#483 It’s Not Fair – Grace Series# 1, Divine Detours

It’s Not Fair – Grace Series, Divine Detours
By: D. Karl Thomas

The Bible is full of stories of people who experience God’s GRACE in their “It’s Not Fair!” circumstances. David / Jepthah / Jabez

1 Chronicles 4:9-10  “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”

Some initiate their own encounter with God’s Grace.
You can finish the journey with triumph or regret.  God is committed to you living an abundant life so that you can say no more regrets.
lifehack.org   Top Dying regrets … Wish I’d have tuned out the world more … Wish I’d risked more … Wish I’d loved more …

John 4:4 “But He needed to go through Samaria.”  Went to great lengths to not pass through Samaria.

Jesus took these Jewish young men down a road they had never traveled before. This Divine detour was designed to confront their learned culture of generational bigotry.   Mixed Race … Unclean

W. Wiersbe writes in his commentary:  “So intense was their dislike of the Samaritans that some of the Pharisees prayed that no Samaritan would be raised in the resurrection!”

John 4:27 “And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why are You talking with her?’”

3 Results Of Following Jesus:
1. We find ourselves walking towards things we usually avoid.   Samaria
What do you avoid? God is committed to making us whole.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 2. We find ourselves walking towards things we don’t understand.
There are new things for us to embrace now … That’s really where repentance comes in CHANGE!!!
John 4:27 “…they marvelled (surprised, shocked, astonished) that He talked with a woman…”
There are new revelations for us to embrace. NOW!

3. We find ourselves walking into a greater capacity to express His unconditional LOVE!
Verses 40-41  “… they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.”
Acts 1:8 “…you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”   These guys need to repent of there wrong beliefs … called to take Gospel to world!

Amos 5:24 (MSG) “Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”

John 4:5-6  “It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink’”  

Like Madonna going to the bank and the only teller on duty is Donald Trump.   

4 Results Of Encountering Grace:
1. You Realize Every Natural Well Leaves You Thirsty      (Its Not Fair … as a woman in that time)
5 Husbands (SENSES)… With a guy now#6 (CONTROL) …  7th Man … Jesus perfect satisfaction
The world’s not designed to pamper you … it is designed to make you grow up!!!! 

2. The supernatural, eternal, internal fountain of life that alone can satisfy your thirsty soul is the gracious Gift of God!
You get living water … bubbling up on the inside …  external things fade away!!!!
(Verse 14) “…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”
The Gospel is big deal … the offer is incredible … SUPERNATURAL INNER LIFE FORCE … THE VERY LIFE OF GOD PULSING UP ON THE INSIDE OF ME!!!!!

3. You get healed and delivered from your pain and shame.
John 4:29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.”
You would think if someone just unpacked everything about you that the emotion may not be joy and empowerment!!!   But she beheld the very lover of her soul and received FREEDOM.
There is no condemnation in Christ!!!    …    Who told you you were naked!!!
TOWZER:—”The sweet language of experience is ‘Thou God seest Me’ When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on this earth.” 

4. Your freedom is a platform for manifesting the city-transforming power of the Grace of God.
Jesus encounter with this woman pain … results in a city-wide revival!!!
The incredible power of a testimony … The power of a transformed life!!!!

John 4:42 “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

John 4:13-14  “…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

It’s Not Fair – Grace Series# 1, Divine Detours, Sermon notes to print, PDF