Yes…Let’s Go!

November 24th 2024

Series: Yes!

Sermon Title: Yes…Let’s Go!

Topic: A series about how we are ALL called by God into ministry and how to learn how to say YES to God’s call. Also, we need to know about funding 2025 missions and letting people know about trips planned and the missionaries we support.

Key Passages: John 4: 1-42 & Luke 19: 1-9

Topic: Missions, Serving

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we discuss what we do once we say YES to God and finally start following him.

***1stweek ODD months add communion & target message at 15 pages.

***1stweek EVEN months add space for dedication, baptism, or ministry highlight & target message at 15 pages.

***Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, and/or a picture that goes on the screens.

***Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.

Dedication, Baptism, or Ministry Highlight (1st Sunday even months):

Sermon:

Campus Pastor

Hello Family Church!

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.

Celebrate salvation / re-dedications / baptisms last week.

If you are new or newer to Family Church, I want to welcome you today!

Today, we continue our sermon series called YES!!!!

This whole month is focused on God’s mission for our church and each of you.

PAUSE

Let me remind you of what we are talking about this month….

Three weeks ago, we talked about what a lot of us say to God when we feel He is calling us to do something….

How, at times, we say to God…Yes….BUT….I’m not qualified.

And we looked at some people in the Bible who said that to God and how God helped them overcome that fear.

Two weeks ago, we will look at another common response to God…

When we say….

Yes…BUT….God, that’s NOT the way I wanted to do!

When we are NOT doing what we DREAMED, we would do in the future.

When the doors that God opens us up are NOT what you want to do..

What do you do then…

That is what we talked about last week…

Last week, we will talk about when we finally say YES to God…

But then have NO Idea what to do next!

We say YES to accepting Jesus but then have no idea what the next step is…

We say YES to following God but don’t really know what that means.

PAUSE

Today, we will talk about when we get to that place with God when we just say YES, God! Let’s Go!

We will look at some people in the Bible and how everything changed for them when they finally said YES to Jesus.

PAUSE

In addition, we are learning about ALL the missionaries and ministries we support as a church!

You will also learn about ALL the mission trips we planned for 2025!

AND you will also hear about how we want ALL of you to get involved in all of that!

So, it will be a GREAT month, and you will not want to miss a Sunday this month!!!!

PAUSE

One of the other FUN things we do for Mission Month every year is TEAM PREACH!!!!

So, I would like to welcome Preacher #2

ADD a short blurb on the person preaching with you….

PAUSE

Preacher #2

Speaking about people we support; I want to share with you about one of the local ministries we support…. BOB ADD SHORT BLURB see how you can weave in how they or someone said yes but I am not qualified.

I also want to share about one of our international ministries…

BOB ADD SHORT BLURB see how you can weave in how they or someone said yes but I am not qualified.

PAUSE

Campus Pastor

I love how we are a church that is NOT internally focused!

How we ARE a church focused on helping other people and other ministries do what God has called them to do!

Today we are going to look at this idea of how we all say this phrase and how people in the Bible did as well…

Here is the phrase…

One day, I’ll get around to it.

Repeat

Does anyone want to admit you have said that?

One day, when I am married, I will get around to it.

One day, when the kids get older, I will get around to it.

One day, when the kids are gone, we will get around to it.

Once I am retired, I will get around to it.

Does anyone want to be honest????

We can all slip into the mentality of….one day I will…

So today our sermon is all about saying YES to God and LET’S GO!!!!

Let me share a story with you from the Bible about a woman who, once she accepted Jesus, said LET’S GO!!!!!

Grab your Bibles and open them up to the book of

John 4

And by the way…..

New Person Bible Connection:

If you do not have a Bible, that is ok!

After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACEand get one for FREE!!!

PAUSE

John 4: 1-42 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—

2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria.

Let’s check out a map so we can all understand where Jesus is at.

Jesus is going on a 70 mile walk.

Now, I want you to note something on this map.

The green lines are the path Jesus took.

Look to the right of the green lines, and you will see gray dashed lines that say “Traditional Route.”

Jewish people would have traveled the grey route NOT how Jesus did…

Which should make all of us ask why?

Why would the Jewish people would travel almost twice the distance!

On a path that was a harder walk…

In part of the country that was HOTTER….

WHY???

PAUSE

The answer is prejudice….

They hated the Samaritans who lived in Samaria, so they would go out of their way to avoid them….

But Jesus cut right through that ignorant, narrow-minded prejudice and went through Samaria.

Verse 5:

5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar (Sick-arr), near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

Back to the map.

You can see on the map where Jesus stopped.

Go to the next slide and here is a picture of what that would look like.

A well out in the middle of the countryside….

Verse 7….

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

I want to make sure we understand something.

This woman did not get water in town.

She walked miles outside of town to get water.

Why?

Women got water early in the morning and late in the day.

You did not get water at noon when it was at it hottest.

To do it at midday was just causing yourself more work!

So why was she getting water now?

You’re going to find out very soon that this woman was looked down on by everyone in her town because of the choices she had made in her life.

She was getting water at the worst possible time….from the furthest location possible….to avoid the looks from the other women.

She was getting water now because she thought she was not good enough to be with the rest of the women.

She was getting water now because she was an outcast in a society of outcasts.

Think about that….to be the outcast in a whole society of people that were considered outcasts.

That was her plot in life.

I know some of you feel that way today.

You think you are an outcast in school….

You feel like the outside at work.

You feel like an outsider at church!

And if that is you today; I want you to see what Jesus says and does!

PAUSE

Verse 9…

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.

How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Now let’s stop there.

I am sure many of you don’t understand why she would say that.

So let me give you some context.

According to the Jewish Law, rabbis were instructed to never talk to a woman in public -- not even to their own wives or sisters.

In fact the rabbinical law said, "It is better to burn the law than to give it to a woman."

In that culture women were regarded as totally unable to understand complicated subjects like theology and religion.

That is she would not think Jesus would talk to her.

In addition…

Samaritan people had been brought in by the Assyrians to populate the area after they had removed the Jewish population.

The Samaritans also mingled the Bible with idol worship.

And so the Jew’s hated the Samaritan people.

And Jesus was Jewish….So it is no wonder that this Samaritan woman was surprised when Jesus addressed her.

Verse 10

10 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 have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?

12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,

14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Notice how Jesus treats her.

He treats her with respect.

He talks with her even though custom said not to talk to her.

He asks her for a drink even though custom would have forbidden that.

He cares more about her than tradition or some church custom….

PAUSE

Jesus knew by the fact she was here at this time of day that she was a sinner.

So…..Jesus did what he always does: He seized what was right at hand to transform a life.

But this woman misunderstands what Jesus means.

He is speaking figuratively and she takes him literally.

And she is like, “YA I want never ending water!”

Ya, I would rather not hike out here in the middle of the day for water!

She clearly thinks Jesus is about to give her the recipe for Grape Gatorade!.....just checking to make sure your tracking with me!

PAUSE

Jesus knows that something is hindering her.

Something is inhibiting her understanding.

Verse 16

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.

18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.

Now Christians notice….Jesus just called her out….but he did it in a way that did not offend her, and it did not drive her away!

Sometimes Christians can get so zealous for speaking the TRUTH we forget the IN LOVE part…

Jesus shared what the Holy Spirit must have spoken to him to her in a way that did NOT condemn her, but to help her face the problem in her life.

She admits she has had five husbands, and is now living with another man.

Clearly, there is a thirst in this woman's heart for something more….something she is not getting from these men…..

PAUSE

This may be the story of some here this morning.

The hunger

The thrill

The excitement of falling into romantic love is one of the most remarkable phenomenon’s to which the human race is subject to.

Falling in love transforms a perfectly ordinary boy into a Greek god in the eyes of a girl!

It can transform a nice young girl into an angelic creature who makes a boy's heart pound and head spin!

ADD a SHORT story of falling in love for you like this…

Falling in love is a glorious intoxication. I will never forget the first time I saw Jenny……Sitting in front of that computer….smiling with her braces….. Just kidding, I won’t go into that story now!

PAUSE

Where she goes next is interesting….

Verse 20…

20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

She is saying……

You Jews say the only place a person can encounter God is in Jerusalem….my people say here on this mountain……Where do I go?

How can I find God????

How do I find forgiveness….

And Jesus says….

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Jesus starts out by saying….soon where you go to be cleansed is changing…..

The time is coming when geography will no longer be an issue.

Temples or buildings will not be necessary to worship God.

Jesus says, "Here is what true worship is: true worship is done in your human spirit."

It is what we call worshipping from the heart.

And it must be in truth.

It must be honest, not a put-on.

Verse 25

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

She says, “Yes, I know you are right and I am waiting for the messiah!”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Jesus has identified himself as her solution…..so what will she do???

Will she believe and then one day get around to sharing it?

Will she believe and then do nothing with it.

Drop down to verse 28….

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.

Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

She is so excited she says YES LET’S GO!!!!

She doesn’t say…one day I will get around to telling others!

She goes RIGHT back to town and tells everyone!!!

She doesn’t even take her water back!

She runs to town to tell everyone her life has been made NEW!!!!

Remember this woman was considered trash by her people.

They must have seen some RADICAL change in her countenance.

Her appearance.

Her voice….

Something was NEW about her………..

They didn’t say, “OHHH here she goes again….with another man and wants us to see it…..”

No, they listen to her….and follow her out of town!

And look at what happens…drop down to verse 39…

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony…

This passage is such a wonderful story of ONE person who said YES to Jesus and acted on it!

She went right to work sharing what Jesus did for her….

And do not miss ONE person saying LET’S GO lead to MANY more saying YES to Jesus!

This is a testament to the fact that today….it DOES NOT matter where you are…..what matters is where you are going from here?

Here is the point church…

When we say YES to Jesus, we need to share the Good News of Jesus with others.

Repeat

Preacher #2

That is sooo good….

Let me share another story with you from the Bible about a guy who, once he accepted Jesus, said LET’S GO!!!!!

Grab your Bibles and open them up to the book of

Luke 19

PAUSE

Let me read the story of Zacchaeus to you…

Luke 19: 1-9 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.

3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.

4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Notice how, just like we saw, he said YES Jesus…Let’s Go!

He GLADLY welcomed Jesus…

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

Again…

Just like the last story!

Jesus reaches out to broken people!

All of you here should NOT be afraid to reach out to broken people!

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Church did you hear what Jesus said…

Jesus said he came to seek and save the LOST.

Jesus did NOT say, “I came to go to church and sing sounds with Christians.”

Jesus did NOT say, “I came to praise the people who are good people and do good things.”

Jesus did NOT say, “I came for religious people.”

Jesus said, “I came to seek lost…broken…sinful…people…and save them from Hell.”

And that is what Jesus wants ALL of you to focus on!

Look at that last point you wrote down..

When we say YES to Jesus, we need to share the Good News of Jesus with others.

Church why do you think Pastor Adam’s first book was all about how to share the Good News of Jesus with other people?

Why do you think we focus on encouraging you ALL to make disciples SOOO MUCH as a church?

It is because Jesus told us to!!!!

PAUSE

Church….

As you exit today you are all going to get something…

You are going to get this (picture of Round Tuit)

You are all going to get a round tuit coin…

In closing, we encourage you to ACT NOW on your relationship with Jesus.

Maybe you will sign up for a short-term mission trip today.

Maybe you will sign up for a serving team and get involved.

Maybe you will talk to someone about Jesus that you have wanted to but have not had the courage to.

Maybe you will start discipling someone with Pastor Adam’s book.

I want to encourage you to stop talking about doing something with your relationship with Jesus and use your Round Tuit to do it!

Let me share your life application with you today….

For those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church.

We end our messages with a Life Application.

It is simply something to help you go home and process this message with someone else.

Something to help you continue to ponder how you can apply today's message to your life.

Life Application: What could you do that demonstrates a, “YES, Let’s Go Jesus?” As a result of today’s message, I will _________________________.

Prayer:

Make sure to do salvation call!

Offering:

BOB ADD BLURB ON WHAT PICTCH MONEY WE ARE RAISING!!!!