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464 | The Best Is Yet to Come · 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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  Livin' her life for Christ She's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl,
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  She's a happy girl There is great truth in the fact that for the Christian, the best is yet to come.
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  But why would you wait until heaven to develop a close relationship with the Lord?
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  Join us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim takes us on a
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  journey through the scriptures, exploring what awaits those who know the Lord,
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  and encouraging all of us to get to know Him personally and intimately now.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries. Let's pray.
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  Our kind and most gracious to Heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you with thankful hearts.
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  Thankful that you chose to make a way for us to live eternally with you.
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  Lord, we're grateful that you loved us enough to send your Son.
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  And Lord, we're grateful that Jesus, you loved us enough to give your life.
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  And we are ever thankful for the Holy Spirit that dwells in each believer,
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  teaching us and comforting us and leading us and guiding us.
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  So as we go through this passage of Scripture and we go through this message,
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  Lord, we ask that you would just invoke the Holy Spirit in each of our hearts
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  and our minds and our lives,
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  that it would bring to our mind the things that we need to hear and see and
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  do as you speak to us through your Word.
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  Lord, remove me from this message and have your way, I pray. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  The best is yet to come. That's a phrase we hear regarding many, many different things.
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  But the truth of the matter is, for the believer, the best is yet to come.
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  1 Corinthians 2, 9 through 10 says this, But as it is written,
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  eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man
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  the things which God has prepared for them that love him.
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  We see amazing, beautiful things every day. We have an abundant, wonderful life.
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  Jesus promises that in John chapter 10 and verse 10.
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  But the best is yet to come. When we read of the description that John on the
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  Isle of Patmos gave us about what heaven is like, we see that our most precious
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  element on Earth is gold.
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  And yet in heaven, it is but a walkway, a roadway, something we walk upon.
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  And so the very most valuable way that our economy moves and runs has no existence there of value.
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  Because the things of this earth, they have no place in this place called heaven,
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  home not made with hands.
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  And Jesus himself, we are told in John chapter 14, beginning in verse 1,
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  that we are to look forward,
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  to not be afraid, to not be troubled by what lies ahead of us or what lies in
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  our past, here and now, because of what waits us in that place called heaven.
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  In John 14, verse 1 through 6, he says this, Let not your heart be troubled.
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  You believe in God, believe also in me.
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  In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told
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  you. I go to prepare a place for you.
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  Did you hear that? I go to prepare a place for you.
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  That statement is meant for every single believer.
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  A place for you. It's personal.
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  It's yours. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
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  you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
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  And whither I go, ye know, and the way you know.
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  God, through his son Jesus, has made a way for each of us to spend eternity into heaven.
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  And he in no way,
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  wants anyone to miss it. In fact, he says that he wishes that none should perish,
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  but that all should come to repentance.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so from Genesis to Revelations,
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  the greatest love letter ever written.
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  Contains all you need to know for godliness and to know who God is.
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  In John chapter 14 and verse 7, he says, If ye had known me,
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  ye should have known my father also.
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  And from henceforth, ye know him and have seen him.
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  Jesus reveals himself to us and his life here on earth in the New Testament.
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  He's foretold in the Old Testament. His character is revealed,
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  his goodness, his purpose.
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  And he's telling us in John 14, 7, that if we know him, we know the Father.
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  In verse 5 of John chapter 14, he says, Thomas saith unto him,
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  Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
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  Here's what he says. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
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  No man cometh to the Father but by me.
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  There is no other way to experience the best is yet to come.
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  It's through and by the blood of Jesus Christ.
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  It's by believing in him, accepting and acknowledging that you are a sinner,
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  and confessing him as Lord.
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  If you could think your way through it, then Nicodemus in John chapter 3 would have done so.
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  But Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus.
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  And we're going to pick up this conversation in John chapter 3, beginning in verse 1.
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  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
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  The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou
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  art a teacher come from God, For no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
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  The life that Jesus was living in front of Nicodemus let him know there was a God.
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  And we as Christians are to be Christ-like, and our lives should let people know there is a God.
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  It should let them know that there's a worth-it-ness. He's worthy.
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  He's worth denying ourselves daily and taking up our cross.
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  He's worth sacrificing our fleshly desires for a heavenly thought and a heavenly
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  way and a heavenly attitude.
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  Jesus is worth it.
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  And I submit to you that every single temptation that comes your way is rooted
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  and grounded in whether or not you believe he's worth more than whatever the fleshly,
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  worldly answer would give you.
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  It comes down in every decision of your life. Is he worth it?
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  And I want you to know that from Genesis to Revelations, we see he's worth it.
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  I want you to know that in every experience in your life, he's worth it.
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  I want you to know that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ means the
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  battle's not yours. It belongs to the Lord.
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  And let me tell you how that works. Many of you are familiar with the story of David and Goliath.
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  When David begins to prepare for the battle, He doesn't take the strategies of the world.
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  He doesn't take the protection of the world.
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  No, David says, I don't want that. It doesn't fit me. I haven't proven it.
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  And so he goes out with a slingshot and a few rocks in the name of the Lord.
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  And he declares that this day the Lord will deliver that giant to him.
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  And when David faces the giant in the battle, he hits him in the forehead with a rock.
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  But defying all forces of nature and all physics, the giant doesn't fall backwards.
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  The giant falls forward.
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  Because it was not the thrust and the power of the rock that delivered the giant
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  to David. If that was the case, he'd have fallen backwards.
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  But it was the hand of the mighty God whom David served.
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  The best is yet to come for those who place their faith in Jesus Christ.
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  But Nicodemus, who sees Christ's life and understands who he is,
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  desperately wants to understand this thing called salvation.
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  He wants to be a believer.
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  But he's not willing to see Jesus during the day.
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  But I want you to see that Jesus is okay, that he's ashamed of him at that moment.
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  He's okay that he's fearful for his life if he's seen talking to the master.
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  Jesus meets him where he is, and he meets him at night.
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  But, you know, Scripture tells us that if you're ashamed of him and his words,
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  that he will be ashamed of you on the day of judgment.
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  Are you a secret closet profession of faith?
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  Are you a Sunday morning Christian? What about Monday, Tuesday,
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  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Saturday?
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  Do you look the same Monday morning as you did Sunday morning? I don't mean in apparel.
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  I mean, there's your heart, your smile, your attitude.
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  Is it the same when you walk into work as it is when you walk into the sanctuary?
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  See, I think sometimes, just like David wouldn't put on the clothes of the world,
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  the armor of the world, I think sometimes we take off the armor of God,
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  and we walk into the world headfirst,
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  trying to be like the world.
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  But James tells us that to be friends with the world is to be an enemy with God.
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  And so here's Nicodemus in John chapter 3, trying to figure it all out.
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  And Jesus is there, lovingly and patiently, explaining to a man who really wasn't
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  going to confess him in front of anybody during the day who he was.
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  But Jesus tells it like it is.
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  Jesus doesn't mess around with his words. It doesn't matter who you are.
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  You've got to come to Jesus like the woman at the well did in John chapter 4.
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  Even though you may feel like you're not worthy, Jesus is waiting for you.
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  He put himself in harm's way, and he said it well and waited for a woman who
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  had multiple husbands, and the person she was living with wasn't her husband.
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  She'd come at noonday because she didn't want to be shamed by the rest of the community.
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  But Jesus cared enough about her to be there for her. You can't out-sin the love of God.
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  You can't commit a sin that keeps you from the reach of God.
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  He goes to the gutter most to save you to the uttermost.
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  His desire is for you to be his child. He gave his life for you, Jesus did.
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  God gave his son for you. And the Holy Spirit wants to be with you because never
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  will you be alone ever again.
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  And the battle will never be yours again.
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  All you have to do is submit yourself under the mighty hand of God,
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  and he will exalt you in due time.
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  And in verse 3 of John chapter 3, Jesus answered and said unto him,
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  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
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  he cannot see the kingdom of God.
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  The best is yet to come.
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  But unless you know Jesus as personal Savior, you will not see the kingdom of God.
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  Let's go back to 1 Corinthians 2, 9 and 10, and let's think about what we're
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  being told heaven is like. It says, I have not seen.
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  So nothing you've ever seen, nothing that anyone has ever seen can compare.
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  Nothing you've ever heard and nothing you've ever imagined can compare to what
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  God has prepared for those that love him.
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  Heaven's too amazing to miss.
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  Well, so Nicodemus, he doesn't get any of it. but
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  there's a stirring in his soul there's a
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  hungering and a thirsting like the woman at the well and
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  and when she took a drink of the river of life
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  that jesus had for her she never thirsted again and she left and said come see
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  a man who told me all things ever i did is not this the christ she was changed
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  and transformed like we're told in second corinthians 5 17 where old things
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  are passed away, and behold, all things are become new.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know, enough to transform me into who he would have me
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  to be, enough to save me from myself,
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  enough to forgive me of my sins, enough to lead me and guide me and protect
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  me all the days of my life, until I see that home not made with hands,
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  until I have that heavenly reunion with those that have gone on before me, until I'm.
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  Music.
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  I'm guaranteed to not be lost here if I've placed my faith in him, because he's the way.
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  I have a terrible sense of direction.
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  I can get lost just about anywhere on this earth, whether I've been there before or not.
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  But I have no fear, no anxiety, no stress about not being able to find my way
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  to heaven, because I can't get there on my own.
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  And the one who's leading me is the one who loves me enough to die for me,
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  and he hasn't brought me this far to drop me now.
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  Friends, Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born again when he is old?
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  How can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
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  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
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  and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
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  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.
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  Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.
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  Marvel not. Living a good life isn't going to get you to heaven.
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  Coming from a Christian home isn't going to get you to heaven.
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  Showing up and sitting in the seat of the church isn't going to save your soul.
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  No, it's a personal commitment.
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  It's a personal decision. You got to choose you this day whom you're going to serve.
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  Joshua said, as for me in my house, we're going to serve the Lord.
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  Friends, your life can lead your family to the Lord.
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  The Philippian jailer asked what he had to do to be saved.
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  The disciples said to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
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  and thou shalt be saved in thy house,
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  not because of his belief, but because his belief would change his life by the.
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  Power of the Holy Spirit in him,
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  and people would see in him something that he wanted, and he could change the
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  course of the life of those that were close around him because they would see
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  Jesus in him, and when Jesus is high and lifted up, he draws all men unto him.
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  So you moms out there with wayward children, don't lose hope.
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  Jesus is still in the life-saving business. You fathers out there that may have
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  missed some years of praying and reading the Bible and teaching your children, don't lose hope.
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  As long as you are alive and as long as they are alive, there is still an opportunity
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  for Jesus to save them, because now is the accepted time.
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  Today is the day of salvation.
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  Nicodemus was a smart man. He was incredibly revered by so many.
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  He's having a conversation with the king of kings and the lord of lords.
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  And he says, Marvel not that I said unto thee, you must be born again.
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  Nicodemus is confused and nigh, and he tells us, how can these things be?
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  And Jesus answered and said unto them, art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?
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  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and we testify that
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  we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things, and you believe not?
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  How shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?
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  Verse 15, he says that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
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  but have everlasting life, eternal life.
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  Verses 16 and 17 read like this.
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  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
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  that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world,
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  but that the world through him might be saved.
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  Friends, the best is yet to come. Hold on.
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  Hold on to Jesus. The anchor holds.
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  He is the anchor in your storm. He is the comfort in your distress.
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  He's the calm in your chaos.
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  He's the peace that passes all understanding.
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  He's your joy that is beyond your ability to articulate.
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  He is the great I am. And my friend, hold on.
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  He says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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  Today, don't let this moment pass you by.
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  Coming to the saving knowledge of who Jesus Christ is.
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  In Romans 3.23, he says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
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  He tells us, for the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal
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  life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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  There's an eternal death for those who don't know him as Savior.
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  But it's not a death where you're unaware of the horrors of hell.
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  You were never created to go there. But he said, marvel not,
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  but I say unto thee, ye must be born again.
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  He said, except a man be born of the spirit, he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God.
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  It's a decision that will change your life forever.
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  Old things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new.
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  It's a transforming power, that he talks about in Romans 12.
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  I'm going to read Romans 12, 1 and 2 to you. They go like this.
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  I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies
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  a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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  And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of
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  your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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  His grace is sufficient for your every need.
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  His love is beyond measure and without limits.
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  And He stands telling you that the best is yet to come, but it's only for those
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  who've accepted Him as Savior.
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  To God be the glory for the great things He has done and will continue to do.
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  Remember, you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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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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  We pray today has been a blessing and we encourage you to reach out to us through
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  our app, our website, or our Facebook page.
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  You can find our app by searching for Woman at the Well Ministries in your app
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  store or through our website at watwm.org.
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  We're on Facebook at facebook.com slash watwm. If you visit our website,
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  you'll be able to subscribe to Bible Bits, a daily devotion written by Kim and
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  delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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  Woman at the Well Ministries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.
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  And it is through your loving and generous support that our ministry continues to bless others.
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  To learn how to partner with Woman at the Well Ministries, please visit our website.
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  Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song,
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  Happy Girl. We greatly appreciate your prayers.
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  We are praying daily for our listeners.
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  Remember that God loves you. You.
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  Music.