Worship Service for April 25, 2021

WELCOME

Good morning and welcome to CrossPointe Community Church’s online worship presentation. I thank God for all of you and for the opportunity to spend these moments with you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This coming Friday is the last Friday of the month and therefore, we will be offering our monthly free Community Meal. If you’d like to volunteer your time to carry the meals from our little kitchen to the cars lined up in the parking lot, you’ll need to be here from 4:50 to about 6:10. Please let me know if you plan on helping out. Once again, we thank our local Lions’ Club for sponsoring this outreach.

How about a little Jesus humor to get us going this morning?

A well-known pastor was attending a community event, walking along taking sips from a bottle of water. After passing a security guard, the officer stopped the pastor and said that he thought he could smell alcohol as the pastor walked by. “May I ask what’s in that water bottle?”
Why, it’s water,” replied the pastor.
“Do you mind if I check that?”
“Not at all.”
The officer took the water bottle, held up to his nose and said, “Pastor, I hate to differ with you, but this doesn’t smell like any water I’m familiar with; it smells like wine.”
The pastor says, “That Jesus is at it again.”

CALL TO WORSHIP

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

OPENING WORSHIP SONGS

For All You’ve Done

Morgan, Reuben

My Savior….Redeemer
Lifted me from the miry clay
Almighty…forever…
I’ll never be the same
Cause You came near
From the everlasting to the world we live
The Father’s only Son

And You lived and You died
And You rose again on high
And You opened the way
For the world to live again
Hallelujah…for all You’ve done.

My Savior….Redeemer
Lifted me from the miry clay
Almighty…forever…
I’ll never be the same
Cause You came near
From the everlasting to the world we live
The Father’s only Son

And You lived and You died
And You rose again on high
And You opened the way
For the world to live again
Hallelujah… for all You’ve done.

And You lived and You died
And You rose again on high
And You opened the way
For the world to live again
Hallelujah…

Cause You came near
From the everlasting
to the world we live
The Father’s only Son
Cause You came near
From the everlasting
to the world we live
The Father’s only Son

And You lived and You died
And You rose again on high
And You opened the way
For the world to live again

And You lived and You died
And You rose again on high
And You opened the way
For the world to live again

Hallelujah…Hallelujah…Hallelujah…
For all You’ve done.

This arrangement ©2008 Reuben Morgan and Hillsong Publishing
(admin in the US and Canada by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music/ASCAP)
CCLI License No. 1843349

Lord I Lift Your Name on High

Founds, Rick

Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing Your praises.
I’m so glad You’re in my life;
I’m so glad You came to save us.

You came from heaven to earth to show the way.
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay.
From the cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift Your name on high.

Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing Your praises.
I’m so glad You’re in my life;
I’m so glad You came to save us.

You came from heaven to earth to show the way.
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay.
From the cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift Your name on high.

Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I lift Your name on high.

©1989 Maranatha Praise, Inc.
CCLI License No. 1843349

Jesus, Name Above All Names

Hearn, Naida

Jesus, name above all names,
Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord.
Emmanuel, God is with us,
Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.

©1997 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music & Word Music (a div. of Word Music)
CCLI License No. 1843349

OPENING PRAYER

Gracious God, our heavenly Father, we thank You for all You have done on our behalf through Jesus. His resurrection from the dead gives us a new song to sing as we are confident that because He has been raised so will we. And we pray that others will see what You have done in and for us and put their trust in You, through Jesus, the Christ, our Lord, Amen.

THE GIVING OF THE LORD’S OFFERING

For those of you who wish to participate in today’s offering, please place your gift in the wooden box on the table near the entrance.

Today’s prayer song is titled, My Peace. It is based upon John 14:27 where Jesus promised His disciples: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

PRAYER SONG

My Peace

Routledge, Keith

My peace I give unto you.
It’s a peace that the world cannot give.
It’s a peace that the world cannot understand.
Peace to know, peace to live.
My peace I give unto you.

My love I give unto you.
It’s a love that the world cannot give.
It’s a love that the world cannot understand.
Love to know, love to live.
My love I give unto you.

©1975, 1980 and this arrangement ©1997 Kenwood Music. Admin. by Maranatha! Music
CCLI License No. 1843349

MORNING PRAYER

Alan Robbins

Please join me in prayer.

Dear Lord, our Heavenly Father.

We are ever more thankful for the opportunity to be back in your house of worship. As we take a meaningful pause in a hectic world and take time to reflect on our many blessings that you have bestowed upon us….. it is so wonderful that among our greatest blessings is the Gift of Peace that comes from the strength, love, and comfort of Jesus Christ.

This is such a precious gift, we hope that you will provide us with the presence of mind, the proper words, and caring actions to share “the Gift of Peace” with all that we come in contact with.

Please wrap your arms around everyone with a comforting hug so that they can truly feel and experience God’s Peace for themselves.

Our prayers reach out to our church’s leaders, our community’s leaders, and the country’s leaders to provide peace, love, and comfort as we work for the good of all our people.

Lord, we know you will stay by our side. We know you will listen and guide our prayers to Reach Out…. to Hold….. to give Help….. to give Love….to give Peace …and to give Joy to those that are grieving, for those that are ill, for those that are hurting in any way and prayers for our own needs.

Thank you Lord, as we give God’s Glory ….and Grace…… and Joy….and Refuge…… and Strength….. and Love ….and Peace to our community and the world in which we live.

In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

SCRIPTURE

Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that He was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—His disciples did). So He left Judea and returned to Galilee.

He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually He came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, ‘You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?’

Jesus replied, ‘If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water.’

‘But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,’ she said, ‘and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think You’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?’

Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’

‘Please, sir,’ the woman said, ‘give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.’

‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her.

‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied.

Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’

‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?’

Jesus replied, ‘Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.’

The woman said, ‘I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’

Then Jesus told her, ‘I am the Messiah!’

Just then His disciples came back. They were shocked to find Him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, ‘What do you want with her?’ or ‘Why are you talking to her?’ The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’ So the people came streaming from the village to see Him.

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’

But Jesus replied, ‘I have a kind of food you know nothing about.’
‘Did someone bring Him food while we were gone?’ the disciples asked each other.

Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work. You know the saying, Four months between planting and harvest. But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, One plants and another harvests. And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.’

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’ When they came out to see Him, they begged Him to stay in their village. So He stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear His message and believe. Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’

John 4:1-42

Speaking of the harvest, let’s sing a song of the harvest.

Little is Much When God is in It

Brock, Dwight/Suffield, Mrs. F.W. Kittie Louise

In the harvest field now ripened,
There’s a work for all to do;
Hark, the voice of God is calling,
To the harvest calling you.

Little is much when God is in it,
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it
And He’ll not forget His own.

Little is much when God is in it,
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run;
He will say if we are faithful
Welcome home, my child well done.

Little is much when God is in it,
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

©1969 Stamps-Baxter Music (Admin. by Brentwood Music Publishing, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 1843349

THE MESSAGE

Randy K’Meyer

Come and See

“Come and see.”

Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see Him.

John 4:29-30

It certainly wasn’t long after this encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well that she became an evangelist. Her battle cry was, Come and see, come and see, come and see the man who told me everything I ever did.’ In other words, what she is saying is, ‘I’ve had an encounter with the divine and you need to experience this too!’

This isn’t the first time this ‘come and see’ phrase has been used in this gospel.

In the first chapter, Jesus invites Philip to follow Him and it isn’t long before Philip goes off to find Nathaniel and says to him, “‘We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.’
‘Nazareth!’ exclaimed Nathanael. ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’
Come and see for yourself,’ Philip replied” (John 1:45-46).

What Philip and the woman at the well are saying is, ‘We’ve just had an encounter with Jesus. He is most extraordinary person we’ve ever met! Come and see for yourself, come and experience what we are experiencing.’

This Come and See catch phrase holds a key to reaching people for Christ.

Let me explain why this is so.

As you know the eventual goal in evangelism is that we win the person for Christ by encouraging them to believe the good news that Jesus died for peoples’ sins so that they could be made right with God.

But that’s somewhat of an uphill battle, not insurmountable but uphill because it’s not easy to get another person to change their beliefs. Everybody has a belief system, a philosophy of life if you will, and that includes what they believe about religion. Because most people want to think they right in what they have chosen to believe, very few people are open to changing what they believe about anything, especially politics or religion.

For that reason, we would do well to follow these early disciples example and generally find ways to first say, ‘Come and see,’ come and see what Jesus has done for me; hoping that the other person’s curiosity will lead to discover for themselves.

Doesn’t that make sense? Rather than starting with our truth propositions: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), or Romans 3:25, “People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding his blood,” let’s start with, ‘Hey my friend, come and see, this is what Jesus has done for me, He can do the same for you.’

Of course, this is predicated on having an experience with God.

In his fine book, Blue Like Jazz, author Donald Miller talks honestly about his evangelistic misgivings before his faith deepened:

I could not in good conscience tell a friend about a faith that didn’t excite me. I couldn’t share something I wasn’t experiencing. And I wasn’t experiencing Christianity. It didn’t do anything for me at all. It felt like math, like a system of rights and wrongs. And if I would have shared Christianity with somebody, it would have felt mostly like I was trying to get somebody to agree with me rather than meet God. 1

It may be true that some of us are in the same boat Don Miller was in. Perhaps our Christian faith isn’t really that exciting to us?

All of us need to be wary of the spiritual disease which people in medieval times called accidie (aksidē)? This malady describes a state of listlessness, of not caring. Christians with accidie, have grown complacent about their Christian faith, they take it for granted, it has become ho-hum to them, in other words they have lost any enthusiasm they might have had. 2

Today, psychologist refer to the same thing as ‘habituation.’

“Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations.” 3 The first time we come to grips with the good news that Jesus died for us, it’s like, ‘Wow, really, I can be forgiven, I’m going to heaven someday.’ But as time goes on, and we are reminded again and again of what God has done, the excitement we initially had begins to wane.

Last week we closed with William Booth’s vision for the lost. He knew the importance of enthusiasm when it came to evangelism. He was fond of saying, “Tend to the fire because it’s in the nature of fire to go out.” 4

Is there anything we can do to, as Booth counseled, “tend the fire”?

Of course, there is. We simply need to recall and rehearse what God has done for us in Jesus. I am suggesting we write down the things Christ has done for us. And then use those things to help us say to someone else, ‘Come and see.’

For although our faith is based upon a set of truth propositions, “Christ died for our sins according to the scripture, He was buried and raised on the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4); IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!

Come and see what Jesus has done, or is doing, or is going to do for me.

Come and see; ever since I became a follower of Jesus, He has given me a newfound sense of peace. When bad things happen in my life, I have someone to turn to, to talk to, and when I do, a sense of deep peace comes over me and I sleep better at night.

Come and see; after I met Jesus, I discovered a new sense of joy and hope. Before Christ, I lived a pretty despondent life, same old routine day after day. But now that I have God in my life, my life has taken on a new dynamic. God and I are working together, even in little things, to help bring His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Now each day, I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in my life.

Come and see; Jesus has really helped me with my love life. Before I became a Christian I had a hard time getting along with people. I was pretty selfish, always insisting on my own way. And although I got what I wanted, I found I had fewer and fewer friends. But once I gave my life to Christ, I have been learning to put others first. And now I have new friends in my life.

Come and see; Jesus has given me a new-found sense of confidence about my life. I used to always be anxious, always worried, always expecting the worst. But now, I am convinced that regardless of what comes my way, I will be able to handle it because God is with me and I can turn to Him to let Him know what’s bothering me and it’s amazing the new perspective I always receive when I do that.

Come and see; before I met Jesus, I used to live in fear of death, how was I going to die, and always wondering where I was going to end up. But now I have a peace about it because I know where I’m going.

Or, it could be, come and see what God is doing at our church. It is so exciting to be part of a group of people who not only love one another but also do our best to love others in our community. Joyce Morrison sent me a card, in which she said, “It is so wonderful to see all the wonderful things you folks do. It’s like seeing the Book of Acts come alive.”

I am convinced it will make all the difference in our evangelistic efforts to let others know what we experience as a result of a relationship with God through faith in His Son. People might argue with us about our beliefs, but they really can’t argue with us about what we are experiencing.

Many years ago three friends were panning for gold in Montana, and one of them found an unusual stone. Breaking it open, he was excited to see that it contained gold. Working eagerly, the men soon discovered an abundance of the precious metal. Happily, they began shouting with delight, “We’ve found it! We’ve found gold!” Shortly thereafter, these guys had to go to town for supplies. Before they left camp, the men agreed not to tell a soul about their find. Indeed, no one breathed a word about it to anyone while they were in town. Much to their dismay; however, when they were about to return to camp, over a dozen men were preparing to follow them. One of the prospectors asked them which of the other told them about the gold. And one in the crowd answered, “No one had to; your faces showed it!” 5

I want to tell you, the way I read John 4, that woman at the well who had an unforgettable encounter with Jesus ran back to town with a her face shining! That’s how it ought to be in the church!

One author writes,

Enthusiasm is that certain something that makes us great, that pulls us out of the mediocre and commonplace. It glows and shines, it lights up our faces, Enthusiasm, the inspiration that makes us wake up and live. It puts spring in our step and a twinkle in our eyes. Enthusiasm, it changes a deadpan salesman to a producer, a pessimist to an optimist, a loafer to a go-getter. Enthusiasm, if we have it, we should thank God for it. If we don’t have it, then we should get down on our knees and pray for it. 6

Dr. Vance Havner, a great evangelist who ministered in the 1930’s and 40’s and who was instrumental in Billy Graham’s decision to become an evangelist tells the story about how during a revival in southern Texas he came to know a member of the church, a young Mexican named Pilo. He was a radiant Christian with all the refreshing enthusiasm of a simple believer, who according to Havner, tongue in cheek, hadn’t yet met too many Bible scholars. One night Pilo brought a friend to the revival, another young Mexican, who came forward at the end of the preaching to give his life to Christ. Later on, Havner heard this friend of Pilo’s explain his interest in Christianity. “I just wanted to be like Pilo,” he said. “Ever since he became a believer in this Jesus, he’s just so excited all the time.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to encourage you to take pen and paper and begin to reflect upon what God in Christ has done for you.

How is your life different because you belong to Him? How have you been blessed? In what ways does Christ make a difference in your life every day?

And once you’ve completed this exercise, pray and thank God for what He has done. Ask Him to help you to begin living every day with enthusiasm for life in Christ. Ask Him to fill you with His love, joy and peace that you might radiate and that others will see.

For one key to evangelism is regaining or in some cases cultivating a new-found enthusiasm for what God has done for us in Jesus and inviting people to come and see.

A young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, “I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”
The manager replied, “Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty.” 7

So it is with evangelism.

The woman at the well’s come and see invitation made the people of her town thirsty. And after they came and saw they said to her, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves. Now we know that He is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).

So it is with evangelism. So let it be with us.

CLOSING PRAYER

(I encourage you to pray as you feel led by God to pray).

CLOSING SONG

Pass It On

Kaiser, Kurt

It only takes a spark
To get a fire going,
And soon all those around
Can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s love…
Once you’ve experienced it;
You spread His love to ev’ryone,
You want to pass it on.

What a wondrous time is spring
When all the trees are budding,
The birds begin to sing,
The flowers start their blooming;
That’s how it is with God’s love…
Once you’ve experienced it;
You want to sing; it’s fresh like spring…
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you, my friend,
This happiness that I’ve found.
You can depend on Him…
It matters not where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from the mountaintop…
I want my world to know;
The Lord of love has come to me…
I want to pass it on.

The Lord of love has come to me…
I want to pass it on.

©1969 Bud John Songs, Inc.(a division of EMI Christian Music Publishing).
CCLI License No. 1843349

BENEDICTION

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

II Thessalonians 2:16-17

1 Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, [Nashville Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, © 2003), pp. 115-116

2 Accidie: A Spiritual Disease
From Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, page for October 10
https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-illustrations/4471/accidie-a-spiritual-disease/

3 https://www.google.com/search?q=example+habituation&rlz=1C1CHBF_e
nUS807U
S807&oq=example+habituation&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30l9.8127j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

4 https://hotsermons.com/sermon-illustrations/sermon-illustrations-enthusiasm.html

5 Source Unknown.
http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/w/witnessing.htm

6 Source unknown
https://bible.org/illustration/certain-something

7 November-December 1985, Preaching.
https://bible.org/illustration/create-thirst