God Is In Your Story

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It's time, Your time, not just to 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.199 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:11.080 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:15.160 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:19.280 Welcome to the Joe Loustine Podcast. Help us continue to 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:22.280 share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:26.600 Visit joeloostin dot com slash give hope to give a gift. 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:37.760 Today, I was at the Worthm Center watching a theatrical 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:40.720 play with about five of my friends. 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:43.680 We decided to go kind of at the last minute, 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:47.119 and our seats were way back in the back. They 0:01:47.160 --> 0:01:50.120 weren't good seats at all, so there was five of 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:55.080 us in bad seats with one pair of binoculars. Yeah, 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:59.120 that's really interesting, one pair of binoculars among five people. 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:00.720 Yeah. 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.840 I can remember watching the play and I felt so 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:08.520 disconnected from the story because I really couldn't see the 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:11.680 stage well enough. And I don't know if you're over 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:15.040 forty in here today, but you know, when you can't see, 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:19.760 you feel like you can't hear. So I was waiting 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:22.840 and waiting and waiting for those binoculars to make their 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.640 way into my hands, and when they finally did, I 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:29.920 was so excited. I pulled those binoculars up to my 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:34.400 face and focused in on the stage, and it was amazing. 0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:38.480 I could see the expression on the actor's faces. 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:40.080 I could hear so well. 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:42.840 In fact, I felt like I was on the stage 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.880 with them and part of the story. You see, my 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:52.919 perspective had totally changed because the distance between my seat 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:55.720 and the stage was closed. 0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:01.120 See, once which was far away, became near to me. 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:08.200 Ephesians two thirteen says this, in Christ, you who are 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:13.000 once far away, have been brought near by the blood 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:18.600 of Jesus. You see, we've all been far away from God. 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:24.239 We've all experienced bad seats, so to speak. But can 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:28.160 I tell you this that through the binoculars of Jesus Christ, 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.640 God has drawn us near to him. He has closed 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:38.280 the gap between God the Father and us through the 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:44.320 binoculars of Jesus Christ. See, God is an up close 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:49.240 and personal God today, and he wants to draw you 0:03:50.240 --> 0:03:54.360 unto himself. He wants you to know that there doesn't 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:58.160 have to be distance between you. He wants you to 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:01.400 know today that there may be some billion people on 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:05.720 this planet, and it's easy to think God, out of 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:08.400 all these people, how do you see little O me? 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:10.760 You've heard my prayers. 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:14.520 God, I feel like things aren't changing quick enough. I'm 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:18.400 still in this situation. God, have you forgotten or can 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:23.320 you even see me? We've all had those thoughts, we've 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:27.960 all felt that doubt. But that doesn't stop God, that 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:33.080 doesn't chase God off. God is right there with us. 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:38.120 He is in our story, he is on our stage. 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.800 We've just got to recognize that He's as close as 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.800 the very breath that we breathe, and that the distance 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:49.960 between us has been closed through Jesus Christ. You see, 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:54.240 some people think that they need to change their life. 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.800 Before they can draw near to God. They need to 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:59.200 clean up a few things, you know. 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.360 Some some times, just the way we live our life 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:07.039 makes us feel distant from Almighty God. But can I 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:11.120 tell you today that you can't clean your own life up, 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:14.400 You can't bring the change that God wants to bring 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:18.600 in your life until you realize he's right there with you, 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.440 and you accept Him into your life and you go 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:27.880 to him daily. Because it's God who works in us 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:32.520 and through us. You see, the gap has been closed. 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:36.880 There is nothing that God cannot. 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:38.680 Do for you through Jesus Christ. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:41.839 There's no mess that you made that he can't help 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:45.520 you clean up. There's nothing on the inside of you 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:48.440 that would make you distant from God. 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:52.000 You see, he loves you just the way you are. 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:55.960 In fact, the Bible says, when we were still sinners, 0:05:56.279 --> 0:06:00.840 we were far away because that gap was full of sin. 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:06.120 He came to us through Jesus Christ. 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:12.800 He came to us. We didn't come to him. Today, 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:15.840 he's with you. He's drawing you. 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:21.120 Don't let anything stand between you and God the Father. 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:25.400 He wants a relationship with you today. It's as easy 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:29.920 as that. Every single day, no matter what we're carrying, 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:33.400 no matter what we feel, no matter what we did, 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:35.040 he still wants a. 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:39.400 Relationship with you. There's a beautiful story in John four. 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:44.239 Jesus was coming from Judea heading to Galilee with his disciples. 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:46.360 He said, I have need. 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:51.919 To go to Samaria. Now, Samaria was on the way 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:57.200 to Galilee. But Jewish people never go through Samaria. In fact, 0:06:57.240 --> 0:07:00.520 they would take the long way around just to avoid 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:06.000 going through Samaria because Jews and Samaritans didn't like each other. 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:07.159 They didn't mix. 0:07:07.600 --> 0:07:10.760 But he told his disciple, I have to break protocol, 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:15.480 I have to break the rules. I need to go 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:20.720 to Samaria. He needed to go to Samaria because he 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:23.679 had an appointment with a woman at the well. 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:26.520 The woman came with her watering jar. 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:30.520 That's where all the women came to collect water for 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:34.400 their daily needs. She came with her watering jar. She 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:37.240 thought it was just a normal day. She did not 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:43.200 realize that she had an appointment with living water. She 0:07:43.480 --> 0:07:47.520 got there that day with an earthly perspective. Have you 0:07:47.560 --> 0:07:50.040 ever had an earthly perspective. I'm just going to work, 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:52.520 I'm taking my kids to school, I'm doing the dishes, 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:56.320 I'm running my errands. She came that day with an 0:07:56.360 --> 0:08:02.160 earthly perspective. She didn't she was gonna leave with a 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:03.400 heavenly perspective. 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:10.040 You see, Jesus drew her unto himself. 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:14.880 She thought she was just drawing water, something that would 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.760 be a temporary fix for the day. But he offered 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:22.520 her something greater than that. He offered her living water, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:27.240 so she got a little closer to him. Now you 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.640 have to realize this woman came to the well at noon, 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.920 and the story is this. She wanted to avoid the 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:37.439 other women that came in the morning at the cool 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:39.400 of the day, so she said, I don't care if 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:41.760 it's hot. I want to get in and I want 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:44.719 to get out. I want to avoid the women at 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:47.840 the well. I want to stay to myself. I want 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.360 to stay isolated. You see, the enemy. 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:52.520 Wants us to be isolated. 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:57.319 But Jesus said, you don't have to be isolated. I'm 0:08:57.360 --> 0:08:59.839 going to give you this gift of living water. And 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.960 as they begin to have a conversation, he said to her, 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:10.920 go get your husband. She paused, and she said, I 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:15.280 don't have a husband. And he said that's the truth. 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:19.520 He said, you've had five husbands and the man that 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.280 you're with now is not your husband. 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:25.000 Well that really got. 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:29.160 Her attention because she's thinking, this guy knows all about 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:32.160 me and he's still talking to me. Hey, there's people 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:34.000 that think a lot of things about me and they 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:37.160 won't talk to me. But this guy knows the truth 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:40.199 and he still wants to have a conversation with me. 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:44.000 He still wants to give me this living water. 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:48.600 Because see, she thought he was going to say, oh, 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:52.760 you don't have a husband. I know, forget the living water. 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:56.960 You don't deserve the living water. You're not living right. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:03.920 Only perfect people deserve of the living water. But Jesus said, 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:09.199 when you drink from this water, from this fountain, you'll 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:10.360 never thirst again. 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:13.239 You see. 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:19.280 He was giving her a heavenly perspective. She didn't understand 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:23.280 all of what he was saying, but she certainly got 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:27.120 to know him a little better and realize, this man 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:32.760 is different. This man is drawing me unto himself. This 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:38.560 man is breaking protocol. This man is offering me living water. 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.240 Do you know what I love about this man? Jesus, 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:46.000 we can come to him. 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:46.920 Just like we are. 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:50.400 You see, he had a need to go to this woman, 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:55.800 and he broke protocol to get to her. Jesus has 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:59.240 a need to get to you. He is offering you 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:04.079 live water. But all we have to do is say 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:06.200 yes and drink that water. 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:09.319 You see. 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:13.679 She came to the realization that this was the Messiah 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:18.120 offering her salvation. Her people have talked about the Messiah 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:18.760 for years. 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:20.920 She literally left. 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:24.880 There and ran to the town square the people she 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:27.920 was trying to avoid, got right in the middle of 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:31.559 them and started saying, come meet a man that knows 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:33.559 everything about me and he. 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:37.920 Still likes me. In fact, he loves me. You gotta 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:39.080 come see this man. 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:47.920 He'd be the Messiah because he's sure and like you. 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:52.240 You see, the Bible goes on about Jesus talking about 0:11:52.280 --> 0:11:57.280 people who will be worshippers, worshippers in spirit and in truth. 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:00.640 That's who God is seeking. 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.160 What I want us to see today, that God is 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:08.080 looking at us through his binoculars of Jesus. 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:11.920 The distance that was once there. He's brought us close. 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:16.680 He hasn't brought us close because we're perfect, because we 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:20.199 do everything right. He's looking for people who will worship 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:24.200 him in spirit and in truth. When she spoke truth 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:28.119 to him, he said, that's right, and then she continued 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:31.240 to worship him. She continued to get close to him 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:35.160 because she didn't feel judgment, she didn't feel condemned. And 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:38.880 he said, these are the people I'm looking for, people that'll. 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.960 Draw close to me in all of the truth of 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:42.640 who they are. 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.880 People who will take this living water and let it 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:50.600 quench them every single day. See, the Bible says that 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:54.200 we are to work out our salvation. See, when you 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:57.920 say yes to Jesus, you may be saved, but you 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.400 got some junk in you that needs to be worked doubt, 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.600 and God is saying this living water is available to 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:06.040 you every single day. 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.720 You don't have to run from me. You can run 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:10.080 to me. 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.680 You don't have to try to quench your thirst by 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:18.280 going to other people, by bad habits, by things of 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:19.680 this world has to offer. 0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:23.520 Come to me and let the living water which will. 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:27.079 Bubble up out of you, be the pool of refreshing 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:31.920 for you for your thirsty soul. Listen, if you've been 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:35.280 in this world long enough, you realize you can get thirsty. 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:39.719 Mighty quick. Listen, there's a lot of thirst going on. 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:44.600 But Jesus said, when you drink from this living water, 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:47.240 it will be a continual spring. 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.400 It will wash you. 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:54.040 It will wash away the desires that you really don't 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:58.920 want anymore anyway. But you gotta be that person who 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:04.280 is willing to worship him in spirit, his spirit, and 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:08.480 in the truth of who you are, the truth of 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:12.520 who you are becoming. You see when you are one 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:15.719 with Him, which you are. The Bible says that He 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:20.280 made the two out of one, Jesus and Us became one. 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:24.760 He is the binocular that God is looking at us through. 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:29.240 He doesn't see your failures, he doesn't see your mistakes. 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:35.320 He sees you in Jesus Christ. He sees you as righteous. 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:37.400 He sees you as. 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:38.040 Who you are. 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:42.720 Listen, don't let your earthly perspective keep you from letting 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:46.720 that refreshing come to you every day. Because within you 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:50.920 is a heavenly perspective. You've just got to latch onto it. 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.640 You've got to take it, take hold of it, and 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.280 you've got to know that God is working in you 0:14:56.520 --> 0:15:01.200 to will and to do his good pleasure. Listen, you 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:07.080 don't need anything but Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, and Jesus 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.480 Christ alone is going to change your life. 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:12.880 So I would encourage. 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:16.840 You, just like that woman, you need to come and 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:20.760 drink of the living water. Don't try to clean yourself 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:24.880 up first. Let God do the work in you. Let 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:28.520 Him work out those things that you so desperately want 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:30.920 to get rid of it, and you will enjoy that 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.960 heavenly perspective and God will get. 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:36.760 You to everywhere that you need to be. Amen. 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