The Queen of Sheba's visit to the king

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 3 MAY 2026 pm – PASTOR HENRY CASKEY

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA’S VISIT TO THE KING

1 Kings chapter 10

 

In this reading we have the visit from Queen of Sheba to Solomon. And that's what we want to look at just for a moment or two this evening.

And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train with camels that bear spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions. There was not anything hid from the king which he told her not. And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, "It is it was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. How be it, I believe not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men. Happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that bear thy wisdom. Blessed and be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel. Behold, the Lord loved Israel forever. Therefore made he the king to do judgment and justice.”

And then verse number 13.

“And the king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

 

I want us this evening just to turn to this portion of scripture and to consider here this visit of the Queen of Sheba. I want to consider that tonight in the light of the glorious gospel of course, in the light of a sinner coming to the Lord Jesus Christ because in Solomon we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the woman coming we can see a sinner likewise coming. I suppose as we look tonight, there is no greater iconic figure than this particular woman with all of her riches, with all of her wealth. It is to her and this visit tonight that we want to hear the wisdom of Solomon. As a matter of fact, the Lord Jesus Christ in his day when he was preaching, he pointed to this woman, the Queen of Sheba in Matthew 12. Here's what he had to say. "The queen of the south shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon is here." Imagine that there's coming a day when this woman will rise up and be presented as a living judgment to those who rejected and turned away from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Now I want to take a look at this tonight and I want to take a simple picture of the sinner coming to Christ this evening and the lessons that we learn from this woman.

I want you to notice first of all that this woman was informed. It tells us that right away in verse number one, it says, "And when the Queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the Lord, and she came to prove him with hard questions.” She came to prove for herself all things that she had heard about this man. Oh yes, she had listened to the stories. She had heard about the stories of his great wisdom, of his great riches, of his great wealth, of his great kingdom. But somehow she couldn't take in the half of it until she came herself and proved. And you know, we can preach the gospel from morning to night but until men and women come and prove for themselves the “delights of the Lord until all in the altar we lay.” The psalmist said "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good." Why? We cannot prove the Lord until we come and put our trust and faith in him. Whenever we think of him who loved us with an everlasting love, that he would leave the splendours of heaven, that he would leave the praise of angels that he would turn aside from his Father and would come down into this sin cursed world and be rejected of the religious leaders and men and be beaten and tortured in Pilot's judgment hall that he might save you and me. We can hardly more than take it in what it means to him, “the holy one, to take away our sin.” And yet we sit and we reject that wonderful, wonderful love this evening. This woman was informed. She heard news had come about the exploits of this man to her ears. She had heard also of the things that God had done for him in verse number nine. And how God had blessed them. Isn't that what the psalmist could say? Her mouth was filled with laughter and her tongue with singing. Then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. Here was a situation with this heathen woman. She realized that God had done some great things for Solomon and she wanted to see for herself.  There was something special about the work of God and there still is. My whenever God comes to a life and changes that life,whenever God saves a man or saves a woman, it's just a real trophy of grace. We were looking at that this morning in the story of the woman at the well. The Bible says that she had five husbands and the man that she was living with wasn't her husband at all. She went out with her little water pot and she went to the well to fill water and to bring it back into the house. The Lord saved her at the water well. Isn't that an amazing thing? And just totally transformed her life. Totally changed her. Isn't that what the scriptures tell us tonight? That if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature and the old things they have passed away and all things have become new. That's what the gospel does. Is any wonder the apostle Paul could say, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel." Why? He was going to that great intellectual city. He was going to Rome. He was taking the gospel there. He knew that he would be slandered. He knew that he'd be ridiculed. Bringing such a message to this great city of Rome of this one who came into the world and died upon a cross. The cross was a criminals death and you are coming here to preach that? Paul says I am because “I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation.” The Apostle Paul could testify “he loved me and he gave himself for me.“ We are nothing tonight but just sinners saved by grace. Naaman was a man who was informed, wasn't he? He had so many great things going for him. A great soldier, a great military leader. The applause of the world was upon him. But he was a leper. And that leprosy would take his life.  But there was a made in Naaman's house. And she came one day to Naaman's wife and said, "You know, if my master Naaman was down with the prophet in Samaria, he would be healed." Naaman's wife went told Naaman. When he was  informed, he went down. And you know the story from there on, he was totally cleansed. Isn't that what the woman at the well said this morning? Whenever her life was totally transformed, she went into the city and she started to speak to the men of the city. She said to them "Will you not come out to the well? Will you not come to where I met the Saviour? Will you not come to the one who told me all things that ever I did, is this not the Christ?" She pleaded with the men of that city. And some of them believed her word and they came and others came and believed the Lord for themselves. She informed others. Are we informing others? Are we telling men and women about the wonderful works of Christ? Isn't that what the hymnwriter said?

“Is your life a channel of blessing?

Is the love of God flowing through you?

Are you telling the lost of the Savior?

Are you ready his service to do?”

Do you remember whenever the apostle Paul was writing to that church at Colasse how he spoke about Epaphras? He says “it was through Epaphras that you believed.” He was the one that brought the gospel to them and told them about the love of the Savior and told them about how Christ died for them and those people believed the message of salvation. You see, Epaphras informed them and we need to be informing people this evening. Informing sinners, about their condemnation, informing about the uncleanness, informing that we have no hope without Christ in this world. We are blinded by the God of this world. That we are without God. We are without Christ and we are without hope. Imagine coming to the end of life and spending your final hours lying on a bed somewhere about to close your eyes in death realizing that you have no hope in this world, that you are going out into a lost and Christless eternity. It must be an awful thing. Like that man in Luke 16.  The Bible says that he died and he was buried and in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torment. What a day that would be. Have you been informed tonight? Maybe someone has handed you a gospel tract and in that little gospel tract, it tells you all things that Christ has done for you. It speaks about your lost state. It speaks about your sinful state. It speaks about the only remedy for sin and that of the cross. It speaks about the love of the Lord Jesus Christ who took your place and my place upon the cross of Calvary. Maybe you are ready to bow your knee tonight. Why not come to Christ and trust him as your own and personal Saviour this evening? This woman was informed.

But then notice something else. She was interested. She developed a keen interest to know more and to prove the message she was hearing. And so she came. You can be informed about the gospel. You can be informed about how Jesus Christ took your place on the cross. You can be informed that you are lost in your sin and going out into a lost and Christless hell. You can be informed about that. And it stops there. But this woman didn't. She had heard about Solomon. She had heard about everything that was happening in his life and how God was blessing him in a tremendous way and how he had this great wisdom and how he had these great riches and she wanted to know more. So she came. She came to where he was. The very reason that Christ used her visit when he preached to the people, was to condemn those who were so privileged and heard so much and how they just simply let it all slip by them. That's what he was doing. He was speaking to a people who had heard so much, who had such a great privilege. Imagine having the Lord Jesus Christ preaching on the very streets of Jerusalem and in that surrounding area, giving to men and to women a great opportunity of being saved and being in heaven. But yet they spurned their opportunity. He said this woman is going to rise up in judgment against you because of your neglect of what you should do. This woman will stand in judgment. She will be called against you for she heard and she acted. Isn't that what the writer in the book of Hebrews says? "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Philip Morrow way back in the late 1800s was a New York barrister. He was very very successful and very very highly educated. He was well sought after. But he was also a man of the world. He loved the limelight. He loved the parties and he was a sceptic. He didn't believe in anything about God. He didn't believe in anything spiritually whatsoever. One day he was standing in a line of people. He was going to the theatre and he was waiting for the doors to open up and to get his ticket to go in. But somehow he was compelled. He couldn't understand where that came from but he was compelled to step out of that line and to make his way down the street. And as he was making his way down the street, there was some singing that was going on in a little hall just down the way from the theatre. And somehow he couldn't get over it. It was just lovely to his ears. And as he approached that door, the door was opened up and there's a man standing who welcomed him in and shook his hand and gave him a little leaflet. This great barrister who didn't believe in anything. That night he was informed about the love of God. The preacher that night preached about “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He preached about the love of God. And this great barrister was sitting just in the midst of all the number that were gathered in that evening. He was informed of what his life was like. He was really counting the cost because he realized that every word that he was saying was absolutely right as to what he was. He had everything that this old world could have. Jesus says, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" He was a young barrister. The world was before him. The money that he was earning was great. He had everything that he could ever ask for. But he didn't have God's salvation. And that night, he was informed that he was a sinner, lost, and undone. And as he sat in the midst of that little congregation, he cried out to the God of heaven that he would come to him and save his precious soul. He trusted in God that night. He was informed. He was interested and he came. And that's how we are saved tonight. We're not saved tonight just because we attend a church. We are not saved tonight just because we switch on YouTube and listen to a gospel service. We are saved tonight whenever we come and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our own and personal Saviour and forget about everything else that we were trusting in. We might have trusted in our church. We might have trusted in our good works. We might have trusted in the money that we pay into the church. We may even have trusted in the good things of sitting around the Lord's table on a Sunday morning. But that doesn't save us. Only Christ upon the cross, shedding his precious blood, being that once for all sacrifice for sin. This woman was interested and she came. There were those in Jesus’ day who saw many great acts but they never came, they never trusted him. Remember the young man that was possessed of the demons. He couldn't even live in his own home. He couldn't live in his own village. There was a place for him just out amongst the tombs. And there he would cut himself and there he would cry out in the night and no one would pass by. He was such a violent young man. And they tried to contain him. They tried to put straps on him but somehow the enemy within him would just snap the straps. And then one day the Lord Jesus Christ came by and the Lord spoke to the demons that were in him. There was a herd of swine feeding on the on the hillside. The demons asked permission to leave the body and go into the herd of swine. With one word Jesus told them to go. They entered into the swine and they ran down the hill, into the sea and they were drowned. Someone went back and told the owners of the pigs what had happened and they came out to see for themselves. They were informed about it. They were interested enough to come out to see what was happening. And they saw this young man, this young man that couldn't be settled. But when the leaders of that city and the owners of these swine come out, they saw this young man and he was sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and he was clothed and in his right mind. What did they do? They turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and said, "We don't want you. We don't want you in this part of the world. We want you to leave." They saw the young man and they saw what God did for that young man but they didn't want anything to do with it. They would rather had their swine. They would rather had their money. They didn't want the things of God. They didn't want the Lord Jesus Christ. So, Jesus had to go. We can be interested but we need to come. Remember in Paul's day whenever he was preaching on Mars Hill. It's recorded for us in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17. He informed them of God who created the world, of a coming judgment day and that they needed to repent of their sins and turn away. They were informed and some of them were interested. They were interested enough to stand and to listen. But you know, the Bible tells us that some actually believed. And then there were some who said, "Well, we'll hear you another day." And there were those who just walked away into the darkness. Interested enough to listen, but not to come. There will be those who will walk out of meetings tonight rejecting the message. Just like Felix of old. Paul informed him of judgment to come, of the life that he should be living, of what he needed to do. The Bible says that he trembled. He said to Paul, “Paul, go thy way." When I have a convenient season I will call for you." He had an interest to listen to him in the first place, but no interest to come to Christ to be saved.

Then we notice here that she inquired. In verse number one we read that she came to prove him with hard questions. She inquired. Notice where she's at now. Yes, there was a time whenever she was informed and yes, there was a time whenever she was interested. But now, where's she at? She's right beside him asking these hard questions. She wants to know all about it. She was informed. She was interested. But now she's inquiring further. She comes in verse number three and she asks questions. Remember whenever Paul had to leave Thessalonica. There was a riot there when he preached the word of God. There were those who believed the gospel and were saved. There were those who rejected and caused a riot. Paul had to leave and go down to Berea. When he got to Berea and preached the word of God, he found that the men of Berea were more noble than those of Thessalonica because they listened to the word of God with all readiness of mind. What did they do whenever they went home? They searched the scriptures. They inquired and they heard. They were informed and they were interested. But whenever they went home, they got down the word of God and they began to search the scriptures to see if these things be so. You know, it's one thing to sit in a gospel meeting. It's one thing to listen to what the preacher has to say, but you know we need to be careful. We need to go home and search the scriptures for ourselves. We need to look and see if what was said tonight is according to the word of God. John said in reference to the false preachers that we are to try the spirits and see if they be of God. This this woman inquired.

I love the funny story of the wee boy sitting one night doing his homework

and he said to his dad who was reading the newspaper "Dad what's the capital of Russia?" The dad said "I don't know, son." So that was okay. A minute or two later, the wee boy says, "Dad, what's the population of Russia?" His father responded "Son, I don't know, son." A moment or two later the wee boy says, "Dad, what's the longest river in Russia?” The dad looked at him again and said "Son I don't know." Some time later the wee boy says, "Dad do you mind me asking you all these questions?" And the dad says, "Not at all, son because how else are you going to learn if you don't ask questions?" You see, he was asking the questions but the person didn't know the answers.

There is only one tonight who knows you and me, who knows what I need. Thank God tonight we find the answers in the word of God because he has given them to us. This woman heard about the wisdom of Solomon and so she came to ask these hard questions. Think about Nicodemus. He was one of the wealthiest men at that time. He is a religious man and he has been informed about the Lord Jesus Christ. He tells Jesus that when he meets him “Lord we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles except God be with him.” Maybe he heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe he was there whenever he saw some of these great miracles performed. He was informed about them and he is interested about them. But here he is sitting now in his own home. And all these things are going through his mind. And what does he do? He gets up, gets dressed and says, "I'm going to find the Messiah."  And so he comes to where Jesus was, sits down and has a face-to-face chat with the Lord Jesus Christ. He gets his answers to the questions that he has. It is possible tonight that you have questions and it is possible to ask questions. How does Jesus save? How does his death upon the cross save me? How does this precious blood that you speak about cleanse me from my sin? How does that secure me a place in heaven? How does that change my life? You know, the preacher doesn't know all the answers, but they are here in God’s word. Remember the old Philippian jailer and how he came one night asking the question "What must I do to be saved?" Thank God tonight we can be saved. This woman was impressed. Verse number seven, "The half has not been told." Isn't that the testimony of any sinner? Many people who testify will say ”you know, I wish I'd come earlier. I wish I'd given my life to Christ 20 years before.” Why? Because they have proved Christ to do so much for them and to have so much for us.

She was invited. Solomon just opened up his heart and his home. He says, "Take a look around you and see what is here." Before she went away he sent her away with even more riches than she had previously. That's what you find tonight. Whenever you come to Christ he blesses us with “every spiritual blessing in high places in Christ Jesus.” He takes away your sin, he gives you new life. Would you accept it? Would you accept that as the gift of God this evening? Because he has done so much for you. This woman found that he had done so much for Solomon and Christ can do so much for you.

 

Grace in an Unexpected Place

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 3 MAY 2026 – Pastor Henry Caskey

John chapter 4

Grace in an Unexpected Place

“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. And Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat. And then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew ask drink of me which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of me. asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, from whence thou hast that living water. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?" Jesus answered, and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And the woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. And Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband, in that thou saidest truly. And the woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

And then the woman, of course, she takes of the water that the Lord was speaking about, the well of salvation.

Verse number 28

The woman left her water pot and went her way into the city, and saith to the man, come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ." Then they went out of the city and came unto him.

 

As I was reading through this account in the past days of the week and picking the hymns for the meeting this morning, I was thinking of grace. We need grace this morning. And I thought as I read through this portion of scripture in the past week, what a tremendous picture of grace that we really do have here. Here was this very immorral woman living in depravity and sin. And she makes her way out to where the Lord Jesus Christ is, not knowing that he was there, but the Lord knew all about it. And there she found grace and there she found mercy and her life was totally transformed, changed from that moment on. This is a great chapter because here we see the most unlikely source of revival. Have we come this morning expecting God to move in a mighty way? Have we come into the house of God this morning expecting God to really speak to us and to show us this morning? Jesus leaves Judea, we are told, because of a confrontation that was happening. The Pharisees of that particular day, they were starting to pick between John and Jesus and what not, and they were claiming the baptisms of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord didn't want that confrontation because it wasn't time for that confrontation. And so he moved on and he was making his way down to Galilee. We read this wonderful verse in verse number four. It says that “Jesus must needs go through Samaria.” He must needs go through Samaria. Now, this was a problem for the Jewish people. This was a problem. If you had asked the likes of Nicodemus, who was one of the leaders in the synagogue, "Is it okay for me to go down through Samaria?" he would have said, "Of course not. You've got to avoid it." They would have to take another route. You see, at the fall of the northern kingdom, when the Assyrian forces carried away Jewish captives, what they did was to replace them in the land. They brought some of their own people and it became a mixed race of people and that to the Jews was something unheard of and that's why we always have this this business of the Jews and the Samaritans having no dealings. But Jesus took this route because of one particular situation. Jesus took this route on this particular day because of an appointment with a woman at Jacob's well.  Do you and I believe an appointment is met this morning?  You see, I want this meeting this morning to be both a challenge and yet I want it to be a comfort this morning in this difficult day that we are living in. Because we are living in days when meetings are small. We're living in days whenever numbers are dwindling away. And that's all you hear about, isn't it? “Oh, not many in, not many coming to the meetings.” And yet we lose out on the one who is here. God speaks to you and me this morning.  I want us to think here about this particular meeting.

First of all – the visit. The visit of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to have that precious visitation, the visitation of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Jesus took time to travel a forbidden pathway if you like and to go through Samaria for one lost soul. For one lost soul. Sometimes you know we do get caught up with who's not here and we forget about who is here. Is that how we've come this morning? We've come this morning realizing that God himself has promised to be in this house before we came this morning. He says, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst." Isn't it amazing this morning just to think about that? Jesus travelled to this very spot where he would find this woman. He stopped at Jacob's well. He was tired. He was weary. He sat down at the well and he waited. He was waiting for this woman to open the door and come out. It was midday. It was the hottest part of the day. And this particular woman probably wouldn't come out at any other part of the day. Maybe she was embarrassed. Maybe she didn't want people to see her. Maybe she didn't want people casting remarks to her. And so she came out and the Lord was waiting for her. And you have left the house this morning, got into your car and come to church. And you know the Lord's here. He's just waiting for you this morning. We should never lose sight of that fact  but rather we should set our eyes upon the one who has promised to be with us here in this very meeting. Christ himself ought to visit us. He comes this morning to where you and I are. Can you imagine the joy that must have been in this woman's heart? She come out from that home and came to the well. She met with the Saviour and my she left her pot and went into Samaria. She went in to seek men and women to come and to hear him. Can you imagine the joy that she got just by meeting the Saviour? Remember another day in Israel whenever the enemy had invaded and there was poverty and there was hunger and there was enemy soldiers everywhere. The Lord came to a young man just sitting in his own home, a young man called Gideon. And God had a great plan and a great purpose for this young man Gideon because he was going to raise him up to lead the army against the enemy and to bring them out of captivity. God came right to where he was. And you know, God comes to where you and I are spiritually this morning and he shows to us what we can be. Gideon was threshing a little bit of wheat. Perhaps he went out at the night time when the enemy wouldn't see him and he gathered it in. He's going to hide it. It's going to be there for his family and his loved ones. And then the Lord comes. He says, "Gideon, I have a plan and purpose for your life." He meets with Gideon just right where he is. He meets with you this morning. Are you prepared for that this morning? Am I prepared for that this morning? For God to really redirect and change plans for my life? Am I prepared this morning to say, "Lord, here am I. Take this life of mine.  Consecrate it, Lord, to you. Use it, Lord." Do you remember how Jesus took time to draw alongside those two who were traveling along from Jerusalem to Emmaeus? Two disciples, their heads were down and they were discouraged. They're despondent. They didn't know what to do with themselves. They didn't know what the future held. And the Lord just drew alongside. He didn't even speak to them for a moment or two. He just drew alongside and he walked with them. They didn't even know he was there. It's possible to come into a meeting, to go through all the hymn singing, the prayers, the readings, the preaching of the word and to miss him. Isn't that what Jacob said when he laid his head upon the stone? You remember he was fleeing from his father's house. He stopped out in the in the wilderness. He laid down that night to sleep and he had the dream? He saw the ladder and the angels ascending and descending. He got up the next morning and he said, "Surely God was in this place and I knew it not.”

There was the voice. This meeting was marked with the Savior’s speaking voice. The woman appears out of her own home. She comes along to where the well is. She's got a little water pot in her hand, and she's coming there to draw water. The Savior who is weary from his journey is there. And the Lord speaks to her - verse number 7. "Give me to drink." He spoke to her right away. Now this woman, she knows by the Lord's attire that he is a Jew. She can see that from his very presence. And the first thing that comes to her mind is that old confrontation. She says, "But the Jews and the Samaritans, they have no time for each other. And you're a Jew and you're speaking to me." You see, she didn't expect this man to speak. But the Lord spoke. Have we come this morning expecting the Lord to speak? Have we expected the Lord to speak through his word to us this morning? So often we will respond “Lord, I couldn't do that.” In verse number 11 after Jesus offers her water, the woman said, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, from whence then hast thou that living water?"  She thought to herself, "Well, there's nothing here for me." She didn't expect the Lord to speak. And when he did she thought to herself ‘this man cannot give me anything.’ We can come to church like that. Not really expecting the Lord to deal with me or my problems but he is concerned. Peter said "Cast your every care upon the Lord because he cares for you." The Lord is caring for this woman. Maybe you are here this morning and there is something going on in your life. You have got a great big problem, a great big difficulty and somehow you don't know which way to turn or how to get out of that. But the Lord knows all about it and he waits for you this morning just to allow him somehow to come. We need to be so careful this morning that we are listening beyond the preacher's voice and we are going beyond the sacred page and hearing the voice of the Lord this morning. We often sing that little hymn,

“Speak Lord, speak to me.

Speak and I will be quick to answer thee.”

In Genesis chapter 3 whenever Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled against God, breaking God's laws and they hid behind the trees. Scripture says “Adam heard the voice of God walking in the garden.” Do we hear the voice of God? Remember when Moses was away on the back side of the desert. He came out that day with his little flock of sheep and seen a burning bush. It didn't take Moses by surprise because he would see that many a time in the heat of the desert. But this one was different. This little bush had burned and burned and burned and it caught Moses’ curiosity. He stepped across from where he was and he looked into it. Whilst he was looking into it, the Lord spoke to him. Maybe you want to share that this morning. Oh, not with anybody else, not with me, but whatever the situation in your life is this morning, do you want to bring it to the Lord? ‘Lord, why am I going through this? Why am I dealing with this? Why am I having to go this way?’ And as you're curious about it and as you think about it, then the Lord can speak just as he spoke to Moses. Samuel was just a little boy opening up the doors of the temple in the morning and then closing them in the evening, then going to Eli and seeing if he's all right. One night time something happened. God was going to make a change in the priestly offices there in the nation of Israel. And who was he going to use? He was going to use a little boy called Samuel. Samuel didn't even know his voice. He laid down one night and the Lord called him "Samuel". Old Eli said to Samuel, "No, that's the Lord." He told him if he spoke again he was to respond "Speak, Lord”. Will you say that this morning? "Lord, speak to me this morning."

The victory. This meeting was marked with victory over a sinful life. This woman comes out of her home. No doubt she's weary of her past life. No doubt she's mindful of her sinfulness. And she's coming out here in the heat of the day, perhaps afraid of meeting people. Maybe she didn't want the wagging tongues, whatever. And she was carrying her little water pot. She was going out to that well to draw water and take it back into that home again and into that situation. But God changed that. That little water pot that she had was the connection to a sinful life. You'll notice a little bit later on that she leaves the water pot sitting. That water pot was the connection into that sinful home. You know, no matter our past, no matter where we've come from, God is able to break the power of sin in our lives. He's able to break the power.  Maybe this morning there's something in your life and you're saying to yourself, "Well, God could never forgive me. God could never forgive me the things that I have done. Nobody would want to know me if they knew what my life was like.” But dear friends, God loves you so much. He loved you so much that he would take his only begotten son and send him into this world, to come down into this world, to move about, to walk about, to speak with people, and then to die upon the cross of Calvary. That’s what he has done for you. No matter what that sin is, he will forgive you if you are open and honest to him this morning, to trust him and to believe in him and to realize that he has died for you. He wants to come into that heart of yours this morning, to take away your sin, to forgive you of your sin and wash you in the precious blood. Will you claim that this morning? This woman come out of such a sinful past. She had five husbands and was now living with another man, not her husband at all. But the Lord dealt with her and gave her the victory over sin. God breaks that power of sin this morning. The power that holds us to the old life this morning. And Jesus took this woman through the steps of God's salvation and he introduced her to the living water. That day she went away with great victory. Remember the woman with the issue of blood. For 12 long years she had tried every doctor, every physician, but was not any better. She grew worse until one day she heard about the Lord Jesus Christ and she just reached forth through that crowd that was on the street that day. She just touched the hem of his garment. Why? Because she believed. She believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he cared for her and that she would be healed. And the moment that she touched the hem of his garment she was totally delivered. She got the victory over that disease.

The vision. The vision for the lost that this woman left with. She left her water pot. The old life was broken. It was gone. She left the water pot sitting there. The scriptures tells us that she left and she didn't go back into her home again. The Bible tells us that she went down into the city and she began to tell men and women. What was her message? “Come and see a man that has told me all things that ever I did. Is this not the Christ?” She got a vision for the lost. Would we pray for such a vision this morning? To see men and women who are lost and going out into a lost and Christless eternity. Give us a vision for those in our family circle that are lost in their sin.” It says, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified, he told me all things that ever I did." And then it tells us in verse number 40, "And when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry." And it says in verse 41, "And many more believed because of his own word." You see the work that this woman did. She just went out and she began to tell people, "Come and see this man that I met at the well. He did something for my life that I want you to come and to prove for yourselves.” And some came because they believed her. And others came and when they listened to him, they believed for themselves.

 

This meeting was marked by a precious visitation.

It was marked by the voice of God.

It was marked by a great victory that the Lord gave that day and it was marked by a wonderful vision for the lost.

 

Our meeting this morning has been marked by a glorious visitation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst." What a promise.