If Only You Knew

You what he'll he says to you, today you asked me for what I have. I will give you forgiveness for your I will give you strength for your presence. I will give you for your eternal future. Have you ever looked at someone and said there goes a lost cause.

Well there goes Jesus right behind that person trying to get his attention, trying to gently leave her home: thanks for being here for today's destined for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California God is at work, there's no such thing as a lost cause.

God stands ready to get everyone on earth a chance at redemption. Today pastor Paul Sheppard introduces you to just such a person, a woman who had no idea that Jesus is what she'd been searching for all along.

Stay with us now or visit pastor Paul.net you can list any recent destined for victory message on demand pastor Paul here now is pastor Paul. Today's message if you only knew John chapter 14 of the Bible with you, only to the Gospel according to St. John chapter 4 want to quickly read the first 10 verses John chapter 4 verses one through 10. The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized but his disciples when the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria so we came to a town in Samaria called sidecar near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph Jacob's well was there, and Jesus tired as he was from the journey set down by the well. It was about the sixth hour when a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, will you give me a drink is disciples and gone into town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you asked me for a drink for Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would've given you living water. I decide to call this talk, if only you knew if only you knew the text tells us about a day in the life of Jesus when he changed a woman's life forever and I want to spend a few moments looking at this text with you because I'm convinced that he is still changing lives I'm talking to some full who have had their lives changed by Jesus forever direction set forever. Given forever straight for today given forever. Freedom from the guilt of the passport ever. He is saying is our lives.

He is present and still changing our lives as we walk with him and we all want to be in the change process alone. We want to tell as many people as we can about a living Savior and so I will spend a few minutes just walking you through this passage in sharing a few thoughts.

Five things in particular I want to say about this passage. The first is that Jesus made the trip through Samaria just for this woman. When the text says Jesus decided that he was going to go back to Galilee from Judeo man says he had to go through Samaria. Now I need you to understand that is not to be taken literally.

The Bible is not saying that the only way to get to Galilee from Judeo was through Samaria. In fact, the Jews, who many of whom customarily wanted nothing to do with the Samaritans intentionally took a route around Samaria so that they wouldn't even have to as much as goes through the city. You know you hateful when you only want drive down this street and the Jews didn't want to have anything to do with the Samaritan. So many of them throughout history would go around Samaria in route to Galilee.

But Jesus said to go through Samaria.

Why since he couldn't take another route in the world when the Bible say he do it because he had an appointment to do it because he had set up a divine appointment with a woman who went that moment I had no clue that this is the day of life change for her. He had to go through Samaria because he had to meet her, and more importantly she had to meet him. That's Jesus for you. He is still setting up divine appointments say that if you're listening to this message here live in the auditorium or if you listen in on a CD or listen are broadcast and you don't yet know the Lord. I am absolutely convinced that you're not listening by accident. You're listening because Jesus said to me you today. He still setting up divine appointment. Some of us already say we remember the day of our divine appointment.

We remember the time in our lives when what was going on. We came to realize you know you are not going to get out of this madness until you get your business three and I cannot read when you say yes to the Lord. Remember the day that you said yes to the Lord because he had set was the day he was going to introduce himself to you. It was on Monday was on a Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Friday, Sunday that he introduced himself to you.

He's going to be better through the people he doesn't because people called your name to the Lord and ask God to get your attention. Especially if you have friends and coworkers. Listen to this message box and call somebody for you all. Gospel course for me me on their mind and pray for me. I'm so glad they pray.

You might not know it but you needed prayer and somebody was pray and that's why you're here now, that's what I did not in your grade there was a bullet which her name on it but somebody pray that was an accident with your name on it but somebody was for you and that's why you're here to receive the word of God or listening to this message by some media men. God is saying today is a day that I have ordained to introduce myself to you. Jesus had to go through Samaria because he had ordained that this is the day to meet this woman. Second thing I note about the passages Jesus engaged her when others ignored her. In verse seven we are told that Jesus was sitting on the well because he was tired.

He had been journeying. He was tired and he said no one Jacob's well resting he knew that was the divine appointment place showing up. She comes down the road with her bucket, ready to dip into the well and provide the water for itself and perhaps some others as well and sees us ask her.

Would you give me something to drink. When do is ask you a question. He's always set you up and then ask questions because he does know the answer when he asked the question when you look throughout the Bible God asked the question is not because he lacks information is because he's setting something up. This woman for a drink and she is shocked. She she cannot believe it.

She is used to being ignored by Jews, she is used to being my eyes ostracized, criticized, just plain old, ignored by the people of God but not by Jesus because Jesus intentionally is sitting there on that day to meet her. I am often struck when I read the Bible how different Jesus is then church people of God wanted to when the creature God love. But Jesus was you came and said how much we all do this right. I suggest if you want to become a Christian will spend as much time looking at Christians as Christ back and behave. Pastor Paul Sheppard will be right back with the second half of today's destined for victory message.

If you only knew. Listen to this broadcast on demand. Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net you will find a host of great resources that are online store you can also listen on your mobile device by downloading a free destined for victory, mobile and search destined for victory in the app store and listen to Pastor Paul wherever you go stay with us after today's message Pastor joins me from a studio in California, but right now, this could back to the rest of the message. If you only knew once again Pastor Paul Sheppard was born her, especially a Jewish male in public what happened thing to do with the Samaritan female. But Jesus didn't like everybody he didn't care what ethnicity you are. He doesn't care what gender you all care what your lifestyle is key within a few verses that he knew exactly who he was talking to that this was not a woman who was going to get the Lord and Jesus knew it and didn't care because he understands that it is this type of person that he seek out and say some of us that the people you know people. Jesus, when you see a map of strangeness. I was okay like that around here is what you need to know you, you want nothing to do with them, but when I want to introduce myself.

I'm Not Better Way, Jesus" some church okay that's what was happening here.

He speaks up, he engages her when others ignore her, he looked beyond her ethnicity. He looked beyond her lifestyle, he saw that she was thirsty. She needed living water first thing that strikes me about the Texas Jesus made some intriguing statements to her. He was said when he asked her for drink and she said well you don't have anything to drink with fascinating because she understood that Jews felt so superior to and so alienated from Samaritans, they would customarily not drink out of anything that a Samaritan head so she knew not to even think about offering him something from her because she's thinking your make all of our stuff is contaminated so she looking at his hands. He said when he was on the drink and even if I were inclined to say okay have anything for me to put water into so she brings it up to someone you was.

And Jesus said to her you were talking to you. I wanted to give you me asking you for drink, you asked me for drink, I would give it to you. I would give it to you. I love that messes with the people of Jesus day, who thought he all Jewish folk Jewish Samaritan woman and give it to you, but I still got a gift for so that takes her curiosity and she said well that sounds good. Sounds really, really good to me. They began to talk. She starts talking about the history well. Our father Jacob created this well and that this is this is special, and she started talking about the pride she had and where they were standing and what this well was about sees it. But Jesus said, well, the problem drink from this well will get thirsty again matter of hours matter. Just put in some more time in the hot sun. Whatever before you know it you will need to drink again.

He said, but the golfer if you drink this, you'll never thirst again because it will be well that I would put inside of you, and it'll spring up into everlasting life. He made some intriguing statement. That's why you can't put Jesus in the category, what everybody else when people there always trying to set believers up, especially pastors like myself and others and always want to set you up to okay you believe that you serve a God different from the Muslims and different from the this and they trying to set you up on the spot with me much when you asked me to answer. Peter said you well that goes.

Let me tell you about the server he agrees with what I say about him he must serve God get a sound bite out of me instead of me, and tell God himself up in flesh patient named Mary.

This life must be about my father's business by John the Baptist on his shoulder. Jesus was out there with that you will be over. We have to go to commercial break not going to jam me up. Jesus, you can just grab any old beauty and say that we all serve the same God is Jesus you don't put Jesus came from the father and in fact is one with the father and so water is something only Jesus can give. It's exactly what all of us meeting because all of us need the same three things that are wrapped up in this thing that Jesus describes as living water, all of us need freedom from the sins of our past. Thanks so much for being here for today's destined for victory message. If you only knew look for any of Pastor Paul Sheppard's recent messages online on demand.

Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net and Pastor joins me know from his studio will Pastor. We are excited for the opportunities the Lord is giving us to expand our ministry this year, but let's make some news here.

Let's talk about this new digital platform will be launching later this year. Share with us your heart as you look toward the future destined for victory. I thought way back to the 80s when I was an associate pastor in my dad's church in Philadelphia during those years.

The Lord gave me a vision. He sort of downloaded the vision into my heart and mind about the pastorate, I would have when he would send me away from my home church somewhere else in the country. I didn't know where that ended up being Northern California and I went there with the vision to reach thousands and I knew that reaching them by means of media would be extremely important.

I knew that then. But then that translated into. I gotta get on the radio and so when I came to California had a real small church but a real big vision and I said well let's get on radio events to the Lord bless us to do that and it went from a local broadcast to eventually national broadcast and I was so excited to see God fulfilling the vision in that way. One of these days that vision still lives. I still want to see thousands more discipled and come to Christ. But I realize that it can't just be radio.

I'm grateful for radio. I don't plan to leave radio but I want to reach people by all means possible. And today, that means we've got to get involved with new digital platforms. I'm excited about what's being developed.

The infrastructure were creating were going to have a fresh new attractive presence online were going to use many social media platforms everything at our disposal so I can keep doing what God sent me to California to do back in the late 80s which was to make sure people understand how to know God's son how to apply God's word and how to fulfill God's purpose and I know were going to do that even bigger and better because of the support we are receiving from our listeners and donors. I look forward to reaching far more people for Christ that sounds so great. What if God gave us all this technology for the express purpose of his gospel message. What you think that's an exciting thought.

I truly believe that the church has got to become all things to all men by all means we may win some and in today's world of technology instead of cursing that we need to use it for the kingdom of God and I'm excited about those possibilities. Well that is what it all comes down to reaching as many people as we can with the gospel of Jesus Christ by any means necessary. Our new digital platform is set to launch later this year, so stay tuned.

Your faithful support of this ministry is making this happen and we are grateful. In fact, when you make a generous donation to destined for victory today will send you by request. The booklet he's alive. Did you know that there are some rather compelling evidence in support of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Paul Sheppard shares that evidence with you in this booklet.

He's alive and it's our gift to you by request for your generous donation to destined for victory this month so please call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

You can also mail your gift to destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 most important day of the day, Christ wrote about it.

I bet even Jesus and Jesus would be insignificant. That's tomorrow when Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message good news from the graveyard until they remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory