  for  you.     Father,  we  are  so  grateful  for  Your  word,  the  clarity  of  Your  word,  the  conviction  of  Your  word  and  the  hope  that   is  found  only  in  Your  word.  Father,  for  those  of  us  who  are  on  the  edge  of  a  decision,  the  edge  of  a  conversation,   we  ask  that  You  would  push  us.  That  You  would  give  us  the  courage  to  take  that  step.  Give  us  the  courage  to  stay   vulnerable,  the  courage  to  open  ourselves  up  and  let  You  do  what  only  You  can  do.  Father,  we  lay  this  all  at  Your   feet.  It’s  in  Your  good  name  I  pray.  Amen.     Alright,  would  you  stand  right  now  as  we  sing?  There  will  be  people  who  would  love  to  pray  with  you  on  the   sides.  

Intellectual  materials  are  the  property  of     Traders  Point  Christian  Church.  All  rights  reserved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

     

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