The Gift – 2

The Gift – 2

Subject – If You Knew the Gift of God

By Rick Welborne

John 4:4-10 (NKJV)
⁴  But He needed to go through Samaria.
⁵  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
⁶  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
⁷  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
⁸  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
⁹  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
¹⁰  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

--As we approach the Christmas season, we do so with many being so excited and others having mixed emotions. For some it is wonderful family time and for others it is separation.

--Unfortunately, we live in a time where families are splintered and divided, and family time, even at holidays can be very strained and uncomfortable.  

--Before I get anyone too depressed, I want you to know this is going to be a message of hope and encouragement for those who will receive it.

--We prayerfully look forward to next week and our wonderful Christmas celebration. Pastor Aaron, other pastors, and his team always do wonderful in celebrating Jesus.

--The choir, the praise team, the youth, the children, the tech team, those who helped with decorations, La Vida Church, and all of you who bring those who need Christ, contribute to this gift of God.

--Back to our text: Jesus had a need to go through Samaria (very dangerous for the Jews) and He was on a mission. A mission to deliver a gift.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
²³  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

--Just like all of us, this woman was about to be confronted with those two aspects of life, the wages of sin and the gift of God which is eternal life.

--Everyone has that choice, to live with the consequences and wages of sin or to receive what Jesus came to this earth for, to purchase our salvation. He came as a baby but His mission was:

Luke 19:10 (NLT2)
¹⁰  For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

--Today I want us to look at this Samaritan woman and tie her story (her wonderful story) with the Christmas story. I want to talk about, “If You Knew the Gift of God.” 

1. Give Me a Drink

John 4:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

--You see, everywhere Jesus went He was bearing gifts…especially the gift of eternal life. There were times He gave the gift of healing or deliverance but His best gift was salvation.

--Jesus engages this woman right where she lived. Jesus is our Master but He is also the Master soul winner. Asking the woman to “Give Me a drink.” Was simply a set up to give her a gift.

--We all kind of laugh when the pastor says he has a restaurant ministry, but if we are always on mission, asking the waiter or waitress for a drink can be a set up for so much more.

--Spirit filled people like talking about spiritual gifts and what their gift is, but understand the greatest gift you have is the gift of salvation to share with the world.

--Anyone remember Toys R Us? A huge store filled with incredible toys and all kind of gifts that children would love to receive at Christmas. 

--That’s great, but if the toys never leave the store and make it into the hands of a child what good are they? Some, who can’t afford them, take their kids to play with them in the store.

--The church is filled with people who have received the greatest gift ever and they have so many other spiritual gifts but if they never leave the church, what good are they doing.

--I don’t know the percentage but most of the Word of God about Jesus was not with Him in the synagogue but He was out meeting people where they were.

John 4:10-15 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
¹¹  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
¹²  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"
¹³  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
¹⁴  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
¹⁵  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

--The woman says to Jesus “Sir, give me a drink.” She didn’t fully understand at this point. Maybe you are here today and you are hearing of hope and you are saying “Give me a drink.”

2. The World Has Gifts.

John 4:13-15 (NKJV)
¹³  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
¹⁴  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
¹⁵  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

--The woman starts doing with Jesus what so many do today, she begins to negotiate with Him. I have this well, I got it from our father Jacob. My whole family…Jews…so I am good.

--I’m a Baptist, a Catholic, a Methodist, a Pentecostal. My whole family was raised in this church so I am good. Your family being in church does not equate to your salvation. If you knew the gift of God!

--Jesus begins to confront her with the gifts that she has found in this world.

John 4:16-19 (NKJV)
¹⁶  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
¹⁷  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'
¹⁸  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
¹⁹  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

--So many make the mistake this woman made, she thought the gift she needed was just another relationship …another man. Johnny Lee had her pegged.

Well, I spent a lifetime lookin' for you…Singles bars and good time lovers were never true
Playin' a fools game hopin' to win…And tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover…I'll bless the day I discover…Another heart lookin' for love

And I was alone then, no love in sight…And I did everything I could to get me through the night
Don't know where it started or where it might end…I turned to a stranger just like a friend

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover…I'll bless the day I discover…Another heart lookin' for love

You came a-knockin' at my heart's door..You're everything I've been lookin' for

No more lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Now that I've found a friend and a lover…I bless the day that I discovered…You, oh you

Lookin' for love in all the wrong places…Lookin' for love in too many faces                                                      Searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces…Of what I'm dreamin' of
Now that I've found a friend and a lover…I bless the day I discovered
You, oh you…Lookin' for love in all the wrong places

--Five husbands and a man who was not her husband were not the kind of gifts she needed. The world has gifts but they are not the life changing kind.

John 4:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God.”

3. A Gift Too Good to Keep.

--As a pastor I spend a lot of my preaching trying to convince those who claim to know Jesus to go and tell other’s about Him and how He can change their lives.

--I find that funny but not funny because no one had to tell me that this gift was too good to keep to myself. I wanted everyone to experience this new wonderful life. Family and friends.

--You are not supposed to put a novice in a place of leadership but the church I was saved in did. They told me I was in charge of Evangelism Outreach. Say what? Telling people about Jesus.

--When this woman at the well had an encounter with Jesus no one had to tell her to tell others. Automatic. 

John 4:39&41 (NKJV) ³⁹  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."
⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word.

--Some were saved because of her testimony and others because they came and heard Jesus. When you share, some will believe and be saved, others will come and hear the Word and be saved.

--The point here is that Jesus is a gift too good to keep. Invite your Christian friends to the Christmas Program but for the sake of the Kingdom of God, invite those who don’t know the Lord.

--Revival came to Samaria, not because there was a church just sitting and waiting for the sinners to break down the doors, but because this Samaritan woman found a gift too good to keep.

--We support world missions, of course, but we also support local one on one missions. If you knew the gift of God. 

 Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

The Gift - 1

The Gift - 1

Subject – Recognizing God’s Gifts in Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
⁸  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
⁹  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
¹⁰  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--This portion of Scripture will be referred to quite a bit because this is the text for this sermon. We love Paul’s teaching (most of the time) until he talks about suffering.

--I have told you this many times but let me say it again. I personally heard a famous preacher say, “If Paul would have had the revelation I have, he wouldn’t have had to suffer.”

--I guess he was saying Paul did not have a close enough understanding and relationship with God to be able to confess his problems away like many try to do today. Paul’s calling from Jesus:

Acts 9:15-16 (NKJV) ¹⁵  But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
¹⁶  For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

1. Suffering 

--Unfortunately, because of so much prosperity and blessings, we do not want to hear anything about a gospel of suffering. Remember Paul’s list in our text:

¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--Early in the morning all these verses kept coming to my mind about suffering for Christ and how that was connected to our relationship with Him.

--I thought about poor Job who suffered the above list and probably even more. And how he looked at what he was going through. All in one day:

--Job got news the Sabeans raided and took away his donkeys and oxen and killed his servants. While this guy was still speaking another came…fire came from heaven and killed your sheep and servants.

--While that guy was speaking, another servant came and said the Chaldeans raided and took away your camels and killed your servants. All this represented his great wealth.

--Now it’s going to hit close to home. While the last guy was speaking another servant came and said your sons and daughters were eating and drinking and a great wind blew the house down. All dead.

Job 1:20-22 (NKJV)
²⁰  Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
²¹  And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."
²²  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 

--Job humbled himself before God (tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground) and did what? He worshiped. These gifts came from God and now they have been taken away. 

--Blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. What? How is that even possible. It was not over; his body was covered with boils from head to toe. 

--Our American version of Christianity could not have handled this kind of adversity and infirmity. I’ll just quit church if that is how God is going to treat me. Listen again to Paul:

2. Knowing Christ Better

Philippians 3:8-11 (NKJV)
⁸  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
⁹  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
¹⁰  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
¹¹  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

--Paul was a wealthy Pharisee with influence and power. He lost it all so he could have Christ. He wanted to know Christ and experience power. He also wanted the fellowship of His suffering. What?

--Let me go back to our title…the gift. Paul wanted to have a relationship with Christ and he also wanted to identify with Him in His suffering. Jesus was definitely a gift. The greatest!

John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
¹⁷  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

--Do you see it and comprehend it? God loved us so much He gave. God gave us the gift of Jesus Christ. Someone should praise the Lord for this great gift.

--But understand this, this gift did not come without suffering. He came to His own but His own did not receive Him. Matter of fact, they crucified Him. Prophecy about Jesus:

Isaiah 53:3-6 (NLT2)
³  He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
⁴  Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
⁵  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. 

--Yes, Jesus was a gift to a lost world but He was also obedient to the Father, He had to suffer a terrible death. But what was Jesus’ attitude toward His suffering?

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

--If Jesus looked at His sufferings as joy, how should we look at what God allows in our lives…in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses? Paul said I take pleasure.

James 1:2-4 (NLT2)
²  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
³  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
⁴  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 

Quote – Between the promise and the prize, there is a process.

--Paul says we are to count it as an opportunity for great joy. Sadly, we don’t. Back to our text:

3. The Gift

2 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV) ⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 

Barnes' Notes on the New Testament. God was pleased to give me this thorn. The word which Paul uses is worthy of special notice. It is that this "thorn in the flesh" was given to him, implying that it was a favor. He does not complain of it; he does not say it was sent in cruelty; he does not even speak of it as an affliction; he speaks of it as a gift, as any man would of a favor that had been bestowed. Paul had so clear a view of the benefits which resulted from it, that he regarded it as a favor, as Christians should every trial. 

--Pastor, are you saying that the list Paul gave should be viewed as a gift from God? Infirmities (physical and emotional), reproaches (criticisms), need (lack), persecutions, and distresses (sorrows)?

--Let’s look at a few benefits from our text that would lead us to believe it was a gift.

A. It was given lest I be exalted above measure. Learning humility. An amazing gift.

--When we have a cross-less Christianity we begin to think we are all that. Pride seeps in.

B. It was given to teach me dependence on the grace of God. A valuable gift.

--My grace is sufficient for you. We have all we need in Christ.

C. It was given to make me stronger. Maturity in Christ is such a wonderful gift.

--My weakness has a way of teaching me Who is Lord and who is the servant.

D. It was given to me to teach me to take pleasure in suffering for Christ. Joy is a priceless gift.

Romans 8:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

--Maybe what you are facing now, maybe the latest diagnosis from the doctor, maybe the persecution at work, or the turmoil at home is not a curse but a gift from God. 

James 1:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Give Us Today – 1

Give Us Today – 1

Subject – Finding the Strength to Live Today

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:6-15 (NLT2)
⁶  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
⁷  “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
⁸  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
⁹  Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
¹⁰  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us today the food we need,
¹²  and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
¹⁴  “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

--Today we start a new series that I truly believe is going to be a big help to many who need help with discipleship. With living a disciplined life.

--I believe Christians should be the example to the world, to young believers, and to new converts what it means to live a disciplined life.

--We have a tendency to be extremely judgmental toward those outside and inside the church who break the rules as we judge them. Yet we do not see the obvious right in front of us. We don’t see our own mess.

--We judge the world for their excessive drinking when we eat excessively. We judge those addicted to illegal drugs when many in the church are addicted to legal drugs. We all need to be disciples. 

--So how can we become Christ’s disciples and be able to overcome the day of endless distractions and ceaseless change? Listen to these words from a self-proclaimed average man, the Father of Modern Medicine:

Sir Walter Osler – So many people are so overwhelmed by so many things. We’re paralyzed by things we cannot change—the past. We’re crippled by things we cannot control—the future. The solution? Let go of “dead yesterdays” and “unborn tomorrows.”

Philippians 3:13 (NKJV)
¹³  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

--If yesterday is history and tomorrow a mystery, pray a simple prayer that can totally change your life. Give me today. When you win today, tomorrow will take care of itself. Do it every day and nothing is impossible.

--So how do we do that? We have to look into the Word of God and see what winning looks like. We establish daily rituals that make us better, we break bad habits, and establish new ones. We become disciples.

--If I were to ask you today, “How long have you lived?” Most of you would give me your age. But is that truly how long you have been alive? Listen to Mark Batterson:

Batterson – How long have you lived? I mean really lived. It’s easy calculating age. It’s more difficult quantifying life. Why? Because time is measured in minutes, while life is measured in moments. When was the last time that time stood still? And if you turned those moments into minutes, how long have you lived?

1. One Decision Away from a Totally Different Life.

--Show me the size of your dream and I will show you the size of your God. If you are going to dream big you are going to have to pray…Give me today. You arrive at your dreams one day at a time. 

--Discipleship is so important to the believer and the daily decisions we make will either project us into a better future or continually keep us in the mire of a disappointing life.

--The only moment we ever really have is now—it is now or never. We need to learn like we will live forever but live like there’s no tomorrow. Pray “Give us today” and learn God’s ways.

Hosea 4:1&6 (NKJV)
¹  Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.
⁶  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 

--A word as you start this journey…if you attempt to make too many changes in your life at one time, your chances for success goes way down. 

--Take on one habit at a time. You know what you are battling inside so pick one of those habits and go to work on it. God, give me today what I need to overcome this thing in my life.

--As you make the daily decision to ask God to give you today, this day will turn into a week, a month, and even a year. As you begin to overcome this habit faith grows for the next.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) ⁶  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

2. The Twenty-Four-Hour Rule.

--Most of us remember or have heard of Emmitt Smith (NFL Hall of Famer) having the record for all-time rushing yards…18,355. He had what he called the “twenty-four-hour rule.”

--Win or lose, Emmitt gave himself a 24-hour window to celebrate the win or lament the loss. Sounds like Osler. After the 24 hours it was back to basics. 

--I remember playing tournament tennis. After playing 5 or 6 matches in just two days (full matches), more times than not (win or lose) on the way home I would go to a court and work on my weaknesses. 

--Why would I do that? I knew what I did today (that one decision) would make a difference in my future tennis and in future matches. 

--Interesting about Osler who was obviously a very smart man, he was the son of a pastor who had ingrained into his mind the Lord’s prayer. 

Matthew 6:10-11 (NLT2)
¹⁰  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us today…

--That one decision to pray “Give us today” is much easier said than done. We probably wish it said, “Give us this week.” Or “Give us this month.” Or “Give us this year.”

--That would be so much easier, wouldn’t it? That way we wouldn’t have to depend on God every day. But that, of course is the point of the Lord’s prayer.

--Our one decision to pray the prayer, “Give us today” is to remind us of our dependency on God every day.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
⁶  who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

3. Do It for a Day

--Mathew Barnett is the co-founder of the LA Dream Center which has helped tens of thousands of people who find themselves at the end of their ropes. An amazing complex. Tricia has worked there.

--Many of the people who go there are trying to overcome life-controlling addictions or rebuild broken lives. No matter what habit they are trying to break, Matthew always ask them this question:

Can you do it for a day?

Batterson- There is a simple kind of genius to that question. Why do so many problems remain unsolved? Why do so many bad habits remain unbroken? Why do so many goals remain unachieved? Nine times out of ten, we are so overwhelmed by the size of the problem, the habit, or the goal that we give up before we ever get started. 

--You can ask a lot of people who are facing lots of challenges but no one has ever said no to the question, “Can you do it for a day?” Not one. Why? Because anyone can do anything for a day. 

--Can you do it for a week? Probably. Do you think you can do it for a month? Maybe. Or a year? I am not so sure. The longer the timeline, so are the odds for success. How about the rest of your life? No answer.

--Can you do it for a day? Now, that I can do. The odds of success get greater as the time slots get smaller. When we get our problems to a day slot, anything is possible. 

--This shows us the wisdom and the genius of Jesus in the Lord’s prayer. This truth is so Biblical.

Matthew 6:11 (NLT2)
¹¹  Give us today…

--Remember the expiration date on manna? One day. What is our deadline on being angry? One day at sundown. When are God’s mercies made new? Every morning. Every day. 

--How often are we to take up our crosses? Daily. When are we told to rejoice and to be glad? Today. The twenty-four- hour rule is everywhere you look in God’s Word.

Genesis 1:5 (NIV)
⁵  God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. 

--I have no idea what problem you are trying to solve or habit you are trying to break or build, or what God-sized goal you are going after. I am not sure what a win would look like to you.

--From someone who loves you, just win the day that is in front of you now. If you put two days together, you’ve got a streak going. 

Can you do it for a day?

Matthew 6:11 (NLT2)
¹¹  Give us today…