Latest / Citipointe Church Caboolture / Connected to the Cause | Ps Rachel Eaton

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Connected to the Cause | Ps Rachel Eaton · Citipointe Church Caboolture

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  Hey, welcome to the City Point Church podcast.
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  Thanks for joining us. Every day is an opportunity to
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  take hold of. So we hope this message inspires
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  you and build your faith that it helps you have more of a God
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  perspective for your day. Enjoy.
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  Start. This morning with a slide, if
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  you guys have that and can bring it up on the screen behind me.
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  I'm not going to speak long on this, but just very briefly want
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  to touch on what a lot of people's journey to faith can
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  look like. The different stages now we have
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  in there at the beginning, it can be quite hostile.
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  Not everyone goes through all of these stages, but these are just
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  the different places that people can find themselves in before
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  they find Jesus. So there can be quite a
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  hostility. That's where I don't want to
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  know. Religion is the problem of the
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  world. I'm not interested at all.
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  Then you can have indifference. It's a little bit closer, but
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  indifferences. People honestly just happy to
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  live their life, want the easy path.
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  Not really interested about, you know, religion or anything
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  costing or, or seeking anything, but just this indifference.
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  Nah, Nah, it's not for me. Then you've got a stage that's
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  curious what you like. Is there something out there?
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  And a lot of people in the curious space are actually
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  religious, not loving Jesus, but religious.
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  They will find different religious because they're
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  curious what's out there where like is on I'm I'm a little bit
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  open to maybe exploring. Then the next stage is
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  considering where you will consider these things you
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  actually search it out. I actually find my husband would
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  would seek people out on online scientists and they actually
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  want to know. You've got a bunch of people who
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  just want to say what they say they want to be heard and then
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  there are some people who are genuinely curious about how the
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  world was created. Many people have actually come
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  to Jesus through science because they read it and go, oh, there
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  is a God, and then you've got the path of faith.
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  And the reason I want to bring this up this morning is because
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  Jesus is so interested. He's so obsessed with people.
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  There is a cause of Christ and it has you and I on his heart,
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  and it has the world on his heart.
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  And so when we look at people, we have to understand that Jesus
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  wants to come in and meet them right where they're at, wherever
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  they're at, and then connect them to himself.
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  And some of these people we we engage with, we might kind of
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  think, oh, they're a little bit too far gone.
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  We know they're in, in new age. And so you leave them alone.
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  But actually they could be closer to Jesus.
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  Satanists actually understand that there is power in the
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  spiritual realm. They are one revelation away
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  from understanding that the power that they possess and they
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  do possess power. Things do move around for them.
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  They're one revelation from realizing that they serve the
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  weaker power. And when they realize and have a
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  revelation moment and encounter with Jesus, there's this
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  connection process. And so just understanding when
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  you are engaging with people, perhaps they're actually closer
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  to being connected to Jesus than we may give it credit for.
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  We're actually wired for spirituality.
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  We're wired to know our Maker. So I want to bring up a story
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  this morning. This here is probably one of my
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  favorite stories in the Bible, and it's around the Samaritan
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  woman at the well with Jesus. So let's have a look.
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  We're going to read lots of scripture from the Bible this
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  morning. In John 48, it says soon a
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  Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her,
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  please give me a drink. He was alone at the time because
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  his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
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  The woman was surprised for Jews refused to have anything to do
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  with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, You are a Jew
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  and I am a Samaritan woman, why are you asking me for a drink?
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  Jesus replied. If you only knew the gift God
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  has for you, and you are speaking to you would ask me and
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  I would give you living water. But Sir, you don't have a rope
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  or a bucket, she said, and this well is very deep.
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  Where would you get this living water?
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  And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob
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  who gave us this well? How can when you offer better
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  water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?
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  And Jesus replied, anyone who drinks this water will soon
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  becomes thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I
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  give him will never be thirsty again.
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  It becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them
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  eternal life. Please Sir, the woman said, give
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  me this water. Then I will never be thirsty
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  again and I won't have to come here to get water.
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  Jesus says go and get your husband.
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  I don't have a husband, The woman replied.
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  And Jesus said, you're right, you don't have a husband.
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  So if we have a look at this engagement between Jesus and
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  this woman, where would you think on that that path of
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  spiritual journey that she might be resting on?
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  I would, I think I read in there, Sir, please give me this
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  water so I'll never be thirsty again and I won't have to come
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  here to get water. Think it through for a moment.
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  This is pretty much an episode of Indiana Jones.
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  If you drink from this living cup of water, then you'll never
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  be thirsty again and you'll have eternal life.
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  And she went, I want the water. There was actually an openness
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  in her. She, there was something in her
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  that was actually ready for the supernatural.
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  There was an openness in her to believe.
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  And Jesus comes and meets her where she's at, which was a bit
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  off, and then connects her to himself.
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  And our entire Christian journey, our entire Christian
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  journey is Jesus meeting us where we're at and then
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  connecting us deeper to himself. It's a process that just
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  continues. Let's keep reading.
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  In John 416 to 25, it says go and get your husband.
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  Jesus said to her, I don't have a husband, The woman replied.
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  Jesus said, you're right, you don't have a husband, for you
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  have had five husbands and you aren't even married to the man
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  that you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth.
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  Well, then the whole thing gets real.
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  Sometimes when we're speaking to people, they want to talk about
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  all of these things that don't even matter.
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  This Christmas tree is really in the Bible.
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  Should the church be black or should it be white?
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  You know, we get caught up in these conversations that
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  honestly don't matter. And here Jesus gets real,
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  presses on a sore spot. Let's talk about the real thing.
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  Hey, let's talk about what's actually going on.
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  Let's talk about where you're right at.
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  So since we've had five husbands and you aren't even married to
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  the man you're living with now, you certainly spoke the truth,
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  Sir. The woman said you must be a
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  prophet. So tell me, why is it that the
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  Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship while
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  we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim where our
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  ancestors worshipped? And Jesus replied, Believe me,
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  dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter
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  where you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.
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  You Samaritans know very little. A bit of offense there.
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  You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship.
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  Well, we Jews, we know all about Him, for salvation comes through
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  the Jews. But the time is coming, indeed
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  it's here now where the true worshippers will worship the
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  Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those
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  who will worship Him that way. For God is spirit, so those who
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  worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.
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  The woman said, I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who
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  was called Christ. When he comes, he will explain
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  everything to us. Jesus told her I am the Messiah.
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  It's a cool story. He came in and he met her right
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  where she was at and then connected her to himself.
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  So the title of the message this morning is actually being
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  connected to the cause. What is the cause of Jesus?
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  The cause of Jesus is a deep transformative, can we all say
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  transformative relationship with Jesus.
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  It's about everyone in the world, and it's also about you.
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  And what I love depicted in this story is that there were only
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  two people in in the majority of that story.
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  It was Jesus and this woman. It was all about what God wanted
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  to do in that village, as we'll read later, but it was all about
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  her. Jesus is so personal.
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  He has a 'cause He has mission to work in US and to work
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  through US. Are we connected to His cause?
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  In verse 16, Jesus says go and get your husband sore spot.
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  He comes in and touches right on the sore spot.
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  Historical context would suggest that this woman has had a very
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  bad experience with marriage, marriages.
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  And Jesus comes in and he presses on this not to bring
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  judgment, shame, or condemnation.
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  No, to bring honesty, healing, restoration, and life.
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  If you haven't figured it out, Jesus is a God of life.
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  He wants to bring you into life. He wants to breathe into
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  situations life. He wants to pour into your pain
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  life. He wants to take you from A to B
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  and connect you to life. He's all about life.
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  Jesus let her know then that He is actually what she had been
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  searching for. Did you know this morning that
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  you are the cause of Jesus? You are so on His heart.
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  You matter. He cares deeply about you, your
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  well-being, your growth, your spiritual transformation.
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  So this woman had had five husbands.
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  You know, what that tells me is that she probably wasn't 19
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  years old. She'd lived a little.
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  She might have been a little bit more of age.
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  And Jesus presses on this sore spot not to, not to condemn, but
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  to bring teaching, new teaching. So just because she's of age
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  doesn't mean that her life experiences have now given her
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  the tools and what she needs to launch forward into life.
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  Life experiences are not your tools to connect to Jesus.
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  An encounter with Jesus will connect you to his cause.
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  And so he comes into this space and he brings teaching.
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  Correction, an invitation. She was invited in to unlearn
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  some things and relearn some things.
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  Her life experiences was not the point of a transformation.
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  So she has this encounter with Jesus and I'm going to bring up
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  a Psalm here. This was shown to me a little
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  while back. This is my favorite Psalm.
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  I I've memorized it as a child. I got to be the girl who spoke
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  it from memory to the whole church in my grandmother's
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  church as a child. So it has holds very special
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  value to me. I've always known it off by
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  heart. I'm pretty sure it's a song.
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  But when this particular Psalm was explained to me the way I'm
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  about to explain it to you now, I've never looked at it the same
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  again. It's just brings new revelation.
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  This is Psalms 23, and we're going to have a little bit of a
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  dance with this scripture this morning.
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  This Psalm was explained to us as the leadership team, as a
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  circle. So keep the circle in mind as we
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  go through here. The Psalm, you can read it out
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  with me if you like. You can say it off by heart and
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  close your eyes and show off if you want to.
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  I liked doing that when I was a child.
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  I'm pretty sure I got a prize. It was a chocolate.
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  Someone got a prize. If I can do it off by heart, no,
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  never mind. I do like chocolate.
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  Hazelnut. If you're looking.
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  Cadbury. Never mind.
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  Let's move on. The Lord is my shepherd.
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  I lack nothing, or I shall not one.
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  He makes me lie down in green pastures.
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  He leads me besides still waters.
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  He refreshes my soul. He guides me along right paths
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  for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the
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  darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
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  Your rod and staff, they comfort me.
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  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
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  You anoint my head with oil, and my cup overflows.
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  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my
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  life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
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  Oh, you're all celebrating, and in the moment you're going to
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  want to throw tomatoes at me. Let's look at this how it was
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  explained to me. The Lord is my shepherd.
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  If you have come to know Jesus, if you have invited him into
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  your life to be Lord and Savior, Hebrews describes him as the
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  great Shepherd. Hebrews 1320, The great
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  shepherd. Yeah, Jesus is my shepherd.
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  So then it talks about in Psalms 23, if we can actually keep.
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  Oh, yeah, just follow me with this.
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  Keep it up there So it talks. He's my shepherd.
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  I don't like anything. He makes me lie down in green
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  pastures. He leads me besides still waters
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  and he restores my soul. And I promise you when you meet
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  Jesus, he does this. Pastor Mel actually touched on
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  this morning in that lead moment that there were people who who
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  were experiencing difficult things.
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  Can I be honest, I, I felt this morning when we were singing
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  that song that God is a good God.
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  There was an offence in people's hearts this morning.
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  I could feel it. And it's almost like you've got
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  this bag of luggage behind you of proof.
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  See, This is why God isn't good. If that is you this morning, I'm
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  actually just going to give you a moment just to close your eyes
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  while I pray for you because God is good.
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  Here's the thing though. We have been invited into a
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  circle. We have been invited for him to
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  be the shepherd. And it's there's a job that God
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  does and then there's a job that we do.
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  And if that was you this morning, if you're like, I've
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  got the proof. That's not been my experience.
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  He hasn't been good to me. Can I, can I actually ask
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  everyone, do you mind if we do this?
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  Just take a moment. close your eyes in here this morning.
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  Everybody, please. If that's you and there's an
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  offence in your heart over this, can you just raise your hand
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  while no one's looking and I'm going to pray for you.
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  Thank you. Yeah.
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  Just keep it up, Lord. I actually just pray, Father,
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  that you would minister into this space.
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  Lord God, I thank you that you are a good God.
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  And Lord, I pray right now, Father, for the invitation
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  moment. Lord, I pray that you would be
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  invited into this space to show off.
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  Lord God, I pray, Holy Spirit, for faith to pour in that where
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  there's been doubt, where there's been preconceived proof
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  that you're not good. Lord God, I pray right now that
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  you would bring revelation, that you would bring hope, that you
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  would bring comfort, that you would pour in your mercy, and
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  that faith would begin to pour into this space.
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  Lord, I pray right now, Jesus, against any distractions.
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  And Father, I pray that you would lead people, God, from
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  that place of hopelessness, from that place of doubt.
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  And I pray faith would pour in and you would connect them to
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  yourself in Jesus name, Amen. Alright, thank you.
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  Now I've got to come back to my notes.
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  Where was I? He makes me lie down in green
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  pastures. He does do this and this is a
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  wonderful experience with Jesus. He refreshes his soul and and
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  we're having a wonderful time with him.
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  But it's a circle and we're with Jesus, walking with Jesus.
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  And then it says that he leads me in the path of righteousness
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  for his name's sake. So we're going for a walk with
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  Jesus. Where are we going, God?
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  We just read the Scripture. Allow me to unpack.
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  So we're walking with Jesus and he wants to lead me in a path of
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  righteousness for His name's sake.
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  Here it is. If there's anything in you
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  that's not righteous, if there's anything in you that's off, it's
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  a matter of now bringing alignment into right living.
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  This is a picture of sanctification and Jesus comes
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  in and leads us in the path of righteousness.
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  It's into it's taking us from where we were and now leading us
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  into a a new way. Sanctification sometimes stings
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  a little bit. How do I know that?
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  Because of the next verse that says when and and though I walk
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  through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
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  He was reading my notes, I'm sure of it.
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  You know evil for your with me sometimes when when we're called
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  and when Jesus walks with us into alignment and get those
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  things that that aren't quite righteous into alignment.
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  It's going to bring up some things.
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  It's going to press on sore spots.
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  It's going to bring up things that that are going to hurt.
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  But he, he's not a God who's unkind.
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  He does this because he wants to bring freedom into this area.
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  And so he walks with you, right beside you and walks, walks with
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  you. Doesn't take it away from you.
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  But Pastor Dan hit it so beautifully on the head this
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  morning. We want a life of ease.
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  God, this is my mess. Just take it away from me.
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  No, He comes in and he'll walk with you.
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  Let's have a look at this together.
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  Let's have a look at this angle. Oh, let me press on some things.
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  Let's have a look at this failed marriage.
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  Let's have a look at this failed business.
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  Let's have a look at at why this is here.
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  And he brings it out and he walks with us, presses on the
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  sore spots. In Exodus 1318, it actually says
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  that God led the Israelites into the wilderness, like into the
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  desert, into the place that's meh.
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  There was no sparkling pools and spas and waterfalls.
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  No, it was a desert. Why would God lead you into a
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  desert, Friends? That's where the lessons are
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  learned. It's actually where you get to
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  walk to the other side. But sometimes he leads us to
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  these places to help bring about new freedoms within us.
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  He wants to take us where we're at.
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  The real stuff, the Samaritan woman, he pressed on the real
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  stuff. He wants to talk about the real
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  stuff and lead you. Can you be led by him this
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  morning? Would you allow him to lead you
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  through this circle? Because if we're not, if we're
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  not careful, we can actually disconnect.
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  We want to be connected. He wants to take us from where
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  we are and connect it deeper to himself.
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  And sometimes when that sore stuff comes out, there can be a
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  disconnect, right? Oh, I think I missed one.
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  He leads us in the path of righteousness for his name's
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  sake. On here we are.
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  Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I
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  will fear no evil, for you are with me.
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  Then it says thy rod and thy staff.
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  They comfort me. Does anyone know what a rod and
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  a staff is? Do you want to come and do that
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  again, Pastor Chris? It's not quite that abrupt.
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  Lisa is a gentle spirit. The the rod is, is a stick
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  that's got a hook on it. Have you all seen a shepherd's
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  staff before? And it's to grab the sheep when
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  they're going off off, of course, and go yank them and
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  just pull them back in here. And then they're going off here
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  as sheep like to do, and go and explore and goes come on back
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  here. This is the way to go.
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  It's new boundaries. Jesus actually disciplines those
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  he loves. And it's not to to be angry,
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  it's to keep you on path. Hey, I want to protect you.
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  I've got a path of life here for you.
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  Are you interested? And so he brings us into line.
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  This is a part of the path. So he brings righteousness right
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  living. So we those things that are off,
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  he comes in and he aligns and now there's new boundaries.
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  So it, it might be a bit like a traffic light in areas in your
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  life. You've just had a green light
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  and lived it the whatever way that you want.
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  And now you're going through this circle and you're down here
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  and there's a new boundary. There's a, a red light.
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  You're like, oh, I'm, I'm not for that, that lifestyle
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  anymore. Some of you, some of you God
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  might have been pressing on this a while and you've seen an
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  orange light for years and he's preparing you.
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  Come on, you need to stop. You've been at this orange light
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  and you're like, how long can I? I'm pretty sure I can get
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  through. Oh, that's cherry green.
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  And you're and you're you're running on on the.
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  Yeah, cherry green. I'm like, never mind.
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  We won't go there. Yeah, we actually need to move
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  on. You've been looking at an orange
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  light and Holy Spirit's been pressing on.
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  Something going. Come on.
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  It's time to give this up. And you go through this circle
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  and he comes in and there's a new boundary that's a red light.
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  But here's the thing about a traffic red light.
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  We get a traffic light that has a red light because you're at a
• 24:34
  crossroad. It doesn't mean you just stop.
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  There's a new path. There's a new path of life.
• 24:40
  There's a green light, there's a new boundary, there's a new way
• 24:44
  to go. And here's what happens when you
• 24:46
  come through on that other side says he prepares a table before
• 24:51
  me in the presence of my enemies.
• 24:54
  This is a show off moment. He prepares a table that he's
• 24:59
  going to make the enemy sit down while God shows off what he has
• 25:03
  done in you. Look, devil, this was a point of
• 25:06
  weakness that you tried to exploit in her.
• 25:10
  And now this is her moment of strength.
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  Look what the Lord has done. Look what I can do.
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  And we start coming up the serpent cool.
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  And then it says anointing flows, anointing, new anointing
• 25:27
  flows. When you come through to this
• 25:30
  side, then we come straight back up to the top.
• 25:34
  Lord, you are my shepherd and you find a new peace, new rest,
• 25:39
  new levels of restoration. Every time you come around this
• 25:44
  circle. We are stronger, we are more
• 25:47
  anointed when we're equipped. It's God working in US.
• 25:53
  It's actually a picture of discipleship allowing Him to
• 25:58
  press on these things. So you'll be straight back up at
• 26:01
  the top and you're enjoying His presence and buckle up because
• 26:06
  then He goes again, and then he goes again, and then he goes
• 26:11
  again. And you'll see people in your
• 26:13
  life and you go, how come they're so far ahead?
• 26:15
  How come they're always happy? How come nothing ever seems to
• 26:19
  bother them? How come so much can come
• 26:21
  against them and no matter what comes against them, that never
• 26:24
  irks them. Or they've just been round the
• 26:27
  round the circle a few times. Every time you go around, you
• 26:32
  get stronger, wiser, more surrendered.
• 26:36
  Your authority will grow. Intimacy with Jesus will grow.
• 26:43
  It's a picture of allowing Jesus to meet you where you're at and
• 26:48
  connecting Him to yourself. I'd love the news eyes to come.
• 26:54
  It's vulnerable, this circle, and it's allowing Him to lead
• 26:59
  you through. Allow Him to lead you not where
• 27:03
  you want to go. Not talk about the things you're
• 27:05
  so sure are important. Allow Him to lead you through.
• 27:13
  He highlights things in our life that need to be surrendered.
• 27:18
  When he does, you kind of got two options.
• 27:22
  You can stay on this circle and you can take it as slow as you
• 27:26
  need to. He's not forceful.
• 27:29
  He's gentle. He walks with you.
• 27:31
  He doesn't walk in front of you. He walks right beside you.
• 27:37
  He's not like what you hurry up like I do with my kids when I'm
• 27:40
  at the groceries. Come on.
• 27:42
  Or like they do to me when we're trying to get out of church on
• 27:44
  Sunday. Come on, Mom, He's not in front
• 27:47
  of you, He's right beside you, but you can disconnect.
• 27:55
  Oh, it's a bit too hard. God don't want to talk about
• 27:58
  that thing. Lord, here's what I want to
• 28:01
  bring out here. Whilst the cause of Jesus is
• 28:07
  very much about you, it's not just about you, it's not just
• 28:16
  about us, John 428 says. Then leaving her water jar, the
• 28:23
  woman went back to the town and said to the people, Come and see
• 28:27
  a man who told me everything I ever did, Could this be the
• 28:31
  Messiah? They came out of the town and
• 28:35
  made their way toward him. Many of the Samaritans from that
• 28:40
  town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.
• 28:45
  He told me everything I ever did.
• 28:48
  And so when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him them to
• 28:52
  stay with them. And he stayed for two days.
• 28:56
  And because of his words, many more became believers.
• 29:01
  They said to the woman, we no longer believe just because of
• 29:04
  what you said. Now we've heard for ourselves
• 29:07
  and we know that this man really is the saviour of the world.
• 29:14
  It's not just about you. I'll bet that she didn't even
• 29:23
  know that that was in her. I'm just going to call it and
• 29:28
  go. She probably never dreamed that
• 29:31
  her story would be in God's Word, Hod's Holy Bible, as a
• 29:37
  testimony out of what she did. One encounter with Jesus, one
• 29:45
  trip around the circle, inviting him in, allowing him into that
• 29:50
  space. But this was a woman.
• 29:55
  I don't know if you understand. This woman was so broken.
• 30:00
  She came to the well in the heat of the day when no one else was
• 30:04
  there. I mean, we live in Brisbane.
• 30:06
  No one wants to be out in the heat of the day, and she was
• 30:11
  going to fill up her water buckets there because no one
• 30:14
  else was there at that time. She was riddled with shame.
• 30:20
  And she's gone from this woman who didn't want anybody to see
• 30:24
  her to this woman who's everybody has to know one
• 30:29
  encounter. What's possible on the other
• 30:34
  side of an encounter with Jesus? What's possible after?
• 30:38
  Do you go around your circle 1235 times?
• 30:43
  Who's potentially on the other side of your surrender?
• 30:52
  There's a 'cause when we're so full of, for lack of a better
• 31:01
  term, ourselves, we can miss what God is doing, what he wants
• 31:08
  to do. Do you know He loves to be
• 31:10
  people's answers? What if you're the connection
• 31:14
  point for somebody? Allow him to do what he wants to
• 31:18
  do in your life. Just allow him to keep pressing.
• 31:23
  Allow him to keep teaching. Allow him to continue to, to
• 31:28
  bring you a place where you unlearn and relearn.
• 31:32
  And we'll see what's on the other side of that.
• 31:34
  Because it's not just about you, it's about everyone else as
• 31:40
  well. Discipleship is so important.