Sermon
Victory in The Promised Land | Pastor Tim Ingram
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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I wonder if you've ever had a day full of, like, a bunch of
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hard work, like strenuous or mentally fatiguing that during
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the day as you're going through it, or maybe even a season that
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you're in, You're daydreaming about the end of the day, right?
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You're in the middle of the muck, but you're thinking about
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the end of the muck. Anybody.
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So, like, you're out in the yard.
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It's hot. It's sweaty.
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You're working, you're grimy, you're filthy, and you're
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thinking about the. Ice cold shower and the even
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colder glass of lemonade and some chips and salsa that just
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seems right. Like something salty after
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you've been sweating a lot, right?
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Am I the only one? Am I the only one?
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Chips and. Salsa, OK?
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Praise God. See you at 2 E's later.
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And the best part? Like what I really?
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Think about is like cool, clean, crisp sheets at the end of the
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night, the fan blowing. Falling asleep.
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The right kind of exhausted not. Weary just.
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Exhausted. It's like crossing the finish
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line while you're in the race. I don't know if you're ever a
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runner. I was a runner in high school,
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and I was. Terrible at it.
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Like, really bad. I need a Hot Pocket go run 800
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meters which is only twice around the track.
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But after like the first 10 steps, I'm already thinking
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about the end. True story, but I'm so glad.
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Then I get to the end. I puke out my hot.
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That the race is over. Done.
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And what we're discussing today is this kind of idea that we've
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been daydreaming for the finish line for so long.
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Here at Illuminate Church it was. 11 years we've been in
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existence. Today's message is called.
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Victory in the promised land. It's that feeling at the end.
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Of the race when you cross the line.
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And what happens there? God wanted at the very beginning
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to make His name famous, just like we do.
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And when I say that we want to make the.
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Name of Jesus Famous. I'm not talking about
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popularity. I'm not talking about fame as.
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The world knows it. What I mean?
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Is that every heart in our region would.
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Think of Jesus first kids at night when it be clamoring for a
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movie. Or this or that people in their
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homes that they're thinking about.
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Jesus. It's the lens through which
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everything comes. Through it's What gives life and
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what gives hope? What gives purpose to every
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person and that's how the name. Of Jesus becomes famous, I'm
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not. Talking about a popularity
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contest, right? God wanted the same at the
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beginning, that everybody would know His name, know His power,
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know his love, know his. Will for their life.
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That they can live in peace with God.
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He wanted that to happen. So what did God do?
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He has to plan where he. Chose a certain group of people,
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and he gave them a certain. Place right?
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That people were called the Hebrew people or they eventually
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called the Israelites or even today called the Jews right?
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This group of people got hand selected on the earth and then
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he gave them a place and that place is called the promised
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land. Everyone said promised Land,
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also known as a Holy Land. Now it's known as.
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Israel and we can talk about what the name of Israel means is
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amazing, but essentially means God wins.
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God perseveres in the end, the journey for the people.
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Of God to get to this promised land was.
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Arduous. Incredible.
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It all started with Abram. I'm going to read out of Genesis
Genesis 12 chapter mention
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chapter 12, but I want you and your Bibles.
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To go to Joshua Chapter 5, because we're really going to
Joshua 5 chapter mention
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spend time in Joshua chapter 5, but in Genesis.
Joshua 5 chapter mention Genesis 12 chapter mention
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Chapter 12. The selection of these people
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begins with a man named Abram Verse, one the Lord had said to
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Abraham, who becomes father. Abraham, who had many sons and
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many sons, had. The Lord say to Abraham, go from
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your country, go from your people, go from your father's
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household to the land I will show you he's.
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Picking the people and the place, I will make you into a
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great nation. I, the Lord God, will bless you.
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I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
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I will bless those who bless you and whoever.
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Curses you I will curse, and all peoples on the earth will be
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blessed through you. God pick a people to bless so
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that they could then bless the nations.
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How Letting the nations. Know about the Holy One.
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About the Lord our God, the King.
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This is the plan. God's picking the people to make
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himself known to all peoples, and he blessed the.
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People that he chose. But as the story goes and and
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listen, I'm going to fly through a lot of things and the.
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Details aren't what necessarily matters here this morning.
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I mean, we can. Talk details after service if
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you want to. We can have a little.
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Hang out and talk about them. Really, what I want you to
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experience if we can. This morning is the long
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journey. Of these people as they got to.
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The Promised land. All right.
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It starts with a man named Abram.
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I got this little. Do we have the little family
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tree thing here? Yeah.
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Abrams up there, He has a son named Isaac, and Isaac has a son
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named Jacob. And Jacob has. 12 Sons who
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become the. 12 tribes of Israel. And while all this is going on,
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the people have kind of moved and checking out the promised
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land, it's called. Canaan at the time and while
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they're there there's a massive famine and the.
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Lord has already provided this is one of the details I just
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don't have time to dive into. Today, but God saves them and
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brings them down to. Egypt through one of the twelve
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sons named Joseph. He's son 11 there and they get
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to Egypt and they're saved from the famine and then they are in
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Egypt. For quite a while I from from
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the time of Abram to the time of Joseph saving his people in
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Egypt is 220. Years, right, 220.
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Years have passed. Just anybody want to take a
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guess how many years the United States has been a nation?
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Let me just do the math. 247. So roughly, the entire existence
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of the United States of America has transpired between Abram
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coming down and finally they end up in Egypt by God's saving hand
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through one of. The sons of Egypt, our sons of.
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Israel Joseph here, right? Jacobs, by the way, he's.
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He's the one who gets his name changed to Israel when he
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wrestles with God. And there's a bunch of details
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I'm just. Flying through here.
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So then they get to Israel, I'm, excuse me, Egypt.
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And in Egypt they begin to multiply.
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They become so numerous that Pharaoh puts them into slavery.
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They are in. Egypt for 430.
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Years. It's we say this number all the.
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Time, But we don't really think about the meaning of 430.
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Years nearly double the time of our nation.
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They're there all combined so far.
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It's been 650 years since Abrams been told I'm going to.
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Bless you. And you're going to have a home,
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the promised land. We've been waiting 11 years as a
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church. Just so we're all together and
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some of you that were in the church that was previous to.
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This one have been waiting maybe. 20 I don't know, 600 and
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50 years. And then if you know the story,
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God sends Moses, Moses let my people go and Farrah lets them
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go. There's a whole Passover thing.
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Again, details. Incredible.
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Details Amazing parts of the story.
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They walk through the Red Sea. They get to the Jordan River.
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When they're at the Jordan River, they have a faith crisis
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and after 650 years they get turned around.
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None shall enter. They wander around in the desert
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for 40 more. Years 40, that's four times.
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Roughly the length of. Our church's history they.
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Wandered in the wilderness waiting to enter into the
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Promised Land and. Then finally, 690 years after
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Genesis chapter 12, verse one, the people of God enter the
Genesis 12 chapter mention
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promised land under Joshua's command.
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We made it. Hallelujah.
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Let's open some. Let's open some barrels of wine.
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Let's eat figs, make tents and villages, and be a family.
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I don't know if you read your Bible.
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The first five books of the Bible.
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Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Due toronomy called the tour of the
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Penituke, right? Then you get Joshua.
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They enter the promised. Land and the first.
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Thing. They have to do.
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In the promised land is fight. Like for real, God, 690 years we
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thought we're going to cross the finish line, kick back in a
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hammock and be like. Peace out, homies.
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But that's not what happened. You better know this truth.
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Write it down. Enemies still lurk in a promised
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land. Where we're headed as a church.
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In just a few months, it's not a season to kick.
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Back our. Heels and take it easy and say,
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hey, we made it. It's been 11 years, right?
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Look at 11. It's time to fight as soon as we
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get to the promised land. Enemies lurking isn't just the
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curveball of all curveballs. Like they cross.
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Over the Jordan, and there in front of them is the oldest city
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in civilization. Jericho May excuse me.
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March of. 2025 come with me to Israel and you can see it for
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yourself. It's right there.
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Like, wait, this is it? Yeah, that's it.
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We'll have lunch together. In Jericho, you just want to be.
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There, okay. Just start saving your pennies.
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That's all I'm telling you now. So you finally get to what you
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think is the finish line you're. Ready to receive your reward,
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And the Lord says Nope. You got to get back on the the
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starting line and let's go again.
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I don't know if you've ever felt this like, hey, once I get
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there, then I'll be. Able to rest like if I just get
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married all my problems are going to go.
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Away if I just get divorced. All my problems.
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Will go away. If I just get that new job, then
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whoo. If I just get that raise, then
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yeah. I just get that spiritual
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breakthrough, then Whoo, go on that vacation.
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Just got back from one enemy still lurking.
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Just saying what you think is the promised land with the
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promised land still has enemies. So while we're talking about the
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ancient church and while we're talking about our today.
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You can also use this in your. Own mind and heart.
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There may be a season that you're wandering through and
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you're want to get to the finish line, but just.
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Be aware, beware. When you get to the finish line,
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there's an enemy lurking there until we get to heaven.
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Lord, may that come. In Jesus name.
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I'm ready. Let's just go.
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So I want. You to take.
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A quick journey with me I'm going to look through.
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The book of Joshua. Super quick.
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Again, it's not the details that matter as much as the.
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Journey Joshua Chapter One. The Lord gives the command of
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the Israelite. People to Joshua, and he gives
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him the confidence to command, he says to him in Joshua chapter
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one. Not once, not twice, not three
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times, but four times. Be strong and courageous one
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time even saying be. Strong and very courageous.
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Why would God tell Joshua to be strong and courageous unless
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there was an enemy to fight? If you don't need courage, then
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there's no enemy to fight. But God knew.
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What he was about to face, so he says.
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Listen to me Joshua 12244 times. Be strong and courageous.
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Let God's word be true to us today to where we are headed.
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What he wants from this? Church in this region, we need
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to be strong. And very courageous.
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Look at your neighbors. You sounded like you're talking
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them up for a Checkers match. Say be strong be.
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We're going to spiritual. Battle with the enemy, say.
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Be strong. Be courageous.
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You're going to. Need it.
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The Lord knows Joshua chapter two, we get the story of Rahab,
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this prostitute who's included in the.
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Story of Jesus. Just think about that for a
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minute. The chief of all sinners
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included in the saving. Story of Jesus if Rahab can be
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included. Then we certainly can be
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included. A beautiful, wonderful,
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incredible story. We ain't got time for that
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today. Joshua Chapter 3 The Crossing of
Joshua 3 chapter mention
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the Jordan. While it's at flood stage, the
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Elders put their toe in the water.
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The water splits. They walk across Joshua.
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Chapter four. I told you we're going fast.
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The Lord says Hey. You're going to forget this
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moment. So before the rivers close back
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up, go in and pick 12 Stones stack.
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Them up on this side so that when your children.
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See them, you'll say. Yeah, this is when the.
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Lord brought us out of the. This is a testimony, You know,
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I've said it. Before we are fearful because we
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are forgetful, but we're going to be faithful because we
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remember. The good works of God.
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In our life a little bit later and this fall we're going to
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celebrate our time here at the high school.
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We have a time of remembrance testifying.
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To all that. God has done not forgetting the
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season and what God is doing. That's going to happen a little
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bit later on in the fall and then we.
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It's in Joshua chapter six we find a pattern that you can
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find. All throughout Scripture, I'm
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going to show it to you just a little.
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Bit today, but if you look through the Old Testament and
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then the New Testament, you'll see this pattern over and over
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and over again. We.
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See it right here in Joshua, chapter Five and six as they
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enter the promised land. So let's learn it.
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For as we enter our promised land.
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We can do the same here. It is consecration, provision,
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obedience. Victory.
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Consecration, Provision, Obedience, Victory.
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You say it consecration y'all still sound like you're.
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At a checkers match or maybe like on the 7th.
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Hole on a Thursday of a golf tournament we're talking about
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taking out. The bully of the souls of the.
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People in our region bringing him to his knees at the name of
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Jesus. Something in you has.
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Got to rise up with gumption. Like it did for Abram.
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Like it did for Joshua. Like it did for the apostles.
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Like it did for Jesus. Not on my watch, they all said.
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And now the world. Looks at us as it says in
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Hamilton. History has its eyes.
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On you, on us, Joshua, Chapter five and six, Consecration,
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Provision, obedience, victory, consecration, Comes in, Joshua.
Joshua 5 chapter mention
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Chapter 5 Verse two At that time the Lord.
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Said to Joshua, make Flint knives and circumcise the
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Israelites again. Not again, right?
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Once there's enough, see what happened.
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Is that the people who had been circumcised?
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I'm going so fast. Let me back.
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Circumcision was a sign of consecration.
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Consecrating meaning to be. Separated out to the Lord.
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I'm separating out. I've been a part of the world.
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I've been touched. By The world of the world's gunk
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is on me, but I'm stepping out of the muck.
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And being set apart. To the Lord.
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The Lord did that with the. Israelites through circumcision,
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Those that have been. Circumcised died in the
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wilderness those 40 years, and so those that entered into the
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promised land had not been circumcised and the Lord said
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it's time for consecration. Circumcised the Israelites
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again. And so they.
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Did that chop chop we all that fun provision?
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Joshua Chapter 5 Versus 11:50. Watch this on the evening of the
Joshua 5 chapter mention
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14th day of the month. While camped at Gilgall on the
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plains of. Jericho So they've crossed over
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the Jordan River. They're on the.
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Jericho's there, right? The Israelites celebrated the
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Passover. Again, a great detail.
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I'm just flying. The day after the Passover, that
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very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened
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bread, and roasted grain, the manna.
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The day after they ate this food from the land, there was no
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longer any manna for the Israelites.
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But that year they ate the produce of.
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Canaan for. 40 years they'd eaten this, this miracle.
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Bread that showed up on the ground every.
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Morning except for Sunday and it would collect it and manage.
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Just meant. What's that?
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What is that right? Is this sweet?
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Kind of like honeycomb bread? And that's.
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All they had to eat for 40 years except.
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For some quail, occasionally. Right. 40 years of eating this.
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They walk into the promised land.
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They eat the. Passover meal and that very day.
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The produce of the. Promised Land became theirs.
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And they ate there full of it. God was providing for them
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strength. For what is about to come, he
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consecrated them then he provided.
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For them. Then he asked them to be.
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Obedient Joshua Chapter six Look at this March around the city
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once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.
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Have 7 priests carry trumpets of Rams horns in front of the ark.
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On the 7th day, March around the city 7 times, so they're going
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to March 13 times in total with the priests blowing the trumpets
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right. When you hear them sound a long
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blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout,
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right? Then the wall of the city will
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collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.
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Josh is like, all right, goes to the people, he said.
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All right, we're going to take out the city.
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They're like how? Well, we're all going to have to
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join the marching band. Y'all been making fun of the
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high school marching band for too long.
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That ends today. In the name of Jesus.
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It's the marching band that gets the victory.
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Can I get an Amen? I played the trombone.
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Anybody in the marching band? OK, this is our moment of
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redemption right here, OK? Just OK, good God, you and I had
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this moment. So, like, all right.
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That's a that's. A terrible plan like we have.
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All these fighting men and you want us to walk around the city?
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For six days and on the 7th day, seven times.
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And then we're going to blow a trumpet and we're all going to
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yell. Boo.
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And we're going to. Win and Josh is like, that's
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what God said. And if God said it, we do it.
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So get in line. And that's what they did.
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And look what happens Joshua chapter 6 verse 20 when the
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trumpet sounded. The army shouted, and at the.
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Sound of the trumpet. When the men gave a loud shout,
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the wall collapsed, so everyone charged straight in and they
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took the city. Consecration, provision,
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obedience to even something that sounds completely ridiculous but
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God said it, and then comes a victory.
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Do you see the pattern? Do you see the pattern?
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Somebody say. Somebody's talked back to me.
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Come on. Are you here?
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Yeah. OK, good, good, good.
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All right, it happens again. This same pattern you can.
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See, with Jesus institutes the new promised land, the new
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covenant that He gives us. The consecration comes in the
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last. Supper, which signifies his
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sacrifice for sins and salvation that separates.
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People out who put their faith in.
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Jesus and they have. This Last Supper.
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Together, then, the provision comes at Pentecost.
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Again, another detail, but let me just tell you Acts chapter. 2
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The Lord sends the. Holy Spirit to the Church, the
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Church has never been the same. The Holy Spirit is lifted up,
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then obedience you can find it in the entire.
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Book of Acts. You're talking about guys like
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Peter and Paul, who are whipped and beaten, Stephen who is
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stoned to death, the apostles taking the message of the.
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Gospel out to everybody. Who will listen under great
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persecution and threat of bodily harm, Yet they obeyed.
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And the result is victory. What does Victory look like 2?
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1000 years later, the church is still.
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I'm on this platform preaching because of what Peter and Paul
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obeyed 2000 years ago, right? This lasted 2000 years yet.
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Have you done? You're about to.
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I really believe it. I really believe it.
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Consecration, provision, obedience, victory.
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He picked the people. He picked the place.
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And he gave them a mission. I want you to.
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Know you can do this in your own personal life.
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You can consecrate yourself to the Lord.
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Set aside a season. Really the rest of your life?
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To be holy. I'm not going to dabble with the
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world, I. Want to be set apart I.
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Want to be sincere in my prayer. I want to be.
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Sincere in my devotion and the reading of His Word, Then you
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look for provision, and you're most likely going to find that
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provision right here in His Word.
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This is the Bread of Life. Jesus Christ is the Word.
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He is the Bread of Life. This is.
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The bread, the provision. For us and then.
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Obedience, we believe. Here at illuminate.
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Church and Something called here believe, obey, he says it.
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We believe. It's him saying it.
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And now we just got to do it. Even if it sounds like marching
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around the city and shouting, like, really?
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Yeah, really do that. Trust God.
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And then you will see. The victory, it's kind of a.
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Simple but eternal formula that you can apply to your.
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Life and as we. Approach the promised land.
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It's what we're going to. Do together to.
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Ensure that the bully of the souls of all these people who's
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out. Here keeping them oppressed and
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then sin will finally be broken. Through because my Bible tells
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me that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church of
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Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Amen. Amen.
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So. Here's what we're going to do.
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Consecration. Well, it's going to start today
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with communion. In just a few moments in the
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middle of the service, we're going to practice holy.
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Communion together to consecrate ourselves just as the disciples.
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Did way back when. Not only that, but during our
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soft launch series. We're going to do.
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Some consecration. What's that?
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Well, before the building is given to the world, we're just
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going. To meet as a family there a few
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times. The first time will be what's
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called an anointing service. Everyone say anointing.
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It'll be the very first service ever at the.
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Brand new building. It's going to happen on a
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weeknight. You're going to have to miss
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work or just move everything, move heaven and earth to make
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sure you're there. We're flying people in from all
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over who work at churches, that's why.
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It's not going to be on a weekend so they can get back to
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their churches and I want you to be there for that special night.
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As we anoint the building, we give it over to the.
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Lord, and we ask for his anointing on everything that's
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about to happen in that place. Then we'll have a couple Sundays
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of soft launches where it's just us at the church.
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Partly doing this whole consecration.
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Bit and hearing about how we can launch the church successfully,
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but also just to figure things out of the building like hey,
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this toilet. Don't flush right or this check
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in thing. Don't work right.
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Or when we parked, I parked over this nail and we just want the
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body. To communicate to us and say hey
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this works great, this doesn't work.
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Every business does soft launches, right?
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You understand this concept? It's going to be wonderful.
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We'll have Q R codes everywhere. You just point your phone and
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say, hey, this is terrible. Thanks for the new.
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Building We love you. We really do want your feedback,
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but say it nicely. All right, promise.
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OK, good. That'll be the consecration
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provision for the campus. Is the provision.
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It's a tool that God has given us to reach the region.
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The name of the church went up on the building just this last
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week. So now.
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Everybody driving by knows that's a church obedience.
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Will come in the plans that I'm about to reveal to you that God
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has given us a strategy, a very clear strategy to saturate.
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Our region with the Gospel and then VV looks like.
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Finding abundant life in. Jesus, the Baptistry full of
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people. Giving their life to God and
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then following him. After I.
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Believe in the same way that God picked a place and the people
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from the very beginning, He's picked you.
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From the four corners of the earth.
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To be in this place as we take that promised land together and
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we're going to see the victory of the Lord like we've never
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seen it in this region, never in this region.