When My Way Runs Dry: The Danger of Self-Reliance

• Self-Will vs. God's Will [00:45:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the human tendency to do things 'our way' with God's will, noting that while they sometimes intersect, self-will typically fails to produce desired results.
• The Dangers of Self-Will [00:46:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the biblical figure of Samson, the pastor illustrates the 'dangerous path of self-will,' breaking it down into stages: wanting it, deserving it, and expecting God to accommodate human will.
• Spiritual Thirst and Dependence [00:48:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that when self-reliance fails ('runs dry'), it creates a state of spiritual thirst that drives the believer to call out to the Lord.
• Self-Reliance vs. Divine Dependence [00:49:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses how believers can still 'do it my way' despite being Christians, using Samson as an example of someone who acted independently of God's will.
• The Cycle of Israel [00:50:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > Explains the historical pattern where Israel drifts from God, faces enemies, cries out, and is delivered, only to drift again.
• The Illusion of Victory [00:54:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > Argues that achieving victory on one's own terms often leads to vulnerability and a sense of emptiness, as seen when Samson was thirsty after killing 1,000 Philistines.
• The Danger of Self-Sufficiency [01:00:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Identifies the greatest danger as believing one's own strength is enough, which causes one to forget their source of strength.
• Human Strength vs. Divine Power [01:04:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that human talent and strength inevitably run dry without Jesus, citing John 15:5 to emphasize that apart from Him, we can do nothing.
• The Role of the Holy Spirit [01:06:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > Explains that Jesus commanded the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit for power, not just strategy, to accomplish ministry.
• Pain and Desperation as Spiritual Drivers [01:10:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > Posits that pain and physical thirst (using Samson and a personal anecdote about running) drive people to seek God more effectively than prosperity does.
• Spiritual Thirst vs. Worldly Satisfaction [01:15:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > Uses the story of the woman at the well to contrast temporary worldly satisfaction with the permanent spiritual fulfillment found in Jesus.
• Spiritual Thirst vs. Physical Thirst [01:17:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between physical needs that can be temporarily met by worldly things and the deeper spiritual thirst of the human soul that only Jesus can quench.
• The Futility of Worldly 'Wells' [01:17:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > He identifies success, relationships, achievement, control, and pleasure as 'wells of the world' that provide temporary relief but ultimately leave a person thirsting again.
• Samson's Reliance on God [01:19:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the story of Samson, the pastor illustrates that when human strength runs out, God's supply runs in, creating life and refreshment from nothing.
• Walking in the Spirit vs. The Flesh [01:21:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that operating in the flesh leads to failure and emptiness, while walking in the Spirit is necessary for a refreshing, God-powered life.
• Surrender and Salvation [01:29:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The sermon concludes with an invitation to stop 'living your way,' surrender to Jesus, and accept forgiveness and new life through the Holy Spirit.
• Surrender and Submission [01:30:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker explicitly states surrendering their life to God in every area, rejecting their own way in favor of God's way.
• Spiritual Sustenance [01:31:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker contrasts previous battles with current peace, attributing this shift to drinking from God's 'well' rather than relying on personal strength.
• Prayer and Listening [01:31:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker resolves to redirect energy previously spent on self-determination toward praying to, seeking, and listening to God.

• Sermon Illustration [00:48:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the biblical narrative of Samson in Judges 15, specifically the moment Samson becomes very thirsty and calls out to the Lord after his self-reliant actions left him in a desperate state.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about traveling with his wife Donna. He ignores her GPS advice to take a backroad to save time, only to get stuck in traffic caused by road construction, proving that his 'way' failed while her 'way' would have succeeded.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical story of Samson killing 1,000 Philistines with a donkey's jawbone. Despite this massive military victory, Samson was left physically exhausted and thirsty, illustrating that human effort cannot provide spiritual or lasting sustenance.
• Sermon Illustration [01:13:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about a man named Eric who ran 37 miles and became thirsty, using this to illustrate how physical desperation leads one to seek water, just as spiritual desperation leads one to seek God.
• Sermon Illustration [01:15:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the biblical story of the woman at the well (John 4) to explain that worldly 'wells' (relationships, success, pleasure) only provide temporary relief, whereas Jesus offers living water that never leaves one thirsty again.
• Sermon Illustration [01:19:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the biblical account of Samson in the desert (Judges 15) who, after depleting his own strength, called out to God. God split the ground to provide water, reviving Samson's spirit and enabling him to defeat 1,000 enemies. The pastor highlights that the real miracle was not the battle, but Samson's realization that he could not live on his own strength and needed God.
• Sermon Illustration [01:27:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the story of Jesus turning water into wine, calming the storm, and rising from the dead to illustrate that the same Savior who performed these miracles is the only one capable of satisfying the spiritual thirst of the soul.

• Pastoral Charge [01:10:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > Write down the statement that pain drives people to God faster than prosperity.
• Pastoral Charge [01:14:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Raise a hand to express desperation for God to act in their lives.
• Pastoral Charge [01:20:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > Come to Jesus to have spiritual thirst quenched.
• Pastoral Charge [01:23:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand up and acknowledge personal dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency.
• Pastoral Charge [01:29:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > Surrender life to Jesus and come forward to the altar for prayer and salvation.
• Pastoral Charge [01:31:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray a prayer of surrender, committing to seek God's will and listen to Him instead of relying on personal strength.

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:02] Praise the Lord. Welcome to Encounter Fellowship. Those that are in-house and also those that are joining us online. Praise the Lord. He is so good to us. And it is a wonderful time to be in the house of the Lord to celebrate with each one of you what God is doing in our lives and how He is teaching us and guiding us along the way. I just wanted to recognize today because today is the beginning of
[00:05:33] of a lot of celebrations. But today, back on May 17th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress observed a nationwide day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer. Congress urged colonists to seek divine guidance and ask for peace amongst rising tensions with Great Britain. This led the way to the day
[00:06:02] that we celebrate our independence from Great Britain on July 4th. Today, though, President Trump continues this tradition with a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, leading us into the celebratory events to celebrate America's 250 years of freedom.
[00:06:27] We join today the president this morning as he leads the way into this day of rededicating America back to God. America back to God. I just need to sit there. If you'll come forward today
[00:06:48] and meet me at the altar for a time of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Come on down.
[00:06:54] only by the grace of God are we free Americans I've been to another country and it was in Russia and let me tell you something though the communism wall if you want to say has fallen
[00:07:24] there are still traces of governmental control and it is very hard I mean this was years ago when I was there so I don't even know what it looks like now but I can tell you that back then
[00:07:39] 20 years ago, 20 years ago, communism had already fallen for probably a good 15, 20 years, okay? So back in the 80s, it had fallen. But in Russia, they still had to church that was trying to build
[00:07:54] their building for people to come and fellowship and worship together, just like we get to do the freedom of this, right? They had to go through the government to get every brick that was laid down,
[00:08:07] to get approval to buy the brick, to lay it down.
[00:08:12] And it had already been a year.
[00:08:15] They hadn't even gotten all the supplies that they needed to build the church.
[00:08:19] So we need to recognize today, God is good to us.
[00:08:25] He has given us that freedom to be able to go to Lowe's or wherever to buy and purchase whatever materials that we need to, to build any church, wherever we want to, in whatever grounds that we want to and not have to go through the government to get approval.
[00:08:42] So we thank God. So let's pray and we thank him. First of all, Father, I want to just say that, Lord, in humiliation and humbleness, Lord, Father, forgive us, Lord, where we have not listened to your voice and done your will, Father. Lord, we are free today because of you.
[00:09:08] we are free spiritually we are free mentally Lord and we are freed physically Father thank you Lord thank you Lord let us let our ears be able to hear you better so that when you say go that we go when you say stop we stop when you say shut your trap Lord we
[00:09:32] shut our trap but when you say to speak and when you say to whisper these things to the people or when you say to speak it boldly, we will do it. Father God, because we have the freedom that
[00:09:46] you have gifted to us, Lord, to lead trailblaze, Lord, to trailblaze, Father God, the freedom in Christ that we receive, Lord. We have received it, Lord, and we thank you. We thank you for the
[00:10:02] miracles that have made us, Lord. Lord, for the times that wars have happened, Father God, and you have changed the trajectory of it, Father God. Lord, if it was by the weather, Lord, or if it
[00:10:17] was by different circumstances that came about, Father, you did that miracle and our forefathers praised you and worshiped you for your provisions and your providence, Lord. We thank you for the miracles that are amongst us today, Father, for the things that you are doing with us today, Lord.
[00:10:39] as your gospel goes forth and that we don't back down from evil things but instead we confront them father god and we walk through them and we carry out your gospel and the freedom that comes with
[00:10:52] it father god the freedom father god we thank you father we thank you for the miracles that are amongst us father god that gives indication to non-believers of your great power your great power, Father God, of healing of physical bodies, Father God, and emotional turmoil, Father God.
[00:11:17] Lord, we thank you for your healing, Lord, for the freedom that you give to us, Father, from your word, from your word, because your word is life. Thank you for abundance of your word around this country, Father God, that we can get it at every corner, Lord, that Lord, we don't have
[00:11:37] to write that the Russians had to write it out on a piece of paper and pass it down from generation to generation. But instead, Lord, we can go and buy it whenever we need to. Thank you, Father,
[00:11:50] for your word that is hidden in our hearts day in and day out, Father God, that you bring it back to our remembrance when we need it, Heavenly Father. Thank you. Thank you. Father, we thank
[00:12:04] for the new birth of foundational faith, Lord, that is stirring and stirring and stirring in the hearts of people around us because they're hungry, Lord. They're hungry for something different, Lord. And we've got it. We've got it. Lord, stir us up even more, Lord, because the
[00:12:25] harvest is plentiful, as you said, Lord. And we pray to the father of the harvest that you would send out laborers, Father God. You would send out laborers, Lord. Send us. Let us be that laborer
[00:12:40] to lead someone to salvation. Thank you, Father God. We thank you for what you did in Ella's life, Lord, before she passed on to you, Father, that she had salvation. She believed, Father God.
[00:12:57] we thank you for that Lord oh for the new things that you're starting to stir in this earth Father God as you heal us Father God from the inside out Lord we thank you we thank you, we thank you, we thank you
[00:13:13] Lord we also lift up the Brendel family with crew military Lord they are reaching out to the military Lord down there in Florida and Lord you know all the people that you're leading into their pathways Lord
[00:13:27] They are grateful for all of the people that have supported lord And they are thankful for all the provisions that you have given to them father to reach the military lord father, we lift them up to you just as our forefathers prayed for the
[00:13:43] Military as they were going to fight against great britain Father we lift up our military that are in active duty right now father as they are fighting this battle lord I ask that you would bring forth
[00:13:57] goodness lord you would surround them with a cloud of witnesses first of all lord because first and foremost lord salvation for these men and women in battle father god are most important father then we also pray for their safety of their physical safetiness father god
[00:14:19] that you would protect them and that you would lord do the same providential ways that you did for us fighting. Great Britain, Lord, that you would do that same thing for us now. Father, may
[00:14:33] your labors that are in the military, Lord, continue to go forth and bring forth the gospel to all mankind, to all mankind. Lord, we thank you. We praise you for you are Yahweh.
[00:14:48] you are Yahweh you are Jehovah Jireh the God who provides you are Jehovah Rapha the God who heals you are Jehovah Nisei the banner over us is love you love us Lord may your love and your joy and
[00:15:15] your peace and your patience and your kindness and your goodness and your faithfulness and your gentleness and your self-control be upon all our hearts lord as americans father god as we go in to celebrate 250 years lord of freedom religious freedom lord we don't even know what it feels like
[00:15:37] to be under a government that controls it that tells us what kind of religion we need to believe in. We have that freedom. We have that freedom. Thank you. Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you.
[00:15:53] Just give them a shout of praise today. Hallelujah. You may be seated. And we'll go ahead and do that call to worship. Praise the Lord. He is so good to us. Oh, and to be thankful. Be thankful.
[00:16:36] Y'all can go ahead and still stand, or if you feel like you need to sit, that's fine too.
[00:16:41] Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name Make known among the nation what He has done Sing to Him, sing praise to Him Tell of all His wondrous acts, wonderful acts Glory in His holy name
[00:17:00] Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice Amen

[00:17:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:17:05] Let's see some hands up I begin to light up.
[00:17:27] Waste another minute in my old ways.
[00:17:29] Praise the Lord, I've been born again.
[00:17:35] Yesterday.
[00:17:39] Waste another minute in my old ways.
[00:17:42] Praise the Lord, I've been born again.
[00:17:46] I was in the trade and my sorrow was soft in the sink.
[00:18:08] Now I'm dancing on a grave that I once lived in.
[00:18:18] Waste another minute in my old ways.
[00:18:24] I'm born again.
[00:18:25] Good spirit of the Lord.
[00:18:28] And again, you rescued me out of the mess I was in You traded my sorrows for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in And again, you rescued me out of the mess I was in
[00:18:55] You traded my sorrows for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in To follow Jesus I was in the grave that I once lived in Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in
[00:21:28] Dancing on the grave.
[00:21:51] I've been gone.
[00:22:40] Make up the saints.
[00:23:19] Sing it church.
[00:23:21] And so come.
[00:23:22] Give the Lord a praise offering this morning.

[00:26:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:26:31] Goodness.
[00:26:32] Let me tell you.
[00:26:34] What we do.
[00:26:35] You can be seated if you want.
[00:26:36] But what we do while we're waiting on Him to come is important.
[00:26:40] You know that, don't you?
[00:26:42] Right?
[00:26:43] Because we don't want to just sit and wait.
[00:26:45] We want to be getting as many people to heaven as possible.
[00:26:49] Right?
[00:26:50] We want to be sharing Jesus.
[00:26:52] We want to be sharing the love of Jesus.
[00:26:54] We want to be acting like people who love Jesus.
[00:26:57] We want to be acting like people who know Jesus is coming.
[00:27:00] Because we live in a world that hears so many lies, they need the truth.
[00:27:08] Right?
[00:27:09] And we're the truth.
[00:27:12] Amen?
[00:27:13] We're the truth.
[00:27:15] Praise the Lord.
[00:27:15] God is good.
[00:27:18] So, real quickly, I want to go through a few things coming up for you to get connected with.
[00:27:25] First of all, let's say tonight youth is back on.
[00:27:29] So, youth, that's right, there you go.
[00:27:31] Youth is back tonight from 6 to 8.
[00:27:35] And then, next Saturday, if you have not got one of these, they're on the wall.
[00:27:42] When you leave, grab one.
[00:27:44] If you parked out here and you're going out that day, go grab one of them first.
[00:27:48] Um, but I always encourage you to get connected, find something to connect to other than just Sunday morning.
[00:27:57] But next Saturday, um, we have our inside out for the month of May.
[00:28:02] Praise the Lord.
[00:28:03] For those of you who are not sure what that is, we meet here at 10 o'clock and then we go out for a couple of hours across the city and we just share Jesus.
[00:28:12] It's, uh, it's really nothing like overly complicated.
[00:28:16] We go to parks.
[00:28:17] we go to wherever the Lord will lead we'll go off in two by twos or whatever so if you're like oh that's cool but I am so nervous to do what you're doing then just come we'll pair you
[00:28:29] with somebody that will that will lead that and then before long you will find out oh this isn't as scary as the devil made me think it was but you know we want to while we're waiting we want to be sharing Jesus
[00:28:45] with people so it's just simple we just go do that um we'll hand them something inviting them to church we might hand them a track something to take home romans road we have some stuff with
[00:28:55] romans road just so that someone if they'll give you just a few minutes of their time they may not accept christ with you there but get something to do and take with them um and let the holy
[00:29:05] spirit do his work amen so that is coming up this saturday um and then uh we have water baptism coming up so if you want to be baptized and you have not been baptized, you want to be baptized
[00:29:17] then you just need to see Donna. It has her does it have her email in here?
[00:29:24] Somewhere?
[00:29:26] Well just email I don't know. Just tell Donna.
[00:29:31] Sorry we somehow did not make that easy for you. Let Donna know I want to be baptized.
[00:29:37] And we will make sure you get in that.
[00:29:41] Oh and you can sign up on the app too.
[00:29:43] But the problem with the app is we're still trying to get it swapped from Mt. Gallant and Encounter.
[00:29:47] So if you didn't already have it, you can't download it.
[00:29:49] Trust me, I've been waiting about five months now for Apple to say yes.
[00:29:53] It's a long story. Pray for that.
[00:29:55] It's painful.
[00:29:58] And then also we have our seminar on Islam coming up June the 6th.
[00:30:04] There's a sign-up sheet for that.
[00:30:06] We'll have breakfast at 9.30.
[00:30:08] The seminar starts at 10.
[00:30:10] It doesn't cost you anything.
[00:30:11] but uh we pastor uh gary or joseph uh algrary will be back but this time it's gonna be more of a seminar type where we get to talk and ask questions um so if something you're interested
[00:30:24] in please certainly get signed up for that it is um it is free of charge bring somebody with you um but we just need to know if you're gonna eat breakfast because we're gonna feed you
[00:30:35] if you can't eat breakfast don't want to eat breakfast don't like our breakfast just come for the seminar at 10.
[00:30:41] And I don't even know what we're having for breakfast.
[00:30:43] I don't know if I can tell you if you like it or not.
[00:30:46] But anyway, and then there's a women's discipleship class launching on June the 2nd.
[00:30:52] So if you are a woman and you would like to go through that, you need to sign up.
[00:30:57] There is a sign-up sheet on that back wall.
[00:30:59] Pretty much everything is on that back wall.
[00:31:01] So just go do that.
[00:31:03] And then I can't express enough about Vacation Bible School.
[00:31:07] Yes, amen.
[00:31:08] We need your help.
[00:31:10] We need adults to invest into these kids for Vacation Bible School.
[00:31:16] You're not too old and you're not too young, but we need you.
[00:31:22] So there is a sign-up sheet out on the wall that you can sign up to say, I will help out.
[00:31:28] Ms. Terry.
[00:31:30] Right.
[00:31:31] So next Sunday, there is a meeting for the adult leaders.
[00:31:37] So if you can, just make plans.
[00:31:39] So I guess I'll preach a little less.
[00:31:40] I'll do a shortened sermon next week for y'all so that you can meet right after that and then get on to wherever it is that you're going from there.
[00:31:51] But go ahead and get signed up for that and plan on attending the meeting next week because it will be here in like four more weeks.
[00:32:00] Like it's really quick.
[00:32:02] It moves.
[00:32:03] But we really want to invest in that and get the word out invite your your uh just not your own kids but your grandkids your neighbor's kids your neighbor's grandkids uh you know the kids walking down the mall but right in fact their parents like give
[00:32:19] their parents something don't go up to the little kid and go hey i got some it might not go over well anyway so get one of these remember we don't do them every week we do them monthly
[00:32:31] so um grab it some things for may is done but there's still plenty to to do so grab one of these and get some stuff on your calendar and just come and and and hang out and and fellowship
[00:32:44] together right it's in the name y'all didn't get that y'all can get that about tuesday fellowship is in the name encounter fellowship you know i'm saying sorry i i just felt all right if our
[00:32:55] ushers would come we're going to go ahead and take our offering as our ushers come you can go get your offering ready um let me share something that i actually heard yesterday and i thought what
[00:33:04] a what a powerful moment when you really think about it remember when uh when jesus was going to feed the multitudes right and he said to his disciples what what can we do for them right
[00:33:19] and the disciples and i do really believe jesus was just testing his disciples to see what they would say and their immediate response was we can't feed them jesus we don't have any money, right? We don't, we don't have any money. We don't have what they need. And so all of a
[00:33:37] sudden they find the little boy because Jesus is like, no, no, no. Like, what do we got? You ever been there? When Jesus, when, when, when the Holy Spirit told you to do something and you're like,
[00:33:49] I can't do that because he's like, no, no, no. Wait a minute. What do you got? What do we got?
[00:33:54] Well, there's this little boy here and he's just got a few loaves and a few fishes, but I don't think that's going to be the resources we need, right? And I already thought about the perspective
[00:34:05] of the little boy. We never preached on that because the Bible doesn't really tell us much about the little boy, but he was human. And I just wonder if the little boy thought, if I give you my lunch, I'm not going to have anything. You know, my mama packed this lunch
[00:34:24] for me. What am I going to do if I give you? I wonder if the little boy had any thought like that we don't know but he was human maybe he did but you know what when jesus took the resources
[00:34:38] of the little boy the little boy never missed one bite of his lunch the little boy never missed what he gave to the lord because not only did god multiply it to feed the multitudes but he gave the
[00:34:52] little boy back everything that he had and some that is the resources that we have we might go God, I don't have the money to give to save the whole city of Rock Hill. But God says, well,
[00:35:09] give what you got, and I will take what you've got, and I will do something with the city of Rock Hill, and then I will give you back what you gave me plus some. That's the God that we serve.
[00:35:22] You never lose what you give to God. Amen? Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Lord, we thank you for this opportunity to be in your house today. We thank you, Lord, for a time to worship together,
[00:35:36] time to go through your word together, to grow in your word together, Lord, to be able to just in a few weeks to baptize new people. God, what an amazing thing that you do when we just give you
[00:35:50] surrender. When we give ourselves to you, Lord, what you can do is just super natural. Lord, let us be a people who don't rely on the natural but a people who rely on the supernatural a people
[00:36:05] who give to you a people who follow you a people who obey you a people who surrender to you in every area of our lives so lord that you can take what we've got and you can use it for your kingdom
[00:36:18] lord where more people can come to heaven god we do love you and we thank you in jesus name we pray Amen.
[00:36:26] I want to share, I don't know if you had anything, but I want to share something while the ushers are doing this.
[00:36:31] Two things this week that the Lord has done in the midst of this church.
[00:36:37] One, I just found out that Jan's cousin, who had the cancer in his neck, right, who we prayed for, went in, was it this week?
[00:36:50] it went in last friday to have x-ray before the radiation started and and the doctors did this they can't find the cancer no more i'm telling you god is supernatural now listen to this one
[00:37:14] you know don and i were out of town don and i were out of town this week this is where this is what makes a pastor proud i want to tell you this okay is that the ministry of the church isn't just done
[00:37:26] by one person right we are partners in ministry and god will use you the same way he uses me nothing spectacular right it's just surrender well this week larry some of you know him he
[00:37:43] used to go here but his wife ella had gotten really really sick she already had a lot of health issues but she'd gotten really really sick went into the hospital he texted andy and myself in a group text. We were out of town. I could not go. Andy, I didn't call Andy and say,
[00:38:06] will you go? But the Holy Spirit said, Andy, go. Andy went to the hospital, led her to the Lord.
[00:38:15] She said she did not know Jesus, led her to the Lord. And Thursday morning, when I would have never been able to get to her, she went on to glory. So I'm saying, don't wait on the pastor.
[00:38:33] do what God's called you to do.
[00:38:36] And somebody's in heaven today when I wouldn't have been able to get there.
[00:38:40] Praise the Lord.

[00:38:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:38:46] What a morning so far.
[00:38:49] Are you guys ready to continue on with worship and music and get up and clap your hands and let me hear some voices.
[00:38:56] Let me hear your hearts sing.

[00:39:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:39:07] Where, oh death, is your victory?
[00:39:09] Where, oh death, is your sting?
[00:39:12] The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.
[00:39:16] But thanks be to God He gives us a victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:39:21] Amen.

[00:39:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:39:22] A loss without hope, a place to begin.
[00:39:51] Your love made a way to let mercy come.
[00:40:00] When death was arrested, the rest is over.

[00:41:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:41:02] My chains, I'm a prince, joyous as the dead lost.
[00:42:31] There you go.

[00:44:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:44:39] Look at somebody and say, Jesus is good.

[00:44:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:44:43] Jesus is good.

[00:44:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:44:48] Like, there's just no other words.
[00:44:49] He's just amazing, is he not?
[00:44:55] Anyway, if you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Judges chapter 15.
[00:45:00] So last week we took a little break on our series that we were in called My Way, the Dangerous Path of Self-Will.
[00:45:08] I don't know if any of you have ever been there.
[00:45:10] Actually, I do know because we're all human, so we've all been there, you know, to where in life, many times we have tried to do it our way, thinking that it was going to give
[00:45:24] us the results that we really wanted when it typically does not because in life we there's god's will and then there's my will right we're there everybody there there's god's will there's my will sometimes sometimes in our life um those do intersect because we truly have sought the lord
[00:45:53] and truly our will aligns with His will.
[00:45:58] But sometimes in life, it does not.
[00:46:02] It does not mean that we're not believers.
[00:46:04] It doesn't mean we're not Christians.
[00:46:06] It doesn't mean that we don't love the Lord.
[00:46:09] But what it might mean is that I did not really seek the Lord for this and I just made a decision that seemed right to me.
[00:46:20] It seemed like the path.
[00:46:21] It seemed like the way that I should go.
[00:46:25] And so typically that doesn't work out well, and we see that certainly in the life of Samson.
[00:46:33] So we're looking at some of the lessons from Samson's life throughout this series, hopefully, to help us to understand that we don't want to walk down the dangerous path of self-will, right?
[00:46:48] And so if you remember, the first week was the whole Samson was I want it.
[00:46:54] I mean, I'm just going to go my way because I want it.
[00:46:58] I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand, but you've been there before?
[00:47:02] You don't even have to.
[00:47:03] Yeah.
[00:47:04] Some of you look like you're praising God with two hands up.
[00:47:07] I mean, you know what I'm saying?
[00:47:08] But, you know, it's like, yes.
[00:47:11] I mean, I just, I wanted it.
[00:47:12] I did it.
[00:47:14] And then we went through the next phase of Samson's self-will spiral was that I deserve it.
[00:47:24] You know, I mean, I can convince myself that I deserved it.
[00:47:29] I've worked hard for it, whatever.
[00:47:31] I've done this, I've done that.
[00:47:33] I've put up with this, I've put up with that.
[00:47:35] You get me, right?
[00:47:36] Just whatever.
[00:47:37] I can justify it because I deserve it.
[00:47:39] Well, then before Mother's Day, we watched him go into where we're going to pick up today was the hole where it just seems like my will should be his will.
[00:47:54] Instead of his will should be my will, it just seems like, God, my will should be your will.
[00:48:02] And so therefore, Samson tried it that way.
[00:48:04] Didn't work.
[00:48:06] Now, today, we're going to pick up in that same chapter, in Judges chapter 15.
[00:48:12] We're just looking at two verses today.
[00:48:14] But today, I want to talk to you about when my way runs dry, right?
[00:48:21] When my will, doing it my way, did not produce the strength that I need.
[00:48:31] when my way left me dry and thirsty and needing something more.
[00:48:41] And so, before we read, we'll get to the verses.
[00:48:45] Let's go ahead and read the verses.
[00:48:46] Let's start there.
[00:48:48] We've got two verses, 18 and 19.
[00:48:50] It says, He became very thirsty and called out to the Lord.
[00:48:54] Now, let me pause there.
[00:48:55] Let me give you a backdrop.
[00:48:57] So, if you go back and read all of chapter 15, you'll see where we pick up.
[00:49:01] But here was what had just happened prior to this.
[00:49:06] Samson, remember, Samson was anointed by God.
[00:49:08] Don't get me wrong.
[00:49:10] That's why I say we can be believers.
[00:49:13] We can be lovers of the Lord.
[00:49:16] We can be people who go to church every single Sunday and still get caught up into something doing our way.
[00:49:27] Because it's not typically our whole life.
[00:49:31] We're not typically every single thing in life going, God, I'm just going to ignore you and do it my way.
[00:49:36] Typically, if that happens, you're probably not a believer.
[00:49:39] But even as Christians, we can get caught up into doing something our way, right?
[00:49:44] And so, you know, Samson was called by God.
[00:49:49] Actually, he was not even just called by God.
[00:49:52] He was provisioned.
[00:49:54] He was positioned to where he is by God.
[00:49:56] And so if you know much about the nation of Israel, was that before the time of kings, God uses judges to rule the nation of Israel.
[00:50:08] And God would anoint those judges.
[00:50:11] They were speakers for God.
[00:50:12] They were people that God used to lead the nation of Israel.
[00:50:16] But the nation of Israel had this same thing that many churches and Christians have today was that they would, the nation of Israel, back in that day, they went through this cycle.
[00:50:28] And the cycle was simply this.
[00:50:30] They would, God would do something really great for them.
[00:50:35] He would prove Himself. He would do something really great.
[00:50:39] And then over time, they would drift away.
[00:50:43] And they would drift so far from God that He would allow their enemies to overtake them.
[00:50:48] And then when their enemies overtook them, they would call back out to God.
[00:50:53] And God would deliver them again.
[00:50:55] And then over time, they would drift away from God.
[00:50:59] God would allow their enemies to overtake them.
[00:51:02] And that same cycle happened in the nation of Israel.
[00:51:06] And so during this time, the nation was controlled by the Philistines.
[00:51:13] And currently had been controlled for about 15 years under the rule of the Philistines.
[00:51:20] And so God's purpose for Samson was for God to use him to bring deliverance to the people.
[00:51:31] But Samson, the one God anointed to bring deliverance for the people, had a big problem with following God's will.
[00:51:39] Kept wanting to do it his way.
[00:51:41] And so that's kind of where we are.
[00:51:42] So prior to verse 18, he had took the jawbone of a donkey, because the Lord had come upon him and he had took this jawbone of a donkey and he had slayed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.
[00:52:02] Now, I will say to you, because you're like, well, that seemed like something God wanted him to do.
[00:52:10] God allowed him to be successful, but he wasn't doing what God called him to do.
[00:52:17] Because the whole reason the Philistines were even after him was because he had burned down all of their grain fields by tying fox tails together.
[00:52:26] He called like 300 foxes, tied their tails together and torched them and sent them torched like this giant torch through their grain fields and their olive fields and burned down all their olive trees.
[00:52:40] I mean, he literally destroyed their source of income.
[00:52:45] That wasn't the battle God had him for.
[00:52:48] He was fighting his own battles.
[00:52:51] And so here he is.
[00:52:52] They come retaliating against him for that, which is where we read two weeks ago.
[00:52:59] But once again, once again, the Lord did not let him die.
[00:53:06] And once again, he's retaliating and fighting his own battles, doing it his way.
[00:53:11] And so this is where we pick up.
[00:53:13] He became very thirsty after killing 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.
[00:53:19] he became very thirsty and called out to the lord you have accomplished this great victory through your servant must i now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised notice what it says so god split a hollow place in the ground at lahai and water came out of it after samson
[00:53:42] drank his strength returned and he revived and he was revived or he revived that that is why he named it Hakor Spring, which is still in Lehi today. I don't know about you, but have you ever
[00:53:58] been in a place in your life to where you were at a moment where you felt the strongest? Like maybe God had done something through you and you had gotten this place to where you noticed, I feel
[00:54:19] like i'm the strongest i feel revived i feel like everything is great but in reality you were probably at your most vulnerable state because it sometimes happens in our life whenever we're doing things ourself is that sometimes we can accomplish a victory
[00:54:42] and we can feel empowered but we are probably at the most vulnerable state like maybe you were at work maybe you had um maybe you got some you know you won this big deal or you you landed
[00:54:58] this really big job or you you overcame some obstacles in life that that you had been battling through and um and maybe you won some kind of big battle in your life and and you suddenly thought
[00:55:10] that this thing right here that i'm going through that i've overcome is going to be the thing that fills the void, right? Ah, it's the thing that's going to fill the void that I've had. But all of
[00:55:26] a sudden, you realize it didn't. You realize that maybe you still feel a little empty. Maybe you thought the satisfaction from that victory was going to be all that you needed, but you realized there's still a void there's still something missing there's still something that says
[00:55:51] i still am thirsty i still need more there's still something in my life that seems unsettled you ever been there before right because that's where we find samson that's the exact spot in this passage that we find samson like he had literally just went through just one the largest
[00:56:13] Just the biggest victory of his entire life.
[00:56:16] As a matter of fact, when you read what happened here, killing 1,000 Philistines.
[00:56:22] And if you know much about the Philistines, they were a very trained group of people.
[00:56:28] They were a military power.
[00:56:30] And it would have seemed shameful to the rest of the Philistine army that one man killed 1,000 of their soldiers with a weapon that he found on the ground?
[00:56:49] Like, it would have seemed like this was the biggest victory.
[00:56:53] Matter of fact, like, it's probably one of the most unbelievable victories in the entire Old Testament.
[00:56:58] Yet, out of all of that, the strongest man in the world is still thirsty.
[00:57:06] steal something that did not fill the void that he had.
[00:57:16] Because victory doesn't mean that you are sustained, does it?
[00:57:23] Just because something good happens in life doesn't mean that we're completely sustained.
[00:57:29] Because you can win a battle your way.
[00:57:35] Let's be honest.
[00:57:38] You can win a battle your way.
[00:57:42] But only God's way is going to give you lasting strength.
[00:57:48] That leads us to our encounter point for today.
[00:57:50] Here's our encounter point.
[00:57:52] Living my way may bring moments of victory.
[00:57:55] And that's okay.
[00:57:56] They do.
[00:57:57] Right?
[00:57:58] You don't crash and burn every time you do it your way.
[00:58:01] You do sometimes.
[00:58:03] But let's be honest.
[00:58:05] If we crash and burned every single time we did it our way, we would learn our lesson.
[00:58:12] We would be like, nope, not doing it that way.
[00:58:14] it's going to go really bad. Let me give you an example. Let a little human example. Every time me and Donna go on a trip, I'm telling you every single time she tells me how we should go. And I
[00:58:31] never listen. Never. She's like, why do you even ask? You don't listen to me. You don't listen to Siri. You're just going to go your own way. And honestly, sometimes my way works out and that's
[00:58:49] why i do it it's the adventure to know is my way gonna work out but last night yesterday afternoon coming back from cleveland tennessee her her gps literally said get off of 75 turn this way to save
[00:59:11] an hour and i thought i literally said that doesn't make sense to me why am i gonna get off of an interstate to go up back road to save an hour and she said well it's telling you to get
[00:59:22] off? And I said, no, I'm not listening to it. Do you know we got about two miles up the road and traffic was backed up? They were doing road construction on a Saturday afternoon and Donna
[00:59:35] looked at her GPS and says, we got about an hour waiting this traffic. I'm telling you, if we did it our way and it always failed, we wouldn't do it our way. But sometimes our way seems to bring us
[00:59:50] you know it does it seems to work out right but living my way may bring moments of victory but only God's way brings lasting strength and so let's look at Samson's story because I think
[01:00:08] it reveals three things to us that happens when we live our way instead of God's way right so in that in the first verse in verse 18 here's what we see my strength will eventually fail me
[01:00:22] sooner or later, my wisdom, my strength, my way, my thoughts, sooner or later, it's going to fail me, right?
[01:00:31] Here's Samson.
[01:00:32] He defeats literally 1,000 Philistines.
[01:00:36] Actually, all heard of, but yet the strongest man in all of Israel at this moment becomes the weakest man in the desert.
[01:00:46] And so when we begin to unfold what's going on here in this passage, we literally see that the greatest danger in life is believing that your strength is enough.
[01:00:59] Because that's where Samson was.
[01:01:01] Like he, I really felt like he knew he wasn't doing it God's way.
[01:01:06] Most of the time, I think there's times in life that we just didn't seek the Lord or we prayed about it, but still did it our way.
[01:01:15] Anybody ever done that?
[01:01:16] Am I the only one that's prayed about it?
[01:01:19] So I felt like I felt good, I prayed about it.
[01:01:21] But I didn't wait on the Lord to tell me.
[01:01:23] Just prayed about it and did it.
[01:01:29] You've been there, right?
[01:01:30] Y'all are laughing because you've been there.
[01:01:34] It's true, though.
[01:01:35] I mean, I think it's a dangerous place to be is that when we literally think that our strength is enough.
[01:01:43] Because here's what can happen.
[01:01:46] Here's what can happen.
[01:01:47] Is that when we do things our way and it works.
[01:01:53] If we're not careful, here's what will happen.
[01:01:56] and success will make you forget your source.
[01:02:00] If God just allowed everything to work that we didn't seek Him for, if we just did it our way and God was like, okay, I'm going to bail you out of this, you didn't ask me, you didn't listen,
[01:02:15] but because I love you so much, I'm going to make sure it works out for you.
[01:02:22] What would happen?
[01:02:23] We would just keep doing it our way.
[01:02:26] Because all of a sudden, we would forget who the source was.
[01:02:30] But when it fails, like Samson, we remember who the source is.
[01:02:36] We remember who we need to call back to.
[01:02:38] Let me say it this way.
[01:02:39] The moment you think you're strong enough is the moment you're already in trouble.
[01:02:44] The moment when you think, I've got this.
[01:02:52] The moment we get to the point where we go, I've got this.
[01:02:56] It's okay.
[01:02:58] I know what I'm doing.
[01:02:59] Anybody ever said that before?
[01:03:00] I know what I'm doing.
[01:03:03] The moment we get in that mentality, man, we're already in trouble.
[01:03:07] Because mostly, we did not either seek the Lord or we certainly did not wait and listen for the Lord.
[01:03:16] Because in my life, there's been times I said, it's okay, I've got this.
[01:03:20] This seems like the good way.
[01:03:22] I just said that yesterday.
[01:03:23] That don't make sense.
[01:03:24] Why would I get off here?
[01:03:27] I've got this.
[01:03:28] I know more than Siri.
[01:03:30] Sooner or later, I'm going to learn I don't.
[01:03:32] but we get we get ourselves in so much trouble because we just literally think that because i would say this in the times of my life when i have been certain that god has told me to do something
[01:03:46] a certain way whenever it looks like it's not gonna work or when somebody questions it says are you sure my response is this is what god told me to do this is what god spoke to me and when god
[01:04:01] does that then it doesn't matter if it looks like it's going to work out we stand on the promises that God says this is it and we can walk in that promise and I can tell you if you do what God
[01:04:13] tells you to do it's going to work out but my strength will eventually fail me it's going to happen my strength is going to happen in in the gospel of John 15 chapter 15 and verse 5 I love
[01:04:26] what Jesus says. Jesus says it so plainly. He says, apart from me, you can do nothing. Notice that Jesus doesn't say, apart from me, you can do a little. Apart from me, it might work out a percentage
[01:04:41] of the time. No, Jesus says, apart from me, you can do nothing. He literally said nothing. Like Jesus really is saying what he means is that talent without him runs dry right can have all the
[01:05:00] talent in the world but talent without him will run dry success without jesus in your life will run dry strength without jesus runs dry if jesus doesn't have first place then you are literally running dry and that's where samson was he was in the place that he
[01:05:24] had done it his way and he did have a victory but he's now in a place to where he's so dry and thirsty literally dying in a desert because you can impress people without jesus
[01:05:39] right but you cannot sustain life without him because your strength will eventually fail you that's why jesus promised us the holy spirit we can't walk through life without it we can't have a day without the holy spirit guiding us and leading us in our lives and counseling us and
[01:06:00] doing all the things that the holy spirit does because before the disciples went into ministry If you remember, Jesus told them in Acts 1a to go and wait for the Holy Spirit.
[01:06:13] Notice that Jesus didn't say, Alright, I've taught you everything that I need to teach you.
[01:06:20] You know me and you know what to do.
[01:06:23] I'm going to leave here.
[01:06:25] I want you to just run out and go do it.
[01:06:28] That's not what Jesus told them to do.
[01:06:30] Because Jesus knew that although they knew the truth, they still needed the power to accomplish the truth.
[01:06:36] and so in our life so jesus says go wait no acts 1 8 tells us right for when he when the holy spirit comes upon you you will receive power and you will be my witnesses in jerusalem judea samaria
[01:06:53] to the other ends of the earth like there was something there jesus didn't say go set an upper room and wait for the strategy don't sit up in the upper room and talk about the strategy
[01:07:05] Go sit up in the other room and figure out amongst all 120 of you how to make this work.
[01:07:12] That ain't what Jesus told them.
[01:07:13] He said, no, you go sit up there and you wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon you.
[01:07:17] And when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, something's going to be happening.
[01:07:21] He said, you're not going to have to worry about strategy.
[01:07:24] You're not going to have to worry about your personality.
[01:07:28] And Moses said, gee, I can't go talk to Pharaoh.
[01:07:32] I stutter.
[01:07:32] I got a talking problem.
[01:07:33] I don't have the personality to do that.
[01:07:36] He's like, don't worry about it.
[01:07:38] I feel like that's us sometimes.
[01:07:39] We're like, I can't do this, God.
[01:07:41] I can't do that, God.
[01:07:41] I can't do this.
[01:07:42] I don't have the personality for this.
[01:07:43] I don't have this.
[01:07:44] And he's like, no, no, no.
[01:07:45] You don't need it.
[01:07:47] Because that's you doing it your way.
[01:07:50] If you've got to have the personality to do it, that's you doing it your way.
[01:07:54] If you've got to have the savvy talk to do it, that's you doing it your way.
[01:07:59] If you've got to have whatever it is to do it, then that's you doing it your way.
[01:08:04] and your strength is going to fail you.
[01:08:06] But he said, you just go wait up in the upper room.
[01:08:09] You wait for the Holy Spirit to come.
[01:08:11] And then you're going to have so much power, you're going to forget about what you don't have.
[01:08:17] Basically, what Jesus is saying is, when the Holy Spirit, there is more.
[01:08:23] That's what he's telling them.
[01:08:24] He's telling them, out of everything that you've seen me do, out of everything that I've taught you, out of every way that I have equipped you, There is still more to come to you.
[01:08:35] And when that more comes, you're going to have so much power to do what you could not do on your own.
[01:08:41] That's where we stand because our strength will fail us.
[01:08:46] Right?
[01:08:46] And I think I can prove what I'm about to say throughout the scripture is that God never intended you to live the Christian life on human strength.
[01:08:57] He never, never intended that.
[01:09:00] if he did we would not have the holy spirit because we just wouldn't and we wouldn't even be able to hear his voice he didn't intend for us to do christian life on our own he never did
[01:09:14] so we got to ask ourselves why do we do it sometimes on our own if god never intended it and he's given us the holy spirit so we don't have to then why do we do it on our own because
[01:09:26] that's where Samson is in this passage Samson is actually realizing that very same thing that many of you have realized is that your strength can only accomplish so much but through him we can accomplish much more second point today I want to share with you is that my need will
[01:09:51] eventually reveal God. Now listen to what I'm about to tell you. My need will eventually to me, remember we're talking about doing things our way, will eventually reveal God. Because in that same passage in verse 18, Samson finally prays. Up until now, up until this moment, I do not see
[01:10:19] any place to where samson really prayed and asked god for anything he just kept doing it his way but all of a sudden now instead of his impulsive reckless self-driven behavior all of a sudden this need that he has the thirst that he has has done something
[01:10:48] for him that he had not done yet.
[01:10:51] And he called upon the Lord.
[01:10:54] You see, let me say it this way.
[01:10:57] You might want to write this one down.
[01:10:59] Pain often drives us to God faster than prosperity ever will.
[01:11:07] I'm not praying pain on you.
[01:11:09] I don't pray pain on me.
[01:11:11] I don't want pain.
[01:11:12] I don't like pain.
[01:11:14] But I will tell you, when you keep doing it your way, pain is inevitable.
[01:11:24] It's just 2 plus 2 equals 4.
[01:11:28] When you keep doing it your way, you realize, I need God in this.
[01:11:35] Because, and if you look, and honestly, if you go throughout the New Testament, and you look at the New Testament church, the church exploded through their adversity more than it ever did in prosperity.
[01:11:53] when there was constant adversity not even things that they did on their own but when they were being persecuted and when they were being killed when Nero and all the other Caesars of Rome tried to squash this Jesus thing
[01:12:15] and when they literally would Nero was one of the worst he was one of the most evil they were all evil but he was one of the worst historically he would light his royal gardens at night by burning christians alive he was horrible
[01:12:36] but everything he tried to do to stop this preaching in the name of jesus only caused it to explode even more and so the truth of the matter is is that even in our lives we will turn
[01:12:54] to god more in pain than in prosperity that's just how it is not that god's putting pain on you but he will allow you to reap the consequences of your my way decisions and so here is i love this
[01:13:13] because even though samson did it this way and man god allowed him to kill the phil he didn't let's say this god did not allow the philistines at this point to kill samson because he wasn't
[01:13:24] done with it. But here's Samson, thirsty, remembering his source, finally, and calling out to God. Because sometimes God allows thirst in our lives, so we will finally look for the well.
[01:13:42] When you're thirsty, you don't go look for the dry places. When you're thirsty, my man Eric over there ran like 37 miles yesterday, right? Am I right on that?
[01:13:56] No, you heard me right.
[01:13:57] 37 miles my man ran.
[01:14:01] Uh-huh.
[01:14:03] Bro, did you get thirsty during those 37 miles?
[01:14:06] Uh-huh.
[01:14:07] Man, you was looking for some water, wasn't you?
[01:14:09] You didn't say, man, I'm running.
[01:14:11] I'm on mile 10, 11, 12, 15, and I am so thirsty.
[01:14:15] Here's the water tables when I'll ride by, but I'm going to look the other way for the dry places.
[01:14:20] No, you look to the water.
[01:14:22] Because when you're thirsty, you look for what's going to quench your thirst.
[01:14:29] And so, the problem is, is that God will, He will allow sometimes thirsty places in our life so we'll look to the well.
[01:14:38] Because thirst is desperation.
[01:14:42] Come on.
[01:14:42] When I'm thirsty, I'm desperate.
[01:14:45] When Samson was thirsty, he was desperate.
[01:14:50] Do I have anybody in this place today that would raise their hand and say, I'm desperate for God to do something in my life.
[01:14:59] Something that I can't do.
[01:15:02] Something that the preacher can't do.
[01:15:04] Something that my job can't do.
[01:15:06] Something that my husband or wife can't do.
[01:15:09] Something that no relationship can do.
[01:15:11] I am desperate for God to do something in my life.
[01:15:16] Well, that's where we are.
[01:15:17] Because when we get to the place of thirst and desperation, we begin to seek the well.
[01:15:23] We begin to look for where it can quench that thirst.
[01:15:28] You see, God didn't just leave us wandering through life looking for water.
[01:15:35] Thank the Lord.
[01:15:36] He didn't just say, you know what?
[01:15:38] You're saved.
[01:15:39] Figure it out.
[01:15:41] No.
[01:15:43] Man, He literally sent the whale to us.
[01:15:46] This was so amazing about Christianity.
[01:15:49] He sent the whale to us.
[01:15:50] Remember the lady in John chapter 4, the woman at the whale in Samaria?
[01:15:56] Remember that story?
[01:15:56] and she had been trying to satisfy the thirst of her soul through her whole life.
[01:16:05] This woman had literally just through her whole life, she had been trying to satisfy the thirst of her soul through different relationships, different men, different attempts in her life to fill the emptiness.
[01:16:18] And Jesus looks at this woman and He says something so powerful to her in verse 13 and 14 of John chapter 4.
[01:16:26] And he says, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again.
[01:16:32] I will tell you, on 37 miles of run, them waters fell, but they quenched it.
[01:16:38] But since you got through running, Eric, did you ever get thirsty again?
[01:16:41] Yeah, he's going to thirst again.
[01:16:46] But at that moment, that cold water or warm water, I don't care what kind of water it was, running 37 miles, it did the job.
[01:16:53] But what did the job for you yesterday is not going to do the job for you today, tomorrow, and the next day.
[01:16:59] We need a constant filling of the well of Jesus.
[01:17:03] We need constant filling of Him.
[01:17:05] So He says to the lady, like, if you drink of this water, the well, you're going to thirst again, right?
[01:17:13] But He says, whoever drinks of the water that I will give them will never thirst again.
[01:17:18] In other words, here's what He's saying.
[01:17:21] You can keep running to the wells of this world.
[01:17:26] And we do.
[01:17:28] We keep running for the wells of the world, something that measures success, something that in a relationship, something in achievement, something in control, something that brings pleasure to us.
[01:17:42] The wells of the world, but the only problem is they always leave you thirsting again.
[01:17:48] They never always meet the need.
[01:17:50] They meet it maybe in a very small time.
[01:17:56] because the real thirst of the human soul isn't physical.
[01:18:00] So we can't quench the thirst of a human soul with something physical because it is spiritual.
[01:18:07] That thirst, this is what Jesus was telling the woman at the well.
[01:18:12] You need it.
[01:18:14] You need this water to live.
[01:18:16] But it's not going to cause you not to thirst again.
[01:18:21] It's going to feel a physical need for you.
[01:18:25] But Jesus says, I'm going to let you drink from the well And by the way, that's me.
[01:18:33] That spiritually, you will never thirst again.
[01:18:36] Spiritually, you won't need anything else.
[01:18:39] Spiritually, nothing else will quench your thirst like I will.
[01:18:43] Nothing will fill it because Jesus said to her, I am the living water.
[01:18:48] Come on, somebody.
[01:18:50] Third thing, and we're going to hurry up because I just looked at the time, is this.
[01:18:54] God's supply will always refresh me.
[01:18:57] This is what happens, right?
[01:18:59] Here's Samson.
[01:19:01] And he's at this place.
[01:19:03] And he calls out to God.
[01:19:04] He needs to be refreshed.
[01:19:07] And in verse 19 that we read, the Bible said that God split the ground and refreshed him.
[01:19:18] God did something that Samson could not do for himself.
[01:19:22] God split the ground.
[01:19:23] And the water flowed from a hollow place where there should have been nothing before God split the ground here he is in the desert and there is no water for him to drink but when he calls out to the Lord
[01:19:39] and God splits the ground there should have been nothing but this is what God does he creates something from nothing meaning we might look at our situation and say God there's nothing here and he says give it to me
[01:19:54] and watch what I'll do with your nothing I will make something out of your nothing.
[01:20:00] And this is what he does for Samson.
[01:20:02] Man, the Bible says that he was revived.
[01:20:05] His spirit returned.
[01:20:07] God didn't just give him victory.
[01:20:11] God gave him life.
[01:20:13] Because let me say this.
[01:20:15] When your strength runs out, that's when God's supply runs in.
[01:20:22] Now, we don't have to go that route.
[01:20:25] We can certainly just follow God's path and let His run in.
[01:20:30] But I get it.
[01:20:31] We're human.
[01:20:32] You're human.
[01:20:33] I'm human.
[01:20:34] We're going to mess up.
[01:20:36] But truth of the matter is, when my strength runs out, that's when God's provisions get to run in.
[01:20:42] Let me say it this way.
[01:20:43] Jesus said this, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
[01:20:48] Rivers of living water will flow from within him.
[01:20:55] The Bible, like, it just explains that this was the Holy Spirit.
[01:20:59] When you continue to read that, it's the Holy Spirit.
[01:21:02] So that water that Samson experienced physically points forward to the spiritual life that Jesus gives through the Spirit, right?
[01:21:12] You can't live a refreshing, God-powered life without the Spirit.
[01:21:22] Why the Bible says, walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.
[01:21:26] We can't get what we want walking in the flesh.
[01:21:32] We definitely can't get what we need operating in the flesh.
[01:21:38] Your flesh might win you some victories here and there, but your flesh is always going to leave you needing more.
[01:21:47] Your flesh is always going to fail you at some point because that is the flesh.
[01:21:54] And so the Bible plainly says for us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh because you can't live a refreshing, God-powered life without the Spirit.
[01:22:08] And I'm going to close on this, so Jimmy, y'all, come on up.
[01:22:13] Samson, in this passage, he defeated 1,000 enemies with the jawbone of a donkey.
[01:22:21] But do you know that wasn't even the real miracle in the story?
[01:22:27] That seems pretty good, don't it?
[01:22:30] But that was him doing it this way.
[01:22:32] The real miracle of the story was not the battle at all.
[01:22:37] It was the moment when the strongest man in Israel finally realized, I can't live on my own strength.
[01:22:45] I need God.
[01:22:49] Man, you may have come over some giant thing in your life.
[01:22:53] You may have some very big victory, and I am thankful for it.
[01:22:57] But if you look back and say, look what I did, the battle that you won is not the miracle hopefully the miracle is to say that God I might have not even recognized it but you
[01:23:11] did this you brought me through this you did something that I couldn't do God you worked supernatural in my situation because in this moment the strongest man on the whole earth looks to God and says I need you
[01:23:28] that was the biggest miracle in the story stand with me if you will you see this is where we intentionally see Samson realizing that he couldn't do it his way or you know not you're going to find out in
[01:23:52] the next few weeks he still went back to his way but at this moment he knew he needed something more than himself here he was he was dying of thirst God had opened up the ground to give him
[01:24:04] water. And then that very moment in the old Testament we see was actually pointing to something even greater. Centuries later, Jesus stood up and said something very powerful in the gospel of John chapter seven, verse 37. And he says, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and
[01:24:26] drink. Today, I hope we have a thirsty people. I hope we have a thirsty people that is saying, God, I want my thirst to be quenched.
[01:24:39] I'm going to come to you to drink.
[01:24:41] Because Jesus was saying something very radical in this passage.
[01:24:48] The thirst that Samson experienced physically is exactly the same thirst every human being experiences spiritually.
[01:25:02] Like, you can try to satisfy that thirst through success, through businesses and business deals and whatever else.
[01:25:13] Relationships.
[01:25:14] Many times we look to relationships to quench the thirst of our soul.
[01:25:19] Thinking that someone else is going to be able to fill this void only to find out the only person that's going to ever fill the void in your life is Jesus.
[01:25:30] He's the only one.
[01:25:31] He's the only one that's ever going to fill it.
[01:25:37] Could be through money.
[01:25:39] Only if I had a little more money Everything would be okay.
[01:25:43] If I just had some more, I wouldn't have to worry about this.
[01:25:47] I could pay this off.
[01:25:48] I could pay that off.
[01:25:50] But let me tell you something.
[01:25:53] Even money is not going to quench your spiritual thirst.
[01:25:59] And let me just say, at some point, we all have to discover what Samson discovered in this passage, is that your strength is going to run out.
[01:26:09] Your strength is going to run dry.
[01:26:13] And your way will not sustain you.
[01:26:16] Only His can.
[01:26:18] Jesus said, if you come to me I'll give you living water water that doesn't just refresh you for a moment but water that gives you new life if you will just bow your head and close your eyes
[01:26:31] right where you are nobody's really looking around at all nobody needs to look around but truth of the matter is today some of you are exactly where Samson was you've been fighting life your way
[01:26:45] you've tried to handle it on your own you've relied on strength your own strength, your own wisdom, your own ability. But deep down, you know something's missing. You know something just hasn't worked and you're thirsty. And today, it's not me,
[01:27:07] but Jesus is saying the same thing He said some 2,000 years ago, come to me. He's not inviting you to religion. He's not inviting you to come to a performance. He's not inviting you to even
[01:27:20] try harder he's saying come to me come to jesus because the same savior who turned water into wine the same savior who calmed the storm the same savior who died on the cross and wrote again
[01:27:34] and rose again is the only one who can satisfy the thirst of your soul this morning so today let me say you may realize i've been living my way or there's an area of my life i've been living my
[01:27:50] way. Or there's this thing I can't seem to get over. And truthfully, it's because I keep trying to do it my way. And it's left me empty. It's left me thirsty. It's left me dry. It's left me
[01:28:04] wondering, God, are you here? God, are you in it? God, do you care about me? It's left you wondering some pretty deep things. But here's the good news of the gospel that I want to share with you today
[01:28:15] is you don't have to keep doing it your way. You don't have to keep living your way because, here's why, Jesus has already made a way.
[01:28:27] And so through His death and His resurrection, and today if you'll turn to Him, I promise you He'll forgive you.
[01:28:35] And not only will He forgive you, but He'll give you new life.
[01:28:39] And those dry places that are in your soul that you keep looking to the wells of the world for, oh, no, they'll be filled.
[01:28:47] The wells of the world, you won't even need them because they'll be filled.
[01:28:52] So today I want to just bring it home.
[01:28:54] I want to ask you an honest question.
[01:28:57] Are you at all in any area of your life living your way?
[01:29:04] Or is it God's way?
[01:29:06] Because if you're here today and you need to know Jesus, you're tired of doing life on your own, and today you want to surrender your life to Him, then I'm going to pray with you.
[01:29:17] And then we're going to open the altars.
[01:29:19] But if that's you, if today you just say, God, there's this area of my life.
[01:29:23] I've been doing it my way.
[01:29:24] And let me just be obvious.
[01:29:27] That's sin.
[01:29:28] when we're doing it our way it creates sin in our life and so Lord today I want to surrender every part of my life to you just pray this prayer with me today Lord I want to surrender
[01:29:41] every part of my life to you God I don't want to try to tap into the wells of this world for anything because Lord they never ever quench my thirst Lord at best they offer some temporary
[01:29:56] solution but God today I'm tired of doing it my way I'm tired of trying to do it in my own strength I'm tired of walking in a path that does not lead me to your well
[01:30:14] so God today I'm thirsty I'm thirsty in this area of my life you can call it out to him or if it's in your entire life maybe you don't know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior
[01:30:25] at all God today I want your well to be the only thing that I drink from.
[01:30:33] God, today I'm going to ask for you to forgive me of every sin that I've committed.
[01:30:38] God, today make me a Christian.
[01:30:41] God, today make me a child of God.
[01:30:43] Today let me leave this place knowing that I'm different than when I walked in.
[01:30:49] Because today I've put you in my life.
[01:30:53] Today I've surrendered my life to you in every area.
[01:30:56] The thing that I might have had to battle before I came in, Lord, I don't have to battle anymore.
[01:31:01] Because Lord, I'm drinking it from your well.
[01:31:03] Lord, I'm coming to you and I'm going to do it your way.
[01:31:07] God, I'm not going to seek my way.
[01:31:08] I'm not going to spend my energy trying to figure out how I think it should be.
[01:31:13] But I'm going to spend that energy praying to you, seeking you, and listening to you.
[01:31:21] In the name of Jesus, God, I give it all to you.
[01:31:26] Every part of my life, I surrender it to you.
[01:31:29] In Jesus' name, amen.
[01:31:31] Altars are going to be open.
[01:31:32] They're going to lead us in a closing song.
[01:31:34] I want you to come.
[01:31:36] If you want special prayer, come.
[01:31:37] Altars are here.
[01:31:38] Maybe you want to come and pray for somebody.
[01:31:40] Maybe you want to pray, I don't know what it is.
[01:31:42] But the altars are open.
[01:31:44] I'm just going to encourage you to move from your seat and come and give something to the Lord.
[01:31:48] Walk out of here lighter than you came in.

[01:31:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:31:51] A praise offering this morning.

[01:37:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:37:44] Great is thy faithfulness.
[01:37:45] You know that?
[01:37:46] God is faithful.
[01:37:47] And so we just continue to praise Him.
[01:37:51] Well, in closing, Jimmy's going to do our benediction, but make sure you get the newsletter and go sign up for the things that we need to sign up for.
[01:38:03] Like I said, we can't invest into kids with VBS without adults willing to do it.
[01:38:09] So we need you to be a part of that.
[01:38:12] And so go ahead and get signed up for that, and go ahead and make plans for the meeting next Sunday right after church.
[01:38:17] and then hopefully i would love to see many of you uh for our inside out next sunday i mean saturday next saturday this coming saturday this coming saturday wow wow yeah yeah in six days

[01:38:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:38:31] inside out let's go tell people about jesus right amen thank you pastor well you've heard about freedom and you've heard about faithfulness and you've heard that our way let's do it his way okay And as far as the country is going today, we've tried it our way.
[01:38:48] If we reach out to him and we confess our sins and call out to him, he will hear us from heaven and reach down and what?
[01:38:56] Heal our land.
[01:38:57] So take the sermon with you today.
[01:39:00] Take that with you today and go in peace.
[01:39:03] Read with me.
[01:39:05] May the Lord bless you and protect you.
[01:39:07] May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
[01:39:10] May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
[01:39:15] Shalom. Go in peace.