Strategies for Receiving More

Posted on July 31, 2025 by growintheword

Sermon Synopsis 7.27.25

Delivered by Bishop Craig Oliver

Let’s go to Joshua 17:14–18, where we find a powerful conversation between the people of Joseph and Joshua:

Joshua 17:14-18 (NKJV)

14 Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until now?”

15 So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”

16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”

17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”

I.                      Introduction

  • I want to share with you what God has placed on my heart concerning what He’s doing in the life of this church—and what He wants to do in your life as well.
  • Let me help connect some spiritual dots between what God is doing corporately in Mount Zion and what God wants to do personally in your life. Because Mount Zion is not just a multisite church—it is a movement. It is a model of multiplication.
  • Look around—God has expanded our reach, increased our campuses, and just recently gave us a historical landmark here in Nashville. That’s expansion! That’s divine elevation. And I think you ought to give God praise for that!
  • But this is more than real estate—it’s revelation. What God is doing corporately, He also wants to do individually. Somebody shout, “MORE!”
  • The same principle that’s fueling this church’s expansion is the same principle that God wants to apply to your life—your marriage, your ministry, your business, your finances, and even your walk with Him.
  • We don’t serve a stingy God. He is a God of abundance, of increase, and of more.
  • But here’s the tension: Do you believe that what you currently have is all God wants to do in your life? Or are you willing to believe Him for more?
  • It would be a shame to be connected to a multisite grace and still live with a single-site mentality.
  • Say that again—multisite grace with a single-site mindset. How can you be part of a church that’s taking territory—and you stay stuck?
  • God wants more for your life too.

II.                  Proactively Eliminate the Disposition of Entitlement

14 Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until now?”

  • Look at verse 14. The people of Joseph come to Joshua and said, “The hill country is not enough for us.”
  • Now they weren’t wrong in saying that what they had wasn’t enough—but here’s the issue: They approached it with entitlement.
  • They didn’t say, “Joshua, thank you for what you’ve given us, but we’ve outgrown it. May we have more?” Instead, they said, “This isn’t enough!”
  • The spirit of entitlement will rob you of expansion. You can’t expect more when you aren’t grateful for what you already have.
  • Some of us suffer from CED—Chronic Entitlement Disease. I’m talking to some parents—you’re thinking about your kids right now! They think everything belongs to them. They don’t say thank you, and they don’t think they should work for anything.
  • I was raised in the ’70s. You didn’t just go in the kitchen and just take what you wanted. You had to ask, “Mama, can I…?” Anybody else grow up like that?
  • We’re raising a generation that wants inheritance with no initiative. Rewards without responsibility. Blessings without burden.

III.              Properly Estimate Your Dynamic Endowment

17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”

  • Verse 17 says Joshua reminds them, “You are a great people—and you have great power.” He calls out what’s already in them.
  • He tells them, “You’re not deficient—you’re disengaged. If you want more, you need to reintroduce yourself to yourself”. Some of us have spiritual amnesia. We’ve forgotten who we are and what God has placed inside of us.
  • You’ve been endowed with gifts, purpose, power, authority, the fruit of the Spirit, and the mind of Christ!
  • Stop underestimating your endowment. When you do, you mismanage your opportunities.
  • You are blessed, not just a beggar.

IV.             Purposefully Evaluate Your Designated Environment

18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours;

  • Verse 18 says “The hill country shall be yours, although it is a forest…”
  • Did you catch that? You’ve been asking for more—but can you see it through the trees?
  • God said, “It’s yours, but you’ve got to clear the forest.” You want a developed blessing—but God gave you undeveloped potential. You want a finished product—but God handed you raw material.
  • You’re praying for elevation, but don’t want to chop down any trees. Let me make it plain: You don’t want to do the work
  • Some of you want the grill that’s already assembled—but it costs more. The one in the box? That’s cheaper, but it requires assembly.
  • You want the blessing on the floor, but you don’t want the blessing in the box.

V.                 Persistently Eradicate Your Detrimental Enchantments

18b says… for you shall drive out the Canaanites

  • Joshua told them: “Drive out the Canaanites.”
  • Let me introduce you to a few modern-day “ites”:
  • Complacency – You’re stuck, not because you’re cursed, but because you’re comfortable. You won’t read. You won’t grow. You’re just…lazy.
  • Compromise – You’ve traded conviction for convenience. You’ve sacrificed principles for preferences.
  • Comparison – You can’t appreciate your life because you’re always scrolling through someone else’s highlight reel. It’s a filter! It’s not even real.
  • Control – You’ve got a messiah complex. You want to be God. You won’t surrender.
  • Carnality – You’re led by your flesh, not the Spirit. You’re chasing feelings instead of following faith.

VI.             Prophetically Elevate Your Divine Entrustment

18c says though they have iron chariots and are strong.”

  • He said, “I’m giving you the Hill Country.” This is not just expansion, it is elevation.
  • But here’s the order:
  • Climb it
  • Clear it
  • Claim it
  • You’ve moved from entitlement to entrustment.
  • This isn’t just about you. It’s about those coming after you. You said you were a numerous people—well, your blessing must be big enough for generations!
  • Legacy is on the line. You are not just receiving more for your enjoyment. You’re receiving more for your assignment.
  • What God is doing in this church… He wants to do in your life. But don’t sit back naming it and claiming it—go get an axe. Be willing to work for it.

Mount Zion, I love you. I pray this word will inspire you to believe again, to work again, and to expect MORE.

God bless you!

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Posted on July 24, 2025 by growintheword

Part 3: This Wall Is In My Way

Synopsis 7/20/25

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Joshua 6:1-5 (NKJV)

1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.

2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.

3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

I.            Introduction

  1. On the 7th day, when they made a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when they heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout—and the wall of the city fell down flat. The people went up—every man straight before him.
  2. Have you ever felt like you were standing right at the edge of your breakthrough—but the closer you got, the greater the opposition became?
    1. You’re in the right place today. Because this Word is going to help us understand what it looks like when God’s people are at the door of promise, but one thing is standing in the way.
  3. For Israel, that “one thing” was the wall of Jericho.
    1. Jericho was a fortified city.
    1. The wall was built like a fortress—25 feet tall, 20 feet thick.
    1. They were proud of their wall.
    1. The wall was so massive, it had houses built into it. Biblical history suggests that Jezebel’s home may have even been built into the wall—she’d hang out her red rag from time to time (but that’s another sermon for another day).
  4. The wall of Jericho was designed to intimidate.
    1. It gave the city a psychological advantage.
    1. Jericho had military strength.
    1. They could also, shut the city down where no one could come in and no one could go out. That’s where our text picks up today.
  5. To understand this fully, you’ve got to go back to Genesis 12, where God made a covenant with Abraham.
    1. God promised to bless him and make his name great, and through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. He told Abraham his descendants would inherit the promised land.
    1. Before they possessed it, Abraham’s descendants—the Israelites—would spend 400 years in Egypt.
    1. They entered Egypt as welcomed guests because of Joseph. But when a Pharaoh arose who didn’t know Joseph, the favor turned into 400 years of slavery.
    1. They cried out, and God heard them. He raised up Moses to lead them out.
    1. Moses trusted God even in the face of Pharaoh’s resistance.
    1. God performed signs, brought them through the Red Sea, provided manna and water in the wilderness. Their clothes didn’t wear out and their feet didn’t swell—God sustained them.
    1. At the edge of the Promised Land, when spies were sent in, fear took over.
    1. That generation died in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb remained.
  6. Moses died on Mount Nebo. Now Joshua, Moses’ protégé, was called to take the people into the land.
    1. God told Joshua: “Be strong. Don’t be afraid. I got you. As I was with Moses, I’ll be with you.”
    1. Joshua did great exploits, including parting the Jordan and defeating Amalek.
  7. But now—at this moment—they were standing at the threshold of promise, but there was  one thing in the way: a wall.
    1. That wall represents everything standing between you and your promise.
    1. For some of you—it’s a diagnosis.
    1. For others, it’s an invoice.
    1. For some—it’s a toxic relationship, a job situation, depression, or doubt.
    1. But I came to declare: whatever your wall is, this is your last day dealing with it, because the same God who brought you out—will bring you in.

II.             Walls Weigh On Our Worship

A.   Walls Create Barriers, But Worship Breaks Chains

  1. Walls are heavy. They burden your mind.
  2. They try to block your worship, because you’re so consumed with the problem—you forget your praise.
  3. The enemy wants you to see an obstacle, but God wants you to see an opportunity. Let me help you:
  4. When you mature in God, you stop panicking and start praising.
    1. Don’t say, “My life is falling apart. ”Say, “God, you must be setting me up for something major!”
  5. Worship isn’t based on what you see—it’s based on what you believe.
  6. What I see might look bad, but what I know is that:
    1. God shall supply all my needs.
    1. By His stripes, I am healed.
    1. He will keep me in perfect peace when my mind is stayed on Him.

B.   Walls Challenge Our Faith, But God Calls Us To Trust

  1. Can you still trust God when the wall is still there?
  2. Can you trust God when the promise is spoken—but the obstacle hasn’t moved yet?

III.            Worship Wields The Weapon

A.   Worship Is Our Warfare Against The Enemy

  1. Israel wasn’t told to fight Jericho with swords. They were told to worship. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God…”
  2. The shofar—the ram’s horn—wasn’t a military trumpet. It was a sacred, prophetic instrument.
  3. It symbolized God’s presence, it warned of judgment, and proclaimed victory.
  4. Blowing the shofar wasn’t about pageantry. It was a prophetic declaration “We are claiming territory. We are about to occupy what God promised.”

B.   There are territorial spirits.

  1. Demons are assigned to regions—why do you think certain cities are known for certain spirits?
  2. When the people of God blow the trumpet—when we raise our worship—we declare war.
  3. We say to the enemy: “We’re taking back territory!”
    1. Mount Zion isn’t in four locations just for convenience. It’s a divine strategy.
  4. God told us to take territory.
  5. We bought the block at 1112 Jefferson Street—once the most incarcerated zip code in the nation.
  6. We took over a nightclub in Antioch and made it a youth complex.
  7. Now we’re in Brentwood—covering the city in every direction.
  8. When you worship, you shift the battle from your hands, to God’s hands.

IV.            Waiting Works In Our Walk

A.   Here’s the strategy.

  1. Joshua says: “Get in line. March around the wall—once a day—for six days. And don’t say a word.”
  2. Why? Because sometimes silence is your strategy.
  3. Some of y’all talk too much. You post your promise before it manifests, but this time—just march and say nothing, because on the 7th day, something is going to happen!
  4. By the 7th time, you’ll be tired, but you’ll also be ready—because man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.

V.            We Are About To Witness Divine Wonders

A.   Final Lap

  1. On that final lap, the priests blew the shofar, which is an ram’s horn. A person in a white hoodie blowing a horn AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  2. The people shouted together—and the wall fell flat. It didn’t crumble. It didn’t crack. It fell flat.
  3. And when the wall fell, every man went up straight before him.
  4. This is how you know it was God, because your wall isn’t just falling—it’s clearing the way.
  5. Don’t miss this: It only happened when everybody shouted together.
  6. There were no spectators and no folded arms.
  7. We need one sound, one shout, one unified faith, because there’s something on the other side of that wall.

Final Prophetic Push

  1. Look at your neighbor and say, “Help me shout this wall down.”
  2. When we open our mouths together, walls fall, strongholds break, and territory is taken!
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Part 2: The Power of a Yet Praise

Posted on July 15, 2025 by growintheword

Synopsis 07.13.25
Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (NKJV):

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

I.               INTRODUCTION

Life has a way of putting us in situations where everything seems to be falling apart. Have you ever been there? Moments where the things you counted on fail. The job you relied on disappears. Relationships you thought were unshakable begin to crumble. Everything you held dear starts slipping away.

Life sometimes brings us to a place where our plans are derailed by uncertainty—yet we are forced to testify to the depth and breadth of our relationship with God.

This is where we find the prophet Habakkuk. Unlike many prophets who speak God’s word to the people, Habakkuk speaks the people’s frustrations back to God.

He asks hard questions:

  • Why do the wicked prosper?
  • Why do the righteous suffer?
  • Why does it feel like You’re silent, God, in the face of injustice?

By chapter 3, something shifts. Habakkuk moves from questioning to confidence. From frustration to faith. From the natural to the spiritual.

He says, “Though there are no blossoms… no fruit.. . no cattle—YET I will praise God.”

This, my friends, is what we call a YET praise.
It’s not based on what you see—it’s based on what you know.
It’s a defiant praise in the face of adversity.

A yet praise is a pivot in your posture. It’s when God gives you a revelation in your situation—and that revelation creates an expectation that what was revealed will become manifested.

Your language has changed. Your vision has changed.

You may not have the healing… YET.
You may not have the home… YET.
But you believe manifestation is on the way.

Some of you are praising based on a word—not on your circumstance. And that’s what this message is about: praise as a position, a perspective, and a push forward.

II.               PRAISE PROFESS OUR POSITION

Habakkuk’s name means “embrace” or “wrestler.” He wrestles with God’s will, but ultimately embraces God’s plan.

600 years before Jesus, Judah is in crisis. The Assyrian Empire is crumbling, and Babylon is rising. Political corruption, injustice, economic collapse—everything is chaotic. Sound familiar?

Habakkuk is standing in the middle of national disaster, asking: “God, why are You allowing this?”, but chapter 3 is a pivot.

It’s a song. A declaration. A memory of what God has done.

He says, “God has given us deer’s feet… He is preparing us for elevation.”

You don’t get deer’s feet for staying low. You get deer’s feet because you’re going higher.

So let me give you a few things to help you understand how a YET praise can shift your life.

  1. PRAISE ESTABLISHES OUR STANCE DESPITE THE STRUGGLE
  2. Your situation does not define you—your stance in God does.
  3. When you praise in difficulty, you declare that your faith is not circumstantial—it’s steadfast.
  4. You’re like a tree planted by rivers of water…
    You’re steadfast, unmovable, always abounding…
  5. Foundation matters.
  6. Praise is your seatbelt in turbulence.
    You may not be able to stop the storm, but you can strap in and call on Jesus.
  7. That’s how you survive life’s turbulence—with a foundation in God.
  • PRAISE KEEPS US GROUNDED IN GOD WHEN LIFE IS UNCERTAIN
  • Judah was facing the unknown. The Babylonians were coming, but praise lifts your eyes above the chaos.
  • “I will bless the Lord at all times” means I bless Him…
  • If He opens the door.
  • If He doesn’t open the door.
  • All times means even when I don’t understand what’s going on, I will bless him.

III.               PRAISE PROVIDES A PROPER PERSPECTIVE

Praise doesn’t just keep you grounded—it shifts your view.

  1. Praise Shifts Our Focus from Lack to the Lord
  2. Stop focusing on what’s missing.
    Start thanking God for what’s present.
  3. Worry stares at the fog. Praise focuses on the headlights.

3. So enjoy today. Protect your peace. Don’t drag tomorrow’s worry into today’s gift.
“This is the day the Lord has made—I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

  • Praise Reframes Problems as Platforms for God’s Power
  • Your pain is a platform.
    Your struggle is an opportunity for God to get glory.
  • Paul and Silas praised at midnight—and the jail shook.
  • What if your praise is someone else’s breakthrough?

IV.               PRAISE POWERS OUR PERSEVERANCE

Endurance is not about avoiding struggle.
It’s about having the strength to push through it.

A.    Praise Strengthens Our Steps in Seasons of Suffering

  1. Psalm 23 says  “Yea, though I walk through the valley…”
    You may be in the valley—but you don’t have to camp there.

B.    Praise Gives Us Stamina to Press Forward in Faith

  1. Habakkuk says, “Even if there’s no fruit, no flocks—yet I will rejoice.”
  2. This is agricultural disaster.
    No crops = no food, no income, no survival, but he says, “Even if I lose it all—I still choose to praise.”
  3. Like Job: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

V.               PRAISE PROPELS US TO PROGRESS

Verse 19 isn’t just about survival—it’s about elevation.

A.    Praise Accelerates Our Movement Toward Divine Destiny

  1. God doesn’t just give you strength to survive—He gives you strength to CLIMB.
  2. Deer’s feet = agility to go higher.
  3. You were prepared in the valley… for the high place.
    All that trauma? That preparation?
    It was building you for the next level.
  4. Tell somebody: “This is the last time you’ll see me at this level.”
  5. Praise Shifts Your Mindset from Survival to Success
  6. You’re not just surviving—you’re progressing.
    You’re blessed in the city and the field.
  7. Worship Prepares You for the Doors God is About to Open
  8. Worship is about who God is.
    And that alignment gets you ready for what’s next.
  9. Joy in the Lord Strengthens You for the Journey Ahead
  10. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
    That’s how you keep moving when others quit.

B.    Praise Positions Us for the Next Level of Purpose

  1. You were built for this. That’s why God gave you deer’s feet.
  2. There is:
  3. Protection – Some things can’t reach you at this level.
  4. Provision – God will nourish you in high places.
  5. Persistence – You’re equipped to handle the terrain.
  6. Perspective – You see clearer at this height.

e.      

C.   CONCLUSION: THE POWER OF “YET”

  1. “Though the fig tree does not blossom… yet I will rejoice.”
  2. That little word “yet” carries weight.
  3. As an English major and theologian, let me tell you—“yet” is a conjunctive adverb.
    It connects two opposing realities: despair and praise.
  4. “Yet” says:
  5. My faith isn’t tied to the fig tree.
  6. My praise isn’t postponed by pain.
  7. My revelation is greater than my reality.
  8. You may not have the diagnosis you wanted—yet.
    You may not have the breakthrough—yet.
  9. But you’ve got a YET praise.
    A praise that says, “God, I trust You anyway.”
  10. So if you’re here today and this word reached you—don’t let pride keep you in your seat.

If you need a foundation, come to Jesus.
If you’ve been trying to hold it all together on your own—it’s time to give it over to Him.

This is your moment.
And your YET praise… is your prophecy.

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I’m Included

Posted on July 1, 2025 by growintheword

Synopsis of Sermon 06.29.25

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

John 4:7-26 (NKJV):

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?

12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

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.”

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 

18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

I. Introduction

Have you ever felt overlooked, unimportant, or rejected? Maybe it was by people who said they cared about you. Maybe it was by a system or by society. All of us know the sting that comes with rejection.

But today, I want to challenge you to look at rejection through a different lens. A lens of faith.

What if your rejection was actually a part of God’s redirection?

Today is not just a gathering—it’s an encounter moment.

God wants to speak to you personally—to bring you into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.

A. Grace That Breaks Barriers

Let’s talk about this Samaritan woman. She experienced rejection on multiple levels—gender, ethnicity, and personal history.

Yet she becomes one of the most powerful examples of the grace of God in the New Testament. This encounter with Jesus will blow your mind.

She was labeled, isolated, and misunderstood—but she was still included. Tell somebody near you: “You are included.”

Let’s break down the context:

  • She’s a Samaritan.

The Samaritans were the result of intermarriage between Jews and Assyrians. Because of this, other Jews considered them impure and heretical.

  • They had their own temple on Mount Gerizim, accepted only the first five books of the Torah, and were divided religiously from the Jews.

This created a deep divide—so deep that Jews would walk around Samaria just to avoid them.

  • She’s a woman.

And in that culture, women were often seen as inferior. It was especially scandalous for a Jewish rabbi to speak to a Samaritan woman in public.

Jesus breaks all of that.

He meets her at Jacob’s well at noon, a time when women normally did not come to draw water. Why? Because she was trying to avoid people. She had a reputation.

She wanted to get in and get out—but what she didn’t realize was this wasn’t going to be an ordinary day.

Jesus asks her for a drink. That request alone shatters cultural and religious norms. Then He offers her living water—a spiritual satisfaction she had never known.

B. Living Water: Spiritual Satisfaction

She didn’t understand at first. She says, “You have nothing to draw with. The well is deep—where do you get this living water?”

Jesus sees past her confusion—and past her past. He asks her about her relationships. She says, “I have no husband.” He replies: “You’ve had five husbands, and the one you’re with now is not your husband.”

That’s a bombshell moment—her truth exposed, but instead of running, she shifts the conversation to worship: She says “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place to worship.”

Jesus responds: “The hour is coming—and now is—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth… for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

Then comes the revelation: “I who speak to you am He.” Jesus reveals His identity—not to a rabbi, not to a Pharisee, not to a religious leader—but to her, an outsider, rejected, broken, and branded.

C. True Worship

Worship is not about place—it’s about presence.

The living water represents eternal life, spiritual renewal, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus teaches that worship is no longer confined to temples or mountains—it’s about encountering God in spirit and truth.

This woman came for water—but she left with a well on the inside of her. Some of you come to church for a routine—but you’re about to leave filled, refreshed, and restored.

Tell somebody: “You’re closer than you think.” You’re closer to breakthrough, closer to freedom, and closer to destiny.

II. Accept Rejection As Redirection

Sometimes rejection is the clearest sign that God has something greater in store. We struggle when we’re excluded—when they don’t invite us, don’t text us, or don’t choose us, but maybe, just maybe, that closed door is God’s way of opening a better one.

The Samaritan woman was rejected—as a woman, as a Samaritan, and as someone with a troubled past, but Jesus didn’t avoid her, He didn’t shame her, and He didn’t ignore her. He included her.

A. Man Rejects You Because They Don’t Understand You

People often judge you without reading your full story. They walk into the middle of your chapter and act like they know your whole book.

Jesus knows the beginning, the middle, and the end—and He still chooses you. She came to the well in isolation—but Jesus saw her pain, her past, and her purpose.

He didn’t ask questions to condemn her—He asked questions to make her feel seen. Tell your neighbor: “You are known. You are seen. You are included.”

B. Jesus Meets Us at Our Lowest to Lift Us to His Level

Jesus didn’t wait for her to come to Him—He went to her. He stepped into her story and changed the ending.

Somebody next to you could testify: “He met me at my lowest—and lifted me to where I needed to be.”

She didn’t come for a miracle—but a miracle found her.

III. Receive Revelation and Reality

You’ve got to receive revelation as reality.

See, the revelation you’re about to receive will be your reality.
Perception is not your reality—revelation is.


People may perceive things about you, but that’s not your truth. That will be revealed naturally.

Look at the Samaritan woman. What is she coming to do? She’s coming to draw water. She’s got her bucket, ready to pull from the well, but Jesus sees beyond her routine.

He says, “I see what you’re doing. You’re drawing water, but you’re still thirsty, huh?” Because the truth is—You’re not just thirsty for water, you’re thirsty for something deeper.

Her problem wasn’t the water in the well. The problem was the emptiness inside her.

She kept dipping the bucket in—and drawing it out—but remained empty. That well was a mirror of her life. Relationship after relationship. Situation after situation. Drawing in… drawing out… and always dry again.

Jesus says, “I know what’s really going on. People see one thing, but I see the deeper thing.
I’m not asking you for water because I need it— I’m trying to give you a revelation that will transform your life.” If you knew who was asking you for a drink, you’d be asking me for living water!

A well holds what was, but a spring pushes up what’s fresh and alive. Jesus wasn’t there to refill her same old bucket—He came to place a source inside her that never runs out!

When you understand the power of living water, you won’t panic when people leave.
You won’t fall apart when someone walks out. You won’t chase validation in dry places.
You’ll say, “I’ve got a fresh flow inside me!”

So your ex may see you and say, “Why are you so happy now—its like you’re doing better without me?” And you can say, “Exactly. I’ve got a source that never runs out.”

A. God Exposes What You Hide to Heal What You Fear

Jesus knew everything about her—her past, her patterns, her pain and still, He didn’t shame her.

He revealed what she tried to hide, not to embarrass her, but to heal her.

Let me say this:

God will expose what you hide, to heal what you fear.

B. True Worship Begins With Truth

Jesus said, “Go call your husband.” She said, “I have no husband.” He replied, “You’re right. You’ve had five—and the one you have now isn’t yours.”

Why did He make her say it? Because healing begins when you’re honest. Any good therapist will tell you—you can’t fix what you won’t face.

You’ve got to say it: “I’m broken.” “I’m battling addiction.” “I’ve been masking my pain.”

Touch your neighbor and say: “I can’t say it around you, but I can say it before Him.”, because worship creates space for truth.


And once the truth enters your heart, the Word can take root. Worship tills the soil so the seed of the Word can grow.

Jesus said some seed fell on stony ground—because trauma and offense harden the heart, but worship breaks up the soil—so the Word can penetrate.

Let me teach this:
When Job lost everything, the Bible says he tore his robe, shaved his head, sat in ashes…and worshiped. Then—he spoke revelation: Naked I came, naked I’ll return. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

We’ve had it twisted in church. We used to say, “Before the preacher comes, the choir will give us a selection—A and B.”, but the choir wasn’t prepping us to receive—it was entertaining us!

Let me tell you:

Worship is not about performance—it’s about preparation.
Worship isn’t entertainment—it’s engagement.

You don’t need a show—you need a word.

Ask your neighbor: “Do you want a concert, or do you want a revelation?”

When you worship—for real—it breaks your pride.


When your heart is open, God can drop a seed right into it. That’s when restoration begins.

IV. Restore Righteousness Through Relationship

Jesus says, “Someone like you? Yes, you’re included.” She had five husbands, and her situation was complicated—but He still included her.

Why? Because righteousness is received, not achieved. You can’t be free and fake at the same time.

You’re not righteous by performance. You’re righteous by surrender. Jesus spoke to her heart—and righteousness came through relationship.

Let me make it plain. You ever pulled into a car wash in a hurry? You don’t want people to see your dirty car, so you drive to the one where you can stay in the vehicle.

The attendant waves you in—guides your tires—gets you aligned. Then what? They say, “Put it in neutral.”


Why? Because you can’t control the process and be cleansed at the same time. Alignment leads to transformation. You go in dirty, you let go, and when you come out… you’re clean.

Tell somebody: “You should’ve seen me a few years ago.” I don’t even look like what I’ve been through!

Now she’s clean. But she still has questions. Where should I worship? This mountain? That temple?

Jesus says: It’s not about location. It’s about alignment.

A. Worship Isn’t About Location—It’s About Alignment

Jesus says, “The time is coming—and now is—when true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth.”

Don’t limit God to a place, a building, or a denomination.

Tell somebody: “I don’t need a sanctuary to shout. I’ll praise Him in the gas station, the grocery store, the hallway!”

B. Living in Righteousness Requires Relationship, Not Religion

Jesus wasn’t just breaking gender barriers—He was breaking religious rules. A Jew speaking to a Samaritan? That broke every norm.

Religion is about rules—relationship is about access. Religion says, “You don’t belong.”
Relationship says, “You’re included.”

Some of y’all are missing God because of man-made traditions. You want robes and rituals… but God is trying to give you revelation and righteousness.

Religion will have you shouting in church but bitter in the parking lot.
Testifying on Sunday—but not paying back what you borrowed on Monday.

V. Respond to Revival

Revival is not just a service—it’s a response. The Samaritan woman didn’t keep her encounter to herself. She ran back and told her community—and revival broke out!

Water wasn’t meant to be stored. It’s meant to flow through you.

A. Revival Begins When You Recognize the Need for Change

She said, “I need something deeper. I need Jesus to fill the empty places in me.”

Revival starts when you realize:
“Only Jesus can give me what I truly need.”

B. True Revival Results in a Transformed Life

She was changed—and she shared that change and revival spread.

Let me testify for some folks in here:

I was broken—but He made me whole.
I was disappointed—but He healed my heart.
I was lost—but He gave me direction.
I was chasing validation—but now I walk in alignment.
I was anxious—but now I have peace.
I was prideful—but now I have perspective.
I was a performer—but now I serve for an audience of one.
I was angry—but now I have joy.
I was just surviving—but now I’m thriving.

Tell your neighbor: “You haven’t seen anything yet.” I just came to tell somebody—you are included.

If you’ve ever felt rejected, dismissed, or disconnected—
You are included.

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