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Trinity Community Church
Trinity Community Church
Encounter - Supernatural Soul-Winning
Join us as Pastor Tyler Lynde wraps up our “Encounter” sermon series with a compelling message on “Supernatural Soul-winning.” In this powerful sermon, Tyler delves into the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-42), highlighting how Jesus broke cultural barriers to reach someone in need.
Tyler begins by expressing heartfelt gratitude for his family and our congregation during this Thanksgiving season, setting a tone of reflection and appreciation. He emphasizes that Jesus chose to go where the need was greatest (Lesson #1), encouraging us to step beyond our comfort zones to reach others.
Despite being weary from His journey, Jesus engages the Samaritan woman in conversation, showing us Lesson #2: Jesus didn’t allow His circumstance to rob Him of His opportunity. By asking for water, He uses a natural point of reference to introduce profound spiritual truths (Lesson #3). Tyler explains how this interaction teaches us to use everyday moments to share the Gospel.
Jesus reveals intimate details about the woman’s life, demonstrating Lesson #4: He used the supernatural to open her heart to truth. This leads her to recognize Him as the Messiah. When distractions arise, Jesus steers the conversation back to the core issues of worship and salvation (Lesson #5).
Tyler highlights that Jesus relied on the Word and the Spirit to bring about transformation (Lesson #6), and found sustenance in doing God’s will (Lesson #7). He challenges us to embrace this mindset, reminding us that “the fields are already ripe for harvest” and that we are called to be active participants in God’s mission.
As you watch this sermon, consider how you can apply these lessons in your own life. Let the Holy Spirit empower you to reach out to those around you, breaking down barriers and sharing the message of hope and salvation. This Thanksgiving, let’s commit to being vessels of “living water,” impacting lives for eternity.
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My name is Tyler and I'm the lead pastor here, and I am so thankful that you're all here this morning, and I wanted just to give an early, happy Thanksgiving. Right, it feels like I don't know where this year has gone, but regardless of how you feel about all of that, it's here. It is here. This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and I just wanted to first of all just say how thankful I am for my wife of almost 32 years. Right, come on now. Yeah, you should be thanking the Lord that she has the grace for 32 years marriage with me, but and also my family, all of my family, obviously, and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you and I just saw my granddaughter how sweet. So, anyway, I'll try not to get distracted, because we've got to get into the word this morning. Are you ready for that? All right, let's dive in.
Tyler Lynde:Today we're finishing up our current sermon series called Encounter, where we've been talking about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. Have you enjoyed it? I hope so. I hope it's been meaningful and I hope that you will carry the truths that you've learned and that I've learned, that will carry them forward with us and put them into practice in our daily lives. Last week, we talked about the fact that Jesus came to set the captives free, and we talked about the fact that you can be free from bondage to sin and bondage to Satan and demonic oppression, and also the fact that God wants us, as believers, to be praying for others to be set free from bondage. Right, and then this morning we're going to finish up by kind of shifting gears a little bit and we're going to be talking about what it looks like to use the power of the Holy Spirit as we are witnesses for Jesus Christ, and so the title of today's message is Supernatural Soul Winning, supernatural Soul Winning. Would you turn to John, chapter four with me? And I want you to really lean into this, because we've got a lot of territory to cover, and so please lean into it. Try it, when we're reading through this, to envision what's happening here. Put yourself in the story so that you can really understand what's being said. All right, so, john, chapter four, verse four through 42,.
Tyler Lynde:He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually, he came to the Samaritan village of Saqqar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son, joseph. Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime Soon, a Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her please give me a drink. He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus you are a Jew and I'm a Samaritan woman, why are you asking me for a drink?
Tyler Lynde:Jesus replied if you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me and I would give you living water. But, sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket, she said. And this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And, besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this? Well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?
Tyler Lynde:And Jesus replied anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. Please, sir, the woman said, give me this water, Then I'll never be thirsty again and I won't have to come here to get water. Go and get your husband. Jesus told her I don't have a husband. The woman replied and Jesus said you're right. You don't have a husband, for you have had five husbands and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth, sir.
Tyler Lynde:The woman said you must be a prophet, so tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshipped? Jesus replied believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it is no longer, when it will no longer matter whether you worship the father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming, indeed is here now, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way, for God is spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. The woman said I know the Messiah is coming, the one who is called Christ, and when he comes he will explain everything to us. Then Jesus told her I am the Messiah.
Tyler Lynde:Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask what do you want with her or why are you talking to her? The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village telling everyone come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could he possibly be the Messiah? So the people came streaming from the village to see him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Jesus, rabbi, eat something. But Jesus replied I have a kind of food you know nothing about. Did someone bring him food while we were gone? The disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained my nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying four months between planting and harvest. But I say wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest, the harvesters are paid good wages and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike. You know the saying one plants and another harvest. And it's true. I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant. Others had already done the work and now you will get to gather the harvest.
Tyler Lynde:Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said he told me everything I ever did. And when they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. And then they said to the woman now we believe, not just because what you have told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world. Let's pray together, father, in the mighty name of Jesus, I thank you for your matchless word, lord. We thank you that you are so gracious to give us your word so that we will know how to live our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. And so I ask today that, as we open your word, as we discuss this passage, that you would open our eyes to truth, that you would change our hearts, that you would transform our thinking and, father, most of all, would you give us your heart for those who are lost, and I give you glory for it in Jesus' name, amen.
Tyler Lynde:Jesus' ministry was amazing, as we know. He healed the sick, he cast out demons, he raised the dead. Jesus was endued and filled with power from on high. The Holy Spirit lived in him and it manifests itself and himself through him, and many people's lives were miraculously touched. We've talked a lot about that over the last several weeks, but I want you to know that there is a miracle that's even greater than someone's arm growing out or someone being restored to health.
Tyler Lynde:There is a miracle that is the primary purpose for Jesus coming to this earth in the first place. Don't mistake it by assuming that Jesus should be categorized or classified only by the powerful works that he does. His intention is much more than that. His heart goes way deeper than that. And we know that this is true because in Luke, chapter 19, verse 10, it says for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus' purpose for coming to this planet, yes, was to display the works of God and to be used in powerful ways and mighty ways to display the kingdom of God in this earth. But don't forget his primary purpose for coming was to seek and to save those who are lost.
Tyler Lynde:You see, if we attempt to relegate the moving of the spirit of God only to the impact that it has within the four walls of the church, we are missing a huge part of the reason for encounter in the first place. Friends, the power of God was never intended to be kept within the four walls of a building. We carry the Holy Spirit with us, the dunamis. The power of God dwells within us and it is to be carried out with us from this place. Jesus made this abundantly clear to his followers as he was getting ready to leave the planet. You remember in Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, his powerful words to his disciples. But you will receive what power when the Holy spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. The purpose of power, ultimately, is to bring about people's salvation.
Tyler Lynde:In our passage today, we see Jesus modeling for his disciples what it looks like to be motivated to reach the lost, no matter what it costs. That's his motivation, that's his heart and that's my prayer for each and every one of us that we will of us, that we will catch that, that we will walk out of this place changed and that our discussions around the Thanksgiving meal this holiday will be different than they would have been in past years. My hope is that you will not hold fast to the rule. Well, there's a rule that says you should never talk about politics or religion when you're with a group of people who have differing opinions. And maybe that's true, but we're not talking about religion. We're talking about a relationship with a living Savior who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Please, my friends, don't be afraid to bring up the name of Jesus.
Tyler Lynde:So let's put on our ESI hats today. Evangelism Scene Investigation. Sorry, it just came to me and I had to throw it in here. I almost did a hat up and put it on, but I decided not to do that. I'm thankful, because I didn't know Neil was going to be here today and I would have just felt very strange. So glad to have you back, neil. So ESI evangelism scene investigation. So let's glean some lessons that Jesus teaches us about how to embrace his ongoing supernatural mission in the earth. So we're going to break this passage down and talk about different sections within it, and out of each one of those sections we'll have a lesson that Jesus teaches us about how to supernaturally soul win. All right. So there are seven lessons. So let's get moving. Are you ready? Here we go.
Tyler Lynde:The first part is he had to go through Samaria on the way. He had to go through Samaria on the way. I don't know if you know this or not, but no Jew had to go through Samaria. In fact, if they had to travel from Jerusalem to Judea, they would go out of their way and cross the Jordan River twice in order to avoid going through Samaria. Why was that? Because they had a problem with Samaritans. Samaritans were people. When the Assyrians came in and conquered that area of Israel, they took back with them people that they put into captivity, and they also sent their people to live in this region. They intermarried with the Jewish people who were still remaining there, and they had offspring, and then the religions began to become mixed to a certain degree, and so, because of that, the Jews and the Gentiles both hated the Samaritans. They hated them and they would do everything within their power to try to avoid them.
Tyler Lynde:So what is lesson number one here? Jesus chose to go where the need was. Jesus chose to go where the need was. Where is the need in our lives? Where is the need that's around us? Where is the need in a place that we're traveling through and maybe we would like to avoid, if at all possible. Where is the need that God is calling us to? Jesus chose to go where the need was.
Tyler Lynde:Now the disciples at each one of these lessons, we're going to look at the juxtaposition of the disciples reaction and how they were looking at things right. So the disciples, on the other hand, hated the fact that Jesus chose this route. They hated this. They hated this fact that Jesus took them to this Samaritan place. And then what did he do? He sent them into the village to buy food from these unclean people. Can you imagine what kind of attitude Peter must have had on his trip into the local village? I'm just throwing Peter out there, because we see in the gospels how Peter was alive with thought and opinion Right, and he wasn't afraid to share it. So here we have this example of the difference between Jesus choosing to go where the need was and the disciples hating the fact that, even though the need was here that Jesus had chose for them to go here.
Tyler Lynde:So, moving on, jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime and soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her please give me a drink. She said to Jesus you are a Jew and I'm a Samaritan woman, why are you asking me for a drink? So the sixth hour, which is when they arrived in Samaria, was about noontime. Jesus was tired, jesus was weary. I love that the gospel writer chose to put that in this story. He didn't have to say that, isn't it interesting. The gospel writers could have made Jesus out to be floating on a cloud all the time and eternally, just so nothing phases him, you know. But it says here that he was weary. He was weary from traveling. You realize that they didn't have, you know, shuttles, or they didn't use airplanes, or they're on their feet, walking, walking, walking. And at noontime, in the middle of the day, in this place of Israel, this part of Israel, would have been very, very hot. And so Jesus sits down, and he sits down and he's weary and he's thirsty. I love, again, how this passage shows the humanity of Jesus.
Tyler Lynde:And then here comes a Samaritan woman. She's introduced quickly on the scene. It's important to note that normally women would come early in the morning or late in the evening to gather water. And why is that? Because women are smart. And what would they realize? That the morning and the evening would provide for them. Coolness, yes, so they, and unfortunately, in that time and in that era, women were the ones who had to do this, and so they were sent out and they would go out in the morning, the evening they would gather water and bring it back for their family. Okay, but this woman came at noon, by herself, isolated. Does that tell you anything about the condition of this woman, possibly ostracized, possibly living a life of shame, possibly really in a desperate place? Let's don't miss that as we talk about her, jesus doesn't shy away from engaging in conversation with this woman.
Tyler Lynde:In that day, it was not considered proper for any man, especially a Jewish rabbi, to speak to a woman, a strange woman and especially, if you want to add another layer onto it, a Samaritan woman. This was breaking all of the protocol that man set up, not that God set up, but that man set up. But our Lord set social customs aside because a soul's eternal salvation was at stake, and that was what Jesus was about on this day. As weary as he was, the woman's initial reply to Jesus was sort of sarcastic she's like well, you don't want anything to do with me until you need something, and's like well, you don't want anything to do with me until you need something. And now you're thirsty and you don't have a way to get any water, so you're asking for me to get your water for you. Isn't that typical of men? I added that part for emphasis.
Tyler Lynde:So what is the second lesson here that Jesus teaches us? Jesus did not allow his circumstance to rob him of his opportunity. How many of us, if we were weary or tired or exhausted or exasperated or or put any kind of word in there that you want to put, would simply just keep our mouth shut? But Jesus didn't look at his circumstance of weariness as a negative thing. He looked at this as an opportunity for him to be used supernaturally by God to reach this woman. The disciples, seemingly, were only interested in one thing. What was that? Getting in and out as quickly as they possibly could. Put on your gloves, wear your mask. Whatever you got to do, let's make sure that we are avoiding the Samaritans at any cost possible.
Tyler Lynde:So, moving on, jesus replied if you only knew the gift God has for you, aren't you glad that Jesus didn't get upset with the woman because she was sarcastic with him? How many of us, if somebody breathes any kind of resistance to us when we're trying to say something about Jesus, do we? It's great, that's fine, whatever you want to. Jesus didn't do that. He understood that the Holy Spirit had led him to this place in this time and that this woman had come for this specific reason. God had an agenda and he was using Jesus to fulfill that agenda. He appealed to her curiosity by the phrase if you only knew, if you only knew my friends, isn't that the cry of your heart to the world around us? If you only knew, if you only knew my savior, if you only knew my Jesus, if you only knew the hope that is found in him, if you only knew.
Tyler Lynde:Jesus wanted to give her a gift that was so much better than just ordinary water, wanted to give her a gift that was so much better than just ordinary water. His illusion was intended to lift her level of thinking from that of material need to spiritual realities. The woman struggled initially to make the communication or the connection with what Jesus was saying. She continued to go back to natural water, natural water, natural water. Jesus was speaking to her about living water, living water, natural water. Jesus was speaking to her about living water. Living water, living water. What was he offering her? Get this water that gives eternal life. What greater gift is there? And ultimately, what is he actually saying? He's offering her himself, in the form of salvation, a free gift from God. And we know Ephesians 2, a powerful verse that says for by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. Are you thankful for the gift of God? Amen. Here's the reality we need to take with us. The Holy Spirit dwells within the life of a believer, filling us up to overflowing. What is the reason for the overflowing? So that we can grab more containers and try to contain it within ourselves, or so that we can just let it spill over within the confines of our home or within the confines of our church? The rivers of living water that God puts in our hearts by the Holy Spirit are intended to be poured out for the nations, for the world. As good as Jesus's illustration was about living water, the woman continues to talk about indoor plumbing. What is this magical thing you're talking about? I won't have to come here to get water anymore. Are you going to put a well in my living room? How patient our Savior was and is when it comes to reaching those who are lost. You remember your stubborn self before Jesus, your resistance that you put up and my resistance. Lesson number three Jesus used a natural point of reference to introduce spiritual truth. When you are witnessing to people, it doesn't have to be rocket science. Jesus was there. The lady came to draw water, so what did he talk about? He talked about water, and I'm going to prove to you right now that you have the ability to change any conversation that you want to in one direction Weather. How many of you, starting out in a conversation with a complete stranger at Walmart or anywhere else, will eventually say something about oh, it's a beautiful day, man, you look, you look wet. Did it start raining? Did it snow at your house? We have the ability to turn any moment into a conversation. We can steer the conversation, and that's exactly what Jesus did here. He used something natural, a natural point of reference, to introduce spiritual truth. Now the disciples, on the other hand, talked among themselves about natural things like crops growing and when harvest time would be, but they were spiritually unaware, were spiritually unaware. They were talking about the weather, and that was it right. Going on. Jesus changes the tone of the conversation completely when he says go and get your husband. You think Jesus made a mistake? Did he misread the scenario or did the Holy Spirit of God give him something to say in this moment? We know the answer, don't we? Jesus told her I don't have a husband. Jesus said you're right, you don't have a husband, for you've had five husbands and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You better be right. You better be right. I'd start out something like this so tell me about your home life Married, unmarried. Jesus just laid it out there and then listen to the woman's response. You certainly spoke the truth, sir. I perceive that you're a prophet. And then she gets very religious. She turns the conversation, tries to steer it away from the conviction that's coming her way. Why did Jesus bring this up at all? Was he trying to embarrass her? Was he trying to shame her even further? Was he trying to reinforce the fact that she needed to come get water at noon Because none of the women back in her village wanted anything to do with her? And all of the men seem to want to have something to do with her, and all of the men seem to have want to have something to do with her. Why did Jesus do this? Before this woman could be saved, she needed to acknowledge her need of a savior. She must come to Christ in true repentance. She must understand the condition of her life, the condition of her soul. She must be willing to confess her guilt and her shame. The Lord Jesus knew all about her secret life. He knew all about it, how she had lived, and he was going to lead her step by step to see it for herself, not as a cruelty, but as a part of the process of bringing her to a place of repentance and salvation. My friends, we've become weak when it comes to sin. We've become weak when it comes to sin. You see, only those who know themselves to be lost can be saved. Nobody is going to accidentally get saved because you trick them into it. They must feel, they must know, they must understand the condition of their heart, the condition of their soul. Without Jesus Christ, all are lost. But not all are willing to admit it. In seeking to win people for Christ, we must never avoid the sin question. They must be brought face to face with the fact that they are dead in trespasses and sins and they need a savior and they cannot save themselves. That Jesus is the only savior that can save them and that they need, and that he will save them if they repent of their sin and put their hope and trust in Jesus Christ. That is a huge part of the gospel that is missing from many of American discussions about Jesus. Lesson number four Jesus used the supernatural to help open the heart to truth. He used a word of knowledge about this woman's husbands to open the door to truth for her. Now, the disciples, on the other hand, were solely focused on the natural and they missed completely their supernatural opportunity. Completely missed it. If we go on in the story, looking to deflect from the conversation, the difficult conversation, the woman has this aha moment, stating that Jesus was a prophet, and all of a sudden, the conversation became very religious. Like I said, she's bringing the debate up between Jews and Samaritans about where we're supposed to worship. Where is the proper place to worship, in Jerusalem or on this mountain? There's a debate, there's confusion about this. We believe one way and you believe another way, but Jesus, in his kindness, introduces a new age, an idea of a new time, a new government, a new kingdom which is coming, in which God's people everywhere will be the new temple where he dwells. No longer will they need to approach a mountain, no longer will they need to arrive at a building, for God himself will dwell with them and he will live in them. Did you know? That's where we're living? We're living in that, in that time, in the new covenant, in this new kingdom, true worship, according to Jesus, is not limited to a particular place. Worship that pleases God can only be offered by those who've experienced true spiritual rebirth and who worship him in a manner consistent with him making himself known in spirit and in truth. How are we to worship him in spirit and in truth? Only when the Holy Spirit reveals him to us. Then we worship him out of a place of true spirit and true truth, him out of a place of true spirit and true truth. And as the woman of Samaria listens to Jesus, something begins to change in her mind. Her thought process begins to unwind. She stops thinking about herself and her past, she stops thinking about the water scenario, she stops thinking about everything else and all of a sudden she's thinking about the fact that there is a Messiah who is promised to come. How does that happen? It's the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. She's having an encounter with the living God on the side of a well. Jesus looked at her and said I am, I am. What would her mind immediately have rushed to? What would she have thought about in that very moment? Where would she have found herself in the annals of history of Jewish people, samaritan people? Where would she have raced to A man named Moses and a God who presented himself as Jehovah? Jehovah is the one who is speaking to you, is what Jesus was saying. He was announcing to her the startling truth that the one who was speaking to her was the Messiah, for whom she had been looking, and that he was also God himself. You see, my friends, the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New Testament. Jesus is God. Lesson number five Jesus steered the conversation away from the distractions to the truth. And isn't it interesting that distraction was wrapped in a nice package of religion. Where are we supposed to worship? Jesus didn't allow himself to be distracted by that. He kept bringing the conversation back to the priority. The disciples themselves were distracted and need to be redirected. They found themselves in the same boat as the Samaritan woman. They were distracted by their circumstance. They were distracted by everything that they saw around them. They were distracted by their prejudice and their weariness. Moving on, the woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village Telling everyone come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could he possibly be the Messiah? So the people came streaming from the village to see him. The work of the word of God, as spoken through Jesus, and the spirit of God which was working through him, came to fruition as this woman, this sinful woman. Fruition as this woman, this sinful woman, this Samaritan woman, did what Left her water pot. What does the water pot represent for us? It symbolizes the various things in life that we have used in an effort to satisfy our deepest longings longings to fill our place of need, to fill our place of desire, to try to fill every empty void within our lives. There is nothing that will fill the void in our lives other than Jesus Christ. And in this moment, she could care less about the water pot. She left it behind and she ran back to her village. Why does she do that? Because she realized, if this could be true for me, a sinner, the woman that I am. If it could be true for me, could it be true for all of those around me? Is it possible that this Messiah who has come would not just be here to save me, but would be concerned about the lives of my loved ones and those even who are my enemies? This woman, who had just barely been evangelized herself, couldn't wait to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. Her witness was simple, simple but effective. She invited all the townspeople come out and hear this man who told me everything I ever did. This piqued the interest of a lot of people in the community, because I'm sure that her reputation preceded her. She was looked down upon, and so if this, this person, this messiah figure, had spoken these things to her, what else does he know? What does he know about me and my life and my hidden secrets and the things that nobody else knows about this woman? Everybody knows about her because it's out in the open, it's out in the public, but my life is secret. I've hidden it away. And if this man knows all of her secrets, what about mine? Their hearts began to burn within them. I need to know, I need to know. I need to know. Who is this man? Who is this man? So what did they do? They immediately left their village, left their homes, left their work and followed this woman back to Jesus, lesson six. Jesus relied on the word and the spirit to bring about transformation. The two of those things combine the word of God, the gospel, and the spirit of God, the power of God. Those two things working together is what brought about transformation in this woman's life. And it is the very two things, those are the very two things in our lives in 2024 and soon to be 2025 that will be used by God to effectively reach the lost with the gospel message. Unfortunately, the disciples were too busy serving Jesus, getting his food, preparing his meal, making sure he was taken care of, hoping that he didn't hear them grumbling and complaining. Too busy serving Jesus to see the need for transformation around them. They were surrounded by need. Jesus had one woman. They were surrounded. They couldn't find one reason to speak the truth in love. We tried to get him to eat something and he says I've already had food to eat that you know not of. That didn't go over. Well, they're talking amongst themselves. Who brought him food? We had to go into that place get food and he doesn't even need it. And Jesus talks to them in a lot of detailed terms about seed time and harvest, seed time and harvest, sowing seed and reaping the harvest and the process of that and how we can be involved in all different steps of that and all different stages of that Sowing the seed, and the Holy Spirit's the one who waters it and the Lord's the one who brings the increase right. Jesus said I sent you to harvest where others have already sown seed and he missed it, guarantee. The disciples were looking around at the crops around them and talking about oh, this is looking good, the grain's coming out, but we still have about four months until harvest time. Lots of weeds around. I hope they take care of the weeds. They were instant farmers. You know Back roads farmers instead of backseat drivers. They felt like they knew their way around a field. So they're talking about it. And Jesus was not talking about the wheat in the field, the wheat in the field. Jesus was saying to them you guys, can you understand this? You cannot afford to spend your lives searching for food and clothing alone with the thought that God's work could be done later on by somebody else. Friends, could we hear that this morning from the Lord Jesus. We cannot wait for the next generation to be the ones to do it. Let's do it together, let's do it as families. Let's do it as families. And I believe that Jesus. I just have a feeling he had a long pointer finger. I don't know if he did or not, but I just picture that. I think he took his robe up and he pointed down that road and he said look, the fields are white, ready for harvest. Interesting fun fact you know, the Samaritan's clothing is typically white. Jesus points back to the road filled with Samaritans coming out of the village to Jesus and he's saying to his disciples you missed the harvest that's ready right now. Right now. Lesson seven Jesus was sustained by doing his father's will. That's what he did. He did his father's will and that's what gave him food. That's what gave him nourishment, that's what caused his thirst to be qu, what gave him nourishment. That's what caused his thirst to be quenched. Doing his father's will. How many of you know, if you're carrying a Bible with you today, you have the will of the father. You have it with you. You carry it with you. We carry it in our hearts and in our minds and in our mouths. The word of God is powerful and the will of the father is for us to carry on the work that Jesus started here on this earth. Do we want to see miracles, absolutely Healings, all of those things? Let's see them, but let's not forget about the greatest miracle of all, which is a lost person coming to know Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord, person coming to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Let's not give up on the disciples either, because we know, don't we, that when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they were sustained by the Father's will to spread the gospel to the known world, in spite of hardships and most of them being killed for what they believed. Did they learn the lessons that Jesus was teaching? Did they become evangelists themselves? You better believe it, friends. I don't care if it feels like it's been 40 years since you talked to anybody about Jesus. You can begin again. Today is a day to choose. By God's grace, to step back into the ring. Let's just finish with this last passage and I'm done. Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus, first of all because the woman said he told me everything I did when they. But when they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village, which included who? The disciples. How long did they stay? Two days. Did the Lord deal with the heart of the disciples in those two days? Do you think you think they got engaged in the community of believers in Samaria? Do you think that their hearts were warming up to the idea that God was wanting to reach people who were lost? What a teachable moment. What a model Jesus is and was Stayed two more days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman listen to this. Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the savior of the world. Whose job is it to save people? It's his job. Our job is to represent him. Our job is to present the truth. Our job is to represent him. Our job is to present the truth. Our job is to be bold and courageous. Our job is to pray and ask God to move and to intervene. Our job is to do that. But Jesus is the one that brings the increase. He must speak by the spirit to each and every individual soul that is to be saved and awaken them to truth. So let the pressure go and just be willing to do your part and my part. Are you ready for that? If you are ready to be released into the mission field, would you please stand to your feet. There are several buses waiting outside. We will be heading to New York City. Okay, oh my gosh, new York City, new York City. All right, thank you, lord. Father, what a beautiful sight. See, all these men and women and young people have heard the message of the gospel today and have decided that if you'll help us, if you'll help us, lord, if you'll empower us, we will be obedient to the call that you've given us to share the love of Jesus with the world around us. Father, I pray right now, in the name of Jesus, for an encounter of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives that equips us, that emboldens us, that causes us to have your heart for the people that are around us. Lord God, would you change us and shape us, mold us to become more like Jesus? Would you help us to lay aside all of the distractions that the disciples had? And, finally, would you help us to get it right, like the disciples got it right Not perfectly, but their heart's ambitions changed, their purpose changed, their vision changed. Father, I pray for testimonies within the next days and weeks of your mighty power moving in and through every single one of us. Lord, we choose. Would you say this after me? I choose to be obedient to the call of God to reach the lost. Help me, lord, in every way to hear your voice and to be obedient to you. In Jesus' name, amen. I'll just pray a blessing over you and we'll be dismissed. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace as you share his life and his love with others. In Jesus' name, amen.
