A Fresh Start With God | Joshua 5:1-9 | Pastor Sammy Rodriguez

Come on, can we put our hands together for Pastor Sinnas.

How many guys love Pastor sinas Man, I'm honored.

Have you guys excited to.

Jump back into the Book of Joshua and anyone excited?

I'm pumped?

Well if we if we haven't met yet, my name

is Pastor Sammy. I am the resident pastor here with

you guys for the next few years, and my wife

and I are actually getting ready in a few years

to plan a church out in Huntington Beach, California. But

thank you Jesus for a church like Patria that believes

in not just Patriot Church, but the Capital C Church. Amen,

and some good news Just to let you.

Know, the Lakers did win.

I'm sorry if you were recording it tipping by Lebron James.

If you're a Clipper fan, you could leave. I'm just kidding.

You could get saved tonight.

You know there ain't no true Clipper fans in California.

Can I get an amen? Just me?

Okay, no, just kidding. We do love our little brother,

the Clippers. Uh, you know, Lakers hang banners, you know,

Clippers hanging portress. Not too too much, too much, too much,

too much too much. I'm sorry, I love the Clippers

kind of but before.

We jump in, I just want to, you know again,

can we just put.

Our hands together for for our ourly pastors, Pastor Adam

and Ashley.

Can we just thank.

Them so so incredible incredible leadership and we want to

be where we're at today just came off of an

incredible you know series and this Sunday our founding pastor.

If we could put our hands together for Pastor Diego

we love him so much. He preached on a sermon

you know that that he first preached thirty one years ago.

And so if you're around, we love for you to come. Now.

Okay, let's jump in. We're gonna we're gonna look at

Joshua five. But before we do, how many guys have

your journals with you? Wave at me if you got

your journals?

All right? Okay, we got a few. Okay.

You know, you know there's a saying goats take notes, right,

meaning just I'm not calling you a goat, greatest of

all time, right, you know, take a note, take notes.

Your brain will thank you later.

Okay, So just remember you could do it in your

phone if you want to grab a journal. It's in

the back. It's in the bookstore. We would love for

you to grab one. But what we're jumping into today

is Joshua five and I've titled it this I've titled.

A Fresh Start with God.

Real quick, by raising a hands, is how many of

you guys have been to a midweek Joshua service this year?

Just show me if you've been to one of them,

good job.

Come on, give someone a high five next to you.

Come on, give them a high five. If you have

no one next.

To you, give yourself a high five, also known as

a clap?

All right, boom? How many guys have been to more

than one? Like two?

Okay, okay, faithful saints here? Okay, how about how about three?

Anyone been to three? How about who's been to every

single one? You haven't missed a Wednesday? You're like my

car broke down, but I walked here in Gee's name,

all right, I see you now if you.

Haven't been to one.

We're going through the Book of Joshua during our Wednesdays,

and this service is called fresh Start. So I'm titled

the sermon fresh start, right fred, A fresh start with God?

Everybody say a fresh start with God, and we're gonna.

Be reading maybe a little bit of a peculiar part

of the scripture, but I think it's pertinent and important.

To where we're going.

Okay, So if you if we could do this, if

we could just all stand up together, because we stand

when we read the word, we're gonna read Joshua five

Versus one through nine.

Are you ready? Okay?

If you don't know a certain word, just hummaa, hummina whatever,

you know what I mean, Just make it up, you know.

Okay, here we go.

As soon as all the kings and of the Amorites

who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all

the kings of the Canaanites who are beyond the by

the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the

waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel. Until

they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was

no longer any spirit in them.

Because of the people of Israel.

At that time, the Lord said to Joshua, make flint

knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.

Somebody say a second time. So Joshua made flint knives

and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeatha shamanahamandad. You

know whatever you know, we go keep going. And this

is the reason why Joshua circumcised them. All the males

of the people who came out of Egypt, all the

men of war, had died in the wilderness on the

way after they had come out of Egypt. Though all

the people who came out had been circumcised, Yet all

the people who were born on the way, in the

wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not

been circumcised.

Verse six. Just a few more verses.

For the people of Israel walked forty years in the

wilderness until the nation the men of war who came

out of Egypt perished because they did not obey the

voice that the Lord swore to them, that he would

not let them see the land that the Lord had

sworn to their fathers to give up to us, a

land flowing with milk and honey. So it was their

children whom he raised up in their place that Joshua

was circumcised, for they were uncircumcised because they had not

been circumcised on the way. Verse eight two more and

we're done. You're like, this is the most amount of

Bible I read in a minute. It's okay, Oh, praise Lord.

All right. When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished.

They remind remained in that place in the camp until

they were healed.

Somebody say healed. Come on, touch someone next to you

say they were healed.

And the Lord said to Joshua, today I have rolled

away the reproach of Egypt from you. And so the

name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

Stay standing, I'm a prey, and then we'll sit down.

I believe that tonight we're not just reading about this passage.

We're talking about something that we could give to the

Lord to consecrate. To the Lord, consecration means to be

set apart, to be set apart. This moment in circumcision

was a cutting away of the flesh. And so I

want to encourage you even as we get ready. I

have five simple things to tell you. But even as

I'm talking, I believe we're in a spiritual moment. We're

in a nearness moment with the Lord where the Lord

might be asking you to give up something, maybe not

even just that's evil.

Of course, we know we're gonna give up evil things.

I want to encourage you.

Maybe God's asking you to give up maybe something that's good,

because it's not gonna.

Be good for you later.

And I want to encourage you to ask the Lord.

You let yourself, even as I'm sharing, let yourself have

an inner dialogue with the Holy Spirit and say God,

whatever you ask, I'm in.

It's a dangerous prayer. Are you in to do it

with me?

Lift up bold hands real quick. It is a mandatory prayer. Now,

I'm just kidding. Don't pray it if you don't mean it.

It's a scary one. You're like I brought a guest,

this guy crazy, I am. It's fun, all right, don't worry.

This still take you to in and out later. Say

this to me, Say Jesus, whatever you ask, I'm in.

Let me pray for you real quick. Lo.

We just thank you so much for this moment. We

thank you for this fresh start with thank you for

our team. We pray that you meet us in a

fresh way in Jesus name. And everybody said amen and amen,

go ahead and grab a seat.

You know, as I was preparing for.

This sermon, I was thinking about a story of mine

from when I was nineteen.

I just had a birthday just to in thirty six,

and I was I.

Was in missions for a long time for about fifteen years,

and I remember I was in a place out in

Hawaii suffering for the Lord.

Amen, thank you.

And at that time I had been dating a girl

for a long time.

You know, I was nineteen, so I knew everything. Can

I get a namemen? All right? Just kidding? And as

a teenager, I was like, I know it. This is

the girl.

I'm gonna marry her, all this different stuff, and we

have both actually went to that place to learn about

our relationship and grow in with the Lord. But there

was starting to come a little bit of a check

in my spirit and even hers as well, that maybe

this wasn't right. But I kept pressing forward, kept pressing forward.

I was actually looking at rings to propose to her.

But I felt this check and I didn't do it well.

I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine. Now,

how many you guys know we have such great advice

unless we take it ourselves anyone else. You just have

great advice for everyone else except yourself.

Anybody? Is that just me? Is that just me?

Can I come after you. I'm gonna come after you.

We have great advice for everyone else. Listen, you gotta

do this, Okay, you gotta cut him off, you gotta

cut her up.

Come on, we say bye.

Right, you say all that, but then they ask about

your own life, and you're like, listen, I just feel

like the Lord is leading me, you know, like we

just get all spiritual.

Right. Well, I was talking to.

A good friend of mine and he was having you know,

he was having a relationship problems.

He was having girl problems. And I saw it so clear.

I'm like, man, I'm gonna be a prophet to my buddy.

I said, listen, you gotta lay it down. I even

put my preacher. I said, you gotta lay it down,

you know what I mean. I just was like telling him,

tell him he's gotta lay it down.

He's listening.

And at the very end of my beautiful monologue that

I thought that was about twenty minutes, I felt like

the Holy Spirit turned the tables that said everything that

you said to him, do for yourself, and I felt

from the Lord. I felt the Lord say, you gotta

do it tomorrow. Do it and I do it tomorrow,

do it now or you're gonna be disobedient. Wow, I said,

hang on, Jesus Holy I thought he's supposed to be

the comforter, you know what I mean. I thought you

was supposed to be there for me, you know. And

there's a few different things I had to consecrate to

the Lord. But if I wanted to have made that

tough decision, I want to be married to the love

of my life with two kids who's watching online because

they're not feeling good. Can I get an amen? Sometimes

we gotta. I said this before, Thank God for the prayers.

He didn't answer. You're like, he's the one. Oh my goodness,

she's the one. And then a month later, doctor Bully,

Oh my goodness, Holy Spirit, who you know?

And you're in this moment right now where you're so angry,

but you don't realize that God's asking you to give

it up because it got something better.

And here's the thing I didn't fully understand, but we

had an understanding that I had to setn That was

one of three or four things that the Lord asked

me to consecrate to set apart. And so I want

to encourage you as we get ready to jump into

these five things God is going to ask each of

us individually to set something apart. And I want to

encourage you. Just say, God, whatever it is, I'm in amen. Okay,

let's jump right into the first point in verse one.

It should be on the screen right here. It says

this as soon as all the kings of the Amorites

who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all

the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea

heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of

the Jordan for the people of Israel until they crossed over.

Their hearts had melted and there was no longer any

spirit in them. Because of the people of Israel. The

first point I want you to write down is this,

God goes before you. The battle is already being one.

God goes before you. The battle is already being one.

You know in this city in Gilgal, when they crossed

the Jordan, you know, the priests took the ark of

the Covenant out in the water and the waters dried up.

We already heard this part, and then all of Israel

passed over. They had a great moment of power. They

set up stones of remembrance, saying, when your children ask

you will tell them. This is what God did, Gilgal.

God displayed his power and he brought pain. God displayed

his power and he brought physical pain to the men.

Why because He was preparing them. But here's what you

got to hear and you gotta realize.

In this story.

In verse one, it says that all the kings, just

like Rehab in the story of Rayhab and Joshua. Two,

it says all the kings to the west, the cay

Nins and Emrites, their hearts melted away.

Why because they heard that Israel had crossed over. Now,

many of us were looking and seeing and we're like, man,

we got giants.

In the land, We got things coming up against my life.

But you don't realize that God has already been preparing

the way for you.

He just asking you to take the next step. Amen,

I have this up there and want you to write

it down. When you walk in obedience, God is fighting

for you behind the scenes. When you walk in obedience,

God is fighting for you behind the scenes. Now, the

Israelites were so afraid. If you remember the story if

not in Numbers, where the twelve spies go out and

two of them, Joshua and Caleb, have a good report

of the promised land. Ten of them say, yes, this

land is great. But they got giants, they got strong cities.

There's no way we could take it.

And it was their unbelief, their disobedience, that caused all

of Israel to wander.

Now they're still going back to that same place.

They're still going back to a place of giants, They're

still going back to a place of strong cities.

But what they don't realize is those strong people are

already afraid of God. What am I trying to say?

Come on, you're gonna get this right here. Maybe the

thing that you're afraid of, they're afraid of your God.

I'm gonna say it again.

Maybe the thing that you're fearing, maybe the thing that

you're battling. Come on, I'm gonna give myself an aiming.

Maybe the thing that.

You're battling is already afraid of God. And as you

take a step into the promise, the heart is melting away.

Let's make it personal. Maybe that addiction is melting off

your family, right Maybe that abuse is melting away from

your family.

Maybe that pride, whatever that is, Maybe that wayward son,

that wayward.

Daughter is coming back home. And right now you're taking

steps of faith and prayer and you don't realize they've

already brought a ticket back home. Come on, we're believing

that when we step forward, God is already fighting on

our behalf.

Amen.

I want you to write this down before we go

into our second point is that the battles before us

are not one by our strength but God's presence. The

battles before us are not one by our strength, but

by God's presence. You know an Exodus, there's a story

where you know the Golden caf in some of these

moments that happen. And then and then God says to Moses, listen,

depart for me. I'm gonna send an angel for you

to inherit your promise, because if I go with you,

stiff nick people, I will consume you along the way.

And in this part in Exodus, Moses says, don't take

us up out of here unless your presence goes with us.

He says, because I would rather die in the wilderness

than with your presence, that live in the Promised land

without your presence. We got to know that it's by

his presence that overcomes and strengthens us.

It's not by a promise. It's not even by our

own strength.

What's beautiful about this story and Joshua's they set their

feet on the promised land that God's presence was already

fighting on their behalf. The hearts of their enemies were

melting away. Why because God was fighting for them.

I want you to hear this. I want you to

personalize this in your life. Whatever that giant is, whatever

that generational thing is, God is fighting on your behalf.

Come on, we don't have to walk out with the

change we walked in with God. Is there is freedom

in Christ?

Amen? Amen, and amen. Point number two will look at

verses two and three.

It says it's at the time the Lord said to Joshua,

make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a

second time, so Joshua may flint andize and circumcise the

sons of Israel at Gibeth our luck or however you

say that is that the end?

Is that? It perfect? Point number two. I want you

to write this down.

So the first one a God fights before, as point

number two is this is consecration comes before conquest. Consecration

comes before conquest. Renewal comes before breakthrough. I'm gonna say

it again. Consecration comes before conquest. Renewal comes before breakthrough.

You you ever think about this, You ever think that again?

In this moment, when the when the all of the

men of war and all of the men of Isra

were circumcised, they would have been defenseless. So it would

have been smart for for like a human reasoning, for

them to be circumcised on the other side before they

inherited their their their their enemies. It would have been

better if they were would have been circumcised on the

other side of the Jordan, not on the on, not

on the place where their enemies were.

But how do you many guys know, God's ways are

above our ways. Amen.

God wanted to bring them to the end of themselves

and say, listen, I'm gonna bring you to your promise.

I'm gonna even when you're surrounded by enemies, I'm gonna

put you and some of us in this room. We

have protected ourselves for so long. We're not letting anyone

get too close to us because we have to protect ourselves.

It's us against the world, and God is ripping your

defenses away. God is ripping your defenses away. God is

ripping your strength away, and you're wondering, Man, I don't

feel strong anymore.

I don't know what's going on. Is because God is stripping.

Away to strengthen your flesh, because he wants you to

come to the end of yourself.

He wants you to be set apart before the conquest.

Why because if you go and conquer your promise now

with what's still inside of you, it will destroy you.

And so before the conquest they had to be consecrated.

Check this verse out in Romans eight. In Romans two

sorry twenty eight through twenty nine, it says this, for

no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly,

Nor is circumcision outward and physical.

But a Jew is one inwardly.

As somebody say inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of

the heart. Somebody say heart by the spirit. Somebody say

by the spirit, not by letter. His praise is not

from man, but from God.

Come on. It was never about an outward thing.

It was an obedience factor in the covenant, being outward,

but it was always an inward moment that marked them.

In Deuteronomy ten sixteen, it's not up there, but it says,

circumcise your heart's there for, which means that it's both

in the Old Testament and the New Testament, meaning it's

a timeless truth that.

Yes, it might have been a physical moment, but.

It represented so much more in what God was calling

them into. Amen, I want you to write this thing

down right here, so it should be up on the screen.

Circumcision was the physical sign, but God has always desired

the heart, and I.

Think for some of us, I know, so I get

this way. I want to give so much to the Lord. Right.

You want to show God you miss a quiet time

or you miss maybe a month with the Lord, and

you want to prove to God, God, I'm not a

messed up, but I'm approved that I'm back in a

relationship with you. It's not about that, It's about being

changed from the inside out. And if we try and

prove it to God will always come to the end

of ourselves and we'll be in that cycle, and that

cycle will be broken when we realize it's not by

our own strength, it's by surrendering and giving to Lord

our heart, which out of our heart the mouth speaks.

Amen.

This last point of this application, weight write down for

point Number two is God doesn't just want to bring

us into his promise. He wants us to be prepared

for them. He doesn't want to just bring you to

your promise. He wants you to be prepared for I

know this is a kind of a scary statement. I

know this is kind of a statement we might wrestle with.

But anyone who had a call from God in the Bible,

look at their preparation period. Because what happens is we

get the right word with the wrong wrong timing, We

get the right word with the wrong translation. If you

were here on this last Sunday and we're talking about Hagar, right,

Abraham and Sarah had the right word, they were gonna

get a kid, but with the wrong timing, and what

happened at birthed Ishmael. It birthed an illegitimate child. Why

because they tried to take God's word and put man's

timing on it. You're wondering, God, I've been, I've been,

I've been praying, I've been worshipping, I've been pressing in.

It's been three months. Come on, keep pressing in and

in our microwave generation. Many times we want it so fast,

so fast, right, so fast, and.

God saying I'm preparing you. I'm preparing your hearts. I'm

preparing you for your calling. Don't worry. It might take longer,

but it will it will. It will also last. And

it's not just for you, but for generations to come.

A man for a third point, let's write this down

in a second. We're going to read the verses four

to seven. It says this, and this is the reason

why Joshua was circumcised them all the male of the

people who came out of Egypt, and all the men

of war had died in the wilderness on the way

after they had come out of Egypt. Though all the

people who came out have been circumcised, yet all the

people who were born on the way in the wilderness

after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

For the people of Israel walked forty years in the

wilderness until all the nation, the men of war who

came out of Egypt perished because they did not obey.

The voice of the Lord. Go back one, real quick,

go back one. Let's look at that.

They all perish because they didn't serve the voice of

the Lord. Does it say serve there does it say,

attend church there? What does it say because they didn't what?

What does it say? What does it say? I can't

hear one more time? What does it say they all

died out because they didn't obey. They didn't obey. Well,

keep going, let's keep going. Hey on, man, We're gonna

keep keep going. It is too good. It's too I

got what coment.

Okay, The Lord swore to them that he would not

let them see the land that the Lord has sworn

to their fathers to give us a land flowing with

milk and honey. So it was their children whom he

raised up in their place that Joshua was circumcised for.

They were uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on

the way. This third point I want you to write down.

If you're taking notes, give me an amen. Full obedience

is the path to inheritance. No shortcuts to God's promise.

This is like a ooh, really, come on God. Full

obedience is the path to inheritance. There is no shortcuts

to God's promise. You know, I was telling you earlier.

We're playing at church out in Huntington, and so we

actually moved up here a few minutes away to learn,

you know, from you guys, and love our.

Church here Patriot for the next few years.

But before I did, I was driving up for a

few days a week from Huntington Beach all the way

up here, and how.

Many o's at the peak of traffic, that could take about.

Two to three days, just kidding, two to three, two

to three, two three years. So it was like, oh

my goodness, no, about two hours. I could even spend

three hours. And you know what, I'm grateful on my

car that I have is a fast track. If you

got a fast track, say amen. I mean you be

driving by the cars and you thinking like these peasants,

you know what I mean, because you just zoom from

from from room right and you're just rolling right and

you're feeling good.

You're like they're waiting. It'll be five hours.

Up behind the traffic, and I'm here cutting deals in

the fast track lane. I'm going to the short cut

to come here. And even though it takes me two hours,

it only took me an hour and fifty minutes just

getting it took me like an hour and a half

because I had the fast track.

Can I get an amen? And some of us are

looking for the fast track to our calling. And I'm like,

but God, I understand, I get it.

I know what you're saying. It's gonna take some time.

But is there a fast track to my calling? Can

I skip the traffic? Can I skip the Can I

just go?

I just I don't have time.

And if you look at Jesus in his life, many

of us we are are are just from point A.

To point B.

That's me, honestly, I'm preaching myself more than anybody else

point A to point B. And we want no distractions

or disruptions anyone type a people like me, just me,

okay this see if your answer okay, I want no distractions, right,

and just trying to get on the way. But with

Jesus right, miracles happened in the disruption, But many of

us are missing our miracle moment because we look at

it as a distraction moment. I'm a many of us

are missing our miracle moment because we see it as

a disruption to our schedule moment and we don't see

God in the midst of it. And we want a

fast track to our calling. But we got to realize

that the traffic those moments are surfacing something.

In us that we can't take a shortcut to God's calm.

For some of us, that's what's been hindering you. You've

been holding back because you keep trying to take a

fast track and you keep getting pulled over because you

ain't got no fast track, because the ain't no fast

tracking the Kingdom of God.

Amen.

They did not obey the voice of the Lord, and

they died outside the promised land. I feel like God

is doing something fresh, and he's always doing something new

and same yesterday, today and forever. But there's something about

the fear of God, the fear of the Lord. Not

a negative one, but a positive one. We're saying, God,

I want to walk in the fear of God. Not

talking about a clothing brand, even though that's fire, okay,

We're talking about the actual o g fear of God,

talking about which is the beginning of wisdom. We're just saying, God,

we honor your word, we we revere at your word.

We want to be obedient to your commands. Where the

Bible says the Word of God is living in active

sharper than any double edged sword. It pierces between joy

and merrit judges the thoughts and desires of the heart.

We want to know what the We don't want to

just read the word. We want the word to read us.

And we want to be obedient to the word. Waiting

to write this down. God doesn't reward partial.

Obedience with full inheritance. Come on, somebody, come on. Touch

your neighbors, say that one's for you. Come on, say

say that, hey, that one's for you.

Right, that that one was for you. Touch your other

neighbors say, actually it's for me. We want short cuts.

We want to get there as quick as possible with

that as little pain as possible. But they couldn't receive

their promise if they didn't go through the pain of circumcision.

God doesn't reward partial obedience with full inheritance. And can

I say also, delayed obedience is disobedience.

Some of you guys, you're you're obeying, but you're just

slow at it, right, You're like fine, and you're.

Like this, and everyone could see, Yeah, you're being obedient,

but you're controlling the mood. Man, you're controlling the arena.

You're delaying in your obedience.

You're being disobedient. I'm delaying in my obedience. I'm being disobedient.

Write this down for me.

Come on, you're like, I didn't know all this fal circumcision.

Oh yeah, come on, here we go. Uh, disobedience delayed

a whole generation. God wants to do it now, but

he'll have to wait until we're ready. God wants to

partner with us, but he don't need us.

What does that mean?

It's not based off of a yes God that there

are moments in There are key moments in life where

everything could change. For the Israelites, you know, when they

came back from the promise, that key pivotal moment was

them having an unbelief and not obeying the word of God.

They didn't have a do over. We all want do

over as God's fill with grace.

Trust me, I'm not preaching turn and burn moment.

But there are moments in our life where if we're

not obedient, we'll settle for less.

We'll settle for less than what God has.

And the Israelites they had to be obedient, and it

was the last straw, and they wandered in the wilderness

for forty years so that a generation rose up right

that wasn't circumcised on the way, and so they got

circumcised in the promise. I want you to think about this.

It might have taken You know, there was years that

the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. But it was in

a moment when God spoke they left Egypt. After the

ten the Red Sea parted the whole story, right, It

was a moment where the Israelites left Egypt, but it

took a lifetime for the culture of Egypt to.

Leave the Israelites. Come on, there's a few of you

got that. Let me say it again.

It took a moment for the Israelites to get out

of captivity, but it took a generation for captivity to

get out of the israel And so they had to

reform and renew their way of thinking. But they didn't

want to do it.

And so God said, all right, we're gonna start over

with your kids and the next generation.

And what we're saying is is like Joshua at the

end of Joshua, WI kind of jump into the end.

But and then it Joshua says, as for me and

my house, we're gonna serve the Lord.

Can I get an amen? This is another way to

say it. I want you to write this down.

God doesn't give partial blessings for partial obedience.

I think what many of us sometimes that we're wrestling with.

You know, our way, God's way, Culture's way, and I

want to encourage you full obedience to the Lord, full

obedience to the Lord, and whatever he's asking Himen.

Verse eight, verse A.

Let's read this out, and she'd be on the screen

when the circumcising of the whole nation was finished. They

remained in their place in the camp until they were

all healed. I want you to write this down again

if you're taking notes. Healing comes before advancement. You can't

skip the process.

Healing comes before advancement. You can't skip the process.

And so many of us, you know, we want to

walk into our promise and we're limping, or we're hurting,

or maybe there's a wound or a scar, no pun

to the theme, of course it is, and we want

to go inherit our promise, but we need to be

healed before we can inherit our promise.

I want you to hear this real quick.

They were wounded, but in covenant, and healing was a

part of God's process. Even though they were in the land,

God made them pause to recover. I said this a

few minutes ago in the first or second point, but

it makes zero sense to completely you make your army

not able to defend themselves. Israel was defenseless on the

other side because God was saying, my presence is your protector,

not your weapons, not your strength, It's my presence. And

some of you, guys feel wounded and you're healing right now.

You're healing right now.

And what's going on is you feel like you're being

surrounded by enemies. But can I encourage you?

Psalm's twenty three says that he prepares a table in

the presence of our enemies. And so here's what I

want to encourage you with that. Here I want you

to hear this. If you feel surrounded, look around.

There's a table.

If you feel surrounded by your enemies, I want you

to look around, there's a table.

Why because God wants to dine with you. God wants

to commune with you. God wants to be with you.

And in this moment in this story, God was bringing

the Israelites to the end of themselves, saying, listen.

It ain't gonna be by your strength that you take

the promise. It's gonna be by my presence.

That was the big idea where God both demonstrated his

power and there was pain, but the pain had a purpose.

Your pain has a purpose. Your pain has a purpose.

Joseph said, what the enemy used for evil, God will

use for good, even things.

That happened against you. In a negative context. God didn't

send it. God didn't it cause it, but he sure

will use it. But first, but first you must get healed. Amen.

I want to read this verse. We're getting ready to

close in a second.

But John fifteen to two, it says, every branch in

me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Branch

of me that does bear fruit, he prunes that it

may bear more fruits.

Some of you guys, he's like he picked up a web.

Oh my goodness. No, okay, so it's a pruning shere. Okay,

we're gonna look at something real briefly. Okay, so you know,

I ask some of our team to grab us this

beautiful thing. Because circumcision and pruning have correlation, right, Because

that verse said that any branch that doesn't bear fruit,

he takes away. The better translations for that in the

original context, theologians say it's not takes away. It means

he raises up, so the vine dresser. If it's not

bearing fruit, he doesn't take it away. He ris he

raises it up to be able to be tied to

the vine and bear more fruit. And some of us,

the truth is, we're so against pain that we're not

allowing the Lord to prune our life. And I want

you to look at this tree. I don't know if

you could see it. I don't know if you could

see it, but there's a branch in here that doesn't belong.

Yes, it's fake.

Don't look at that. Okay, don't worry. This is part

of the process. There's a branch in here that doesn't

belong and it's being held together by some duct tape.

It's a branch that's not connected, but it seems like

it would be connected. And the truth is, for many

of us, we're trying to add parts of our old

life that God has cut off, and we're duct taping

it together, saying God, no, this is still part of me.

Listen, I am.

I am evangelizing in the club Jesus, I'm dancing for.

The Lord of the club God. I'm saying go wait, deep,

Go wait deep. Right now.

Huh huh.

But God, I'm just I just, I'm just I'm just

I'm just grabbing the drink.

I'm not sipping it. Well, God, listen, God, I just

I know, I know. I said I want to get

back with this girl that I dated ten times, but

I feel like she she needs to get saved and

we're gonna.

Change the world. I don't know.

And whatever that category is, whatever that thing is is,

we've tied it together with tape. But God sees the difference, right,

and he's cutting it away, and he's cutting it away.

If these can just kind of like.

This, because he's saying, this doesn't belong on you.

You got to get rid of it.

This is your old life and you're carrying it around

with you, and God saying, if you keep it going,

guess what happens to branches that aren't connected or old branches.

They get diseased.

And the disease in this branch maybe it was partially connected, right,

Maybe it was partially connected, but it was a little disconnected.

And what happens is that disease can destroy the whole tree.

And you don't see it yet, but that relationship is

going to destroy your whole tree. You don't see it yet,

but that job may destroy your whole tree. You don't

see it yet, but that whatever feeling, the blake is going.

To destroy your whole tree.

But you're holding on too it because you're saying, but God,

you promise, and God saying.

Just trust me on the journey. Will you trust me

on the journey? Gotta get a name.

Man, There are four areas that make sense in this

look at it. In these branches, there's exhaustion. There's physical decay,

there's dryness, spiritual stagnation, there's plateauing reduce fruitfulness, and there's

exposure increased vulnerability.

There might be an.

Area of your life where you have been withholding yourself

from God pruning your life.

But God just saying, go back to it.

Go. God just saying this, God saying I want to

take out your exhaustion. And you're saying, but why does

this link to my exhaustion? Because it's killing you and

it might hurt right now, but I gotta cut it off.

But it hurts, I know, but I gotta cut it off.

You might be saying, Man, God, I feel spiritually dry.

That's because that religion is hurting you. That religion is

killing you, and you don't realize that that religious branch,

if it's not cut off, it's diseased. It will make

you spiritually stagnant. You're like, but God, I've been saved

twenty thirty years. I just I just feel like I'm

on a plateau. I'm not growing. Well.

It's because there's a thing that you haven't given up.

Ten years ago. You said, don't touch that closet in

my life.

If your life is represented by like a home, you're saying, God, you.

Can have my whole house, except that back closet. I

want to keep that.

And God saying, you are plateauing because you're not giving

me everything, exposure, increase, vulnerability.

You're wondering, Man, I feel sick. Even some of us

feel tormented.

And we feel tormented because we're still holding onto something.

That's killing us. Come on, will you say, God, please

cut it away? You say, cut it away, get rid

of it, God, get rid of it. God. It's gonna hurt,

but it's gonna hurt good. Why Because for my future,

you gotta cut it away.

Can I get an amen? If we skip the process,

we may arrive with the wrong heart. God, isn't delaying you.

He's preparing you.

Last part. I know I've held you a little bit longer,

but it's it's it's okay, it's okay. God's cutting us

all right.

Verse nine. Check it out.

It says this, and the Lord said to Joshua today,

I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.

And so the name of that place is called Gilgall

to this day.

Point number five is this shame is rolled away, a

new identity in Christ. Shame is rolled away, a new

identity in Christ. The shame of slavery, disobedience, of failure

was removed. They were no longer defined by what happened

in Egypt, but by what God was doing right now.

Put that point back up there in point number five.

Shame is rolled away and a new identity in Christ.

For some of us tonight, you're gonna make a decision

to give your life to Jesus, whether for the first

time or for the last time. And the big thing

God is cutting away is he's kind away at your

old life. Shame will be rolled away from you, and

you're giving a new identity as a son, as a

daughter of God.

And for the Israelites, what.

Happened was the shame and the reproach of Egypt was

rolled away in their.

Obedience to the word that God spoke. Write this down.

Two more things, a few more things, and then we're

gonna pray in Christ. Shame is not our story. Redemptionists.

Whatever you're most ashamed of, whatever you carried, whatever keeps

you up at night, whatever is going on in your life,

you got to know that Jesus paid the price for

that on the cross. That's why we're encouraging everyone here

to bring your family, bring your friends.

We're not just doing it. Some more people come, We're

doing it.

Some more people could be released from the bondage of

shame and sin and guilt.

Because we believe.

We believe that there's a better day here for our city,

for our state, for our nation.

And the world. Amen.

Last thing I want you to write down. We are

not defined by what we did, but by what Jesus

has done. So in conclusion, it should be up here.

I want you to think about this. God goes before us,

He calls us to consecration, to be set apart. He

requires full obedience, not partial obedience, not delayed obedience, not

disgruntled obedience, full joyful obedience.

He allows time for healing, and he removes our shame.

Say it again. He goes before us, he calls us

to consecration.

He requires full obedience, he allows time for healing, and

he removes our shame. And I can't wait for the

second part of this moment, which we'll talk about next week.

But here's what I want to do. As we get

ready to end. We're gonna give two calls. The first

is going to be a call for salvation.

But the second, what I want to prepare you for,

is going to be an area of consecration. What you

will consecrate to the Lord. And I believe it's a

spiritual moment. And some of you guys already know there's

a relationship that you're cutting off, right. Some of you

guys already know there's a certain thing that you're cutting

off this some of you guys already know there's something

that you're cutting off. And I wanted you to say, God,

whatever it takes, I want to set myself apart for

what you have in my life. Amen, with every head

bout and all eyes closed. Like I said before, there're

a shame. God is rolling away. But The greatest shame

that we could be rolled away from us is understanding

that the truth is without Jesus will be separated from

God forever. But Jesus came over two thousand years ago.

He died on a cross, he rose from the grave.

He paid a price we can never pay to give

us a relationship we can never attain. And all we

got to do is lift our hand, give Jesus our yes.

In Romes, it says if we confess with our mouth,

believe in our heart, you shall be saved.

Now.

Whether this be for the very first time or for

the last time, I want to encourage you. Don't look around,

don't worry. It's not between you and your family and

your friends. It is between you and the Lord. If

you know that you need to get right with God,

whether for the first time or for the last time.

I'm a count to three, and if that's you, I

need to shoot your hand up and I want to

pray with you. Want Jesus loves you so much too.

This is the greatest decision you can make. Three. If

that's you, lift your hand right now boldly. Amen. Amen.

Amen, lift it up, Lift it up, Amen, Amen, lift

it up, Lift it up.

Amen.

Amen, anyone else on the count three, one, two to three,

lift it up right now. Amen, Thank you. I see

those hands. Thank you so much. Come on, let's put

our hands together.

Pat your family. Come on, let's do this all together.

Let's pray this all together.

But before we pray, if you raise your hands, we

want to get a bible in your hand.

We want to pray for you. We're gonna have a

team up in the front. We love for you to

come up.

We want to pray for you and believe in this

moment for you that everything changes. But let's pray this

all out together. Say this to me, say Jesus, thank

you for dying on a cross, for rising from the grave.

You did that for us, You did that for me.

All together, say I confess I'm a sinner.

I need a savior. Say Jesus, forgive me in my sins.

Say wipe my slate clean. Say this, Say tonight, I

declare that you are my savior and you are my Lord.

Say this to me, say Holy Spirit, come and fill

me up in Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen and amen.

Come on, here's the other one. We'll just go a

few more minutes. No one moving around. If you know

there's something that the Lord's been stirring in your heart

to consecrate to the Lord. If you know that there's

something that you need to set apart and surrender to

the Lord, I want you to stand up right now

where you're at.

Just stand up right now, Stand up right now, stand

up right now.

It might not even be amen. Thank you for responding.

Stand up right now. Don't wait, don't wait, it might

not even be again.

We know sin is bad. It might be something good

that God's asking us.

To give up, but we don't understand that that thing

will hinder us if we don't release it.

Maybe it might come full circle, but we need to

be able to give it. Like Abraham, he said, here's

your son, okay, go sacrifice him. And he was able

to be able to sacrifice him.

And so God said what he said, Now that you

didn't hold my promise or your promise over my presence,

you'll be fathered in many nations. So if that's you,

you need to consecrate something. If that's you, right now,

stand up where you're at, Stand up where you're amen.

Here's what I want you to do. Put your palms

to the floor, palms of the floor. Close your hands,

close your hands, close your eyes, close your hands. Say

this with me, Say Jesus, I give you. And then

I just want you to take ten seconds and verbalize it.

You don't have to say it loud, just say whatever

that thing is, whatever that relationship is, whatever that activity is,

whatever it is.

I want you just to speak it out. Come on

in your own words and your own words. Lord, we

just give it to you. We consecrate, We set ourselves apart.

We set ourself apart. Lord.

It might hurt, Lord, but it'll be worth it. And

might cut some flesh, and we might bleed, but we'll heal.

God, we don't want wounds. We want We want that

wound to be healed. And it might be a scar,

but it'll tell a story. We give it up.

Say I surrender it all. Turn your hands back over

the place of receiving. Say Jesus, heal me, meet me,

change me. I want you to look at me real quick.

We're gonna end. We're gonna end some of you, just

like I did earlier. You have to make an immediate

thing that you need to do. Might be something you

got to throw away that's in your car or your house,

might be a relationship that you have to distance.

You whatever that is, Ask Lord, Lord, what is my

immediate step.

Let's not be delayed in our obedience. Let's not be partial.

Let's step forward because God's got a call for your life,

call for your family, and the best is yet to come. Amen, Man,

let's stand together. I want to pray for you as

we end. Lord.

We thank you so much Lord for tonight, for fresh start,

a fresh start with you.

We thank you out of the story Lord, what you said,

and and God, we just pray, would you meet us,

would you would you be with us?

It might hurt, it might take a few rounds, but.

We're willing to give up anything for your glory and

for your presence and for your name and Jee's name,

and everybody said amen and amen.

Before you go, a few things.

One, if you gave your life to the Lord, our

founding pastor has something.

That these next steps at www dot Grow Up Faith.

I want to encourage you to get it on your phone.

And the second thing is this, we just had an

incredible moment. We're gonna have our elders and leaders and

some pastors up here. If you need further prayer.

We love to pray for you, but hey, guys, we

love you, Thank you so much for coming, have a great,

great rest of your night, and we look forward to

seeing you on Sunday and at Easter.

Amen. Love y'all.