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533 | You Matter · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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God is in control.
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She's a happy girl. Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman
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at the Well Ministries, where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus
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like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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or on our website at watwm.org, We invite you to sit down with us as we look
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to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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Jesus not only sees you, but he sees you as something special.
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The world may find you insignificant, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
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finds you so valuable that he was willing to die to purchase your salvation.
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Join us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim Miller takes
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us on a journey through the scriptures, revealing the truth that you matter.
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Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast. Let's pray.
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Our kind and most gracious, your heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you with
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thankful hearts that you invited us to sit at your throne, that you've written this word,
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this incredible love letter to each of us that we might know and believe.
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Lord, that you never leave us nor forsake us, that you provide our every need,
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that you have a good plan for us, to prosper us, to give us a hope.
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Lord, as we come through this message that you've given me today,
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I pray that you would remove me from the message,
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that you would speak through me, that it would fall on fertile ground as hearts
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and minds are turned towards you, as lives are changed to be who you would have them to be.
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Lord, I want to say thank you for not just noticing me, not just noticing your
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creation made in your image, but for providing for it, for loving,
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for caring, for staying close by.
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Lord, thank you that we matter. May each of us walk away from this message knowing
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just how very much we are loved.
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And in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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One of the biggest problems in the world today, if you would have an honest
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down-to-earth conversation with a group of people,
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would be the feeling that they don't matter, the feeling that no one cares,
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the feeling that if they just stepped off the face of the earth no one would even notice,
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that's a prevalent thought among the people today and it's not just with the
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old who have lived their lives and feel like that perhaps their best years are behind them,
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it's not just with the ones who are distracted and working hard and can't seem
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to get above their head above water,
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it trickles down to even the youth.
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Somehow in this world that we currently live, our value is so diminished,
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and the devil has such a stronghold on our images and on the vision and the
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definition we have for success and for value.
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That the prevalent problem among our people today, saved and unsaved alike,
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is they simply don't feel like they matter.
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But in this message that we're getting ready to go through today and our primary
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focus is in Luke chapter 19, I want you to see that Jesus sees you.
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He knows where you are. He knows what you're doing.
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And he has a plan for you, and it's a good one.
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And so as we begin to look in Luke chapter 19, it's imperative that you just
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open up your heart and open up your mind to hear what God has to say.
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You've got to shove aside and disassociate with the titles and the words and
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the hurtful things that people have said.
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You've got to stop believing the lies of the devil that define you as something less than worthy.
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The truth is none of us are worthy, but because of the love of Jesus Christ,
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we are worthy because of those who have said yes,
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to the invitation of the free gift of salvation. He makes us worthy.
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His blood washes us white as snow.
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It's not of works of righteousness which we have done, but it was by the work
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on Calvary, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, that he willingly shed that
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you and I might become sons of the Most High God.
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Children of the King of Kings.
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And so as we go through our life on a day-to-day basis, We often go through
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it thinking that, well, if I wasn't here, who would notice?
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No one of any importance cares about me.
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This is such a lie that the devil has perpetuated throughout our society,
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that people are taking their own lives from shame that isn't necessary.
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All of our works are like filthy rags. None of us are righteous, no, not one.
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So that person that you've put on a pedestal that you feel is successful,
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that you feel have made no mistakes, that you feel like are worthy of respect, they too fall short.
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They too need Jesus, not just for salvation, but for every day of their life.
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So as we begin to look at Luke 19, verse 1, we are in a familiar place.
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From very early times in church, we all have heard the account of Zacchaeus.
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Zacchaeus was a wee little man. A wee little man was he. He climbed up in a
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sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.
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And Jesus came by and said, Zacchaeus, you get down from that tree for our coming to your house today.
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I want to submit to you that Jesus is standing in front of you right now with
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arms open wide with the exact same invitation that he gave to Zacchaeus in this account in Luke 19.
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He's saying, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
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He's saying, Come unto me and let your requests be made known.
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With thanksgiving and the peace of God to keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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He's telling us to let not our heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
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He's telling us to therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we might
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find help in our time of need.
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So in Luke 19, let's read this passage in your hearing.
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And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named
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Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
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And he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could not for the press,
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because he was of little of strature.
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And he ran before and he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was
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to pass that way and when Jesus came to the place he looked up and saw him and said unto him,
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Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must abide at thy house.
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And he made haste and came down and received him joyfully and when they saw
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it they all murmured saying that he was gone to be guests with a man that is
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a sinner And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord,
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Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I have given to the poor,
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and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
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And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house,
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forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek
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and to save that which was lost.
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I want you to see that Zacchaeus was seeking the Lord, perhaps not for any of the right reasons.
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It kind of leads you to believe he was just wanting to see what's all this commotion
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about this man named Jesus.
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And Zacchaeus, like many of us, just didn't have the ability to put himself
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in the right place at the right time, or at least he thought that.
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Being short, he couldn't get through the crowd and so he wanted to see what
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this jesus was all about and so he climbs up in this sycamore tree so he could
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get a view of jesus when he passes by.
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Positioning is everything, people. Putting yourself in a place where Jesus is
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going to be high and lifted up and elevated is a place you want to be if you want to see him.
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Jesus is asking all of us to come to him, but we've got to turn to look to him.
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He's a gentleman. He's not going to knock you on the shoulder and smack you
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around a little bit and say, listen to me.
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But he's going to continue to be where you can find him because he is not lost.
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He's going to continue to inhabit the praise of his people. So get around people
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who are praising the Lord.
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The house of God that is true to the word of God, that is lifting up Jesus Christ,
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the Holy Spirit and God, that is a place where Jesus is going to be at.
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But getting in front of someone in that church who has a personal relationship
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with him is surely going to allow you to be where Jesus is.
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And having godly friends who know how to pray is going to put you in a place
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where you can hear others who know him.
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So in this account, Zacchaeus is using every opportunity he has to look and
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see this man named Jesus.
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What he doesn't expect is for Jesus to care enough about him,
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especially since, as you read this account, Zacchaeus was anything but a holy man.
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Zacchaeus was anything but a just man.
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Zacchaeus was anything but an honest man.
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And this man called Jesus is pure and holy.
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So Zacchaeus comes up into this tree, and Jesus passes by and he looks up into
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the sycamore tree and scripture says, and saw him.
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The crowd was full of people.
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He was on his way through the town of Jericho,
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but someone in that tree who needed him, someone in that tree who was seeking
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him, found him because Jesus saw him.
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Jesus looked up in this tree and saw Zacchaeus, who had put himself in that tree.
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Friends, Jesus didn't just notice Zacchaeus.
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He looked up and saw Zacchaeus, and he had something special for Zacchaeus.
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Scripture tells us in Jeremiah 29, 13, these words,
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And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
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But Zacchaeus had come to that place where he wasn't sure exactly perhaps who
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Jesus was, but he wanted to know.
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And in the presence of Jesus, who sawed him through a crowd and saw him above him,
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acknowledged him, and I want you to know what he says, Zacchaeus make haste and come down.
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Jesus spoke Zacchaeus's name.
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Jesus passes by where Zacchaeus is seeking Jesus and he calls him by name and says come down.
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And allows Zacchaeus to be face-to-face with him, and he receives him joyfully.
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He was excited for this one that had been gone astray,
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ignorant of the ways of Jesus, anti-Christ probably, with the tactics he used,
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but Jesus called him by name,
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asks him to come down, and receives him joyfully.
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Well, the same people that no doubt for the flaw, the error, the mistake in anyone,
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are also looking at the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords,
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which has everything under his feet, and they're murmuring around,
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complaining that Jesus is now spending time with a sinner.
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You matter. Not what you've done, not where you've been, but you matter.
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Jesus did not define him and say, come down, you cease. He did not define him
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and say, come down, you crook.
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He didn't bring him down in front of him and then condemn him.
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No, he receives him joyfully, knowing full well the things that he has done.
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And Zacchaeus standing in the presence of the Lord, having been received for
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who he was and not what he did,
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having been loved despite what he did, all things are changed.
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2 Corinthians 5.17 says that behold all things are changed the old is passed
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away all things become new.
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We are a new creature in Christ Jesus. This account in Luke chapter 19 doesn't
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give any indication that there was any condemnation, that there was a long theological discussion,
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but we see repentance.
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In the presence of Jesus and his amazing, gracious, merciful love,
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Zacchaeus sees the error of his ways, and he says to the Lord,
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half of my goods I give to the poor.
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A man who had made his money from stealing and cheating, from taking advantage
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and scamming, now says, I'm going to give half of everything I own to the poor.
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That's a stony heart made warm and loving.
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That's a mind that's been renewed in Christ Jesus.
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That's a sinner born again into a new life.
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His old ways changed to his new ways.
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His old wants and desires were washed in the blood of the forgiveness of Jesus
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Christ, and he comes out with a loving, caring, giving, honest heart.
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When he understands that I'm sorry.
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Requires owning up to what you do and then asking, how can I make it right?
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So he says to the Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor,
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and if I'm taking anything from any man, I'll repay it fourfold.
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Wealthy man, but at the end of this, he had given up his wealth for his trust
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and his faith in Jesus Christ.
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I'm not saying that you have to give everything you have up,
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and of course he kept something because he only gave half to the poor,
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but so many of us complain about the 10% tithe that God expects,
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and if we give the 10% tithe, we are reluctant to give any offering.
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But this man Zacchaeus, in the sight of Jesus Christ and his life was changed,
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he realized that his goods didn't matter anymore
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that his identity was a new one it
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was in Christ Jesus and that's what mattered was living an honest pure life
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Jesus recognizes this about Zacchaeus and he affirms that I've come to seek
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and to save those which were lost and Zacchaeus seeking the Lord,
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climbing up into a sycamore tree, was as lost as anyone had ever been, and Jesus saw him there.
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Zacchaeus mattered, not because
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of what he had done, but because what Jesus was going to do for him.
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Romans 3.23 says that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
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All of us are Zacchaeus in need of a Savior, but many of us are not seeking him.
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We're not asking him to intervene in our lives and to direct and guide and to provide.
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We may ask for provisions, but it's the ones we're telling him to provide.
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Find him when you seek him with your whole heart. We're told in both Matthew
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and Mark that we are to love the Lord with our whole heart, our whole mind,
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our whole soul, and with our strength.
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Zacchaeus humbled himself before
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God, and Jesus changed him for the better and saved him for eternity.
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If you're still concerned about whether or not you matter to Jesus,
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because you're like, God, I don't know how to seek him.
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Let me turn your attention to John chapter 4.
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It's a very familiar passage of scripture to many.
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It's foundational and fundamental to those of us at Women at the Well Ministries.
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In John chapter 4, we have a woman who is of ill repute.
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She's coming to the well at noonday because she don't want to see the people
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and she doesn't want to be around the people and she doesn't want to deal with
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what you're going to say of all the ridicule, the judgment, the harshness.
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But she's getting ready to meet someone who changes her life forever.
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She's getting ready to meet Jesus face to face. And let me tell you how much it mattered.
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The woman at the well is coming to the well with an empty bucket,
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to be filled with water, with no thoughts or no expectation,
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that her life is going to be eternally changed she's going to get turned around
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from bad to good and she's going to experience love like she's never felt it
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before and she's going to drink of a water that she will never thirst again.
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Jesus tells his disciples, I must needs go through Sychar because I've got to
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meet this woman at the well.
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And people were trying to kill Jesus. It was dangerous to go through Sychar.
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But Jesus, putting aside any concern for himself, which is his trend and the.
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Way he is, we see that here, we see it on the cross of Calvary and countless times in between.
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Jesus takes no thought for himself because he is consistently and constantly,
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living to make intercession for us to provide for us to care for us his love for us,
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is far greater than his concern for himself and so he goes through the trouble
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when he goes through the danger and he's sitting on the well and here comes
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the woman at the well who scripture does not name, but he's waiting for her.
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And they have a discussion, and Jesus tells her who she is, not to condemn her,
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but that she would be able to understand this man, Jesus, who's gone through trouble,
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who's gone through danger, to come and meet me at this place where I am so that
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he can take me where he is, both physically and spiritually.
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Tells her so that she doesn't think, oh, if he only knew, I wouldn't matter.
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So he explains to her that she's been called into adultery.
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She's had multiple husbands, and the one she's now living with is not her husband.
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He explains that you're coming for water, but if you only knew of the water
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that I will give, you'd drink of this water, and you'd never thirst again.
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The conversation continues and she is forever changed he came to her where she was because,
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she mattered she didn't matter to the world she didn't matter to the people
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of the town she didn't matter perhaps to anyone maybe not even the man she was living with,
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but she mattered to Jesus.
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The one thing that the woman at the well comes to Jesus with,
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that we all must come to Jesus with, is an empty bucket.
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Now, we're not going to bring a bucket that is physical, but we're going to
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bring an empty body and say, feel me, Lord, to overflowing.
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Wash me white as snow. Cleanse me, I pray.
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After her encounter with this man called Jesus, who loved her,
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to meet her where she was, to cleanse her and to forgive her.
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In John 4, verse 29, she runs from the city.
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And the Samaritan woman says this, Come see a man who told me all things ever I did.
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Is not this the Christ?
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Perhaps you understand, Zacchaeus.
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You can relate on some level to the woman at the well.
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Honestly, we all must come to Jesus the same way she did, empty,
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needing a Savior. And all of us need a Savior.
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We are told in Romans 3.23, as I stated earlier, that we're all sinners in need of a Savior.
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We're also told in Romans 6.23 that the wages of sin is death,
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but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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And in 1 Corinthians 15, and verse 1, here's what we hear.
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By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
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unless ye have believed in vain. Verse 3.
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For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received,
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how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. teachers.
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Jesus loves me, this I know. But God commendeth his love toward us in that while
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we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
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If you don't think you're the woman at the well, you still have to believe you
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got to come the way she did.
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Don't think you're Zacchaeus because you're not seeking him above the crowds.
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You need to consider seeking him because you've got to move toward God to be saved.
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The woman at the well came to him. He was waiting for her.
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He was waiting where he knew she would be, but they had an encounter.
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Zacchaeus, he said, my case didn't come down. So he didn't save him from afar.
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He saved him personally, face to face.
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Zacchaeus wasn't saved because of his pressing in the crowd or his works.
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He was saved by grace through face, because it is the gift of God,
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not of works lest any man should boast.
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Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. And in 1 Corinthians 15, 3, we understand that Christ
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was delivered and died for our sins and rose again on the third day.
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His precious, sinless, perfect, spotless blood of the perfect,
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spotless Lamb of God washes away the sins of the world, but you have to move towards him.
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In James 4, verse 80, it says, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
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Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
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Zacchaeus came down from the tree. The woman at well went to the well.
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Both left different than they came. Because as you get close to the Lord, he gets closer to you.
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Zacchaeus changed his ways. He cleansed his hands.
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He purified his heart by believing in Jesus, by seeking Jesus,
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by allowing Jesus to receive him joyfully. He received Jesus as well.
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The woman at the well laughed different than she came, and she said, Come see a man.
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My friends, it's time that you came to see this man named Jesus.
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If you've given your heart and life to him and your life has grown cold,
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you're a little far from the center, he's there with open arms.
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He's there to hold you and to help you. 1 John 1.9 says if we confess our sins,
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he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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You matter to him. He wishes that none should perish but that all should come to repentance.
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And when you look to Him, when you move toward Him, when you receive His free
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gift of salvation, you abide with Christ forever.
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Romans 10.13, there's no qualifications. It says whosoever.
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You're going to be called a lot more things in your life than you already have
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been, and I'm sure you've been called a lot of things.
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But the greatest thing you will ever be called is a whosoever.
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Because in Romans 10.13, it says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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The woman at the well, she left proclaiming the goodness and the greatness of God.
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She'd been changed by his love, his mercy, and his grace.
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Zacchaeus made haste and come down and received the Lord as the Lord received
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him joyfully, and he was changed man.
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He was giving half of his goods to the poor and paying back anybody he had wronged fourfold.
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In John 3, verse 16, he says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only
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begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
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but have everlasting life.
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It's an eternal transaction.
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Don't get me wrong. You're going to spend eternity in one of two places.
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In heaven with Jesus Christ, he says, in my Father's house are many mansions
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and if it were not so, I would have told you.
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I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, you may be also.
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And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.
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It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.
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Those of us who know Jesus Christ, he'll be looking for the blood.
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Our name will have been written in the Lamb's book of life, and we will live
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forever with the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
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If you have not received him as personal Savior, you will spend eternity in
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hell, and you were never meant to be there.
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It was a place for the devil and his angels.
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And if you go there, you're going to go over the blood of Jesus Christ.
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You're going to step over the grace and the mercy, the love,
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the care, and the personal invitation to come follow a man who loves you.
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No matter what people in the world have told you, no matter what your family
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has told you, no matter what events in your life have seemingly displayed, you are loved.
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By the one true, loving, living God. You matter so much that He has taken the
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time to come to where you are right now and deliver you this message,
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so that you would know the love of God,
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the saving power of God, and the grace and mercy which He has for all. Remember you are loved.
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Jesus loves you.
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Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
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Remember that God loves you. You are loved.