At the Well Again: Majesty

we're gonna go to John chapter four John chapter four happy fifth of July if everyone who's celebrated yesterday I trust you were safe with the fireworks and the celebration let me be clear this human experiment known as the United States of America I'm so grateful for this country as I know you are it is far from perfect and justice needs to roll through the streets desperately but nonetheless I am so grateful for this country in all of us challenges and imperfections we truly are grateful for all the things that this nation affords us and allows us but yet the story of Jesus the love of Jesus shows us how we continue to grow and progress to ensure there is justice and liberty for all so once again happy birthday the United States of America happy fifth of July like I said I'm wearing I think we got the red white and blue combo working today John chapter four we've been doing an extended study can I encourage you if you haven't had the chance to access the many different sermons I think there's been seven or eight from the book of John in Chapter four and this extraordinary story where Jesus being a Jewish man fully Jewish goes to a Samaritan Territory which was unheard of for Jewish people particularly Jewish men and he engages a Samaritan woman who by the Jews was seen as a half-breed there was extraordinary oppression extraordinary racism and prejudice and bias and even systems setup that catered to the Jews and oppressed the Samaritans and here Jesus goes to Samaria and sits at a Wow now we're gonna pick up the story where Jesus is now engaged in a conversation he's also the woman who's realized Jesus is not a normal Jewish man he's like talking to her he's engaging her he's also knows a lot about her and like like knows that she's had five failed marriages she's got a live-in boyfriend and he tells that she's like you're a prophet then they have this whole discussion about worship and this is how she ends the discussion which is so typical of you and me she goes well this is all confusing she says to Jesus but I do know the Anointed One is coming the true Messiah and he's gonna tell us everything we need to know jesus said to her at the well just the woman in him he says you don't have to wait any longer the Anointed One is here speaking with you I am the one you're looking for I'm the one you're looking for and it says at that moment the disciples returned and were stunned to see Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman yet none of them dared to ask why or what they were discussing all at once the woman dropped her water jar ran off to her village and told everyone come and see a man at the well who told me everything I've ever done he could be the anointed one we've been waiting for hearing this the people came streaming out of the village to go and see Jesus jumping over to verse 40 at the end of this story says they begged the Samaritans begged Jesus to stay with them unheard of for Samaritans to beg a Jewish person a Jewish man to stay in their village and Jesus that he stayed for two days in the village and has said then the Samaritan said to the woman we no longer believe just because what you told us but now we've heard Jesus ourselves and were convinced he is the life giver of the world he is the true savior of the world we titled these talks at the well again because I believe that's where our church is God's asked Church home to go to this ancient well and to learn the ways of Jesus to learn the words of Jesus to learn the tone of Jesus to learn the demeanor of Jesus the empathy the care the concern to learn about our great Savior and of course we are not just determined to claim the title or name of follower of Jesus or Christian but we actually want to walk with him and go where he's going so he goes to Samaria we go to Samaria at the well again I want us to a a subject that we're gonna see here at this well and my subject is majesty and we're talking about majesty we're talking about how God is majestic and why that is important as we are continuing to fight racism we want to be anti-racist people because Jesus was diabolically against racism and for all people and that's the people that we want to be we join me in prayer God one more time we gather as a community globally and Moberly wherever we are in the world you are there meet us now speak to us help us to truly encounter you in a real way Lord for everyone watching and listening and never really heard your story or experience these minute some moments I pray you give them a comfortable ease a relaxed sensation they could enjoy these minutes and moments in Jesus name a well if you haven't heard several weeks ago our family we did a family road trip it'll go down is the Great 2020 Smith family road trip only because I plan on never doing another road trip as long as I live we were quarantine in Los Angeles for two or three months and wanted to get up to Seattle Northwest born and raised Seahawks fan for life let me be clear so we looked at the map and realized it was gonna take like a 24 hours of driving or something from LA to Seattle so we broke it up to multiple days and went actually to eight states is that right babe eight different states in six days seven days did a whole week and Chelsey drove almost the entire way because she doesn't trust my driving since I'm a distracted driver so thank you for that it's amazing what you learn after twenty years of marriage you know what we'll stay married if you don't drive so that's how we did it I did drive what the last like five hours right the last five a horse is what I contributed to the family but anyways we went through obviously California then we went through Arizona then we went through Utah Nevada Collin Wyoming Montana Idaho Washington it was great right we went to two national parks with the Zion National Park and then we went to Bryce Canyon National Park I don't ever do this check out these photos I don't want to brag but I actually took these photos from my own iPhone check out this beautiful scene this is Bryce Canyon National Park it's in Utah and my son Zion who's now 16 he had been there before and he's like dad you're gonna love it and I was like I don't know if I'm gonna like national parks are kind of like I could see photos and I could be good and I'd like to like go to a mall and shop for clothes but he's like dad you're an 11 so we get to Bryce national and this is what I see we come up over this Ridge and literally this is what I see I think it's time I left it this is what I see and it is stunning right here's another photo here's our family kind of standing in a similar spot I am front and center it's a selfie okay leave me alone look my children are just trying to get space in the photo it makes me laugh check out here's here's some years here's the family Smith family photo I mean it's pretty artistic guys I don't want to get into it but I'm good with photos okay and the second to last photo look at this isn't this stunning this is us standing at the base but to get a little scale of how majestic and extraordinary these I'm gonna give you the next photo check out this photo look how tiny the people are that's all swapping down this that's us walking down this trail you can see how tiny everybody is and these walls of red burnt orange rock was honestly beyond what I could ever see or have ever seen I thought we were either on Mars or we were in a scene from Star Wars it was and my son Zion kept on I told you dad I told you and we just kept walking through these walls and that was kind of the beginning actually of the trail that you see there was kind of the big and I'm walking down and I think I was with my daughter Grace and the boys were ahead and Chelse was ahead jealousy's a great hiker so she didn't even help but I was just walking with my daughter and probably only like five minutes into this walk and not too close not too far from the picture you see I'm walking looking up these walls and suddenly I just have this spiritual moment and I'm just thinking about the God who makes these fiery red orange stone walls that look like art and sculpture and it's just it was beyond and I started looking around I was like I I don't know God okay this is beat and grace was kind of walking ahead of me and I just put my hand on one of these walls that must have gone up hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of feet and I just put my hands on the wall and just looking up and feeling the scale of this experience and out of the abundance of my heart came this statement I wrote it down here um I looked up and I said what what kind of God are you and then I think I said I don't I don't even know you I didn't know like you've made this just cuz you wanted to just cuz you're an artist just cuz you're a sculptor just cuz it reveals another dimension of who you are and how you work you are massive you are big you are fortified you are strong like I am I'm undone at the base of one of the rocks you created on this planet called Earth you go back and you look at the Genesis account and you see that God did Bryce Canyon National Park which we now call it God did that with his words he just said let there be and I mean going to Zion National Park and seeing these big rocks and these mountains of these cliffs and these plateaus and these trees it's just wow God you are extraordinary I was reminded of Isaiah 55 or gods like you you think I think like you you think I'm my way he says this for my thoughts about mercy are not like your thoughts and my ways are way different than yours as high as the heavens are above the earth so my ways and my thoughts are higher than yours and it dawned on me what was happening to me I was experiencing majesty I was experiencing the majestic nature of God you know the Bible says is that the hills the mountains the valleys the rivers the Seas the oceans the trees the birds the fish the Tigers the Lions the Bears they are all declare his glory what's his glory the essence of his character they all reveal to you who God is and if you've gotten out at all during kovat and during the quarantine maybe you've had a chance to put things in perspective majesty the word majestic or majesty literally means impressive beauty impressive scale impressive sovereignty majesty is beauty majesty is scale Majesty is sovereignty in that moment of Bryce National Park I was experiencing God's beauty God's scale God's sovereignty and I was overwhelmed I was on done like Ephesians 3:20 says God will do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask think or even imagine can I ask a question what happened to majesty now God's always been majestic God's character is just he is beauty his scale is unfathomable his sovereignty knows no end and yet we live in a technological age an information age where we are kind of led to believe by our own brains by our own wisdom that somehow we have a grasp on the eternal one somehow we we figured him out we know his thoughts we know his ways we know what he does we know what he doesn't like we under stand God I just took one family road trip and one big massive red burning orange rock in the middle of Utah to remind me I don't know God what tells us that we have God figured out what tells us this you go back to the woman at the well you go back to Jesus at the well and even in these times it seems like Majesty had been lost do you see it there's this discussion and this Samaritan woman who's been completely ostracized and marginalized by the Jews they were seen as half-breeds there was intense bigotry and oppression and racism and Jesus comes with the well to be right in the middle of it and to experience the tension and to send a message to us in 2020 in the United States of America that if you follow Jesus you got to follow him to the well again and learn his ways but notices Jesus does the unthinkable he does the unheard of he starts speaking to a Samaritan woman then it gets worse so to speak he has a theological discussion with a Samaritan woman women weren't even educated let alone a Samaritan woman by the time they get to the end of theological discussion did you do you remember what she says she was well this is all so confusing and here's what I know I know the anointed ones coming the true Messiah and tell us everything we need to know when he arrives now for those that don't know one of the prevailing thoughts is that Jesus would arrive with a tada cutter the DA and like the sky would split and the angels would be singing blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna hosanna hosanna like Judah what are you doing that's fifth of July yeah but I think they thought there would be song and there'd be pomp and circumstance and Jesus would arrive and everyone be like Messiah superhero King God and he'd be like floating a cloud you know and there'd be music and rhythm and dance and the whole world would be like Messiah but that's not what he did at all born in a barn in this little town called Bethlehem and nobody was there but pets and everyone's like well the Shepherd's came right they were outcasts socially there was like the Wiseman came the Wiseman didn't come to the barn in Bethlehem they came later when he was probably two years old he was a toddler so there was no pomp there was no circumstance so naturally he wasn't recognized a lot of people were like oh no isn't that just the carpenter's son he doesn't act like God he certainly doesn't look like God one portion of scripture says Jesus was average looking he wasn't good-looking like you and me notice I throw myself in there you know he there wasn't anything about it was like who oh what a great jawline he was just very average looking and so this woman like many people in that time said well then you know the man the superhero you know like the one he's gonna come he's gonna tell us everything whatever happened to majesty whatever happened to a God who whose ways are not our ways whose priorities not whose values are not necessarily our values he said um you don't have to look into longer I'm right here I am the I am talking to you I mean who knows the emotion wait you you seem like a like the nicest person I've ever met but you look like a guy a normal guy something must have rang true because she gets so excited she runs in the village let's talk more majesty then the 12 disciples come back now they unlike the woman going back into the village and by the way they would have seen the woman going what are we they come back to the well they know Jesus as the Messiah but they never thought the Messiah would talk to her they know Jesus is God but they also know that he's for the Jews it's not for the Samaritans he's Jewish it's not for a half-breed which they would have called this summit so they come back to the well the so so the woman doesn't recognize him the disciples know it's Jesus they've seen his miracles and his wonders in his ways they've heard his teaching with authority and yet what are they John for 27 they are stunned to see Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman that word stunned means we didn't see this coming you know what that is that's majesty that's Majesty Majesty is impressive or transcendent beauty scale and sovereignty translation the woman and the disciples by the well and the whole Samaritan village it's on its way don't have God figured out everyone gets a shock at the well that day can I ask you a question when's the last time you were shocked by God when's the last time you were surprised he was over there when's the last time you saw God all the way out there and thought didn't think he would be there when's the last time you didn't recognize God only to realize oh this is God let's talk about Majesty for a moment one of its definitions if you look it up means sovereignty it's an impressive sovereignty in prayer what sovereignty it's just rule its domain is Dominion his sovereignty sovereignty speaks of rule and reign and the Bible says the earth is the Lord's and the fullness there of I'll give you an example sovereignty sovereignty is what I have in my home right it's one of my favorite things to do with my kids because my kids will be like hey you know they'll tell each other hey don't do that especially my oldest right or the you know and they they switch turns trying to be in charge and what do I tell them hey you're not the dad hey you're not the mom I'm in charge and every single day there's probably a moment or two where my kids go whoa didn't realize that was such a big deal to dad didn't realize that was a priority to mom right I'm constantly flexing my sovereignty over the Smith household to say I have rule here I have authority I have domain mom and I control the culture and no we're not that nope that's not allowed no and my kids know I'm in charge do the kids on earth know God's in charge God's in charge one of the most difficult couple of weeks I had was at the beginning after witnessing myself the murder of a Matar berry the horrific suffocation and murder of George Floyd amongst countless other black men and women who had been murdered in this country for more than 400 years Chelsea would tell you this for a couple of weeks it's as if I was covered in sand I was like in a sand dune all I could see was the problem all I could see that it's people aren't listening uh-uh-uh-uh-uh white people aren't listening why can't they see the pain and and I almost lost myself probably the worst point was Chelsea saying what about the grace of God Judah and I told her that feels like a million miles away right now she's like that's maybe the most difficult thing I've heard you say well what happened I forgot about majesty I forgot about sovereignty God is in charge we are not I'm gonna say it again God is in charge we are not do you believe that God rules over the United States of America can I appeal to all those who follow Jesus they follow in his footsteps you want to live love and look like Jesus can I shoot is God not in charge it's God not in charge have we dumbed down and diluted our worldview by believing somehow that the agendas and the power struggle of men and women control and dictate the direction of this country oh though many will come and go and they will try to to gain power and they will grow their ego and they will though that will happen and has always happened in this nation nations of the world is not God sovereign he is he is in control whatever happened to majesty when's the last time you and I were surprised by God and here's here's the two takeaways I get from majesty magic he teaches us two things about God it teaches us number one that God supersedes us and number two God will surprise us here's what the majesty of God teaches us God will supersede us and God will surprise us God is beyond you and God will surprise you now if you're here right now in the United States of America or watching anywhere around the world and recently you have felt like God is so much bigger God's plans God's ways what God's doing is so beyond your context so beyond your exposure so beyond your culture so beyond your journey so beyond how your grandparents or your dad or your mom or your uh aunt or uncle raised you or talk to you or thought that you should think is God way beyond that in your mind here's the interesting thought that I had recently does God believe everything you believe because if he does you might be God in your life God will disagree with you yeah yeah he's a real person God will literally be like son that's not the way it is we are living in the time we talked about this in this context of repentance what is repentance is a change of mind a change of view a change of perspective a change of thought I'm telling you God is disagreeing with pervasive prevailing thoughts in the United States of America and he does it out of love because he wants us to truly understand one another love one another care for one another and being the country and countries of the world that he designed us to be and most specifically that we would be the church the community that God has called us to be when's the last time you said something like I never knew that Wow that's God did these rocks these oh yes and that's nothing he did that at a day with words now God will supersede us and God will surprise us I want to do the Isaiah 55 one more time show you something again as we come to a close Isaiah 55 I think it's verses 89 notice specifically the prophet Isaiah prophesied on behalf of God he says my thoughts about mercy are not like your thoughts my thoughts about mercy thoughts about mercy are not like your thoughts and my ways are what are way different than yours what am I the only one that like grew up kind of I hope this is okay to say kind of thinking like I I knew what God thought I knew how he worked I knew who was in I knew who was out one old-time preacher once we had lunched he's like Judah we knew who was in we knew who was out we had it all figured out my ways are way different than yours well we got to kind of just soak in that for a second don't we look at the next verse verse 9 going on look at this scale as high as the heavens are above the earth by the way we actually don't know the distance it's unfathomable so my ways my thoughts are higher than yours I mean if Isaiah 55 teaches us anything prophet Isaiah is prophesying about a relationship that we're gonna have with this God who goes way beyond our finite limited scale and thought I'm gonna take it a step further on 5th of July oh my brothers and sisters if you know who Jesus would vote for I think you're wrong that's this is my opinion now I think you're wrong I think it no matter if you are blue red or green in your party association to think that you and I know who God would vote for Judah you don't know that okay let's go to the woman at the well let's talk politics for a moment there was much politics over these two Old Testament mountains to know both were in a Samara region to know which one was the holiest of places to worship God and so this woman as a Samaritan there were Samaritan political figures there were Jewish political figures there was Rome which is the tyrannical Empire dominating the Jews and the Samaritans but there were so much political policies posturing for power and this woman alludes to that in her theological discussion she goes so who's right my party or their party who's right Jesus doesn't know it's Jesus yet doesn't know it's the Messiah of God notice what notice what happens in John chapter 4 you must be a prophet so tell me why do our fathers worship God here on this near Mountain but your people teach that Jerusalem is the place where we must worship which is right who would you vote for Jesus goes on to not give her an answer the way she wants it he never says in fact you could say he's like oh no I'm part of the kingdom and doesn't matter which side it matters your heart and it's your heart and that's what's important not not where you worship oh do we have to have to figure it out do you have God figured out do I have God figured out what's the last time you read his story book and thought oh that's not the God I knew oh that kind of unpacks and unravels a whole perspective that I thought was right now I know is wrong two things I know about majesty number one it will prove to you that God supersedes you this is beyond you this is beyond my definition of God if God fits within your definition we are running the risk of making God in our own image it's the exact opposite we are in his image so the image maker the image creator the designer we yield to His Majesty just his rocks the rocks he make are beyond our wildest imaginations just putting my hand on one of them in this place we now call Utah made me go I don't think I really know you a majesty helps us understand the goddess who precede us and lastly and with his goddess surprises God will surprise us when's the last time I'll ask it again you were surprised by God do you see it in John for the word stunned it's probably even a more colorful word than surprised but the disciples returned and were surprised it's a nice way stunned those are good words they were offended they were beside themselves what they were surprised to see Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman when's the last time you were surprised by who Jesus God was associating with do you know everybody who saved and not saved have you figured it out oh we have never needed humility more than the 5th of July 2020 in the United States of America just maybe this Jesus we worship is exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask think or even imagine that's who I want to read to you feeds for start playing the piano quietly so it sounds incredibly spiritual but look at the fusions chapter if I want to read this passage to you because it speaks so much sorry Ephesians chapter 3 speak so much to where we are and I I in with this on 5th of July God will supersede us and does supersede us lastly God will surprise us if you're white you're part of this church [Music] you should be surprised we shouldn't but I am God has surprised me in 2020 I'm surprised by my ignorance surprised by my prejudice shocked by my learned bigotry racist thoughts racist notions tolerated racist jokes I'm shocked shocked some of us we take that surprise and we seem somehow to interpret it as lessening who we are when in reality it's amplifying and growing who you are and your understanding of God it's God not sovereign is he not in control do we suddenly not believe that God is orchestrating this human rights movement not just civil rights but human rights movement for the dignity and equity of black human beings be surprised I said that earlier in the series be stunned that's what God does he surprises I listened Ephesians 3 verse 20 I'll read this to you it says starting in verse 14 I'm gonna start reading in verse 14 just listen to this whole passage and let it just sink into your soul I saw so low so much like my dad my dad used to read large portions of scripture to the church and I remember thinking this young man when I preach I'm just gonna keep it brief you know and then I'm like the older I get I'm like we just need to read more of Scripture and just get it into our soul so let this be like water to your thirsty soul Paul says I kneel humbly in awe before the father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah the perfect father of every father and child in heaven and on earth I'm praying for you the God would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive power Wow scale that then by constantly using your faith the life of Jesus will be released deep inside of you and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life I mean I I need another hour to talk I mean this is unbelievable it's believable actually then you'll be in power to discover what every Holy One experienced it's the great magnitude the great magnitude the great majesty the majestic nature and the astonishing love of Jesus in all its dimensions how deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love how enduring and inclusive it is endless love beyond measurement that trap that transcends our understanding is your understanding being transcended are you learning things you never learned before are you seeing people you've never seen before that is the work of a sovereign majestic god this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God Wow never never never never never doubt never doubt church home God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish all of this he will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request your most unbelievable dream and exceed your wildest imagination he will he will outdo them all for his miraculous power constantly energizes you now tell me if that sounds predictable tell me if that sounds safe tell me if that sounds like there's no risk tell me that sounds stationary tell me that sounds stagnant tell me that sounds immovable now listen to the words of the great Apostle Paul as he tries to scribe the majestic majesty and nature of God it is beyond us it supersedes us are we not supposed to be surprised by our God are we not supposed to be surprised how he guides Nations are we not supposed to be surprised how he guides men and women of power God will take what the enemy means for evil he'll work it for good when you and I least expected we're supposed to be the the rare group of people on the planet that have a hope in a majestic God it was so big oh we got a we gotta let go of these arrogant prideful perspectives that lead us to believe that in our finite human little self that we've got God figured out oh that that's not be careful now well you know the Bible says all right be careful might I suggest that if we don't know we don't say we listen we learn and we watch as God supersedes us and surprises well I know God will come soon he'll tell us everything we need to know oh dear woman I'm here now have we forgotten that God is here God is amongst us who is this God who will do exceedingly abundantly above I would like to predict something for the world that the days ahead are going to continue to baffle the brightest human minds in this country and the world for the love of God and the person of Jesus the most powerful agent in the universe and God is and his kingdom will come and his will will be done and so we join hands and arms and shoulders shoulder with generations of Jesus followers that goes back centuries and we say come Lord Jesus come Lord Jesus it's painful it's difficult it's beyond us we don't understand at all come Lord have your way this is your church this is your country this show world and we simply yield and surrender to your plan and purpose and are privileged to play our part this I'm done this might be a little bit challenging but I'm asking our church to lay hold of as if you could recover as if you could forgive my language for lack of better terms to to to to lay hold of and recover majesty again majesty is that character of God that when we gather like this we all go Wow right it's what the preacher goes this is kind of what I'm seeing right now but next week I'll probably see something I never seen before and the church goes I never seen that and we grow in the Grace and knowledge of our superseding surprising Savior are you shocked are you surprised is this way beyond you welcome to worshiping and following Jesus God we thank you so much for what you're doing what you're speaking what you're saying in our community what you're doing in our country in the countries of the world thank you God like thank you just Wells up in my heart and rolls out effortlessly thank you thank you thank you and we asked for the peace and prosperity of this country yes we do but God we ask for the people of this country there would be freedom liberty and justice for all you are in control shows now where we are to follow you what we are to say how we are to love our neighbor thank you for that if you hear and you're watching you're listening you say Judah I'd like to become a follower of Jesus I want to encourage you and invite you welcome you to receive the free gift of forgiveness and only Jesus offers all your air wrong and sin forgiven in a moment past present future totally and completely forgiven and you will have a right relationship with God that will never end just by believing receiving the act in person of Jesus on the cross there he died was buried rose again on the third day and defeated condemnation guilt shame death the grave hell so that we can spend eternity with God in the next life completely loved and completely accepted this free gift is available if you'd like to receive that gift on the count of three wherever you are just lift up your hand one two three that's you Jesus you see these hands right now and I thank you you see souls you see us through and through you know it's better than we know ourselves thank you for forgiveness thank you for freedom from err wrong and sin we love you Jesus amen amen

Channel: Churchome

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Keywords: Churchome, Judah, Judah smith, church, message, anxiety, depression, how to, elevation, Steven, Hillsong, oceans, sermon, the city church, church home, Chelsea smith, bobby Houston, td jakes, pastor, pastor preaching, carl lentz, Jesus, conference, guest speaker, sermon jam, worship, Justin Bieber, la Hillsong, Selena, preaching, Judah message, performance

Id: HLcA-TDY2Kw

Length: 45min 12sec (2712 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 06 2020