Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 386 | Jesus, Wonderful Jesus

Transcript

386 | Jesus, Wonderful Jesus · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

• 0:00
  Music.
• 0:07
  Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
• 0:11
  where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
• 0:18
  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
• 0:21
  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
• 0:25
  or on our website at watwm.org,
• 0:28
  we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
• 0:33
  about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
• 0:38
  Living a life for Christ. She's a happy girl.
• 0:38
  Music.
• 0:48
  She's a happy girl.
• 1:03
  Jesus is our Savior and so much more.
• 1:06
  The Bible describes him as Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God,
• 1:12
  the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
• 1:15
  In this episode of Women at the Well Ministries, join Kim as she leads a Bible
• 1:19
  study on Isaiah 9-6, uncovering the profound truths and blessings found in the gift of Jesus.
• 1:27
  Verse 6 in Isaiah chapter 9 says this, For unto us a child is born,
• 1:35
  unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
• 1:42
  and his name shall be called Wonderful.
• 1:46
  Counselor, the Mighty God,
• 1:49
  God the everlasting father the prince
• 1:53
  of peace and then
• 1:56
  in verse 7 he says of the increase
• 1:59
  of his government and peace there shall be no end upon
• 2:02
  the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it
• 2:05
  and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever
• 2:10
  the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this so I want you to think about
• 2:15
  the names of Jesus And I want you to understand what it means,
• 2:22
  not just in the definition of it,
• 2:27
  but what it personally means to you.
• 2:30
  When he says that...
• 2:33
  His name shall be called wonderful what is it that you are thinking of so when
• 2:41
  we think about jesus being wonderful we have to think about his miracles we
• 2:47
  have to think about his birth.
• 2:50
  And how incredibly extraordinary that
• 2:54
  it was that he was born
• 2:58
  of a virgin and the reason that that's important
• 3:01
  is it means he has no human blood so
• 3:06
  none of the things that were passed on to us because
• 3:09
  of adam's fall and adam's sin
• 3:12
  none of that is part of the body of
• 3:15
  jesus christ because he is
• 3:19
  given to us through immaculate
• 3:23
  conception and he is
• 3:26
  fully god yet he took the form
• 3:28
  of man and he's fully man and he's
• 3:31
  wonderful for some of us it was
• 3:34
  the best good news for a man of all time according to
• 3:37
  duane and that is so true it is important for
• 3:40
  us to see that he is wonderful by
• 3:44
  definition but he is also wonderful
• 3:48
  by personal experience but he
• 3:51
  is wonderful and i need
• 3:54
  you right now to think about how he is wonderful
• 3:57
  to you the way that he is wonderful to me is that he loves me he cares for me
• 4:05
  he never leaves me those are wonderful things because those are things that
• 4:12
  bring me joy that bring me peace that bring me comfort that.
• 4:17
  It's also things that no one else can do. No one else can be with me always.
• 4:23
  But he is. The second thing he says is that he is counselor.
• 4:30
  Let's look up John chapter 14 and verse 26 to read about what it means for him to be our counselor.
• 4:41
  Now, a counselor is someone who gives us advice, who talks to us in times when
• 4:47
  things are difficult, when we don't know the answer, when we need to have wisdom to move forward.
• 4:54
  So it's very important that whoever it is that you are consulting for your wisdom,
• 5:02
  for your advice, is somebody who is worthy,
• 5:07
  somebody who is godly.
• 5:09
  Because people will tell you their opinion every single time you ask them.
• 5:14
  But their opinion may not be as good as yours, and it could be even worse.
• 5:19
  If they're not giving you godly advice, if they're not giving you advice that
• 5:24
  lines up with the Word of God.
• 5:27
  Then you need to seek advice elsewhere because you can't be taking information
• 5:34
  from people who do not know who God is.
• 5:40
  You can't take information that's contrary to God's will for your life or contrary
• 5:46
  to the way God says you should live your life.
• 5:48
  And so we need to be careful who we allow to influence us.
• 5:53
  So John chapter 14 and verse 26 says this, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
• 6:02
  whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring
• 6:08
  all things to your remembrance.
• 6:11
  Whatsoever I have said unto you. So I love the part of John 14,
• 6:17
  26, which says he'll bring to remembrance.
• 6:19
  You can't remember what you never knew.
• 6:23
  So to remember something, you need to know it. So that goes back to our 2 Timothy
• 6:28
  2.15 that says, To study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
• 6:34
  not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
• 6:38
  It's important that we listen to the Holy Spirit, but it's important that we
• 6:45
  feed ourselves with the word,
• 6:48
  that we feast on his word daily, that we study to show ourself approved,
• 6:52
  that we understand how it is that we are to use his word in our everyday life.
• 6:59
  Every question you have, the answer is found in Jesus. And Jesus said in John
• 7:04
  1, verse 14, that he said that he...
• 7:08
  That he was the word made flesh and dwell among us. And in John 14,
• 7:13
  verse 6, he says he's the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by him.
• 7:18
  So if he's the way and he's the truth, then it's him we need to follow.
• 7:24
  And so we find out about who he is.
• 7:26
  We read his ways, his character. We understand what he expects of us and what
• 7:31
  we can expect of him simply by reading his scripture, by understanding and looking at the word of God.
• 7:38
  And so when we see him as counselor in Isaiah 9, 6, there's something very special,
• 7:45
  very special about that.
• 7:47
  Because what he's telling us is the Holy Spirit is going to tell you the things
• 7:53
  you need to know when you ask and you need to listen.
• 7:56
  But it's going to be predicated on the fact that you literally studied and looked at his word.
• 8:02
  So if you want to be wise in in
• 8:05
  the ways of jesus you must
• 8:08
  study and know them you've got to listen you
• 8:11
  need to fellowship with believers who are going to tell you things about him
• 8:15
  it's incredibly important that we study so that we get our influence from the
• 8:23
  word of god i want you to also look with me to Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8.
• 8:32
  Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8 says this.
• 8:36
  Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the
• 8:43
  tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
• 8:49
  That's telling us that the world's philosophy, the ways of the world,
• 8:55
  what is trending now, what the world thinks is right,
• 8:59
  we can't be messed up
• 9:02
  or ruined or spoiled or made
• 9:05
  less because we allow that to impact.
• 9:08
  Us and we allow that to affect us we have
• 9:12
  to be in christ jesus we have to walk
• 9:15
  in christ jesus knowing that
• 9:18
  he is the one who will tell us how to
• 9:21
  live and so when we look at colossians 2
• 9:25
  8 in response to him
• 9:28
  being counselor in Isaiah 9 6 we say
• 9:32
  to ourselves well how is it that we
• 9:35
  can make sure that we're not thrown
• 9:38
  off by what other people may say that we're
• 9:41
  not thrown off by the traps
• 9:44
  and the deceit of the devil well we know one thing first
• 9:47
  Peter 5 7 says be careful because
• 9:51
  your adversary the the devil walks about as
• 9:54
  a roaring lion so he tells us to be sober and to
• 9:57
  be vigilant to be watching and
• 10:00
  ready for it and in ephesians 6 he
• 10:03
  tells us to put on the whole armor of god so that
• 10:07
  we're able to withstand anything that the devil would throw at us but in colossians
• 10:12
  chapter 2 just above this warning to not fall for the traps of false teaching
• 10:19
  or false doctrine or worldly trends or worldly ideas he tells us this in verse 5 verse 6.
• 10:26
  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in him.
• 10:34
  Colossians is all about setting your affections on things above and not on things of the earth.
• 10:39
  It's all about allowing us to be hidden in Christ Jesus.
• 10:46
  To walk in him. That means to walk in his ways.
• 10:50
  That means to be in unity with him. To be in step. To be in sync.
• 10:56
  All of you have relationships. Most of you are married or have been married.
• 11:01
  And you know that when you are and you're trying to do life with someone else,
• 11:08
  you've got to walk in step.
• 11:10
  You can't be out of sync. You can't be out of step for very long or things start
• 11:15
  to deteriorate and things start to go in a direction you don't want them to
• 11:19
  because you're going to be going in one direction and your significant other
• 11:23
  is going to be going in another direction.
• 11:26
  And this is how it is with Christ Jesus.
• 11:28
  He's got a plan for our life, which we hear in Jeremiah 29, 11.
• 11:33
  And that plan is a good plan.
• 11:35
  It's to prosper us, to give us a hope and an expected end.
• 11:39
  He has a plan for our life. And if we walk in sync with him,
• 11:44
  we're going to fulfill that plan.
• 11:47
  And you're going to find in John 10 10 that
• 11:50
  that means we're going to have life and have it
• 11:52
  more abundantly so when we walk in sync
• 11:55
  with the Lord step by step hand in
• 11:59
  hand in the parameters that he set forth
• 12:02
  for us then we enjoy the abundant life he has for us and here's how he tells
• 12:07
  us to do it in Colossians 2 7 he says this rooted and built up in him and established
• 12:16
  in the faith as ye have been taught,
• 12:19
  abounding therein with thanksgiving.
• 12:22
  Rooted means your firm foundation of everything you do, your entire life,
• 12:29
  what's important to you, your purpose.
• 12:32
  Your thoughts, your actions, your deeds,
• 12:36
  even your imaginations are all wrapped in the will of God,
• 12:42
  the ways of God, so that when people are
• 12:44
  around you they just sort of are watching the book unfold wouldn't you want
• 12:48
  to be that person oh how i want to be that person i want to be that person that
• 12:54
  when people are in my presence they're watching the bible unfold and his truths
• 13:00
  lived out and they see jesus,
• 13:03
  Because that's what we're told to do in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 16.
• 13:08
  When he says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good
• 13:14
  works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. It's not about you.
• 13:19
  It's not about how bright you shine for your good.
• 13:23
  It's not about how much fame and praise you get because of what you know.
• 13:29
  It's all about giving god
• 13:33
  glory and honor and when we unfold his word he's high and lifted up and the
• 13:39
  scripture says when he's high and lifted up that he will draw all men unto him
• 13:44
  when you're talking about a counselor you can't be getting information and be
• 13:49
  impacted by people who don't know the Lord.
• 13:53
  You have to be impacted solely and fully by those who are going to push you to Jesus.
• 14:02
  Those who are going to tell you something else about it.
• 14:05
  Those who are going to sit with you in front of this throne.
• 14:09
  I still believe one of the greatest gifts on earth is the gift of a friend who
• 14:15
  will literally pray with you.
• 14:19
  Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible tells me so.
• 14:24
  So we call Jesus in Isaiah 9, 6, Wonderful, Counselor.
• 14:30
  What's the next one? The Mighty God.
• 14:35
  We read all through the Old Testament the works of God, from his creation to
• 14:42
  leading the Israelites through the Red Sea, providing food for them day and night,
• 14:48
  being the fourth man in the fire for the Hebrew children,
• 14:52
  shutting the mouths of lions,
• 14:55
  helping David to fight the fight against Goliath and win because the battle
• 15:01
  wasn't David's, but it'd be long to the Lord.
• 15:04
  Those are but a few. We saw Sarah and Abraham have a child.
• 15:08
  We watched God provide the
• 15:11
  sacrificial lamb for Abraham when.
• 15:15
  Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son we read many accounts of God's intervention
• 15:21
  how Elijah and the widow woman were sustained for a long time on just a little
• 15:28
  bit of oil a little bit of flour because of their obedience.
• 15:34
  Obedience unlocks the power of
• 15:37
  heaven and the scripture says god speaking
• 15:41
  that i am the
• 15:45
  i am when i think of the mighty
• 15:48
  god i think of him being
• 15:52
  the i am of the i am
• 15:55
  so today i may
• 15:58
  need strength so he is the i am
• 16:01
  strength today you may
• 16:05
  need healing so he is the i am
• 16:08
  healing today you may
• 16:12
  need provision and he's the i am
• 16:15
  provision today you may
• 16:18
  need protection and he is the
• 16:21
  i am protection today you might need finances and he is finance you're getting
• 16:32
  the picture whatever you need he is because he says i am the Great I Am.
• 16:39
  I am the I Am.
• 16:42
  He's mighty. Have you ever just thought.
• 16:47
  About the power of his voice. He spoke the world into existence.
• 16:53
  If you would please. Let's look at Psalms chapter 8.
• 16:58
  Oh Lord. How excellent is thy name in all the earth.
• 17:03
  I'm always brought back to that sentence.
• 17:07
  When I see people talking about. How the devil is so powerful.
• 17:13
  And how the devil is the prince of the power of the air.
• 17:16
  Because he is the prince of the power of the air but he is not greater than
• 17:20
  god in me which is found in first john 4 4 but when you start to think that
• 17:25
  this world is a sinful wicked mess we can sometimes think that the devil's in
• 17:31
  control but this is not the case he says oh lord.
• 17:36
  How excellent is thy
• 17:39
  name in all the earth people the
• 17:43
  devil's not more powerful than him and even
• 17:46
  those who do not claim him as savior know
• 17:50
  he exists they may tell
• 17:53
  you they don't but they watch the sunrise they see the sunset they see the picture
• 18:00
  of the stars that he's thrown throughout the sky they watch the seasons change
• 18:06
  and the leaves paint colors that match the season they're in.
• 18:12
  They watch the waters recede and the waters flow.
• 18:18
  They see the waves go out and come in and suddenly just stop and turn and return to where they came.
• 18:28
  The heavens declare he's God.
• 18:32
  The earth resounds of it. And Psalms 8, 1 says, Oh Lord, how excellent is thy
• 18:40
  name in all the earth, who has set thy glory above the heavens.
• 18:44
  Then he moves on to verse 3. Here's where I want you to hang your hat today.
• 18:50
  It's early in the morning, and maybe you've already had a bad day. I don't know.
• 18:54
  But this is going to change things for you when you get a picture of this.
• 18:59
  When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers.
• 19:04
  The moon and the stars which thou hast to ordain what
• 19:08
  is man that thou wert mindful of him and the son of
• 19:11
  man that thou visitest him do you
• 19:15
  see that and then he moves on to verse 9
• 19:18
  oh lord oh lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth he opens with it
• 19:24
  and he closes with it and in the meantime he tells you this truth and i want
• 19:30
  you to pay attention to what he says that the The heavens were the work of his fingers.
• 19:37
  And I want to remind you that he holds your hand. His entire hand is wrapped in yours.
• 19:45
  And just his finger was powerful enough to create the heavens.
• 19:52
  But in John 10, 28, he says that no man can pluck you out of his hand.
• 19:58
  So the massive amount
• 20:01
  of power that is represented by the creation is
• 20:05
  minuscule to the massive amount of
• 20:08
  power that is keeping you sustaining you
• 20:12
  holding you and helping you
• 20:15
  jesus loves me this i
• 20:18
  know for the bible tells me so so whatever
• 20:22
  you're facing today he is the great i am and he's
• 20:25
  holding you securely so get your
• 20:28
  information holy and solely from
• 20:32
  a counselor who's pointing you to god because he's
• 20:35
  wonderful he's counselor he's the mighty god when he's the everlasting father
• 20:42
  i love that he refers to himself as father some of us were blessed with amazing
• 20:49
  fathers who were pictures of who Jesus is. I am that girl.
• 20:54
  But perhaps some of us was not.
• 20:56
  But God loves you in a way to let you understand the love of a father.
• 21:01
  In your deepest, most dire need, Jesus provided for you because he loves you.
• 21:09
  In your deepest, most Terrible time.
• 21:14
  He was there for you and you didn't even know it. And he provided a way that no one else could pay.
• 21:20
  He paid a debt he didn't owe because you had no way to pay it.
• 21:24
  And we know that to be true.
• 21:26
  But let's think about our lives. The here and now.
• 21:30
  The yesterdays. When has he showed up? In a loving way.
• 21:36
  Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights.
• 21:39
  When has he been there? when you couldn't find a calming voice near you speaking
• 21:45
  sweet peace to your heart?
• 21:48
  When has he been there? When the world was cold to you?
• 21:53
  When you were lonely and isolated and he's standing there saying,
• 21:57
  come unto me, oh, he's at labor and our heavy laden and I will give you rest.
• 22:01
  He's saying come boldly to the throne of grace that you could find help in time of trouble,
• 22:06
  jesus loves me this i know and
• 22:09
  he said that he was before the foundation of
• 22:13
  the earth and he will be there when everything passes away see things come and
• 22:21
  go in our lives i have had amazing friends in my life and they were there for
• 22:27
  me but time has taken us in different turns,
• 22:32
  and we didn't leave on bad terms and and i
• 22:35
  could call them and we could talk a little bit but they
• 22:38
  don't feel the place in my life
• 22:41
  that they did during that season of time and god
• 22:44
  has put other people in my lives not to replace
• 22:47
  them but for their point of time
• 22:50
  and what there are doing for us and we
• 22:54
  do have friends and i have friends that have stood the test of time but there
• 22:59
  are people in my life now that were in my life every day that now i don't see
• 23:04
  it all when i was playing tennis i had a group of girls and we we practiced
• 23:09
  together we took lessons together we traveled together we were together all the time.
• 23:14
  And it's been decades since I've seen him. But during that time,
• 23:17
  they were always there. They were a huge part of my life.
• 23:21
  But friends and family and sometimes significant others, they come and go.
• 23:26
  Sometimes God takes them home, so they're no longer there.
• 23:30
  And so that security that they brought for you during that season is no longer
• 23:34
  there. But let me tell you, he is the everlasting father.
• 23:38
  The security that he brings to your life right now is the same security that
• 23:42
  will always be there from now and through eternity.
• 23:45
  You need to grasp that and you need to be comforted by the fact that Jesus loves
• 23:52
  you and that love is secure, that foundation is pure, and that he is never leaving.
• 23:58
  I know some of us have suffered great loss. Some of us have suffered great loss recently.
• 24:03
  And that feeling of loss leaves a hole. But praise be to God,
• 24:08
  if they knew Jesus and we know Jesus, then we will see them again.
• 24:11
  But even otherwise, while we're waiting to see them, Jesus fills our hearts
• 24:19
  and our soul with his presence.
• 24:22
  And you can count on it today, tomorrow, and forevermore. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
• 24:30
  He's the everlasting father.
• 24:33
  Then the last title we're given in Isaiah 9, 6 is this.
• 24:38
  He's the prince of peace. Jesus gives peace.
• 24:45
  He said to the winds and the waves, peace be still, and they cease.
• 24:51
  He says in Isaiah 26, 3, thou will keep him in perfect peace,
• 24:58
  whose mind is stayed on thee.
• 25:03
  When our heart and our mind.
• 25:06
  Are in alignment with God's word, and we are following his ways.
• 25:11
  And he's our rooted foundations that we talked about in Colossians 2.
• 25:15
  And he is our heart's greatest desire, knowing that when we delight in him,
• 25:21
  he'll give us our heart's desire.
• 25:23
  When we are turning to him as our counselor, having faith in his wonderful abilities,
• 25:30
  in his mighty power, in his guaranteed foreverness, we have a peace.
• 25:36
  The Bible calls it a peace that passes all understanding, and that gives us
• 25:42
  a joy we can't articulate. It's too good for words.
• 25:46
  Words cannot express the breadth and the depth of the love of God,
• 25:54
  the power of God, the mercy of God, or the goodness of God.
• 25:59
  When you look at Isaiah 9, 6, it tells you who God is.
• 26:03
  But now I'm going to read in your hearing the greatest miracle the world has ever seen.
• 26:08
  My favorite account is in Luke chapter 2.
• 26:12
  And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus
• 26:17
  that all the world should be taxed.
• 26:21
  And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
• 26:25
  And all went to be taxed everyone into
• 26:29
  his own city and joseph also went up from galilee out of the city of nazareth
• 26:34
  into judea unto the city of david which was called bethlehem because he was
• 26:41
  of the house and lineage of david to be taxed with mary his espoused wife being great with child.
• 26:48
  And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
• 26:55
  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
• 27:00
  and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
• 27:05
  And there were, in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field,
• 27:11
  keeping watch over their flock by night.
• 27:13
  And lo the angel of the
• 27:16
  lord came upon them and the glory of the lord shone round about
• 27:19
  them and they were sore afraid the angel
• 27:22
  said unto them fear not for behold
• 27:25
  i bring you good tidings of great joy which
• 27:28
  shall be to all people for unto you
• 27:31
  is born this day in the city of
• 27:34
  david a savior which is
• 27:37
  christ the lord and this shall be a sign
• 27:40
  unto you you shall find the babe wrapped in
• 27:43
  swaddling clothes lying in manger and suddenly
• 27:46
  there was with the angels a multitude of heavenly
• 27:49
  hosts praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace
• 27:55
  goodwill toward men Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so as
• 28:04
  we begin to look at this I'm often struck.
• 28:09
  By just how ordinary the earthly parents of Jesus was.
• 28:14
  Now, they were extraordinary people for God to have called Mary.
• 28:18
  What a woman she must have been.
• 28:20
  How incredibly special her heart was.
• 28:26
  How brave and how secure was her faith to believe God when he spoke.
• 28:32
  How loving and compassionate.
• 28:34
  How strong and steadfast must have Joseph been. The very people that were going
• 28:41
  to raise the human fully God, Jesus, were loving, compassionate.
• 28:49
  They were strong and they were brave. They were steadfast and they believe.
• 28:55
  When I think of Mark 9, 23, that says, all things are possible to him that believeth.
• 29:01
  I'm always turned back to this account where everything's possible.
• 29:08
  I know because Mary believed she was able to conceive because Joseph believed
• 29:15
  he was able to carry out this incredible calling upon his life.
• 29:19
  So regardless of what the calling God has put on my life or your life,
• 29:24
  we know for a fact that the everlasting father,
• 29:27
  the prince of peace, the counselor, the mighty God, the wonderful God will take
• 29:32
  us and keep us and get us through it.
• 29:35
  Because no way do I believe I will ever be called for what he called Mary to do.
• 29:43
  And step by step and day by day and task by task, he equipped,
• 29:51
  sustained, and provided for Mary and Joseph.
• 29:53
  Whatever he's asking you to do, however impossible it may seem, he will see you through.
• 30:00
  He will equip you. And then I'm always just thrilled about verse 8.
• 30:09
  Verse 8 says, And there were in the field...
• 30:14
  In the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
• 30:19
  And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord show round about them.
• 30:26
  Oh, Jesus didn't come for the rich. They're part of who he came for.
• 30:30
  He didn't just reveal himself to the cream of the crop, the highest of society.
• 30:39
  No shepherds were kind of the lowly end of the working class and i have to believe
• 30:46
  they were dirty and smelly they
• 30:48
  hadn't even didn't even come to those who cleaned up for their sunday best,
• 30:54
  but he came to them and look what he says it says the glory of the lord show
• 31:00
  round about them He's shown his glory upon the lowly and the simple,
• 31:07
  regardless of your social status or how many educational diplomas decorate your wall.
• 31:16
  We all are the lowly class in comparison to the greatness.
• 31:22
  And he shines on each one of us equally because we all need him as Savior.
• 31:27
  And he shines upon all of us equally because whosoever shall call upon the name
• 31:33
  of the Lord shall be saved.
• 31:36
  Oh, how he loves us. Oh, how he loves you.
• 31:40
  He shines round about you, but he shines on you.
• 31:44
  See, I like it that he shines upon because when he shines round about me,
• 31:50
  I can see well and it's protective and it's good and it's nice and it's fun.
• 31:55
  But when he shines on me, The glory of the God is on me, not because of who
• 32:01
  I am, but because of whose I am. Oh, how he loves us.
• 32:06
  We're going to give gifts and have presents.
• 32:10
  There'll be a lot of that happens in most people's houses. But the gift of love
• 32:15
  is ours every day to unwrap.
• 32:18
  Because for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior,
• 32:22
  which is Christ the Lord.
• 32:23
  And he's shown round about us and he's shown upon us.
• 32:27
  And he's given his love to us.
• 32:30
  His court is grace upon us. And he says, this angel, he's got something to say. He says, fear not.
• 32:39
  One of my favorite verses is found in Luke, and it says, Fear not,
• 32:44
  little flock, for it is the Lord's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
• 32:49
  He wants to give you all of him.
• 32:53
  He left all of heaven. He didn't bring an army of angels to protect him.
• 33:01
  He didn't even bring one piece of that golden strip of road so that he would have riches.
• 33:09
  He didn't take a chunk of the walls of Jasper and Pearl.
• 33:14
  He came with nothing. He left the splendor of heaven to come as a lowly babe
• 33:21
  because of how much he loves you.
• 33:25
  That's the gift that keeps on giving.
• 33:27
  That's the gift that he says, unwrap it every day.
• 33:31
  Come to me boldly and ask. and you shall receive.
• 33:37
  Call on me and I will answer you. You've got clout.
• 33:42
  You may not have it here. It's not anybody really big and fancy.
• 33:46
  I can probably call with no answer and say, Hello, Kimmy, how are you?
• 33:50
  But when I bow my heart, the King of Kings, I'm the Lord of Lords.
• 33:56
  His ears are open and his eyes are watching.
• 33:59
  He is lovingly waiting to hear me ask so that that father of lights can bestow
• 34:06
  upon me the blessings that he has wanting to give to me because he loves me
• 34:12
  because he came i can go i can go into the world and preach and teach the gospel,
• 34:20
  and i know that when i've taken my last breath on this earth and my eyes closed
• 34:25
  i will say goodbye world and hello heaven and when i walk those streets he will
• 34:30
  know me by name because he knows Use me by name now.
• 34:34
  I know that he will open up his book of life, and my name will be written there.
• 34:40
  And I pray that the works of my life are more than the stubble of my flesh,
• 34:45
  that I have crowns to bestow at his feet.
• 34:49
  I felt his arms around me. I felt the pressure of his touch.
• 34:56
  I felt him push me away from a car that was going to run me over because I couldn't
• 35:04
  see it but one day one day I'll be able to put my arms around him downfield
• 35:12
  his flesh and bone I'll see those eyes of mercy.
• 35:17
  I'll lay my head on a physical chest that I've laid so many times in my heart as he's come alongside.
• 35:26
  I will walk on streets of gold by the river of life.
• 35:31
  I'll see my loved ones, that great cloud of witnesses who are waiting at the
• 35:36
  door to watch Kimmy come in.
• 35:39
  I'll hold my dad's hand. I'll hold my mom's.
• 35:43
  I'll see my brothers and sisters. I'll see my friends. I'll see my loved ones.
• 35:48
  And for eternity, I'll know life
• 35:51
  in the light of Jesus with no presence of sin, no sorrow, no sickness,
• 35:57
  no death, all because I underwrapped the most precious gift ever given.
• 36:04
  When Jesus came wrapped in swaddling clothes, he was a gift to us all.
• 36:10
  Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, For by grace are you saved through faith.
• 36:14
  It's not that of yourselves but it is the gift this
• 36:18
  is what he's talking about this gift of salvation
• 36:21
  when he says that he come to give
• 36:24
  the good tidings to us that's the gospel of
• 36:27
  jesus who was born of a virgin lived among man was tempted like as we are yet
• 36:33
  without sin and at his appointed time god turns his eyes as jesus laid on the
• 36:41
  cross of calvary who could have called 10,000 angels,
• 36:45
  but he didn't because it was his job.
• 36:48
  And he knew the gravity of his job when he took it because in the garden of
• 36:52
  Gethsemane, he was sweating drops of sweat that were blood, which only happens
• 36:58
  in extreme traumatic drama situations.
• 37:01
  And he said, Lord, if there be any way, let this cup pass from me.
• 37:05
  But there was no other way. So he embraced it and he took it and he went to the cross of Calvary.
• 37:11
  And when you put a red bow on a Christmas gift this year,
• 37:15
  I want you to think of the crimson red flow of Calvary that gave us the greatest
• 37:21
  gift there ever was, that opened unto us salvation, that gave us the opportunity
• 37:25
  to call upon him that we might be saved.
• 37:28
  When you put the present in a wrap and you fold it just perfectly,
• 37:34
  I want you to picture the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords was wrapped.
• 37:41
  In swaddling clothes. And when the devil comes knocking this Christmas at some
• 37:45
  point, asking you to think things that aren't true, that you're alone,
• 37:51
  that you don't have anyone, that the best parts of your life are over,
• 37:55
  I want you to know the truth.
• 37:57
  He came that he said, glory to God in the highest.
• 38:01
  Earth, peace, goodwill to others. I want you to know that you are loved.
• 38:06
  The psalmist David tells us that daily he loads us with benefits.
• 38:11
  Jesus loves you. And he tells us this all the time. He shows us every day.
• 38:17
  But don't be like those in Colossians 2.8 that believe Allah,
• 38:22
  that follow the trends of the world, that have their eyes rooted and grounded
• 38:30
  in what they can see here.
• 38:32
  But set your affections on things above and not things on the earth.
• 38:35
  Believe in the truth of Jesus Christ and unwrap his gift of salvation to all and for all.
• 38:44
  From my heart to yours, Merry Christmas.
• 38:47
  We serve a wonderful, council, mighty God, everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.
• 38:57
  To God be the glory for the great things he has done.
• 39:02
  Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
• 39:06
  Music.
• 39:15
  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
• 39:19
  quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
• 39:22
  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
• 39:26
  our app, our website, or our Facebook page.
• 39:29
  You can find our app by searching for Woman at the Well Ministries in your app
• 39:33
  store or through our website at watwm.org.
• 39:37
  We're on Facebook at facebook.com slash watwm. If you visit our website,
• 39:43
  you'll be able to subscribe to Bible Bits, a daily devotion written by Kim and
• 39:47
  delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
• 39:50
  Woman at the Well Ministries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.
• 39:56
  And it is through your loving and generous support that our ministry continues to bless others.
• 40:01
  To learn how to partner with Woman at the Well Ministries, please visit our website.
• 40:05
  Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song,
• 40:10
  Happy Girl. We greatly appreciate your prayers.
• 40:13
  We are praying daily for our listeners. Remember that God loves you.
• 40:18
  Music.