#149 - Joby Martin // What's Your "Have To" Moment?

We explore the profound significance of Jesus' journey through Samaria in John 4, revealing how divine appointments often lead us through unexpected paths that challenge cultural norms and personal comfort.

• Jesus "had to" pass through Samaria despite geographical alternatives and cultural tensions
• Jews typically avoided Samaritans, taking longer routes to avoid contact
• Jesus followed the Father's direction toward a divine appointment with the Samaritan woman
• Christians must identify what God is telling them to do, even when it requires courage or defies social norms
• Universal commands include making disciples, forgiving others, putting away sin, and practicing generosity
• Growing faithful in general biblical principles may lead to more specific divine guidance
• Mary's instruction to "do whatever he tells you" provides a simple but powerful directive
• Consider what you would do for God's glory if you knew it wouldn't fail, and why you're not doing it already

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Daily Blade.
The Word of God is described asthe sword of the Spirit, the
primary spiritual weapon in theChristian's armor against the
forces of evil.
Your hosts are Joby Martin andKyle Thompson, and they stand
ready to equip men for the fight.
Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to the Daily Blade.
This week we are gonna do adeep dive on John, chapter 4,
the woman at the well.
We'll pick it up in chapter 4,verse 1.
The Bible says now, when Jesuslearned that the Pharisees had
heard that Jesus was making andbaptizing more disciples than
John which, by the way, that isa total worldly way to look at

(00:41):
the ministry of Jesus and Johnthe Baptist Only the world would
pit them against one another asif it was a competition.
Verse two although Jesushimself did not baptize, but
only his disciples which, by theway, is just a reminder it
doesn't matter who baptizes you,it matters in whose name you
were baptized.
In fact, about a month ago, aswe were baptizing people at the

(01:01):
beach here at 1122, the twoprimary people in my line that
did the baptizing was our veryown Kyle and my brother Russ.
Neither ordained pastors, butthat doesn't matter.
Verse three when Jesus leftJudea and departed again for
Galilee and here's the verse Iwant to hang out on and Jesus
had to pass through Samaria, andthe question is did he really

(01:22):
have to pass through Samaria?
So he came to the town ofSamaria called Sychar and the
question is did he really haveto pass through Samaria.
So he came to the town ofSamaria called Sychar, near the
field that Jacob had given tohis son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there, and soJesus, wearied as he was from
his journey, was sitting besidethe well.
It was about the sixth hour Now.
The reason I asked did Jesushave to?
Is because technically,geographically, to get from

(01:43):
where Jesus started to wherehe's going, he did not have to.
Is because, technically,geographically, to get from
where Jesus started to wherehe's going, he did not have to
go through Samaria.
Maybe you've heard this before,but the Jews and Samaritans did
not get along.
It had to do with things thathad happened far in the past,
that when the Jewish people wereexiled, there's some people
that were left behind.
They began to intermarry, andit wasn't so much the
intermarrying that was theproblem.
It was that they began to adoptthe customs and worship

(02:07):
practices of some pagan peopleand they kind of started really
their own version of Judaism,their own different religion,
and that's where the real rubcame from.
And so what most Jewish peoplewould do maybe you've heard this
before is that they would goaround Samaria as to avoid those
people, adding a couple of daysto their journey.
And yet my Bible says that Jesushad to pass through Samaria.

(02:31):
Well, why did Jesus have to?
Well, the reason that Jesusfelt like he had to, and the
reason that he did, is becausehe had a divine appointment with
this Samaritan woman.
In the next chapter, John,chapter five, verse 19, the
Bible says so.
Jesus said to them truly, truly, I say to you the son can do
nothing of his own accord, butonly what he sees the father

(02:52):
doing, for whatever the fatherdoes, that the son does likewise
.
In other words, Jesus says Ihad to go through Samaria
because my father had anappointment for me in Samaria,
and Jesus just did not have acategory in his mind where he
would disobey the father.
So let me ask you this so whatdo you have to do?

(03:12):
What is that thing that God istelling you to do?
And it's going to be hard, andit's going to take a long time,
and it's going to take a lot ofcourage, and it may go against
the norms of our society.
But what is the thing that Godis telling you to do?
And you may say, well, I don'tknow.
Well, let me tell you somethings.
I know God is telling you to do.
He is telling you to makedisciples.
This is the core of the GreatCommission, of the Great

(03:38):
Commission, and so if you arenot making disciples, then
you're not being a follower ofJesus.
He is telling you to forgivethe forgiven people, forgive
people.
He is telling you to put awaysin.
He is telling you to begenerous with your money.
These are general things thatare true to every single one of
us.
Now, what about, specifically toyou?
What is he telling you to do?
And you may say, well, I don'tknow.
Well, let me just tell you thisI would highly encourage you to

(03:59):
pray and then, ultimately, youjust got to guess and go highly
informed by the scriptures.
This is why we do the DailyBlade.
This is why it's not enough foryou to listen to me and Kyle
and our friends talk to youabout the Bible, that you need
to read it yourself and do whatit says.
And the more that you aretrustworthy and faithful with

(04:21):
the general principles of thescriptures that God has called
us all to, then maybe God willtrust you with more and more and
more specifics about your ownlife.
John, chapter 2, verse 5, is oneof my favorite Bible verses
about what we, as believers, aresupposed to do.
Mary looks at the servants,with Jesus standing right there,
and she says these words dowhatever he tells you to do.

(04:43):
So what is it that he istelling you to do?
Let me ask you one morequestion that somebody asked me
a long time ago, a guy thatmentored me named Doug Fields.
He asked this if you could doanything for the glory of God
and you knew it wouldn't failwhat would that be?
And the moment you have thatanswer, the next question is
then why aren't you doing it?

(05:04):
Men, I want you to hear this Goand do whatever it is that the
Lord has told you to do.
As followers, we have to dothat thing.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Amen.
Thank you for listening totoday's episode Before you go.
If you want to help equip othermen for the fight, share this
podcast around and leave us afive-star rating and review.
Stay sharp.