Strong and Courageous Part 2 - Archie Callahan

0.000000 2.240000 Once again, good morning, thank you for being with us.

2.240000 4.200000 Take out your Bible, whether it's digital form,

4.200000 6.800000 paper bag, whatever type of Bible you have today.

6.800000 8.520000 And turn to Joshua chapter one.

8.520000 10.080000 We're gonna look at a couple verses

10.080000 12.760000 and also put your finger there in Psalm 56.

12.760000 17.440000 We continue the series called Strong and Courageous

17.440000 19.080000 and we're going to dive into that.

19.080000 21.920000 So we look at today's sermon

21.920000 25.880000 and we're gonna actually look at it from a question standpoint.

25.880000 28.720000 But before we do that, we're gonna read Joshua chapter one

28.720000 29.560000 verse nine.

29.560000 32.000000 And this is God talking to Joshua.

32.000000 36.480000 He says, "Have I not command at you be strong and courageous.

36.480000 41.480000 Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged."

41.480000 47.800000 For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go,

47.800000 49.400000 wherever you go.

49.400000 50.880000 There's that presence of God.

50.880000 52.000000 Do you see that?

52.000000 54.720000 He said, "I'm gonna be with you wherever you go."

54.720000 57.480000 See, God doesn't jump out of your vehicle

57.480000 62.000000 when you go 56 and a 55, wherever you go.

62.000000 66.640000 Psalm 56, three and four says, "When I am afraid,

66.640000 68.120000 I put my trust in you."

68.120000 70.400000 Look what David says when he's afraid.

70.400000 71.400000 What does he do?

71.400000 73.120000 I put my trust in you.

73.120000 78.120000 In God whose word I praise, in God I trust and am not afraid.

78.120000 84.600000 What can mere mortals do to me?

84.960000 89.520000 What can mere mortals do to me?

89.520000 93.240000 Many people rave but few are brave.

93.240000 95.920000 In the series, a game of thrones,

95.920000 99.040000 brand is pondering on this question,

99.040000 102.400000 can a man still be brave if he's afraid?

102.400000 107.240000 Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?

107.240000 110.240000 His father responds to that question by saying,

110.240000 114.360000 that's the only time he can be brave.

114.360000 116.320000 When we look at the book of Joshua,

116.320000 119.480000 we see that Joshua is a brave man,

119.480000 122.920000 but he is encouraged by God multiple times

122.920000 126.240000 to be strong and courageous.

126.240000 128.800000 And that's what we talked about last week here at Bridge,

128.800000 131.920000 being strong and courageous.

131.920000 136.160000 But there are two things that he tells him not to do.

136.160000 140.040000 Number one, he says, "Do not be afraid."

140.040000 143.480000 He says, "Do not be afraid."

143.480000 147.040000 Don't give in to fear Joshua.

147.040000 149.520000 Do not be afraid in the original Hebrew,

149.520000 153.440000 actually means do not tremble, do not dread,

153.440000 156.920000 do not fear, do not be oppressed, do not break,

156.920000 159.760000 do not be terrified.

159.760000 164.080000 You know, all of us experience the emotion of being afraid.

164.080000 165.600000 Anybody ever been afraid?

165.600000 168.120000 Okay, that's about 10%.

168.120000 171.280000 The rest of you are lying in church.

171.280000 172.480000 I can't believe it.

172.480000 174.360000 We've all experienced this emotion.

174.360000 176.600000 If you haven't, you're emotionally dead.

176.600000 178.960000 We've all been afraid.

178.960000 180.880000 We've all experienced fear.

180.880000 184.640000 So God here is telling him not to be afraid.

184.640000 187.760000 He is not telling him not to ever experience

187.760000 192.760000 the emotional equation of being fearful or afraid.

192.760000 195.360000 He's just saying, "Don't let it paralyze you

195.360000 198.560000 and keep you where you are, Joshua."

198.560000 202.800000 Number two, he says, "Do not be discouraged."

202.800000 204.560000 Do not be discouraged.

204.560000 208.480000 When you look at that word deeper, it means do not be shattered.

208.480000 209.800000 Do not be dismayed.

209.800000 212.680000 Do not be broken, Joshua.

212.680000 215.720000 Don't allow what's going on around you to break you,

215.720000 216.800000 to shadow you.

216.800000 219.480000 Don't allow it to dismay you.

219.480000 221.080000 Remain encouraged.

221.080000 224.840000 Do not be discouraged.

224.840000 229.080000 As we look at Joshua, Joshua had a reason to be discouraged.

229.080000 231.280000 He had a reason to be afraid.

231.280000 233.560000 This is a transitional verse in the Bible

233.560000 237.120000 from Deuteronomy 34 to Joshua chapter one.

237.120000 240.160000 We see that Moses, the great leader, his great friend,

240.160000 242.080000 his great mentor has died.

242.080000 247.320000 They've grieved 30 days and now I think Joshua was still grieving.

247.320000 251.840000 But God comes to him and says, "My servant, my Moses,

251.840000 255.040000 my servant is dead, arise, Joshua."

255.040000 256.040000 What was God saying?

256.040000 259.120000 He was saying, "Joshua, if you don't get from where you're at

259.120000 263.280000 to where I want you to be, you will get stuck in the cycle of defeat

263.280000 267.280000 and the cycle of grief and you will never go where I want you to go."

267.280000 270.800000 And these people that I have ordained to go into the Promised Land

270.800000 274.840000 and to conquer this Promised Land will remain on the outside looking in.

274.840000 278.840000 So I have chosen you, Joshua, to be strong and courageous.

278.840000 281.160000 Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged.

281.160000 285.120000 I'm going to give you the ability, the capacity, the talent,

285.120000 288.240000 the fortitude to take these people where they're at

288.240000 291.240000 to where I want them to be.

291.240000 293.080000 So as we look at the book of Joshua,

293.080000 296.480000 we understand that the book of Joshua is one of conquest.

296.480000 297.800000 It's one of conquering.

297.800000 299.200000 It's one of fighting.

299.200000 301.320000 It's a military battle.

301.320000 304.080000 You see, sometimes God will give you a promise,

304.080000 305.440000 but you have to possess it.

305.440000 310.960000 See, we want to serve the God that gives the promise

310.960000 314.080000 and then comes in and there's all the workforce.

314.080000 317.120000 No, faith without works is what?

317.120000 317.960000 Dead.

317.960000 319.960000 So that means I've got to do something.

319.960000 324.120000 I've got a partner with God to fulfill his promise for my life.

324.120000 327.560000 So Joshua was going to have to walk with God.

327.560000 330.440000 He was going to have to partner with God,

330.440000 333.440000 even at the point of following him,

333.440000 336.120000 even after his friend died.

336.120000 339.280000 So what does it mean to be brave?

339.280000 340.200000 What does it mean?

340.200000 341.960000 We use that word a lot.

341.960000 344.840000 We see movies like Brave Heart.

344.840000 345.960000 Anybody like that?

345.960000 348.880000 All the men and I'll say, yeah, Mel Gibson.

348.880000 350.520000 I just kill some folks, amen.

350.520000 354.200000 But we hear this word.

354.200000 355.920000 That person's very brave.

355.920000 359.320000 But from a biblical context and understanding,

359.320000 362.160000 it's trusting God and persevering

362.160000 365.040000 by moving forward in the face of adversity.

365.040000 369.680000 It's trusting God and moving forward

369.680000 372.280000 in the face of adversity.

372.280000 374.920000 It doesn't mean you will never have adversity.

374.920000 378.520000 It just means you're not going to allow adversity

378.520000 383.040000 to adversity, to paralyze you and keep you from trusting

383.040000 387.080000 the God in the moment that you cannot see Him.

387.080000 390.280000 See, there are oftentimes when you're navigating

390.280000 393.280000 and traversing life, you can't see God,

393.280000 395.240000 but you can trust His heart.

395.240000 396.080000 Amen.

396.080000 397.880000 I don't know how you're going to do it, God.

397.880000 399.760000 I don't know how you're going to come through.

399.760000 401.640000 My business is about to go under.

401.640000 403.160000 My marriage is on the rocks.

403.160000 405.080000 My physical health is not good.

405.080000 406.880000 This is going on in my family.

406.880000 410.080000 I can't see God working in every little situation,

410.080000 414.840000 but I can trust the God who has His best interest,

414.840000 416.240000 my best interest at hand.

416.240000 418.760000 And he said he would never leave me or forsake me

418.760000 421.480000 that he would be with me to the end of the age.

421.480000 423.560000 I can trust his heart.

423.560000 427.320000 All of us have been in tough situations, adversity.

427.320000 429.720000 All of us have faced pain.

429.720000 431.960000 If you ever go to a church and a pastor says,

431.960000 434.560000 if you get saved, you'll never experience pain.

434.560000 439.480000 Walk out, leave, he lied.

439.480000 441.800000 There are many people that think, if I get saved,

441.800000 443.240000 this will be a better roses.

443.240000 446.400000 How many know every rose has a thorn?

446.400000 448.880000 Life gets thorning.

448.880000 449.800000 Life hurts.

449.800000 450.600000 People hurt.

450.600000 452.800000 Life has some adversity.

452.800000 456.360000 But in the moments of adversity, you've got to learn

456.360000 457.280000 to trust God.

457.280000 458.680000 You've got to learn to believe.

458.680000 462.000000 You've got to learn to say, Lord, I don't know what's going on.

462.000000 465.880000 But even in my grief, even in my pain, even in my dismay,

465.880000 468.840000 even in these things like life has been shattered.

468.840000 472.320000 I can't see you, Lord, but I can trust you.

472.320000 476.040000 I can trust you and I can be brave by trusting you

476.040000 478.360000 and persevering and moving forward,

478.360000 481.400000 even though there's obstacles in front of me.

481.400000 484.320000 I mean, some of the greatest obstacles in life

484.320000 487.000000 can be pain, can be grief.

487.000000 490.240000 I mean, grief can paralyze you.

490.240000 494.080000 I've experienced grief a lot of moments in my life.

494.080000 496.320000 I'm not even talking about the death of a loved one.

496.320000 500.320000 Sometimes you can lose a job and you grieve over that job.

500.320000 502.040000 Sometimes you can lose a car.

502.040000 503.880000 Sometimes you can lose a house.

503.880000 506.680000 Sometimes you can lose a pet.

506.680000 510.600000 These things cause grief, but I've lost family members.

510.600000 511.640000 A lot of them.

511.640000 513.840000 About three years ago, I lost my sister.

513.840000 515.440000 She took her own life.

515.440000 518.680000 That was the greatest grief I've ever experienced in my life.

518.680000 519.360000 I didn't, man.

519.360000 522.960000 I was like, wow, I didn't even know how to process it at the time.

522.960000 524.440000 I had to preach her funeral.

524.440000 528.800000 I had to get it together and I did all that while grieving.

528.800000 531.800000 How many, how many, no, it's hard to preach a sermon

531.800000 533.600000 when you're grieving.

533.600000 535.480000 It's hard to encourage other people

535.480000 537.040000 when you need encouragement.

537.040000 539.400000 It's hard to wrap your arms around people

539.400000 542.440000 who are grieving when you're dying on the inside

542.440000 546.920000 and God was there, but I had to process that.

546.920000 551.240000 I had to be brave enough to say, Lord, I can't see you in this.

551.240000 554.520000 But Lord, I trust your heart.

554.520000 556.960000 I trust you with all my heart.

556.960000 560.280000 Lord, I don't understand, but what I am going to do,

560.280000 563.200000 I am going to walk with you because you're never gonna

563.200000 564.720000 leave me or forsake me.

564.720000 567.120000 You brought me through and you said in your word,

567.120000 571.640000 even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

571.640000 572.600000 you are with me.

572.600000 575.600000 You gotta understand the things that are dying around you

575.600000 577.280000 are nothing but a shadow.

577.280000 580.640000 The greater reality is the life of Jesus Christ

580.640000 583.240000 that shining bright in your heart today.

583.240000 584.800000 And you need to keep walking.

584.800000 587.040000 You might be going through a lonesome valley.

587.040000 589.080000 You might be drinking from a bitter cup.

589.080000 590.800000 You might be in a dark valley,

590.800000 594.560000 but you need to keep walking and trust that God is with you

594.560000 596.880000 just like He was with Joshua.

596.880000 598.760000 He is with you.

598.760000 600.400000 He's with you.

600.400000 602.280000 So when we talk about being brave,

602.280000 604.800000 we're not talking about not having adversity.

604.800000 609.040000 You don't know if you're brave until you face adversity.

609.040000 611.800000 You don't know what's on the inside of you

611.800000 614.880000 until pressure comes into your life.

614.880000 618.440000 How many you know pressure will either cause you to praise God

618.440000 620.600000 or cuss people that are making his image.

620.600000 623.080000 (congregation laughing)

623.080000 627.360000 There's nothing like discovering what's on the inside of you

627.360000 628.840000 until pressure comes.

629.800000 631.320000 Financial pressure.

631.320000 632.920000 Relational pressure.

632.920000 634.560000 Marital pressure.

634.560000 635.800000 Business pressure.

635.800000 638.320000 I mean, sometimes you don't know what's in you

638.320000 641.360000 until the pressure cooker of life gets so great

641.360000 643.800000 that out of you comes what's ever in you.

643.800000 648.320000 Yeah, yeah, got quiet in this gospel church.

648.320000 650.360000 Some of you, it doesn't take much pressure.

650.360000 654.160000 Just somebody flipping you the bird on 264.

654.160000 655.720000 (congregation laughing)

655.720000 657.640000 And you discover what's on the inside of you.

657.640000 658.920000 Yeah, you've been saved 10 years,

658.920000 661.800000 but it's still there and you need to allow God

661.800000 663.640000 to sanctify that part of your life.

663.640000 665.280000 That's a word we don't use much in church,

665.280000 666.480000 but it's a good word.

666.480000 669.840000 Sanctification is the process of becoming pure,

669.840000 672.640000 the process of becoming like Jesus Christ.

672.640000 676.720000 And that is a daily process of becoming

676.720000 679.960000 how by the Holy Spirit's indwelling in us.

679.960000 685.680000 So Joshua is here and he has to be brave.

685.680000 689.960000 He has grieved, God said, "Be strong and courageous."

689.960000 694.960000 And God tells him, "Don't be afraid, don't be discouraged."

694.960000 697.200000 So how do I cultivate bravery?

697.200000 699.760000 Number one, remember past victories.

699.760000 702.680000 Do you know Joshua could remember

702.680000 705.000000 to hold out of past victories.

705.000000 707.160000 He saw water come out of a rock.

707.160000 710.960000 He saw a cloud by day and a fire by night.

710.960000 713.880000 He saw how God brought them out

713.880000 717.800000 of Egyptian bondage by his mighty hand.

717.800000 721.040000 He saw the miracles of Moses.

721.040000 724.520000 And now the torch has been passed to him,

724.520000 729.200000 and now he has to run his leg of the race and he's got to do it.

729.200000 730.200000 But if he's going to do it,

730.200000 733.640000 he's got to remember what God has done in the past.

733.640000 736.480000 And even when we go into the life of King David,

736.480000 738.960000 who is an extraordinary person,

738.960000 743.000000 his bio is one that is one of conflict, one of death,

743.000000 746.520000 one of betrayal, one of adultery, one of the incest, one of death.

746.520000 749.160000 And if you read his life story, you would say,

749.160000 751.440000 "Man, why did God put this guy in the Bible?"

751.440000 755.960000 He put him in the Bible to encourage you and me,

755.960000 759.040000 that it doesn't matter how jacked up the situation is.

759.040000 761.840000 God is with you and David was still called

761.840000 764.720000 a man after God's own heart.

764.720000 768.320000 You can be running after God and still trip,

768.320000 769.840000 but you need to get right back up

769.840000 772.080000 and keep running after God.

772.080000 774.960000 And so David writes,

774.960000 778.440000 he writes this Psalm 56, three and four,

778.440000 783.440000 while he is actually running for his life.

783.440000 788.960000 First Samuel 21, 10 through 15,

788.960000 793.200000 and that whole first Samuel episode

793.200000 798.200000 is when he is running for his life from Saul.

798.200000 801.520000 And he's in gas, and he's in the enemy's camp,

801.520000 807.360000 and he has to act like he's in sane in order to escape

807.360000 809.800000 from being captured, and the king says,

809.800000 811.120000 "Get him out of my sight."

811.120000 816.120000 This man is insane, and he writes Psalm 56.

816.120000 821.880000 He writes this Psalm that really says something

821.880000 823.120000 to our lives today.

823.120000 826.040000 He says, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."

826.040000 828.120000 He is in the enemy's camp, and he says,

828.120000 833.120000 "When I am afraid, Lord, I am going to put my trust in you."

833.120000 840.600000 What can mere mortals do to me?

840.600000 843.600000 In the midst of that situation,

843.600000 846.840000 he says, "I will praise your name.

846.840000 850.880000 I will allow the Word of God to go deep in my heart

850.880000 853.560000 to create praise in your name."

853.560000 858.560000 He is being in the middle of a contentious situation,

858.560000 862.560000 but he learns that he has to look at past victories.

862.560000 865.880000 Past victories.

865.880000 869.480000 First Samuel 17, 37 says, "The Lord who rescued me

869.480000 873.000000 from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear

873.000000 875.720000 will rescue me from the hand of this philistine,

875.720000 879.120000 Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you."

880.120000 884.840000 David was continuously looking at past victories

884.840000 889.840000 in his life that assured him of present and future victories.

889.840000 892.400000 When you feel down, and when you feel depressed,

892.400000 893.960000 and you feel like you can't go forward,

893.960000 896.120000 and you feel like you can no longer be brave,

896.120000 899.960000 just look at the testimonies in your life.

899.960000 903.680000 Just look at the positive things God has done in your life,

903.680000 907.920000 and watch God do supernatural things as you move forward.

907.920000 911.160000 You gotta rehearse, you gotta remember past victories

911.160000 913.160000 that God has given you.

913.160000 917.840000 Man, bridge church has a lot of past victories.

917.840000 920.800000 Has a lot of great victories in its history.

920.800000 923.040000 You're sitting in a victory.

923.040000 926.360000 We built this church in about 28 acres of land here,

926.360000 928.600000 and we built this first phase building,

928.600000 932.320000 with about 400 people, millions and millions of dollars,

932.320000 933.800000 and people said it couldn't be done.

933.800000 936.600000 You're sitting in a place where people said it couldn't be done,

936.600000 939.320000 but God did it while that's past victories.

939.320000 942.480000 And so, when we go to build in Kerr-Tuk County,

942.480000 943.880000 and I need some encouragement,

943.880000 945.040000 guess what I'm gonna look at?

945.040000 948.080000 I'm gonna look at what God did 12 years ago

948.080000 950.680000 and say if he did it then, he can do it now,

950.680000 953.560000 and he can do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask

953.560000 956.600000 or think according to the power that works within us.

956.600000 958.400000 So I'm gonna look at past victories.

958.400000 960.920000 I have no time to look at defeat,

960.920000 963.400000 'cause God has promised victory in my life,

963.400000 965.360000 if I'll just remain in him.

965.360000 968.120000 Number two, embrace community.

968.120000 970.400000 I think this is where most of us struggle,

970.400000 975.200000 because naturally in America, we celebrate individualism.

975.200000 976.920000 I have no problem with individualism.

976.920000 979.560000 I think we need to be personally responsible.

979.560000 981.720000 I think we need to have personal drive,

981.720000 986.360000 but we celebrate it so hard in America

986.360000 991.360000 that we think we can live this Christian life by ourselves.

993.120000 995.200000 Like we don't need anyone.

995.200000 1002.080000 And so, we think isolation will give us insulation

1002.080000 1005.400000 from pain.

1005.400000 1009.240000 Now I want you to notice what I just said.

1009.240000 1013.760000 We think isolation will give us insulation

1013.760000 1016.480000 from our problems and pain.

1016.480000 1021.480000 I mean, oftentimes your isolation increases your pain.

1021.920000 1024.880000 (congregation laughs)

1024.880000 1027.000000 Hebrews 10, 24, 25 says,

1027.000000 1030.680000 and let us consider how we may spur one another

1030.680000 1034.440000 on toward love and good deeds,

1034.440000 1039.440000 not giving up meeting what, together.

1039.440000 1044.360000 Why do we meet together so we can push one another

1044.360000 1049.360000 toward love and good deeds as some are in the habit

1050.320000 1051.160000 of doing.

1051.160000 1055.680000 The Hebrew writer was saying whether it was Paul or somebody else,

1055.680000 1058.840000 you guys have created some bad habits of not getting together

1058.840000 1061.600000 and you're practicing isolationism.

1061.600000 1064.280000 You're practicing being away from each other.

1064.280000 1066.080000 He said, that's a bad habit,

1066.080000 1069.840000 but encouraging one another to do what?

1069.840000 1071.280000 Meet together, together.

1071.280000 1075.920000 All the more as you see what the day approaching.

1075.920000 1078.120000 Notice that word day is capitalized.

1078.120000 1078.960000 Why?

1078.960000 1079.800000 It's a specific day.

1079.800000 1081.000000 It's the day of the Lord.

1081.000000 1083.360000 It's the coming of Jesus Christ.

1083.360000 1087.120000 The Hebrew writer is saying when times are coming to the end,

1087.120000 1089.880000 when you're living in the end of times, the end of days,

1089.880000 1091.840000 you're living at the moment where Jesus

1091.840000 1093.360000 is getting ready to come back.

1093.360000 1095.720000 That's not the time you withdraw

1095.720000 1099.560000 and you become isolated as a believer there at that moment.

1099.560000 1100.960000 You need to gather more.

1100.960000 1103.840000 Whether it's in a small group or in a corporate setting

1103.840000 1106.440000 or two or three gathered in a coffee shop,

1106.440000 1109.200000 encouraging one another, reading the word of God.

1109.200000 1110.840000 He's saying in the last days,

1110.840000 1112.680000 you don't need to do less of that.

1112.680000 1114.400000 You need to do more of that

1114.400000 1117.040000 and you need to encourage each other in love

1117.040000 1120.840000 and in good deeds.

1120.840000 1123.640000 So why do we push small groups here at Bridge Charters?

1123.640000 1126.000000 Because we believe we should do that more.

1126.000000 1127.920000 Not less, more.

1127.920000 1128.760000 Why?

1128.760000 1132.040000 Because you don't know you need others

1132.040000 1133.760000 until you really need others.

1133.760000 1136.640000 You don't, let me tell you something.

1136.640000 1139.040000 You don't build relationships.

1139.040000 1141.960000 When you're going through the death of a loved one,

1141.960000 1144.960000 you build it before you get there.

1144.960000 1146.800000 You don't build relationships

1146.800000 1149.000000 when you're in a financial reversal.

1149.000000 1151.000000 You build it before you get there.

1151.000000 1152.400000 So when you get there,

1152.400000 1155.240000 you have a brother or sister that will love you,

1155.240000 1156.520000 that will encourage you,

1156.520000 1158.400000 that will spur you to good deeds,

1158.400000 1160.760000 that will lift you up, that will help you.

1160.760000 1163.240000 It's this community of believers

1163.240000 1165.400000 that helps each other out.

1165.400000 1166.440000 Let me tell you something.

1166.440000 1168.720000 I didn't wake to my sister took her life

1168.720000 1169.960000 to build relationships.

1169.960000 1172.040000 I had lifelong relationships

1172.040000 1174.800000 that I had been building 20, 30, 40 years.

1174.800000 1176.960000 And when I needed to make a withdrawal

1176.960000 1178.240000 from their relationships,

1178.240000 1180.200000 I was able to make a withdrawal

1180.200000 1181.960000 and they made a deposit in me.

1181.960000 1183.360000 Some of y'all go to the bank

1183.360000 1184.720000 and you put your check card in,

1184.720000 1186.080000 you can't get nothing out

1186.080000 1187.960000 because you didn't make a deposit.

1187.960000 1189.440000 And some of you come to church

1189.440000 1190.560000 wanting to make a withdrawal,

1190.560000 1192.480000 but you never make a deposit.

1192.480000 1196.000000 (audience cheering and clapping)

1196.000000 1196.840000 You know what that is?

1196.840000 1197.960000 That's consumerism.

1197.960000 1199.560000 It's consumer Christianity

1199.560000 1202.960000 that's fastly and quickly dying in America.

1202.960000 1205.360000 - Come on, come on down.

1205.360000 1207.400000 - There was a day consumer Christianity work.

1207.400000 1209.440000 Now it's dying.

1209.440000 1212.200000 It's not what the church can do for you.

1212.200000 1214.200000 It's what you can do for the church.

1214.200000 1216.400000 It's what you can do for one another.

1216.400000 1217.900000 - So good.

1217.900000 1220.720000 - Number three, step out in faith.

1220.720000 1222.320000 Step out in faith.

1222.320000 1224.880000 I won't preach these next two in eight minutes.

1224.880000 1225.960000 That's wrong.

1225.960000 1228.180000 Deuteronomy 1124.

1228.180000 1229.680000 This is God speaking to Moses.

1229.680000 1233.440000 He says, "Every place where you set your foot will be yours.

1233.440000 1239.280000 Your territory will extend from the desert of Lebanon

1239.280000 1243.800000 and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea."

1243.800000 1246.320000 He is saying to Moses,

1246.320000 1249.520000 "Moses, I didn't just bring you out of Egypt,

1249.520000 1250.560000 just to leave you out.

1250.560000 1254.000000 I brought you out to take you into the promise."

1254.000000 1258.120000 Hemi, you know, God just didn't bring you out in salvation,

1258.120000 1261.640000 but he's bringing you into his purpose

1261.640000 1263.280000 and his promise for your life.

1263.280000 1269.200000 And he tells Moses, "Every place you put your foot, Moses,

1269.200000 1272.520000 I have given you."

1272.520000 1275.600000 I want to go back to Joshua.

1275.600000 1278.120000 Joshua is a book of conquest.

1278.120000 1282.560000 It's physical conquest over the enemies of the promised land.

1282.560000 1285.880000 The first thing they have to fight over

1285.880000 1289.280000 is Jericho when they cross the Jordan River.

1289.280000 1291.920000 And Jericho was a fortified city.

1291.920000 1295.080000 What this book represents to us in type and shadow

1295.080000 1296.680000 is this right here.

1296.680000 1299.320000 God comes into our lives

1299.320000 1302.920000 and he wants to possess the promised land in our lives.

1302.920000 1304.520000 But there are some enemies.

1304.520000 1306.240000 Look here, enemy.

1306.240000 1309.760000 Your enemy is not sitting beside you.

1309.760000 1311.500000 Your enemy is enemy.

1312.500000 1314.820000 It's my bad attitude.

1314.820000 1316.620000 It's my habits.

1316.620000 1319.060000 It's the perversions of my life.

1319.060000 1323.460000 It's my depression that I've just nestled with.

1323.460000 1327.220000 And so Jesus, our heavenly Joshua,

1327.220000 1331.060000 comes in to possess our land.

1331.060000 1332.220000 - So good.

1332.220000 1333.780000 - Do you understand that?

1333.780000 1336.460000 Because Joshua, the book of Joshua

1336.460000 1339.020000 and the book of Ephesians and the New Testament

1339.020000 1340.620000 are all about conquest.

1340.620000 1343.940000 One is physical, the other is spiritual.

1343.940000 1347.320000 The first one is a conquest of promises.

1347.320000 1352.220000 The second one Ephesians is a conquest

1352.220000 1355.140000 from the foundation of position.

1355.140000 1356.980000 That is, New Testament believers,

1356.980000 1361.820000 we are positioned in Christ to receive the promises.

1361.820000 1364.580000 And so when we began to understand this,

1364.580000 1367.740000 we see this book as a book of conquest

1367.740000 1369.780000 and spiritually in the New Testament.

1369.780000 1372.980000 And Jesus comes in so he can take a residency

1372.980000 1376.380000 on the inside of us, not to leave us where we're at,

1376.380000 1378.500000 not just to say, hey, I'm done with you.

1378.500000 1381.100000 No, he comes in and he sets up shop

1381.100000 1383.540000 and he begins to transform our lives

1383.540000 1386.380000 to the degree that we surrender to him.

1386.380000 1389.420000 Now I know men in here are great at compartmentalizing

1389.420000 1390.660000 their lives, but how many, you know,

1390.660000 1393.540000 Jesus wants to get into every compartment.

1393.540000 1394.700000 It's like a toddler.

1394.700000 1396.980000 You ever seen a toddler, they want to get into everything.

1396.980000 1398.740000 They look in the trash can, they get in the drawer,

1398.740000 1400.260000 they open up the cabinets, you know,

1400.260000 1401.580000 they find the toys out of the box.

1401.580000 1403.500000 That's the way Jesus is.

1403.500000 1407.100000 He wants to come into your life and leave nothing untouched,

1407.100000 1410.820000 but I have to be willing to surrender my life to him.

1410.820000 1414.100000 I have to be willing to open the door,

1414.100000 1416.260000 even in the book of Revelation,

1416.260000 1420.220000 it says, behold, I stand at the door and knock.

1420.220000 1423.100000 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

1423.100000 1426.660000 I will come in and sup with him and he with me.

1426.660000 1430.140000 That is a picture of Jesus not knocking on the door

1430.140000 1433.220000 of the world, that's just Jesus knocking on the door

1433.220000 1435.260000 of his own house.

1435.260000 1439.900000 We are the house of God, but we have to freely say,

1439.900000 1444.900000 Lord, come in, come in, come in, conquer the areas

1444.900000 1448.420000 of my life that have not been conquered.

1448.420000 1450.540000 Lord, help me to overcome.

1450.540000 1454.860000 So that means I'm going to have to abide in Christ.

1454.860000 1457.140000 Jesus gave us the solution, John.

1457.140000 1462.420000 Abide in me and you will bear much for it.

1462.420000 1467.700000 It's not jumping in and out of a relationship with Jesus.

1467.700000 1471.740000 It's being in a relationship with Jesus.

1471.740000 1476.140000 And sometimes in our pain and in our hurt,

1476.140000 1479.060000 guess what we do, we jump in and out of a relationship

1479.060000 1482.540000 with Jesus, because when he starts to talk to the areas

1482.540000 1485.940000 of our life that is filled with pain and he wants us

1485.940000 1488.220000 to conquer that, we run from him.

1488.220000 1492.420000 But you can trust him.

1492.420000 1494.820000 Number four, trusting God's promises.

1494.820000 1500.300000 Joshua 13, God tells Joshua the very same thing

1500.300000 1504.380000 he tells Moses and Deuteronomy.

1504.380000 1509.380000 I will give you every place where you set your foot

1509.900000 1512.460000 as I promised, who?

1512.460000 1514.260000 Moses.

1514.260000 1516.580000 Moses.

1516.580000 1522.740000 Meaning the promises of God are not one generational.

1522.740000 1525.620000 I believe a lot of the promises that God has given me

1525.620000 1528.460000 and my wife about bridge church, I'll never see 'em.

1528.460000 1531.860000 Because those promises are not for me to see,

1531.860000 1534.260000 but future generations to see.

1534.260000 1537.260000 See, we live in time, God is not locked up in time.

1538.500000 1542.300000 He flows and works through time.

1542.300000 1545.980000 But when he speaks, it's timeless.

1545.980000 1547.940000 It's an eternal word.

1547.940000 1550.500000 It's a word that has no end.

1550.500000 1552.420000 It just keeps perpetuating.

1552.420000 1555.820000 And just as he told Moses, if you'll step on it,

1555.820000 1557.980000 he tells Joshua, put your foot there.

1557.980000 1558.860000 Put your foot there.

1558.860000 1560.420000 I want to give you this property.

1560.420000 1561.900000 I want to give you this land.

1561.900000 1563.300000 I want to give you this promise,

1563.300000 1564.660000 but you're going to have to put your foot there.

1564.660000 1566.820000 That means you're going to have to take a step of faith.

1566.820000 1569.100000 And sometimes when God gives us a word,

1569.100000 1572.540000 we're paralyzed by fear, but do not be afraid.

1572.540000 1573.500000 Just take a step.

1573.500000 1575.660000 And if you will take a step, God will meet you

1575.660000 1578.300000 at the moment that you step out.

1578.300000 1579.260000 He will meet you.

1579.260000 1582.420000 The promises are yours.

1582.420000 1584.140000 Second Corinthians 1, 20 says,

1584.140000 1588.380000 "For no matter how many promises God has made,

1588.380000 1590.980000 they are yes in Christ."

1590.980000 1595.980000 And so through him, the amen is spoken by us

1596.100000 1597.340000 to the glory of God.

1597.340000 1600.300000 They are yes in what?

1600.300000 1601.780000 Christ.

1601.780000 1603.940000 That means they are sealed.

1603.940000 1606.460000 They are faithful.

1606.460000 1608.460000 They've been entrusted to you.

1608.460000 1611.340000 God says yes to your transformation.

1611.340000 1613.620000 He says yes to your future.

1613.620000 1616.980000 He says yes to your purpose, but what do you have to do?

1616.980000 1620.700000 You have to say amen.

1621.820000 1626.820000 Amen is saying I agree with the promise of God over my life.

1626.820000 1631.460000 So when God says yes, that's what I have for you.

1631.460000 1633.060000 You have to echo back to God.

1633.060000 1633.900000 Amen.

1633.900000 1637.300000 And that's just not a religious term.

1637.300000 1639.140000 That's a term of covenant.

1639.140000 1641.020000 That's a term of agreement.

1641.020000 1642.860000 That's a term that says, "Less Lord,

1642.860000 1644.740000 I don't know how it's going to happen

1644.740000 1646.300000 and the way it's going to happen,

1646.300000 1647.940000 but I'm just going to agree with you."

1647.940000 1651.180000 And when I stepped out of a gust of Georgia

1651.180000 1654.500000 and came to Virginia Beach and God said yes, go.

1654.500000 1656.260000 All I did was say amen.

1656.260000 1657.980000 I didn't know what was going to happen.

1657.980000 1659.780000 I didn't know who was going to be there.

1659.780000 1661.580000 I didn't know how I was going to make it.

1661.580000 1663.820000 I didn't know where the provision was coming from.

1663.820000 1665.780000 I'd never been or lived in this city,

1665.780000 1667.140000 but I just said yes.

1667.140000 1668.700000 And God echoed back.

1668.700000 1669.900000 Hey, I echoed to God.

1669.900000 1670.740000 Amen.

1670.740000 1671.780000 And God said yes.

1671.780000 1673.060000 And I said amen.

1673.060000 1674.180000 God said yes.

1674.180000 1675.420000 And I said amen.

1675.420000 1678.980000 And I've been saying amen to every one of God's yeses.

1680.580000 1683.620000 And oftentimes faith requires you to say amen

1683.620000 1685.020000 before you figure it out.

1685.020000 1688.060000 God gives your promise.

1688.060000 1689.620000 Your marriage is going to work.

1689.620000 1693.380000 And you say mm, just say amen.

1693.380000 1695.020000 Just say amen.

1695.020000 1696.540000 Just say amen.

1696.540000 1698.780000 You look at your bills and you say,

1698.780000 1700.100000 I don't know how it's going to work,

1700.100000 1700.980000 but God says yes.

1700.980000 1702.100000 You just say amen, Lord.

1702.100000 1704.220000 I don't know how, but I'm going to say amen.

1704.220000 1705.220000 I'm going to echo that.

1705.220000 1708.820000 I'm going to come into an agreement with your promise.

1708.820000 1710.500000 And that's what Moses did.

1710.500000 1712.100000 That's what Joshua did.

1712.100000 1714.260000 They just came into an agreement.

1714.260000 1717.100000 See, only the brave possess the promises of God.

1717.100000 1720.100000 That means I got to keep walking.

1720.100000 1722.500000 I know there's adversity, there's darkness,

1722.500000 1725.940000 there's seasons that I don't even understand.

1725.940000 1727.500000 But I'm going to keep walking.

1727.500000 1728.500000 I'm going to trust God.

1728.500000 1730.860000 I want you to stand on your feet today.

1730.860000 1733.060000 That's the only thing you can stand on.

1733.060000 1734.060000 Stand on your feet.

1734.060000 1735.060000 (congregation laughing)

1735.060000 1736.780000 And yeah, we're wondering why people say that.

1736.780000 1738.260000 Or stand to your feet.

1739.220000 1744.220000 I don't want you to stand on your head, but God is good.

1744.220000 1746.460000 I believe all over this building

1746.460000 1749.940000 there have been some divine promises given to people.

1749.940000 1752.540000 God says yes in Christ.

1752.540000 1755.220000 You have to echo back to His, yes, amen.

1755.220000 1757.020000 I want you to say this with me.

1757.020000 1758.820000 Amen.

1758.820000 1760.300000 Say it like you mean it.

1760.300000 1763.620000 Amen, amen, glory to God.

1763.620000 1766.700000 But I just thank you for every person in this building today.

1766.700000 1769.500000 Thank you for much grace, much power,

1769.500000 1772.780000 much transformation that's taking place.

1772.780000 1776.220000 Gotta thank you that we can say amen to your yes.

1776.220000 1779.940000 God, the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ.

1779.940000 1784.220000 God, we just possess the promise land

1784.220000 1787.660000 by allowing you to work in our lives today.

1787.660000 1789.460000 We surrender to the voice of Jesus,

1789.460000 1791.980000 to the working of Jesus in our lives.

1791.980000 1793.300000 The working of the Holy Spirit

1793.300000 1795.740000 who is the person of Jesus.

1795.740000 1798.780000 coming into our lives right now, transforming us.