From Survival to Abundance | Joshua 5:10-12 | Pastor Diego Mesa

Anyways, it's good to see everybody on a Wednesday night.

Thanks for coming to church. It's awesome to be people

that don't just simply desire one meal a day, but

one meal a week, but like two meals a week,

or this might be your first service on a Wednesday

this week, So we appreciate, appreciate you being here today.

How many of you just love church, love the presence

of God. I don't know about you. As I grow

older and as I grow older in my faith, I

just want to create a deeper hunger for God than

ever before, and the scriptures coming alive more and just

the privilege, just the real, real privilege of preaching the

good news in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want

to encourage you to get together your invite list if

you haven't done that yet. For Easter, it's the biggest

day that people are more apt to come to church.

So I just want you to make sure you're putting

your lists together. I always do that. There's always one

to three people that maybe I invite that I met

that year, or people that I have invited over the

years that have never come, or people that used to

come to church but aren't coming, and so I just

want to encourage you to be very purposeful. I appreciate

you coming to church, but you've been to a lot

of Easters. It's time for someone else to come to

their first Easter and experience God's goodness. And so would

you just do me a favor and put your little

invite lists together, pray over them that when you do

invite them, that God will prepare their hearts. And then

just be creative and how you're going to do that.

I know I wouldn't have ever come to church if

somebody was not creative in how they would have invited

me and asked me to come. So sometimes you have

to pick them up. Sometimes you have to bribe them

with a breakfast or a brunch, and sometimes you have

to wait for them in the foyer, or sometimes you

have to do whatever you have to do. It's how

many of you believe it's worth it to win a soul.

To Jesus Christ Father, thank you for the next few

moments that we can dialve into your word. God. May

we just not just be hearers of the word, but

doers of the word, and we just lean in a

little bit intently God to hear a fresh word today God,

that will be able to be applicable tomorrow and where

we're living today, it'll be an answer God. And we

just honor the movement and the work of the Holy

Spirit that empowers us to do what you've asked us

to do. We are all servants of the Lord in

Jesus' name. Amen, We're going to stand for the reading

of the Word. And if there's anyone that describes the

servant of the Lord, it would be Joshua. Joshua had

an amazing resume, but on his tombstone, God acknowledges him

as servant. And that's the kind of person I want

to identify with. Not you know what. He was a pioneer,

he was a pastor. He built this, he did this,

he traveled this, he wrote books. Just put servant of

the Lord. That's all that matters, is my service to God.

So it reads like this, just a few verses here. Well,

the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho.

They observed the passover, this passover that had been done

for forty years. They were now going to keep it going.

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.

The day after the Passover, they ate the unleavened bread

and roasted grain from the produce of the land. And

the day say the day, that day, after they ate

from the produce of the land, the man A seised

no more manna. There was no more manna. The Israelites.

They ate from the crops of the land of Canaan.

That year you may be seeded. What an amazing verse

that we're going to try to talk about today. And

here's a generation that had grown older because they had

were forty years in the wilderness of practicing the Passover,

which had taken place in Egypt, where the death Angel

had passed over the homes that had put blood over

the doorpost of that home, and the supernatural miracle of

exiting Egypt over four hundred and thirty years of bondage.

The new generation of Christians, the new generation of Hebrews,

the new generation of Followers wanted to take on the

same practices. I love that that there's a new generation

that wants to honor the traditions of the old generation,

not to be legalistic, but because they see the benefit

and they see the power. And I believe I'm talking

to you. I believe I'm talking to them that are saying,

you know what, we want to bring back the traditions

of going to church men leading their families in worship.

We want to bring the traditions back of hope, prayer

in our lives, that we believe, the stoutness of the scriptures,

that we serve God, and our great witnesses for God.

Those principles matter, you know. I want to show you

a little bit of an image here today, and I

saw this image. It's a classic image. Notice this little

boy with his hands in a prayer posture and this

is his dad with a puppy behind his back. I

think it really describes what we're going to talk about

in the next few moments. Is the fact that God

had a surprise for the children of Israel. They kind

of knew it was coming, they just didn't know what

it would be. And that's sometimes it is the way

with God and our faith walk. We know God's got

something in his hand, but he's not yet revealed what's

in his hand behind his back. And there's a sense

of us little being little kids that have been praying, believing, expecting,

and anticipating, and our moment of waiting is about ready

to end, and we're kind of all excited over the

fact that at this moment what the Father has behind

his back is about ready to be released and given

to us. I don't know if that ministers to anybody today.

The thought is is I know he has something for me,

I just don't know what it is yet. Oh my God,

that was a great point to yell, shout or say

hallelujah or praise the Lord. I know God's got something

good for me. I just don't know what it is yet.

But I know it's gonna be good. I can't see

it yet, I can't fill it yet, I can't put

my hands around it, but I know something good is

on the way from the hand of the Father. Let

me say the benediction, will do the altar call, and

we'll go home now. Because that's more than enough to

build your faith today. For all of you that are discouraged,

I just want to encourage you today. So here's an

amazing story that we're about ready to read of the

fact that for forty years, four hundred and eighty months,

two thousand and eighty weeks, fourteen thousand and six hundred days,

three hundred and fifty thousand and four hundred hours. God

has supernaturally fed the children of Israel with manna all

those days, every morning, like a time clock that could

be set. That manner showed up on the sixth day.

It showed up twice a day, a forty year miracle

where God never ceased, It never stopped, it never was lost,

it was never stolen. The faithfulness of God showed up

in a generation for forty years, day in and day out,

from the rising of the sun to the going down.

He fed them, He provided for them, He protect them.

But now we're about ready to end into a different season.

See it. They had always eaten, they had always been filled,

and they always had more than enough. And they never

questioned that, They never doubted that, and they never worried

about that. That God absolutely was Jehovah Jirah, and he

provided for them. The Bible says this about that miracle.

Then the Lord said to Moses, I'm going to rain

bread from heaven for you. The people are going out

each day and gather enough for that day. This way

I will test them to see whether or not they

will follow my instructions. And on the sixth day, when

they prepare what they bring in it will be twice

as much as they gather on those days. And then

verse thirty five, the Israelites ate manna for forty years

until they came to inhabit this new land. They ate

mana until they reached the border of the land of Canaan.

It's amazing as you look at the design of God,

as you look at the providence of God, as you

look at the hand of God, that the very day,

that day, not a day earlier, not a day later,

the day that the mana ended. The next day, a

new open door of provision came that day. And you're

worried about tomorrow, and you're fearful about tomorrow, and you're

scared about next week, next month, or next year. This

is the God that you serve today. And I believe

he's not lost the recipe of manna. If he's got

to rain down manna to provide for you again, he'll

rain it down. I remember the day that I got

the left foot of fellowship and sort of speak. They

fired me, or whatever you want to call it. My

thirty thousand dollars job it was originally forty eight thousand

dollars as an assistant pastor. I took a salary cut

in January. Now I was living off of off of

eighteen thousand because thirty thousand had been taken away for

a couple months, and I took on another job to

subsequent that income. That day when they told me, as

you know the story, you're basically let go after fifteen

years and nine years full time, go and obey God

and start this church that you say God told you

to start. In so many words, I remember, God, where

is this extra money gonna come from? God? My manna

has dried up. God. This is manna that I paid

my bills, I fed my family with God, and now

it's dried up. This job has dried up, This income

has dried up, This resource has dried up. God, How

are you gonna prove by for me? This little old

warehouse job that I work a third shift with God

is not enough to sustain me. God, As though God

didn't know and I needed to tell him what my

circumstances look like. The miraculous thing was I had already

worked there for three months that night, no other night before,

not a day earlier, and not a day later. That night,

I finished my shift knowing what had taken place, earlier

that day, my supervisor came to me and he said, Diego,

I don't know why I've never asked you. Would you

like to work overtime? I said, give me, sir, all

the overtime that you could give me. And I work

sixteen hours sometimes, I work twenty hours sometimes, And all

that extra hours and overtime made up for the money

that had stopped that day. That day, Don't tell me

that God doesn't know what's going on in your life.

Don't tell me that tithing doesn't work and doesn't pay.

Don't tell me that God's not gonna work and knows

what your tomorrow holds, no matter how unexpected it is

to you. That day, never before had it ever happened.

But that day, when I cried out to God, my

heart was broken. The manna dried up. God opened up

a new supply and provided for me. God is my witness.

All those kids were fed, mortgage bills were paid, and

God bless my life that night. It was supernatural. What

took place. I remember how a millionaire came to this

church when we first started. I believe that was a

blessing of faithfulness. Whose name was His name was John

and John's tithe made up for about thirty to forty

people's tithe because he was a millionaire. And I remember,

I remember he was with us for about two to

three years, him and Linda, and he said, I got

to move to Atlanta. I said, oh, no, my man

is going to cease. Dear Lord Jesus, there goes my mana.

Who's going to make up for that manna? But the

amazing thing is God did. God was still my source.

God still made up the difference. He was not dependent

upon just one individual to do that. And I got

story after story after story of the supernatural provision history

of this church. When Mana dried up on that day

or soon after, God opened a whole nother door of

source in our lives. So let's navigate through this. For

an example, let's navigate through this. Number one is this

God is a god of transitions. God is a god

of transitions. We're familiar with First Corinthians thirteen and verse

number eleven. When I was a child, I thought as

a child, I understood, I spoke as a child became

a man. That's transition. That speaks of that. Then John

fifteen talks about that we are to bear fruit. We

are to bear more fruit, and we are to bear

much fruit. That speaks of transition in fruit bearing, in transitions.

You started off as a single person, and then possibly

you got married, and then you became a father, and

then you became a grandfather. That was transitions in your life.

Sometimes we go from being married to divorce. That's a

transition in your life where something stops, yet something starts,

where your manna dries up. But God is going to

open up a new supply for you. That you go

from being married to being a widow. That's a transition

in your life. That you go from us being a

student trying to get a degree to now getting a

job and building a career. That's a transition in your life.

But God always works in and through transitions. He is

faithful to you in your transitions. And this chapter is

revealing a transition of manna and produces that something is ending,

yet something is beginning. So what in your life is

starting and stopping? And what is starting in your life?

What is expiring? And yet something is being birthed in

your life? There's transitions, God forbid. Somebody is going to

die today, yet a baby's going to be born. Today

I feel like Solomon in Proverbs or in the Sola Salmon, say,

look at that, How beautiful that is the tragedy and

sorrow of someone dying. Get the beauty someone taking their

last breath, and yet someone taking their first breath. Amazing

of something ending and something beginning. Always in our lives,

there's something ending and there's something beginning. I can see

that went over your head. It's Wednesday night. You just

want to go home? Or eat doesn't always feel good.

We don't always welcome it. I don't always like it.

But oftentimes we are always in transitions where something is ending,

yet something is going to start, and something is going

to begin in our lives. So can I trust God

when one season ends in my life and a new

season is about ready to begin? Can I trust God

in this uncomfortable place of transition where I was absolutely

so predictable and comfortable that every day at this time

my manner showed up and I could expect my life

to be this way. But I don't know now because

that's ended. Can I trust God now for the new

methods and the new tools, and the new diet and

the new appetite that I'm about ready to enter into.

When the fact is is, when a resource called manna

or bread dries up, can I depend on God for

that new season? When something begins to dry up in

my life? Can I believe God for the transition to

take place? Yes? If that which has dried up is

not your source, but only a resource, then you can

trust God. But if you have made what has drying

up your source, it's going to be difficult to transition

to your next season. I love this scripture and Second

Corinthians three five. It's one of my favorite. Not that

our sufficiency is of ourselves to claim anything coming from us,

but our sufficiency is of God. Your husband, your wife,

your job, your intellect, your skills, your talents, your money,

your finances. They are not your source. So stop acting

like that and stop treating them as though they're your source.

Because when they're your source, they will control your emotions,

they will control your feelings, they will control you, and

they will influence you. They are a resource. They are

something that God has blessed you with. There's something that

God will use. But God alone is the source of

my life. So that if something dies, or something quits,

or something dries up, God is still the source of

my life, and He's gonna open up something new to me. Boy,

I'm trying to preach hard, but it's Wednesday night. Man

who I want you to recognize? Am I open to

God doing something different in my life? Or am I

stuck in the past the way it used to be?

I just want my mana. That's all I want is manna.

You're holding onto your manna. You're holding onto your past.

And God says, I really want to do something new

in every aspect of your life. But you're gonna have

to let go of the manna. The manner was good

for It's time that manna was. The manna is a

meal for the wilderness. It's not a meal for the

promised land. You needed manna in the wilderness, but you

don't need manna where I'm taking you. So stop grieving

over the manna that's been stolen, lost, or taken from you,

and start rejoicing for something new I'm going to bring

into your life. How about a new job, a new friend,

a new relationship. So am I open for God doing

something different in my life? Jesus challenge the disciples to

get out of the boat and walk on the water

and every day in faith, you've got to be challenged

to do something you've never done before. That's absolutely scary

to trust God to sustain you when sometimes it doesn't

make sense. Am I willing to do something? Am I

willing to do something? Different? Is the thought? You know?

The thought is this is that God requires spiritual growth

and development to inherit the promises. That's number two. What

was God doing in the story. The Bible says, grow

in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then in numbers it said something unique about this whole thing.

It says when they came to Eskolg valley, they cut

down notice what they said, grapes, which was carried on

a pole by two men. They also took some pomegranates,

and they took some figs, and they reported to Moses,

we went to the land where you sent us. This

is now where they're about ready to inherit. The land

flows with milk and honey. God was speaking to them

when he said that manna has ceased, and now you're

gonna yield and you're gonna work the land, and it's

going to bring produce into your land. And that's a

new way that I'm going to provide for you now.

So I'm shutting up this industry. I'm shutting up this job.

I'm shutting up this way, but I'm going to open

up another way. Now, stop grieving over the past. Would

you embrace the future? Now? This is bus this is

how you eat manna. This is all it requires. Go

out of your tent, walk two feet, pick it up.

And we're Christians. That's all we want to do. That's

all I want to do. God, just do it for me.

Just give it to me. Lord, God said, you know what,

when you're a baby Christian and don't have a lot

of faith, that's all answer your prayer. But now that

you've been saved a little bit, I require more than

you getting out of your tent, picking it up and

eating it. I now need you to till the ground. Now,

I need you to plant the sea. I need you

to water. I'm gonna end the I'm gonna do the increase.

But I'm gonna bless you in a whole new way,

in a whole different way than I've ever done before,

because I'm requiring maturity from you. I'm requiring you to

be responsible. Now, I'm requiring you not to be a

baby in the Lord anymore. But most Christians want to

live like babies. It's female to manna. This is how

you eat mana. What's this? That's how you eat mana?

But let me ask you something. How do you eat pomegranates?

How do you eat figs? How do you eat milk?

How do you eat honey? He was requiring a different

method from them, and if they were stuck on the

one method, they were going to starve to death. He

was using new instruments, he was using new skills. He

was teaching them a new tool. He was teaching them

a different way to provide for themselves for him, for

him to bless them. So here's the reality of what

I'm trying to say when I when I say these

things about grapes and pomegrads, figs and milk and honey.

There the Mana is the Manu season, and we're about

ready to enter into the produce season. So two seasons,

and let me let me just for a minute describe

the difference for you. How many of you recognize if

you have a baby, a grand baby, you're a baby.

How many of you know that someone had to feed you?

Soone had, so for lack of argument, let's just say

you have to feed a child up till two years old. Okay,

so you know what here comes to juja train here

it comes like this and you feed them right, okay?

Is there something wrong with me feeding you like that

when you're twenty two years old? So when you're in

a baby in the Lord, God does a lot of

things for you. But when you start maturing in the Lord,

he says, I'm gonna do things through you, and I'm

gonna start doing things with you. But I'm not just

going to do things for you anymore. If you get this,

it'll change your life. He's requiring something of that. When

you're a baby, I'll feed you. But when you're starting

to mature and you're starting to grow, now you're going

your diet. Your diet is going to change. So mann

of season is this versus produce season. Man of season

is a season where you receive. Produce is a season

where you give. Man of season is the season where

you've been served. Produce season is where you start serving.

Manu season is the fact that you people treat you

produce season as you start paying one amen. A man

of season is where you observe. Produce season is where

you start to participate. Manu season is where you sit

and do nothing. Produce season is where you start doing.

Man of season is where you're just simply a believer.

Produce season is where you become obedient. Man of season

is where you're a convert. Produce season is where you're

a disciple of the Lord. Manu season is where you're immature.

Produces when you're mature. Man of season is when you're

in an invisible secret secrets. Produce season is where you're

visible and you're an example and a model. Man of

season is where you're unavailable and unaccessible. Produce season is

when you're dependable and you're reliable. Again. The difference between

the two is one that is where God does for you.

The other one is when God does it with you.

This is two different seasons that we're talking about. I

love the fact that he says grapes, pomegranates, figs, milk,

and honey, because that's my diet right there. It literally

is my diet right there. You want to know what

Pasagerot's at. I don't know why that diet is so

enriched with antioxidants. I don't know why that's such a

inflammatory diet doesn't have a lot of flammatory in it.

It's filled with vitamins and it's filled with minerals. Now,

I'm not trying to preach diet to you today. I'm

trying to preach a spiritual principle today that God is saying,

I want to change your spiritual diet. I want to

change some your appetites. I want to change your desires.

I want you to leave the man of appetite, the

man of diet, the man of desires. And will you

embrace the pomegranates? Will you embrace the grapes and the figs?

Will you embrace the honey? Listen, if you're gonna get honey,

you've got to be willing to be stung by bees.

Honey ain't gonna just here. Bees ain't gonna come just

say take my honey. You're gonna have to be stung.

And some people don't want to be stung. That's why

they'll never embrace the honey. And if you want milk,

you got to squeeze something, and people don't want to squeeze.

But the reality is is all I'm trying to tell

you is that God had a better diet for them.

There's something amazing that he wanted to bless them with.

And I find it interesting that this lifestyle, now, the

other lifestyle of man I challenge you, was kind of

a lazy lifestyle. But this lifestyle to embrace the pomegranates,

the grapes, the figs, the milk and honey, is a

lifestyle of discipline. It's a lifestyle of diligence. It's a

lifestyle of dedication, devotion, and determination, where the former lifestyle

was just simply procrastination and excuses. God is taking you

from one season to another season, and to enjoy this

next season. God's saying, it's going to require some discipline

of you. You're going to have to get up every

day and you're gonna have to work that land, and

you're gonna have to plant that seed, and you're gonna

have to water that seed, and you're gonna have to

protect your crop. And that requires discipline. But I'm gonna

yield to you the biggest harvest you've ever experienced before.

And it's gonna take diligence because the weather will sometimes change.

It's gonna take diligence to get up when you feel

like sleeping in. And it's gonna take determination to believe

that you're gonna have a great harvest, and you're gonna

have to exercise your faith. So all of that required

a certain change within them to produce an amazing blessing

that was in their lives. I'm gonna give you a

quote by Malcolm Gladwell and it's gonna be on the screen. Well,

we could do that one if you want to do

that one. Comfort is a drug. Once you get used

to it, it becomes addicting. So don't get comfortable with

your manner. Don't get comfortable in any air of your

life because God is always stretching. He's always challenging you

with a new season to do something. Could you give

me the other one on comfort, I'll do the other one.

Don't get too comfortable with who you are at any

given time. You may miss the opportunity become who you

want to be. You've got to be able to transition. Well,

take on the new appetite and do what God's asking

you to do in this new season. But Malcolm, Malcolm

Gladwell said this, if you want to be an expert

in any field of your life, whatever that is you

have to put in ten thousand hours, and any one

of you can be an expert in finances. You could

be an expert in piano, you could be expert in drums,

you could be an expert in a Bible scholar. It's

the theory of ten thousand hours, which speak again of discipline,

what speaks of diligence and determination that God isn't just

going to give you things, because if he just gave

you things, it wouldn't develop your character and you would

not steward it well. So it requires something different of

this generation that he did the previous generation. There's a

story of a little boy who was walking by the

gym and so he saw this man in the gym

posing against the mirror. You've seen these bodybuilder guys, and

you know he's going like this in front of the mirror.

Pow boom boom boom. So the little boy came by

and he says, uh, you know, what do you use

those muscles for? The guy says, what's this? I'll do

it again? Boom boom? Is it? No? No, how do

you use those muscles in your life? And the guy says,

they're just for posing, that's all they are, and there's

a lot of posing Christians. Boom boom. You don't use

your faith, you don't use your muscles, you don't use

your boom boom boom, just posers. Look at somebody and say,

he didn't call you a poser. What are you using

your faith for? What are you using church for? What

are you using the Bible for? What do you use

it for? So I end with this story. I end

with this last thought. Don't stop on God. The better

and the best is yet to come. Don't stop on God.

The better and the best is yet to come. You

may have lost your manna, but you're about ready to

gain your grapes, your figs, yourmegranates, your milk and your honey.

You may have lost your manna, but look at what

you've gained. When the replacement from God arrives, you will

never forget what you lost, and you don't remember it anymore.

You think I'm grieving over thirty thousand dollars now and

what happened to me in Pomona? And that you got

to be kiddy. I'm flowing in milk and honey. Man

I don't want manna no more. God wants to give

you something better than mana. He wants to give you

something better than mana, and await you. So move forward

by faith, advanced by courage, and go ahead, go ahead

by bravery, is what he challenged that generation with the

Bible says, just a few thoughts, and I'm done here

in these scriptures that i want to share with you.

As I close, remember the past events, pay attention to

the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing,

saith the Lord. I'll make away in your wilderness and

rivers in your deserts what no eye has seen, nor

ear has heard, nor human heart has conceived. God has

prepared for those things those that love him. Now to

him that is able to do, exceedingly, abundantly above all

that you can ask or think. By the power that

works within you, only goodness and faithful love will pursue

me all the days of my life. God's faithful love,

God's faithful mercy awaits us. There was one hundred and

two year old mother in the church, and she knew

that her parture was soon. She called the preacher in

and just said, you know what I want my service

to be this way. Here are the songs I want

to be sung here's the thoughts I'd like for you

to share. Here are the people I'd like to speak,

Here's the atmosphere of celebration that I want. And she says,

when I want my casket to be open and upon

the viewing, I want you to put a fork in

my hand. He said, that's an unusual request to have

a fork in your hand. Mother, Why would you want

a fork in your hand? She said, Well, when I

grew up back in the day, you didn't have a

lot of utensils to eat with. You'd have all these

fancy spoons and knives, and all they gave you was

a fork. And you use that fork to eat your meal.

And when the meal was done, your mama, your daddy

or grandmama, you're the waiter, waitress wherever you were at,

would say, keep your fork, hold on to your fork.

And we knew when you hold onto your fork, something

better coming. So we didn't know if we get apple

pie that night, we didn't know if we get cobbler

that night. We didn't know if we'd get cheesecake that

night or chocolate cake that night, but we hung onto

our fork because we knew something better was coming. Hang

on to your fork today. No matter where you are

in life, God has some pomegranates and grapes and pigs

and milk and honey for you. Father. I just thank

you today God that you are faithful. And no matter

what season we are in God, and though something end

and something dry up, Oh God, something new will open

for us. O. God, I thank you in the name

of Jesus, Lord, that you are a God of supernatural provision.

God that Father, it's very difficult sometimes to be in

a place where the unexpected happens and we have to

walk by faith, But it's the greatest place to trust

God and watch the supernatural provision of God to place. Father,

that night you pre arranged something God that I was

so overwhelmingly worried about, fretting about and anxious about. You said,

just in your heart, go to work, diego just go

to work. I know, just go to work. He moved,

and he put it on that supervisor's heart to ask

nobody else but to ask me God to point me out.

And then that night you made a way for the

next for the next nine months of my life, God,

to not miss the manner in my life. You moved

so supernaturally. How could I ever doubt you for the

next season of my life of God when you were

so faithful God. So I thank you today God. Our

eyes are open with that expectation and anticipation like that

little boy God, to see what God is about, ready

to reveal that's been hidden, that he's holding in his hand.

We thank you today in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we're

about ready to leave this church. I'm going to ask

that nobody move. Everybody gonna walk out of this church

together in a matter of moments. I think Pastor So

and So Sammy, Pastor Sammy is gonna come up and

he's gonna dismiss us. So say to the end, you know,

Wednesday night people, this is what you could bless me.

Sometimes as Sunday morning people, they don't know the church manners,

so they get up and they walk away during the

altar and before we dismiss them. Would you be an

example to them and teach them some church manners and say,

oh no. We would never walk out of the movie

theater before it ended. I would never walk off of

my job before my shift ended. I would never walk

out of the birthing room when my aunt or sister

are giving birth. Why would I ever do that in church?

Would you do that for me? And you'll teach people

how to have good manners. I used to think when

I was younger that the only people that died were

old people, maybe someone around ninety five years old who

was living in a hospice. Then I discovered that people

my age were dying, and more than ever before, people

that are not ninety five years old may be expected

to die. People get on freeways working a double shift.

I buried a CHP officer. He worked a double shift

and he fell asleep at the wheel and died tragically.

I did that funeral. I did the funeral of a

mother who lost her two little infi in a fire,

burned to death. I did the funeral of a two

year old boy that jumped in the pool and drowned,

and the couple decided to have another child, and that

child had leukemi and died. It's not ninety five year

old people. I've done a funeral when somebody was in

perfect how and they went for back surgery, going to

be no complications, but they bled to death and they

couldn't revive them. This happens every day. I want you

to live another one hundred years. But should it not happen,

I want you just simply to be ready to transition

from this earth to heaven and not look at God

as though he's a stranger. What's about ready to happen

as a mystery. I want you to know that when

you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, that

when you do die, and you will wake up in

heaven and you will see Jesus Christ, and the rewards

of heaven will await you, and you'll have no remorse

for anything that you left behind in this earth. There

will only be joy and celebration as you enter into

the joy of the Lord. And one of the worst

days that I think is part of Jesus's future is

the day that he looks at people thinking they're going

to heaven, saying, depart from me, you worker of iniquity.

I never knew you. Don't put Jesus in that spot.

He loves you too much. He's merciful, he's too kind

to you give your life to him. Or you say

I'm a Christian, but I'm riding the fence of compromise

and surrender your life again. Or I love God and

everything's great but I just sense that something's missing in

my life that could be the influent of the Holy Spirit. Amazingly,

I got filled with the Holy Spirit as a Catholic

nineteen year old boy. I had never been to a

Protestant church in my life. So don't tell me that

the infilling of the Holy Spirit isn't real. I walked

into my bathroom and I said, Lord, I don't understand

this infilling of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues God,

nineteen years old. But God, if this is of you,

I want it and bay him fill with the Holy

Don't tell me I'm a lost cause God's moved to

supernaturally in my life with proof and evidence. If those

one hundred and twenty people needed the Holy Ghost, you

need the Holy Ghost. The world today is just a bad,

if not worse than it was back then they were

all born again. But Jesus said, I want you to

tarry for the Holy Ghost. You don't have to tarry anymore.

You could be filled. So when I count the three,

give your life to Jesus Rededicator to be filled. Here

we go one two, one two three. Raise your hand

wherever you are all across this auditorium. Now here's how

it's gonna go. I'm gonna lead you to prayer. But

those of you that want to get filled with the

holy ghosts, you're gonna come forward, and our elders and

ministers are gonna come up here and meet you, and

they're gonna lead you in that prayer, and you're gonna

walk out of here with your heavenly language. And just

like Paul in the scriptures, he said, I thank God

that I speak with tongues more than you all. There

is not a day that I live that I do

not pray in the spirit. It's amazing how it keeps

me from being depressed and discouraged, because it builds me up.

Say this with me, dear Lord Jesus, I give my

life to you. I surrender everything to you. I renounce

sin and a life of disobedience, and I surrender and

I yield to Jesus Christ as my Lord Shavior. Amen.

Pastor Sammy, come.

On, can we put our hands together and just think

our founding pastor? Pastor diego, come on, I heard you

shout earlier.

Come on, can we let's make some noise?

Man, If you if you gave your life to the

Lord or rededicated.

Heaven's thrown a party.

And what's incredible about it is that our founding pastor

wrote a real book, Emmanuel A growed up Face, So

you could go to on your phone on the website

of a free booklet www dot grow dot faate to

take your next step. So I would encourage you to

do that, connect with people, share with people about that.

And just like Pastor Diego said, is we're gonna have

our elders and our prayer team up here. If you

want to receive the Holy Spirit. We want to encourage

you to come down. Take a few minutes. It's worth it.

You could be a little late to receive the Holy ghost.

Can I get a name out? And if you need

prayer for anything else, we love to have you come

up here. I'll just say this to you before I

pray for you and let.

You guys go is.

Come this weekend for our final series moment and then

for a holy week. I want to encourage you, just

like Pastor Heron said, bring a friend, bring a coworker.

This is a perfect time even to bring your enemies.

Can I get a name?

Man?

Maybe they'll get saved and they'll become your best friend.

All right, so let's just put let's pray together. Lodi,

thank you so much for this word. We thank you

for the Book of Joshua. We thank you just for this,

this this fresh start and what this uh, this service

is called bless us today in Jesus name. And everybody said, hey, man,

God bless your family will see this weekend if any prayer,

come on up.