1 00:00:13,980 --> 00:00:18,860 Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, all that is within me. 2 00:00:18,860 --> 00:00:22,700 Bless his holy name, he said. Bless the Lord, he said. 3 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:24,940 Forget not that he loaded me down daily. 4 00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:29,780 Amen with benefits, Amen. You know, I know most people, 5 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:32,900 particularly in the day's world, and it's getting perhaps more 6 00:00:32,900 --> 00:00:37,520 scarce than what it was perhaps a generation ago, getting a job 7 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,360 and looking at the pay, a person always also considered those 8 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,400 benefits. Sometimes the benefits might 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,960 have made-up for just, you know, a pay level that was scaled not 10 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,520 exactly where you wanted it to. Well, let me tell you that you, 11 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,560 you, you are in good hands with the Lord, Amen. 12 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,920 He gives you a good return and he has good benefits, Amen. 13 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,880 My dad used to all the time. His benefits are out of this 14 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,600 world. That's what Dad used to always 15 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,560 say. We're going to be turning to the 16 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,840 Gospel of John this morning. We are glad to see each of you. 17 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:09,760 We're glad that Aaron Brown's with us. 18 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,640 Yeah, he come and goes. He already told me he's going to 19 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,440 be gone the next two weeks. So shake his hand, hug his neck, 20 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,240 give him a Christmas present. Do whatever you need to while 21 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:18,560 he's here. Amen. 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,000 We're glad to have him. Amen this morning. 23 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,520 Have a good group, good group of kids and students that went to 24 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,400 NYC and they are a good group. Good group. 25 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,240 My wife had to go back. She was, I don't know, she 26 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,320 pollinates a lot of flowers whenever she's at national leaf 27 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:37,800 convention. And so she was doing some 28 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:39,800 things. And so I kind of went down the 29 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,400 hallway to where our kids were staying there all sitting in the 30 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:45,680 sitting in the hallway, like they're having a picket or 31 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,840 something, you know, down in there and playing some cards and 32 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:50,280 things. And so I sat in the hallway with 33 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,840 them for a while and listen to them play their game. 34 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,320 And we constantly have to move for people come by. 35 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,920 But just laughter and such like that, all that's so healthy. 36 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,080 That's so healthy. It may seem just, you know, oh, 37 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:04,880 there's no big deal, but it's healthy, Amen, For students to 38 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,600 get together and have time, Amen, Like that. 39 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,000 And so here we are the 1st Sunday of December, Amen. 40 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,240 December the first look over at your neighbors say it's December 41 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:19,400 the 1st, December the 1st a man. And so we have all the 42 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:21,680 festivities that happened during this year. 43 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,800 And you know my my constant plea at this time of year among it 44 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,120 all, please do not lose the true reason why we are in this 45 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,120 celebration season. And I know the traditionally 46 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,680 within homes and stuff, there will be lights and there will be 47 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,600 trees and such. But OFT times, whenever we have 48 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,680 that in our own home and I see that tree, I think of another 49 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:47,280 tree that was connected to this season of the year because the 50 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,440 purpose of the birth was for the death, Amen. 51 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,040 And so I think of another tree, Amen. 52 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,280 And so good to be here today. John chapter #4 the Gospel of 53 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,760 John chapter #4 going to be going there and reading today. 54 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,440 I had every intention of starting a Christmas series here 55 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,400 on Sunday mornings in the month of December. 56 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,880 I did something like that last year called The Gift of Hope. 57 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:15,280 And such and I, I, I worked on that before I ever left NYC came 58 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,360 home last night, worked on it some more and just not feeling 59 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:20,800 it. And so I'm in a different route 60 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,360 here today. All right. 61 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:26,240 Sometimes you make plans and then sometimes God says deter. 62 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,800 And so I'm just going to follow Amen. 63 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,240 The, the, the, what I endeavor to say is, is the will of the 64 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,240 Lord this morning. OK, Amen. 65 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,560 John chapter #4 I'm going to read a few verses of scripture, 66 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:40,800 skip and then read a few other verses of Scripture. 67 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,320 This John 4. If you've been in church for any 68 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,600 point of time, you probably are acquainted with this chapter. 69 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,960 It's been preached out of thousands of times, right? 70 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,160 This is the host story of Jesus meeting the woman of Samaria, 71 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,120 the Samaritan woman at the well. And so we're diving into it here 72 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,080 a little bit. I'm not going to read to you the 73 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,320 whole story verse #28 this is after that. 74 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,880 She's had her discussion after they've talked about him having 75 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,040 nothing to draw with and him telling her I have water to 76 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:12,880 drink, that if you drink, you'll never thirst. 77 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,680 All of this whole scenario. And the Bible says in verse 28, 78 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:22,280 the woman left her water pot and went her way into the city and 79 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:26,560 say it to the men. Come and see a man which told me 80 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:32,040 all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? 81 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:37,800 They then they went out of the city and came unto him. 82 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,160 I'm going to skip down because the next verse tells us in the 83 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,600 meanwhile. So it's kind of if you look at 84 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,080 it as a book, it's like something else is happening, but 85 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,280 something else is going on and happening all these things. 86 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,920 So in the meanwhile, but we're going down to verse #39 and many 87 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,440 of the Samaritans of that city remember what we just read. 88 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,040 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him. 89 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,280 For the sane. Everybody say the saying, the 90 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:05,800 saying of the woman which testified. 91 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:11,360 He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come 92 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,760 unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them. 93 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,680 And he abode there two days, and many more believe because of his 94 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:25,800 own word, and said unto the woman, Now we believe not 95 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,560 because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves and 96 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:38,120 know that that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the 97 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:39,520 world. Amen. 98 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,120 For a little while this morning I'm going to speak to simply on 99 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:49,720 this yes, I know Jesus. Very simple, yes? 100 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,400 I know Jesus, matter of fact, I'll probably sing a few little 101 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,680 lyrics later. This old song I used to sing 102 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,120 when I was kid. Yes, I know Jesus. 103 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,440 All right, So that's something to look forward to. 104 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,440 I know you're going to stay around just for that little you 105 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,040 just. I mean, I know Friday night they 106 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,880 had like a concert after the thing for Draylen Young, but 107 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:12,800 this morning it's Paul McGee. OK, so we. 108 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,200 We going to. All right, Amen. 109 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,400 Let's pray right now. Father, we come to you. 110 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,520 We're thankful, Lord Jesus, for this opportunity. 111 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,360 We're thankful, Lord, for this chance, God, we're grateful, 112 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,760 Lord, today that we have gathered together and lift up, 113 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,360 Lord, voices of praise and adoration to you this morning. 114 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,520 I pray God speak to you people. Help us to hear, Lord, what 115 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,760 heaven Lord would want for us today, God, and we will return 116 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,280 thanks, Lord Jesus, when this is said and done and give you glory 117 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:43,120 for it and the lovely name of Jesus, I pray Amen. 118 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,320 The church say Amen. Amen. 119 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:47,680 You may be seated this morning in Jesus name. 120 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:55,400 Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every 121 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,440 creature. It's the very mandate that Jesus 122 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:03,120 gave his disciples before he ascended into the heavens. 123 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,120 It's a mandate not just for the disciples of. 124 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,560 That. Early church age, but it is the 125 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,240 mandate for the Church still yet today. 126 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,480 The Bible declares that those people, those disciples, those 127 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:21,240 whom the Lord had persuasion upon, became witnesses unto Him, 128 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,880 even unto the uttermost parts of the earth, because Scripture 129 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:32,760 tells us that God or Christ Jesus is able to save them that 130 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,920 are to the uttermost right. His arm is not short. 131 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:41,800 He can go the distance to reach humanity that's in need of a 132 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:43,880 Savior. And so when we read in 133 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,120 Scripture, even in his earthly ministry about Jesus's hands and 134 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,280 Jesus's feet and his voice and what he did while he walked 135 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:56,280 among humanity. We understand that after his 136 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:00,080 ascension and for sure after the descending of the Holy Ghost of 137 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,680 the 120 in that upper room and that continuance throughout the 138 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:07,840 book of Acts that that translates into us be in his 139 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:12,680 hands and his feet and his voice or the day that we live in. 140 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,680 We are. We are Christ Jesus's 141 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,360 intermediaries, if you will. As Paul said, we are 142 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,640 ambassadors. Everybody say ambassadors. 143 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:27,000 We are ambassadors for Christ as though God, he said to beseech 144 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,840 you through us. In other words, we, we 145 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:34,640 understand that in a earthly, in a very human and tangible way 146 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,480 that Christ is no longer among us, but now we are his 147 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,320 ambassadors. We are his representatives. 148 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,520 And so if you're going to hear of him, feel him, be touched by 149 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,600 him, so to speak, in a very tangible way, it's going to 150 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,040 happen through his body, right? It's going to happen through the 151 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,560 church. So he's constantly reaching for 152 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:56,720 people through your life. I know that may be hard to 153 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:00,720 understand, but he is reaching, Amen, for people through your 154 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,320 life. Your life lived here upon this 155 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,960 real world. And so the influence of the 156 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:09,000 disciples on the early church, of course, was immeasurable. 157 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,240 We have so many different things that we can read in Scripture, 158 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,720 Amen, of their impact on the societies and the cities in 159 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,080 which they live. As a matter of fact, the very 160 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,160 last chapter of the book of the Gospel of John Speaking of 161 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:23,640 Christ and everything that was done, said if everything was 162 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,520 written that that happened, that occurred, you know, the world 163 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:28,960 could not even contain all of the happenings and the 164 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,360 occurrences that had taken place. 165 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,520 But they carried a message and they carried a mission to what 166 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,640 we would call would be the four corners of the then known world. 167 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:42,720 These are they that was spoken of in the book of Acts. 168 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,840 These are they which turned their world upside down is what 169 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,960 the writer said. And so the salvation message 170 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,520 that Christ spoke in his this earthly ministry is the message 171 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,680 that they took in their mouth and lips even after he was gone. 172 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:02,160 The writer to Hebrew says that that message of salvation was 173 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:06,920 confirmed unto us by them that heard him, that hurt Christ 174 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,600 Jesus. And so the message did not die 175 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,800 whenever Christ was strewn on a cross or whenever he ascended to 176 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,320 the heavens. The message went on and the 177 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,680 witness and the testimony of that message went on. 178 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:23,800 They echoed what he said, just like we continue to echo what 179 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,600 the apostles spoke of and what Jesus spoke of. 180 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:32,080 Their voices were sounding as a witness about the same content 181 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,480 that he spoke their lives in a certain way. 182 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,280 They were standards for emulating because they 183 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,280 wholeheartedly followed the Lord. 184 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:45,560 We we heard some preaching along those lines this week, how the 185 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:48,200 way that we live our lives and the way that we conduct 186 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:53,520 ourselves can be essentially a pattern for others to follow and 187 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:59,000 to emulate as well. Paul even urged the believers in 188 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,760 the book of Corinthians. He said follow me as I follow 189 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,960 Christ or imitate me as I imitate Christ. 190 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,920 That was acceptable. He he wasn't being prideful. 191 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,440 He just knew whom he served Amen. 192 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:17,400 He was encouraging them, Amen, to live a similar Amen life that 193 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:21,640 he was living, because a well lived life for the Lord becomes 194 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,760 yes, a pattern for others to follow, a testimony alone, your 195 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,800 testimony, Amen, about what God has done for you and what He can 196 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,920 do for fallen humanity. Just as a stand alone is an 197 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:39,720 outreach tool Amen that can draw others toward the Lord. 198 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,240 Paul even said in the New Testament Scripture, it said 199 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,640 there in the book of Thessalonians that these people 200 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:50,560 in the Church of Thessalonica had become followers of the 201 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:53,760 Apostle Paul and some of the others that were included in 202 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,920 this letter, the Venus and, and Timothy, he says you've become 203 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:01,480 followers. Paul said of us and of the Lord. 204 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,960 And the indication was clear what Paul was talking about. 205 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,400 Paul followed the Lord and therefore, if these individuals 206 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,280 of this church, then we're following the pattern of Paul. 207 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,480 In essence, he says, then you're following the Lord too because 208 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,200 I'm following him. It's almost like, no, let's make 209 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,600 a single follow line. We got a leader and then 210 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:22,880 everybody follows the leader. Leader, right? 211 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,360 You don't have to be right behind the leader to be 212 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,920 following the leader because if you're following someone that's 213 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,720 following the leader, you're in essence following the leader. 214 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:32,200 Do you understand what I'm talking about? 215 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,200 And so Paul's talking to the Sessalonikin church. 216 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,520 He says you're following me. In essence, then you are 217 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,800 following the Lord. He, he even explained to them, 218 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,320 he said whenever you get into this pattern and this mode of 219 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:50,120 following, he says your very life can become God's message, 220 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,120 your very life and become God's message. 221 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:56,640 He said in verse the Thessalonians 18IN so much that 222 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,680 we need not even speak anything. He says you don't even have to 223 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,120 put it into words. You don't even have to 224 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:07,120 articulate it, Amen, with a paragraph, he said, but the life 225 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,720 and the way that you live becomes a testimony, becomes a 226 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,760 witness, Amen. It becomes the message of God in 227 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,480 Word and deed. And he says some people can't 228 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:23,040 believe upon that just by the way you live your life, just by 229 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,160 the way that you live your life, it can happen. 230 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,920 And so we see this not just a New Testament scripture, this, 231 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:32,440 this following and this emulating others lives and being 232 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,880 emulating the Lord because they're following the Lord. 233 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,680 We see similar things also in the Old Testament scripture. 234 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:43,160 And it's described through the imagery of sheep in reality, a 235 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,440 man in the Song of Solomon. I've preached on this particular 236 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,720 verses of Scripture before, but let me share with you them again 237 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:52,880 today. Song of Solomon one the verse 238 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:56,080 number 7 and 8. Remember the story of the Song 239 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,080 of Solomon. It's a love story. 240 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,040 I know when I was a teenager, I almost felt like I shouldn't 241 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:05,520 read that part of the Bible. You know, it's like some of the 242 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,200 things that are involved there. But the Bible says, and there's 243 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,000 a lot of switching around in the Song of Solomon when it's the 244 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,880 man speaking or the woman speaking. 245 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,800 And so the Bible says, tell me this is the lady. 246 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,760 She says, tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou 247 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:24,640 feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon, For why 248 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:29,200 should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy 249 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:33,200 companions? And his response is, if thou 250 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:38,480 know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the 251 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:43,600 footsteps of the flock and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's 252 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,960 tents. She's telling him, I, I love you 253 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:51,160 and, and, and I want you and, and, and, and beloved, I don't 254 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:55,040 want to get sidetracked by the flocks of your companions, 255 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,560 right? I, I, I want to be where you are 256 00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,960 and among the flock that is yours. 257 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:03,120 And, and I know there's other flocks, but I don't want to be, 258 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:06,880 I don't want to be distracted by them or detracted from, from 259 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,280 your flock. I, I want you and, and, and in 260 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:13,000 order to know that I need to know your location, I need to 261 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,000 know where you're at. And so that's what I desire. 262 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,680 And, and he basically tells her, if you want me, if you desire me 263 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,120 and you don't know where I feed or you don't know where my 264 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:28,040 location is, he says, I'll tell you how you can find me. 265 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:32,760 He says follow the footsteps of the flock that is mine, right? 266 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:36,080 Follow the footsteps of my flock because my flock's going to be 267 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,520 following me, right? He says my, my sheep know my 268 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,960 voice, Jesus said in the New Testament, and a stranger, they 269 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,480 will not follow. So if you want to find my 270 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,600 location, if you want to find where I'm feeding, then just 271 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:49,640 track the sheep that are following me. 272 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,520 Just follow the footsteps of those that are following me. 273 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,960 And if you come along that path and if you come along that way, 274 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:58,320 you're going to end up where I am. 275 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,160 You're going to end up right where I'm at and we're like, 276 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:04,520 well, thank God. And we do thank God for that. 277 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,400 I guarantee you many of us today to a certain degree, our 278 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,720 products of of those who have went on before us and maybe some 279 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:16,240 of them are no longer among us that are dead somewhere in the 280 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,840 grave, who are heroes of the faith and the gospel that during 281 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:25,680 their lives of living, they exemplified Amen a behavior and 282 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:29,000 they exemplified a resolve for the Lord. 283 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,880 And some of US will forever be indebted to the footsteps of 284 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,200 some of the flock that went before us. 285 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:40,000 The the Betty Phelps and and and and the jewels and and all these 286 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,360 different ones, the Nadine Deomes of the different ones 287 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,720 that went on before us and, and almost brother Fred that if you 288 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,800 wanted to serve God, if you would just follow the footstep 289 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,320 of that of that aged old Saint that's been walking this way for 290 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,960 years, then you'll you'll find where he is. 291 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,600 You'll ride where he's at. We're indebted to them because 292 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:04,640 many of them help lead us to where the shepherd was right. 293 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:10,280 The Bible says in Hebrews 13 and verse #7 it says remember them 294 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:15,160 which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you, the word 295 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:23,240 of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their 296 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,480 conversation, the word conversation. 297 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:29,600 There isn't necessarily our speech, but consider the end of 298 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:35,600 their manner of life, right? He says follow their faith, 299 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,320 right? Not not just their belief, but 300 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:42,880 that that that set of dogmas and doctrines follow their faith. 301 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:46,800 And when you consider how things turned out for them in the end, 302 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:53,160 at the closure of their life, follow desiring the same 303 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:59,280 expected in that day. Gods, we read in John chapter #4 304 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,880 I know you didn't think I was coming to my text, but whenever 305 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,520 we read in John chapter #4 there is a woman, of course, that has 306 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,600 had a divine intersection at a whale. 307 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,920 Jesus said that I must need to go through Samaria during a time 308 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,720 in which Jews didn't usually have any dealings with 309 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:16,920 Samaritans. And this woman knows that. 310 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,320 She brings that up in their conversation. 311 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,160 But he gets there. He's sitting at the whale. 312 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,080 He is waiting for this divine intersection. 313 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:28,120 She comes to draw water with her water pot. 314 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:31,120 They begin to have conversation back and forth. 315 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:35,040 He tells her about living water. She tells him he don't have 316 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,000 anything to draw with. He he. 317 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,920 She's talking about something very physical and he's talking 318 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:43,000 about something very spiritual until finally there's a 319 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,680 convergence of the two and she realized that there's something 320 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,400 more here than him talking about drawing water from a literal 321 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:51,480 well. Amen. 322 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,520 He's talked to her how he could put a well in her that would 323 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,200 spring up Amen out of her soul and out of her spirit. 324 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,240 He begins to talk to her about her past. 325 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,680 He begins to talk to her about where her feet presently were. 326 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,600 He told her to call your husband and she says I don't have 327 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,240 husband. He said you're rightly said you 328 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,600 have now you've had five husbands so and so forth. 329 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,080 And whenever they have this initial engagement, Amen. 330 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,160 She does with the Lord. It's almost as though strangers 331 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:23,320 are meeting at the well, she she she doesn't have a whole lot of 332 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,040 Intel, if you will, about this man that she is meeting there. 333 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,600 But through the conversation, when he begins to tell her, I 334 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,520 know you're past. Yes, I know you've had five 335 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,680 husbands and one you're with now and I know all of that. 336 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,280 The Bible says she begins to switch her her mindset a little 337 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:39,880 bit. Amen. 338 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,920 And now she says, Sir, art art thou a prophet, right. 339 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,560 A little revelation is coming into her life. 340 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,960 This, this is not just some stranger that happens to be at 341 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:53,120 the well, the time that I'm drawing water, which was a a a a 342 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:56,840 an unknown or uncertain hour wasn't regular. 343 00:19:57,120 --> 00:19:58,000 Amen. Time frame. 344 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,160 This isn't just a happenstance, Sir. 345 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,160 Art thou a prophet? And they've continued to have 346 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,360 conversation and he begins to speak to her about the things of 347 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:11,000 God and how there would come an hour Amen, when the Father would 348 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,520 seek of those that worship him in spirit and in truth. 349 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,680 And and she would speak to him saying, Hey, I, I know some 350 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:20,240 things too. I I know that all things will be 351 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,520 well. And I know that whenever Messiah 352 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,840 comes, who is called Christ, that he will tell us all things. 353 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,560 But that Jesus that that began to be a stranger to her, said I 354 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,840 am the Christ. The one that you say, you know, 355 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,680 everything will happen whenever I am that Messiah and things 356 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,240 begin to change here a little bit. 357 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,480 He's not just a stranger. He's not just a prophet. 358 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:46,560 Now, the revelation that he's the one that a generation has 359 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:49,680 been looking for, longing for, He's the one that the prophet 360 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:53,240 Isaiah and Jeremiah and Daniel have prophesied about. 361 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,920 He's the Messiah, He's the Christ. 362 00:20:55,920 --> 00:21:02,480 He's the one. And based upon this great 363 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:09,000 interaction with what she now knows to be the Messiah, this 364 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,200 this indelible print that this is left on her life, she does as 365 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:19,200 most do after an experience like that with the Lord, she became a 366 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,920 witness. For the Lord. 367 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:27,200 She left that experience. It was in our text and she 368 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:33,440 returned to her city and she began testifying of a man to 369 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:42,280 them who told me everything that I had ever done, the Christ. 370 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:49,800 She even echoes the Christ and the success of her witness and 371 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:54,800 the success of her example of saying come see can be seen in 372 00:21:54,800 --> 00:22:01,800 that the Bible says that many believed what she said. 373 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,680 So I'm staying over here, man. I'm applauding sister Samaritan 374 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:08,760 woman. I don't know her name. 375 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,240 I'm applauding her. She's had, she's had this divine 376 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,920 intersection with God. It's impacted her life so 377 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:16,440 greatly. She's went around and told 378 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:21,160 others about it, not just told them, but said, come see, she, 379 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:25,440 she's told them about how, hey, he knows everything that I ever 380 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,520 did and yet he still stayed around to have the conversation. 381 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,880 Man, I applaud her for that. She she said he was a stranger 382 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,240 when we met, but he was the Messiah by the time I was gone. 383 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,280 Applaud her for her testimony. I applaud her for a witness. 384 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,720 Here's a lady that's laying down a pattern. 385 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,080 Now for others. She's laying down some 386 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:48,720 footsteps. She's laying down some words 387 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,120 that others can follow. But there's something else that 388 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:56,680 happens here in the Scripture because the Bible says they 389 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,880 didn't just believe her words and follow her steps. 390 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:06,240 The Bible says evidently they went to meet him and the Bible 391 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:11,880 says they besought him and they desired him and asked him, will 392 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,640 you abide here for a couple of days? 393 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,800 Why? They wanted to know him like she 394 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,320 knew him. They wanted to question him like 395 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:24,440 she had questioned him. They wanted him to be more than 396 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:29,800 a stranger to them. They someone say man. 397 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:37,720 Someone say glory. It's beneficial to the beloved 398 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,400 of the Song of Solomon to follow the footsteps of the flock and 399 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,920 find the location of her beloved. 400 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:50,960 But folks, what we need, though, is also a moment where the 401 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:55,880 Shepherd gets to know us by name. 402 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:03,160 I don't want to live a second handed experience with the Lord 403 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:07,640 and say that's that. That's that man that knows the 404 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:12,040 Samaritan, that knows Jesus. I, I don't want this big old 405 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,480 branch, if you will, of, of trying to tie me back to the 406 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,520 Lord about the ones that know him first hand and intimately. 407 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:24,440 No, I want him to know Paul McGee by Paul Mcgee's name, not 408 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:28,560 just based upon the relationship that Fred McGee has or the 409 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,520 relationship that Bishop has. I want just hold on. 410 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,000 I need a relationship with God that's more than a relationship 411 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,880 by proxy or more than a relationship that's that's just 412 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:49,000 a relationship that's mere association with somebody else 413 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,920 that knows him. I want to know Him. 414 00:24:54,680 --> 00:25:00,400 Look, they could and they did. The Samaritans of the city 415 00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:05,880 believed in him because of what the Samaritan woman had said. 416 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,560 The scripture clearly says that, but. 417 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:18,240 We need a relationship that exceeds and surpasses just 418 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,240 somebody else's interaction with him. 419 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:29,440 Tell me your testimony and I may believe because of your personal 420 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:37,320 testimony. Hear me, but I what a testimony, 421 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:46,640 a personal testimony as well. Look now these people, what they 422 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,400 are needing is the same declaration that the apostle 423 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,800 Paul gave us in Scripture. He said very emphatically one 424 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,880 place in Scripture in the book of Timothy, he says, I know whom 425 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,240 I have believed. He says I know. 426 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:05,640 He doesn't just say, hey man, I know, hey man, whom? 427 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,080 The apostle? Hustles believe. 428 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:11,480 He didn't just say I know who Matthew believes or or I know 429 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:12,760 who Peter believes. To know. 430 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:16,840 He says I know whom I believe. In other words, this is 431 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:20,600 something I've gotten introduced, I've intermingled, 432 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,200 I've had my own divine intersection. 433 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,200 This isn't second hand knowledge. 434 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,160 This isn't some cursory knowledge. 435 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,360 I know him. And so those Samaritans told the 436 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:34,240 woman said, we believe because of your testimony. 437 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,640 When we started, when we went on our search, when we began 438 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,280 walking, we were walking because we were following your 439 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,680 footsteps. We were walking because we were 440 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:45,320 following your pattern. We were following because we 441 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,680 heard the words that you spoke and we believed what you had to 442 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,880 say. Hey, man, we went because we 443 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,440 knew you and we thought it was trustworthy. 444 00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:03,120 But our experience with God cannot be vicarious, meaning 445 00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:05,800 just living it through the life of somebody else. 446 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:16,640 Notice in verse #42 of our Scripture that we read even with 447 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,160 verse 41 and many more believe because of his own word and 448 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,920 verse 42 and said into the woman, that's the Samaritan 449 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:28,760 woman. Now we believe not because. 450 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:36,840 Of thy saying for we have heard him our selves, he is the 451 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:41,600 Christ, he is the Messiah just as you said he was. 452 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:47,960 He is the Savior of the world because I know him for my 453 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,800 selves. There is a vast difference in 454 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:56,080 him just being called Savior or Bishop Savior or pastor Savior 455 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,280 or so and so Savior. He needs to become your or 456 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,720 Savior. I don't want to just believe 457 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,320 because of what they say or because what they preach. 458 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:13,600 I want an experience. I must know him for my yeah, 459 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:15,960 yeah, yeah. There's got to be a transition. 460 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,000 There's got to be a transition from believing in coming because 461 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,360 someone else did so or invited, Amen. 462 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:27,520 And coming because you have somehow ignited a relationship 463 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:29,720 with him. I know him. 464 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,280 They said we believe him not because you're saying that that 465 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:37,480 was a good initial step, but we believe because we heard him 466 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,320 with our own ears. We've experienced him with our 467 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:41,920 own life. You ready for my? 468 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,200 Concert. That little song that I sang 469 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:47,280 when I was a kid was Yes I know Jesus. 470 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:53,240 Yes I know Jesus. Yes I know Jesus for myself. 471 00:28:54,880 --> 00:29:00,720 He woke me up this morning, started me on my way, keeps me 472 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:04,240 on my journey, keeps me day by day. 473 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:09,600 Yes I know Jesus. Yes I know Jesus. 474 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:17,360 Yes, I know Jesus for myself. Yes, he'll do just what he says. 475 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:23,440 Yes, just what he says. I don't have to ask anybody 476 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,240 else. I meant Jesus for myself. 477 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:28,200 Yes, I know. Do you hear me? 478 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:32,240 I don't have to ask my neighbor. I don't have to ask an elder, a 479 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,560 Deacon born. I don't have to ask a Sunday 480 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,280 school teacher. I don't have to ask another St. 481 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:50,480 I know him for. Amen. 482 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:54,640 I appreciate. I think it's tremendous. 483 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,240 I should there, there should be reverence and respect and all of 484 00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,800 that with leadership and authority in churches. 485 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:01,640 That's great and wonderful. That's good. 486 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:04,360 It's not because those people are any different than those 487 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:06,320 that are setting the Pew. They're just positioned 488 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:10,200 differently, right? The watchman's position in such 489 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,240 a place where he can see further than those that are on the 490 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:14,720 ground. He's a human just like they are. 491 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,200 He's just positioned differently. 492 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:18,200 I. Understand all that? 493 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:20,680 But one of the. Tragedies of the Church of 494 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:22,760 Corinth was this. They were caught up in 495 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:27,440 ambassador worship. Oh, yeah. 496 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:30,080 That's the reason why we read in Scripture. 497 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,400 There's conflict and there's controversy because one is 498 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,640 saying I'm of a Paul, I'm of a Paulus, I'm a Cephas. 499 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,280 They follow some footsteps and all of that is great. 500 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:42,920 I'm not preaching against that. That is important. 501 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:48,160 That's a good start. Say that again. 502 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,880 That's a good start. But. 503 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,960 The footsteps should lead us to Him and should encounter then a 504 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,920 relationship with Him. There's not anything wrong with 505 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,000 all that. Thank God for the witnesses and 506 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,360 the rulers and the leaders and the Paul and the cephasis and 507 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:06,920 all that in our lives. But the result and it's all said 508 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,120 and done is that we need to be left in the end following Him. 509 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:15,720 There's kingdoms being built in the world today that center 510 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:17,760 around men, but they're not centered around God. 511 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,040 You've told me, please listen to me today. 512 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:22,360 You've heard me say this as a pastor, I'm going to say it 513 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:24,640 again. I appreciate everybody's loyalty 514 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,240 to me. But if in this life all you've 515 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,080 ever came is to the place of being loyal to me and not loyal 516 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,840 to God, I have failed you. Because if you just come to 517 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:34,800 church, because I'm being loyal to pastor. 518 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:39,120 You hear me? If you just come to church 519 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,160 because you're being loyal to pastor, you just clap your hands 520 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:42,560 because I do it when pastor says so. 521 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,760 Or you just pay your tithe because, well, that's what 522 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:46,040 pastor. No, no, no, no. 523 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,000 No, that that's good maybe to start, but somewhere along the 524 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,560 line you got to switch to don't get him and don't put me on a 525 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,720 pedestal because I'll fall off and then you'll fall with me. 526 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:58,920 No, you need to get your eyes on the Lord, get your eyes on 527 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:02,160 Christ, get a relationship with Him, because no matter then 528 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,920 who's serving in that office, you'll be able to go along with 529 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,560 Jesus just the same because you know Him. 530 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:20,680 For yourself, many are shocked. Many are shocked by the Old 531 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:30,880 Testament story of King Saul that sought out a witch of 532 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:34,920 endure, the Bible says. And the Saint Saul's the one who 533 00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:38,800 prohibited such activity of soothsayers and witches in the 534 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:44,080 land of Israel, and yet he goes against his own decree, and he 535 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:48,160 seeks out a witch of indoor when that activity have been perhaps 536 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:53,000 prohibited by him in Israel. Listen to Pastor this morning, 537 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,800 though. This wasn't so much about Saul 538 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:02,040 consulting a witch as it was Saul consulting Samuel. 539 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:13,080 The witch was a means to a desired end that Saul wanted to 540 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:19,720 speak to the prophet Samuel, who was now deceased and dead. 541 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:25,080 Don't note a couple of phrases in First Samuel 2815 and 16. 542 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:26,760 I'm just going to read a couple of phrases from me. 543 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,320 I think we got them up there. But you show verse #15. 544 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,680 There's a phrase in there that that that Samuel has been 545 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:37,000 summoned, if you will, from the dead by this witch is his spirit 546 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,280 has. And there's a conversation and 547 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:45,560 Samuel basically says, here's Saul, I have called thee, that 548 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,040 thou mayest make known unto me what I should do. 549 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:52,720 This is all words. He says, I've had you summoned. 550 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:56,800 I've had you brought up so that you could tell me he he's on the 551 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,840 cusp of another tremendous battle with the Philistines is 552 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:02,760 about ready to happen. He's nervous. 553 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:04,880 He's anxious about what's going on, what should be done. 554 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,159 He says I've I've called out to you that I might know what I 555 00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:13,320 should do and if verse 16 there's a question there that 556 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,239 that Samuel basically re retorts back to Saul. 557 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,080 He says whereforth them doest thou ask of me? 558 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:22,239 In other words, you know what Saul's saying or Samuel's saying 559 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:24,920 2S S we could get him confused. What what Samuel's saying he's 560 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:26,800 saying. Why are you asking me? 561 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,000 I'm dead. What? 562 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:36,840 Why are you consulting me about all of this? 563 00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:42,840 Someone's saying, hey, man, what Samuel really is doing with that 564 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,400 question? Why are you consulting me? 565 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,719 So he's really revealing something to solve that the 566 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,760 Bible has already laid out for us. 567 00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:55,440 We understand through the rain and the kingship of Saul. 568 00:34:55,679 --> 00:35:00,440 The Bible tells us in Chronicles that he did not inquire of the 569 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,280 Lord. He did not, He did not ask of 570 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,160 the Lord. He did not investigate what 571 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:11,280 God's idea was on the matter. David even concurred in his 572 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,480 reign, Amen. He came after Saul, reigning his 573 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,640 king, and he told the people of Israel, he said, we're going to 574 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:20,000 go back and we're going to get the ark of the covenant and 575 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:21,720 we're going to get it back in Jerusalem. 576 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:23,480 We're going to to celebrate it, he said. 577 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:29,320 Because we did not inquire of the ark all the days of soul. 578 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:33,640 In other words, it would have already been back home if we had 579 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:36,400 somebody that interacted with his presence. 580 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:39,840 We had already had it back home had it been a different person. 581 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,320 But he never inquired of the presence of God. 582 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,680 Someone came in. So Saul in his days didn't 583 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:51,360 inquire of the Lord. He didn't inquire of the ark of 584 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:55,160 God. And he asked Samuel then what 585 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:58,360 should I do in this manner? Brought him up from the dead. 586 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:03,920 What should I do in this matter? Why are you doing that, Saul? 587 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:05,720 I'll tell you why Saul's doing that. 588 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:10,320 Because Saul depended more on Samuel to tell him what to do. 589 00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:17,440 Then he depended on God from the very beginning, whenever Saul's 590 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,480 father's donkeys were lost and he went on the trip with his 591 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,640 servant searching for the donkeys for three days, you know 592 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:28,120 where they ended up talking to Samuel, and Samuel told them 593 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:32,360 where the lost donkeys were. We read later that after he had 594 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:36,160 sinned and not taken all of Amalek and destruction, and the 595 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:39,280 Kingdom was stripped from him, according to Samuel, you know 596 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:42,960 what he wants to worship, but he grabs a hold of Samuel and says, 597 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:45,080 turn now with me and worship. He could not. 598 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,560 He was dependent. He thought he needed Samuel's 599 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:54,040 presence even to work, Samuel's presence even to worship. 600 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:58,720 And so in all of his life and these decisions, he followed the 601 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:03,920 footsteps of the flock, but he never got a real relationship 602 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:08,720 with the shepherd. Hey, man. 603 00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:12,760 And so now at this point of his life, he's anxious, he's 604 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,960 concerned, and he's going by a means that he even discounted in 605 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:21,200 Israel, Amen, To get Samuel summon because he needed to hear 606 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,680 again from the one that he had depended upon through his life. 607 00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:26,880 What's God's will? What should I do? 608 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:28,800 How should I act? Where should I go? 609 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:34,520 What should I say? Everybody doing OK. 610 00:37:35,240 --> 00:37:38,680 See, that's what I love about Daniel 3, when it tells the 611 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:42,080 story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace 612 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,040 and them not bowing and bending. In that whole chapter. 613 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,240 Many of the other chapters we see in conjunction with them a 614 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:52,120 Daniel who is like a leader, a pastor almost to them. 615 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,400 But in chapter 3, we don't hear no word about Daniel. 616 00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,840 But they were still able to make choices not to bow, not to bend, 617 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,360 because they weren't just following the footsteps of a 618 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:05,520 man. They had identified a 619 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:10,240 relationship with God. They knew him for their self. 620 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,320 So he says, I'm going to bring this up. 621 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:21,480 I need to know. I need to know what to do, where 622 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:25,760 to go, how, how to react. We see a New Testament 623 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,160 illustration of this is saying you've read the story, I'm going 624 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:32,680 to read it to you today. But in essence, the whole 625 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:37,680 debacle of the seven sons of Sceva trying to cast out an 626 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,680 unclean spirit really boiled down to this. 627 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,200 They didn't know Christ for themselves. 628 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:47,800 Let's read it Acts 19 and verse 13. 629 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:52,560 Then certain of the Vagabond Jews exorcist took upon them to 630 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,400 call over them that had evil spirits. 631 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:00,640 The name of the Lord Jesus saying, we adjure you by Jesus. 632 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:03,400 Look at this. Here's the steps they're 633 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:08,960 following whom Paul preacheth. There were seven sons of one 634 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,920 skiva, a Jew and chief of the priests, which did so. 635 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:17,880 And the evil spirits look at it now, answered and said, Jesus I 636 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:26,200 know and Paul I know, but who are ye? 637 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:30,320 And the man in whom the evil spirits was leaped on them and 638 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:33,440 overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled 639 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:35,560 out of the house naked and wounded. 640 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:42,520 Just a few chapters earlier in Acts 16, we read how Paul and 641 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:46,960 Silas were were eventually taken and put in stocks and bonds in 642 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:48,520 the innermost prison at midnight. 643 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:50,960 They sang praises and prayed unto God. 644 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,400 But prior to that, for several days, the scripture illustrates 645 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:58,320 that there have been a a damsel following them and saying things 646 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:00,600 like, well, these are the men of the most high gods speaking all 647 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:03,440 these things. She was a woman, a damsel that 648 00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:05,520 had a spirit of divination. She. 649 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:08,040 Brought money unto those who quote UN quote. 650 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,680 Owned her because of her antics and ways. 651 00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:14,360 Paul came to a place that he became wearied, Amen, with her 652 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:17,800 following and her antics until he finally turned around her in 653 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:20,240 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 654 00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:24,440 Cast that unclean spirit of divination out of that damsel. 655 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:28,040 And So what do we have here? We have a pattern laid out for 656 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:35,520 the sons of Skiba following footsteps, and that's good in 657 00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:38,480 the beginning, but here they are. 658 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:41,080 They may have been Privy to this, they might have thought we 659 00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:44,520 can follow in this, but that evil spirit, after they said, we 660 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:48,680 adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth he meant, they turned 661 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:54,040 back around and told him clearly, I know Jesus and I know 662 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,840 Paul, but who are you? What's that say? 663 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:04,120 Tell me if you want to have the same recognition. 664 00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:10,600 In hell as in heaven, you got to know him for yourself. 665 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:14,960 You can't have a secondary knowledge of him. 666 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:18,720 You can't have a third or fourth branch tree knowledge of him. 667 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:23,000 If you want hell to know you have authority and you have a 668 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:26,040 power. You need to know him for your 669 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:29,840 listen. Is. 670 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,520 Everybody doing OK. We come, sometimes we 671 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:35,360 frustrated. I just don't understand. 672 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:37,080 Devil fight, fight, fight, fight, fight. 673 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:38,720 Me all the time. I go to church every Sunday. 674 00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:40,200 I listen to preaching. Fight, fight, fight, fight. 675 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:44,720 Yes, but are you just following somebody else's pattern or are 676 00:41:44,720 --> 00:41:48,000 you following him? Have you said you hear me right 677 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:52,680 now? The Bible says that the devil 678 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:54,920 believes in one God and even trembles. 679 00:41:57,600 --> 00:41:59,360 I love when you get into that genealogy thing, you know? 680 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:00,520 You related? Yeah. 681 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,200 Oh, I'm the third cousin twice removed on the mother's side. 682 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:07,280 You know, that's great. That's a relative. 683 00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:09,800 I mean, it is, but it's not immediate family. 684 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:18,080 Yeah. Yeah. 685 00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:23,080 Well, they know him for myself, Spear said. 686 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,080 I know. I know everybody you're talking 687 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:27,240 about. I know everybody I know. 688 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:29,680 I know who you're talking. About but who are you? 689 00:42:33,720 --> 00:42:39,200 I mean, I know you've seen what Paul did, but Paul, Paul had a 690 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:40,920 moment in his life. He he followed, right? 691 00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:44,120 He had his moment in in Arabia and he was under 2 diligent. 692 00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:46,320 He had a time. He had all this these times, he 693 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:48,600 said, but somewhere along the line there was this thing, 694 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,560 right? Just like the Samaritans. 695 00:42:50,720 --> 00:42:53,000 We're not just, we're not just here now because of you're 696 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:54,160 saying. We're here because we've heard 697 00:42:54,160 --> 00:43:03,080 him for ourselves. So we, we lack authority and we 698 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:09,160 lack, we lack identity, if you will, for hell unless we know 699 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:14,640 him for our self, because we can't just be mimicking the 700 00:43:14,640 --> 00:43:16,320 pattern. We, we need a manifestation of 701 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:21,360 his power. Form is powerless unless it 702 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:25,680 leads to him. You'll stand with me today. 703 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:38,480 The ultimate responsibility and purpose any leader example that 704 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:42,600 we have in the church life is that they would point us to Him. 705 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:46,360 Do we? We, we, we got to be careful. 706 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:53,520 Whenever leaders and rulers only point to themselves and they 707 00:43:53,520 --> 00:44:00,960 become modern postmodern saviors, they need to be 708 00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:05,800 pointing, pointing to him. They're there to help guide us, 709 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:13,360 not replace him. And again, I'm all about that 710 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,440 respect stuff, and that that is important. 711 00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:18,520 But if we elevate all the ambassadors above the one they 712 00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:24,480 represent, we risk living a secondhanded faith that's 713 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:26,280 vulnerable and that's incomplete. 714 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:30,240 And So what the Samaritan's woman story challenges me and is 715 00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:33,160 this is that I need to examine my faith. 716 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:39,160 I don't want to be, you should not want to be living on a 717 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:41,800 borrowed light of someone else's testimony. 718 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:51,120 Have you experienced the power? Do you know him for yourself? 719 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,920 Following the footsteps of the flog is not in lieu of an 720 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:02,120 intimate walk with the shepherd. Somebody here today might leave 721 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,360 and say, and I love passion. I love Bishop, I love all them, 722 00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:14,160 but I want to I want to hear him interact with him for myself and 723 00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:20,800 be able to declare indeed, he is the Savior of the world. 724 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:24,320 So as we bow our heads in this place, I'm urging you, I'm 725 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:27,400 challenging you examine your faith this morning. 726 00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:31,600 We we are here in the last month of the year as we about ready to 727 00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:35,200 tiptoe into a new year. It's a good time to be very self 728 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:39,200 reflective in the closing of this year and examine your 729 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,560 faith. Examine your faith. 730 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:48,080 Does your relationship with God? Is that based upon primarily the 731 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:51,440 relationship of others and their relationship with him or do you 732 00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:53,800 need to deepen your connection with him? 733 00:45:54,720 --> 00:45:58,200 Huh. We need to examine ourselves 734 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:01,040 here today. Seek Him in prayer. 735 00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:04,720 Spend intentional time with him. Be a witness. 736 00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:06,960 Yes, like the Samaritan woman. Share. 737 00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:11,880 Share what He has done for you. Let your testimony be a guide, 738 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:15,600 but don't let it become an image or an idol that others come to 739 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:17,200 worship. They need to know Him. 740 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:21,880 We got to honor the footsteps of those that we follow, but we got 741 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:24,320 to fall in love with the shepherd. 742 00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:28,040 I appreciate every mentor I've had and still have in my life 743 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:31,680 and examples of God, Amen. But my ultimate purpose is I 744 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:36,280 must know Him. I must know Him. 745 00:46:36,880 --> 00:46:39,400 And so the journey starts here today. 746 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:42,440 If you've not had that type of depth of relationship, that 747 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:44,240 journey needs to start here today. 748 00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:47,840 Amen. It's got to lead to Him. 749 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:50,360 Amen. We have the voices of all the 750 00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:53,680 witnesses throughout the history of the Bible and the church. 751 00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:57,000 We we have the, the, the, the Samuels and we have the 752 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:00,320 Samaritan woman. But the end go is not their 753 00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:04,040 words, but it's knowing him, the word of life. 754 00:47:04,320 --> 00:47:08,600 Guide us, yes, instruct this, yes, but it's not to replace 755 00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:11,840 him. I must know him for myself. 756 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:17,720 I must seek Him because He alone is the Savior. 757 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:21,960 Of the world, I'm calling this as a church today to be in 758 00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:25,080 relationship with him. I'm glad you have friends and 759 00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:27,680 I'm glad you have relationships. I'm glad you have people that 760 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:30,560 encourage you in the church and help bump you a little bit when 761 00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:33,400 you need that bump. But Sir, ma'am, you need a 762 00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:36,040 relationship with the Lord because you got to ask yourself 763 00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:38,800 the question, where would you be of that person that you're so 764 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:40,480 chummy with and that you're patterning it well? 765 00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:42,760 What happens if something happens to them? 766 00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:45,400 Will you still have a relationship with God, or will 767 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:49,400 you be so mortally wounded that you won't because you were just 768 00:47:49,400 --> 00:47:51,760 following footsteps and never had a relationship with the 769 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:54,480 Shepherd? You need a relationship with the 770 00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:56,800 Shepherd today. I love you, I appreciate you. 771 00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,360 I thank you for your loyalty, your faithfulness to me 772 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:03,000 individually, but I don't want to have failed you if you never 773 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:05,800 become loyal and faithful to God. 774 00:48:07,320 --> 00:48:09,040 That's where your focus needs to be. 775 00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:16,680 These altars are open today. I want to know Him for myself. 776 00:48:19,160 --> 00:48:21,960 I want him to know my name. Yeah. 777 00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:27,240 I want him to know my voice. He's heard it enough that it's 778 00:48:27,240 --> 00:48:29,200 like that's Paul McGee right there. 779 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:31,400 That that that's Paul McGee right there. 780 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:33,400 Come on, Sir. Ma'am. 781 00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:35,280 Oh, I know. It's the first. 782 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:38,280 I wish I could have gave you the Christmas series this morning, 783 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:44,760 but we need to know him. Hell trembles over people that 784 00:48:44,760 --> 00:48:49,080 have personal primary relationships with the Lord. 785 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:52,760 They understand that power. They're subjected to people that 786 00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:55,440 are in relationship. Hey, man with the Lord, 787 00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:57,880 Hallelujah. Will you call out to him right 788 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:00,880 now? Begin to pray all over this 789 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:03,920 place. He's not a stranger. 790 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:06,840 He's more than a prophet. He's the savior of the world. 791 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:09,720 Testify about it, witness about it. 792 00:49:09,720 --> 00:49:13,760 Have people start on journeys, but please point them directly 793 00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:15,440 to Calvary. Point them directly. 794 00:49:15,800 --> 00:49:18,640 Amen, the gospel. Point them directly to the Lord. 795 00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:21,800 He's the only one that can save. He's the only one that can 796 00:49:21,800 --> 00:49:23,680 redeem. He's the only one that can make. 797 00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:27,680 Oh, he's the truly the only one that can give a grace and a 798 00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:30,600 mercy that is immeasurable. Only him. 799 00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:34,040 I'm glad I know him for myself. Hallelujah, Brother Mason. 800 00:49:34,040 --> 00:49:37,400 If you can lead us right now in the song, we want to be mindful 801 00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:40,000 of the Lord. Mindful of the Lord, we're not 802 00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:43,000 just following now Samaritan woman because of you're saying 803 00:49:43,200 --> 00:49:47,680 we've heard him for ourselves. We believe because we've heard 804 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:51,240 him, we've experienced him for ourselves. 805 00:49:51,240 --> 00:49:51,880 I have desired.