Last Friday night we held our “John: Unplugged” event. It was a simple time of hearing God’s word with prayer and hymnal worship. It sounds very basic I realize, but it was one of the most intimate experiences I have ever been a part of. Everyone in that room could feel the Spirit of God moving through them.

The point I am trying to make is this: it’s not the lights, it’s not the fun events and game, it’s not even getting to come to a place where you can get Chick-fil-a sandwich (I know, they’re delicious).

It’s about Jesus. Everything we do at First Baptist is just to show you how Jesus lived and why He died on that cross for our sins. (Hint: it’s because He loves us more than we could ever grasp (now you don’t have to come anymore (actually, please come still))).

Okay, now I’m done rambling about the power of the God’s Word (did I mention how incredible it is??!1!?!!1!) I want to start off by encouraging you to read what I read last night before we began our sermon, John 4:1-42.

Just read it all the way through without stopping. Maybe go sit in a good comfortable chair and keep reading past it. Soak in God’s word.

This is the story about the Samaritan woman, and there’s a couple of cool points Dan didn’t have time to point out last night (If you want to hear what Dan talked on, go here).

John 4:9-11 says, The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?

Did you see what she asked Jesus? She wanted to know what He would use to get this water. He didn’t have a rope. He didn’t have a bucket. There was no way this random man was going to be getting water all the way from the bottom of that well.

But Jesus doesn’t work in the ways that we do. He is so much greater and is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever fathom…but that woman reacted how we do about God.

“Wellll, I know God is powerful, but that guy is never going to be a Christian so I might as well not try to show Jesus to Him.”

“God, my family has so many problems, there is no way it could ever get better.”

“I mean Jesus loved people, but I know (insert best friends name) will never forgive me for (that thing you did).”

Do any of those sound familiar? That is us putting God in our tiny little box. He can be so much: He can be everything we need and more!

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

He doesn’t need our bucket to give us the water, everlasting life! He doesn’t need that rope to show us how much He loves us and can work through our lives. To transform us into beings that worship and believe in Him.

He has the power to forgive everything we have ever done and ever will do…He actually already has. That is why Jesus died on the cross. He took our sins, He took our failures, He took our stresses and family problems, He took our addictions and temptations. All of that is washed white as snow. The blood of Jesus has rescued us from an eternity in Hell.

Nothing is more powerful than that. Not the weird guy at school. Not your broken family life. Not even that maybe horrible thing you did to your best friend.

Take heart in this. Take comfort in this. Take Jesus into your life today. Let Him love you.

Dear Lord, be with us today. Thank you for your incredible sacrifice. Sometimes we dismiss the things you did while you were here on Earth because we’ve heard them so much, but don’t let them be forgotten. Lord, we need You. We need your power to restore us. We absolutely couldn’t survive without your love and your infinite grace. Lord, we need You. Thank you for loving us. Take our stressful lives and slow us down. Point us to You. I love you Lord. Amen.

–TK