1 00:00:31,900 --> 00:00:33,300 Thank you for listening to the river. 2 00:00:33,300 --> 00:00:36,100 Bend Church podcast Reverb in church exists. 3 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:39,500 Delete all people to know love and live New Life in Jesus 4 00:00:39,500 --> 00:00:41,700 Christ. We hope that you enjoy this 5 00:00:41,700 --> 00:00:46,400 message. I'm Micah one of the pastor's 6 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,200 here if I didn't get a chance to meet you and you didn't get a 7 00:00:49,208 --> 00:00:52,000 bag and it's your first time, get one on the way out, I'll be 8 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,600 out there, some of our other staff and be out there. 9 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:55,900 That's just our way of saying we're so happy. 10 00:00:55,900 --> 00:00:57,200 You're here. Here, we don't take it for 11 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,700 granted that you're here. Look, if you're new to this 12 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:01,700 church thing, we don't take it for granted. 13 00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:04,500 We know it's not easy on a Sunday, to come to a place where 14 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:06,700 people claim they worship with God that exists, right? 15 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,700 There's a lot of us in this room that believe that. 16 00:01:08,700 --> 00:01:11,200 And so, we just want you to feel comfortable, we want you to feel 17 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,200 like you can enjoy and God can work in your life and we are so 18 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,100 happy, you're here. So we've been in see you in a 19 00:01:19,107 --> 00:01:22,400 series titled, what if? And we're in week 3 this week, I 20 00:01:22,408 --> 00:01:24,800 would venture to say, we've all asked this. 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,100 What if question, right? Four times of our life, we ask 22 00:01:28,100 --> 00:01:30,200 questions. Like what if I'm not enough? 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,400 What if what if the light at the end of the tunnel is just too 24 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,100 far? And it's gets farther and 25 00:01:36,100 --> 00:01:40,800 farther away as I live my life. What if all my chances are up, 26 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,500 these are questions that we often ask. 27 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:45,400 So here's the idea, the big idea. 28 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:48,300 What if we went to God with these questions? 29 00:01:48,500 --> 00:01:51,400 Like if we have these questions, if they're going to be there 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,700 whether we like it or not, what if we brought them to God and 31 00:01:53,708 --> 00:01:56,400 said God, what do you say about these questions? 32 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,300 These questions that we have, what do you say, all-knowing God 33 00:02:00,300 --> 00:02:01,300 of the universe? Verse. 34 00:02:01,300 --> 00:02:03,700 What do you say? What if we put the ball in his 35 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:05,500 court and said you take care of my? 36 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:06,500 What? If questions? 37 00:02:06,500 --> 00:02:08,600 I'll trust you. So that's what we're going to do 38 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,500 today over the last few weeks we've been doing that by looking 39 00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:13,300 in the body. The book of the Bible called 40 00:02:13,300 --> 00:02:17,300 Exodus following the life of a guy who's a prophet named Moses 41 00:02:17,300 --> 00:02:19,900 and Moses, his life is absolutely insane. 42 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,200 We've seen Moses go from a baby in a basket floating down a 43 00:02:24,208 --> 00:02:27,300 river because his mother feared for his life where he finds 44 00:02:27,300 --> 00:02:30,600 himself in the Egyptian, royal family, pharaohs family, he 45 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,700 grows Up in the royal family. And then he murders an Egyptian 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,600 and we see him chased out of Egypt by pharaoh. 47 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,500 And that's where the famous story of the burning bush 48 00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:45,500 happens in God, meets him there. Talk about some ups and downs, 49 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:47,700 right? Like if anybody had, what if 50 00:02:47,700 --> 00:02:49,100 questions it was, this guy Moses. 51 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:50,500 So that's what we've been doing. Today. 52 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:54,000 We find ourselves in chapter 17 and exit is up to this point. 53 00:02:54,100 --> 00:02:56,200 God has done some amazing things. 54 00:02:56,500 --> 00:02:59,600 God has literally brought them out of Egypt, the people of 55 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:01,800 Israel. Out of slavery. 56 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:03,900 He even brought them through the Red Sea. 57 00:03:03,900 --> 00:03:06,600 So, we heard that story last week, that God literally, and we 58 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,200 believe that God literally parted the sea and allowed these 59 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,600 people to walk through just mind-blowing stuff. 60 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,000 He gave them food from Heaven. If you've ever heard the word 61 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,500 Mana, maybe you've heard that in like, modern vernacular, but 62 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:21,900 that just literally means that in this time in Exodus, that God 63 00:03:21,900 --> 00:03:26,500 sent Birds down from heaven, just dropped them down, and they 64 00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:29,000 went and ate and then food came up from the ground. 65 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,300 It's unbelievable, the stuff. That's happened. 66 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:33,200 So put yourself in their shoes for a moment. 67 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,100 God has finally brought you to a place of Peace. 68 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,200 God is finally got you to a place where you're like, okay, 69 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,700 maybe along the way. I got mad at this guy Moses, you 70 00:03:42,708 --> 00:03:45,600 know, who was in the desert for 40 years and came back and said, 71 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,200 hey I'm going to free you and you're like, who are you? 72 00:03:47,500 --> 00:03:50,700 You know, but maybe you're finally like, okay, I have some 73 00:03:50,700 --> 00:03:53,000 peace. I have some peace, my family's. 74 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,500 Okay, I have water to drink, we are safe. 75 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,400 Well, let's look at Exodus 17 8 through 16. 76 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:06,000 I want to That here. While the people of Israel were 77 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,800 still at resident the Warriors of amalek attack them, Moses 78 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,000 commanded, Joshua choose some men to go out and fight the army 79 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,300 of amalek for us tomorrow. I will stand at the top of the 80 00:04:17,300 --> 00:04:20,000 hill holding the staff of God in my hand. 81 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,300 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of 82 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:27,900 amalek. Meanwhile, Moses Aaron and Hur 83 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,600 climb to the top of the nearby Hill. 84 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:34,500 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the 85 00:04:34,500 --> 00:04:37,800 Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his 86 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,700 hand, the amalekites gain the advantage. 87 00:04:40,700 --> 00:04:42,900 Moses, his arm soon became so tired. 88 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,600 He could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone 89 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,400 for him to sit on then they stood on each side of Moses 90 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,300 holding up his hands. So His Hands Held steady, catch 91 00:04:54,300 --> 00:04:59,500 this until sunset all night. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed 92 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:04,200 the army of amalek in battle. After the victory of the Lord 93 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,100 instructed, Moses, write this down on a scroll, as a permanent 94 00:05:07,100 --> 00:05:08,900 reminder and read it aloud to Joshua. 95 00:05:09,100 --> 00:05:12,200 I will erase the memory of amalek from under heaven. 96 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,300 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh Niecy, which 97 00:05:17,300 --> 00:05:20,900 means the Lord is my banner. He said they have raised their 98 00:05:20,900 --> 00:05:22,300 fists against the Lord's, Throne. 99 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:26,600 So now the Lord will be at war with amalek generation after 100 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:28,500 generation. So, man, if you're the 101 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:29,800 Israelites here, what are you thinking? 102 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,600 Gosh, like, God, finally brought me out of captivity and I'm 103 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:35,900 finally have some peace. I finally have some peace and 104 00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:38,900 quiet and then out of nowhere, these amalek people come and 105 00:05:38,900 --> 00:05:40,000 attack us. Like what the heck? 106 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,100 Right? And that's probably not that far 107 00:05:42,100 --> 00:05:43,200 off to Israel. Lights. 108 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,000 We're really confused because it seemingly came out of nowhere. 109 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,100 What's really interesting about this section in the Bible is 110 00:05:49,100 --> 00:05:53,700 that it's the first time in Exodus, we see the Israelites 111 00:05:54,100 --> 00:05:57,500 fight after leaving Egypt. And a lot of times in scripture 112 00:05:57,500 --> 00:06:00,400 when you're reading your Bible and you see a first it's really 113 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:02,600 good to lean in. It's a moment where we want to 114 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:04,700 we always want to lean in the scripture, but in these moments 115 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,200 it's good to go, okay? God probably has something 116 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:09,400 really specific here to teach me. 117 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,400 And what does he say now in this passage about how we Is our own 118 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,000 battles. First of all, this battle 119 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,600 seemingly came out of nowhere, right? 120 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,400 So right out of the gate, there's two things we know that 121 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:25,000 a true from this passage this Battles are coming and we will 122 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,100 win or lose based on who we surround ourselves with. 123 00:06:29,300 --> 00:06:31,400 So we know this battles are coming right? 124 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,200 Battles are coming and we will win or lose based on who we 125 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,300 surround ourselves with two, things battles are coming we 126 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:39,800 will win or lose based on who we surround ourselves with let me 127 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,600 say something real quick. The overarching theme of the 128 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,800 story is not. I'm going to surprise you. 129 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:50,300 Here is not How to do help the Christian Community, the 130 00:06:50,300 --> 00:06:53,100 overarching theme of the story is not how to love your 131 00:06:53,100 --> 00:06:54,300 neighbor. The overarching theme of the 132 00:06:54,300 --> 00:06:57,000 story is how to let God fight your battles. 133 00:06:57,500 --> 00:07:00,000 That's the overarching theme of the story and you may ask well 134 00:07:00,100 --> 00:07:02,200 from this statement here it seems like you're going to 135 00:07:02,207 --> 00:07:05,400 preach a sermon on Christian relationships not dating 136 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:08,800 relationships but communal relationships that you're right. 137 00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:11,400 I'm really glad. You asked me that question. 138 00:07:12,700 --> 00:07:15,700 Because Moses couldn't hold the staff without people around him. 139 00:07:16,500 --> 00:07:19,800 How do you get a sermon on relationship from this passage? 140 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,200 He could not hold the staff, which was their Victory. 141 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:24,700 He couldn't hold it without people around him. 142 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:27,800 This is what I love God. Strategically, guys. 143 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,700 In strategically set the world up in such a way that his glory 144 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,000 will be made known. That's the most important thing 145 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,800 for him. Most important thing for his 146 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:38,700 glory to be made known because it's the best thing anyone could 147 00:07:38,700 --> 00:07:41,200 ever ask for but he set it up in such a way. 148 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,700 Let's look at how Jesus puts it. He set it up in such a way that 149 00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:48,200 his glory will be made known through Believers. 150 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,900 Loving one, another absolutely crazy. 151 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Jesus says this, your love for one another will prove to the 152 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:59,500 world that you are my disciples. Wow I think we can gather from 153 00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:01,700 that that statement their relationships matter. 154 00:08:01,700 --> 00:08:05,600 Here's my heart today Church. Going to make it through this 155 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:07,400 without crying because I didn't in the 9:30. 156 00:08:09,300 --> 00:08:13,500 I love our church and I love our people and over the last few 157 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:17,300 months I've been. So my mind has been so blown. 158 00:08:17,300 --> 00:08:18,900 By the way, you have loved one another. 159 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:22,500 By the way you have loved our staff by the way, you have loved 160 00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:24,400 our community, absolutely mind-blowing. 161 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,100 So when I speak to you, I'm speaking to a group of people in 162 00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:31,100 9:30 and now and 11 who love each other really well. 163 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,000 And that's not the patch on the back because if that was the 164 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,700 case we could walk out and say awesome. 165 00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:36,799 We're done, right, relationships, done. 166 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:38,900 We got it, figured out. Here's the reality. 167 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:45,000 Leti, there's always more depth to be had and it's not just 168 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,500 about having these loving relationships. 169 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,400 But it's about having relationships that stand the 170 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,300 test of time. It's about having relationships 171 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:57,400 that not just deepen our own personal love, but deep in one 172 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,300 another's. Love and not just do that but 173 00:08:59,300 --> 00:09:01,700 proclaim the glory of God in our city and Beyond. 174 00:09:01,700 --> 00:09:07,200 Amen. 11:00. Let's go battle ready 175 00:09:07,300 --> 00:09:09,000 relationships. That's what we call these kind 176 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,400 of relationships battle-ready relationships. 177 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,400 How do we face our battles with one another relationships that 178 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:16,500 stand the test of time. Let's jump back into the story 179 00:09:16,500 --> 00:09:18,700 here. So Moses sees the amalekites 180 00:09:18,700 --> 00:09:21,300 coming to fight him. He commands this youngish man, 181 00:09:21,300 --> 00:09:24,200 Joshua to fight who Scholars? Think was probably around 40, 182 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,800 but we know Moses was extremely old. 183 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:30,300 So let's call him young today. He has this great plan, right? 184 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:33,100 He says you go and fight Joshua, you go and fight. 185 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:34,500 I'm going to Stand at the top of this hill. 186 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,200 Anybody got friends like that. Anybody got friends that are 187 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,300 like hey I think it's a great idea to go climb to the top of 188 00:09:40,300 --> 00:09:42,500 this waterfall and just Swan Dive off. 189 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:44,400 Right. I think that's a great idea and 190 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:46,600 you climb to the top and your feet hurt because you didn't 191 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,000 wear the right sandals and they have all the rights Andals and 192 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000 you get to the top and they're taking a video of you and you're 193 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,000 like, whoa! You're going first. 194 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,300 This was your idea. No, no I just got you up here 195 00:09:57,300 --> 00:10:00,200 and if any body in this room knows me, well, they know that 196 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,200 I'm I tend to be that person to get you amped up. 197 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:04,600 Do you? Go and get you on top of the 198 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,300 mountain, and then be, like, go for it, you got it because in 199 00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:09,200 some circles, we call that empowerment. 200 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,700 But anyways, here's the reality Moses did that? 201 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:15,800 Because he knew their power was in his staff. 202 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:19,900 Well, not in the staff, but was in, what the staff resembles, 203 00:10:19,900 --> 00:10:22,200 what the staff recognize we've seen over the story. 204 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,700 When when God calls Moses to lay down his staff, we see that it 205 00:10:25,700 --> 00:10:29,600 signifies his surrender to God and His saying, your people will 206 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:34,200 be led by you and you alone. And so the, the Going to the top 207 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:35,700 of the mountain, makes more sense. 208 00:10:35,700 --> 00:10:38,100 When we realize that in verse 10, we see them go and do that. 209 00:10:38,100 --> 00:10:41,300 And so, here's the first observation I want to make today 210 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:46,100 battle-ready relationships, are intentional, notice something 211 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:49,500 here, wasn't, until they got to the top of the mountain, in the 212 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:52,600 battle had started. That they saw Moses needed help. 213 00:10:54,900 --> 00:10:57,600 So think about that for a moment, what if they had not 214 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,200 been there? What if they not been there God 215 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,300 is faithful and God would have fulfilled his promise and his 216 00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:05,700 people. But what would have happened? 217 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:10,000 That leads me to think this Christian Community and you can 218 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:11,000 write this down. If you're taking notes, 219 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,200 Christian Community is not for emergencies, it's for 220 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,500 sustainability Community with one. 221 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:20,000 Another is not just for times that are tough Community for one 222 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,600 another with one. Another deep relationships is 223 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,300 for a deep sustainable, love that walks with us, week after 224 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:28,700 week and day after day and year after year. 225 00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:31,300 So Anything comes, we're battle-ready, right? 226 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:36,900 We're battle-tested. Here's the thing, I know from 227 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:41,000 from preparing there's probably two types of people in this 228 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,800 room. There's those who find 229 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,600 relationships too easy. There's those who finds 230 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,400 roulette, find relationships, too hard. 231 00:11:48,700 --> 00:11:50,300 And I want to tell you, both are dangerous. 232 00:11:50,300 --> 00:11:53,000 Let me speak first to my extroverts, in the room, who 233 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,100 find it too easy because I'm one of them. 234 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:59,300 If you know me, you know, that I had 16 grams of my wedding and 235 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:01,400 if you're not familiar with weddings, that's too many. 236 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,900 That means that I probably have lots of relationships, but that 237 00:12:05,900 --> 00:12:08,700 doesn't mean they're all deep. So, for me, it's dangerous 238 00:12:08,700 --> 00:12:10,900 because I'm really good at making friends, but that doesn't 239 00:12:10,900 --> 00:12:12,800 mean I'm gonna remember your name next week. 240 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:15,400 Like, let's be honest. That doesn't mean that doesn't 241 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,100 mean that I don't love you, but have I chosen to really step 242 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:20,700 into you your life? It's dangerous. 243 00:12:20,700 --> 00:12:23,500 You may have three thousand friends on Facebook, but who's 244 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:27,100 going to stop and change your tire for you, right? 245 00:12:27,100 --> 00:12:29,000 You're going to call one of those 3000, friends. 246 00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:32,800 You nigga, you gonna call the random dude from Sopia that 247 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,000 follows you on Facebook and he's going to come and help you 248 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:36,900 nothing wrong with that. But you know what I mean? 249 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:41,700 It doesn't always mean you have deep relationships, there's more 250 00:12:41,700 --> 00:12:46,300 depth to be had, let me talk to my introverts in the room as 251 00:12:46,300 --> 00:12:48,700 singled out or extroverts, because they deserve it. 252 00:12:49,300 --> 00:12:52,400 But introvert, to listen to me. You were made and everyone in 253 00:12:52,408 --> 00:12:54,000 this room, you were made for Community. 254 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:59,100 You were made this God that we serve, this God, that we serve 255 00:12:59,100 --> 00:13:03,500 is so good that he set us up in such a way in And in his core of 256 00:13:03,500 --> 00:13:06,800 who he is one of the one of the facets of who he is is 257 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,200 community. We believe in something called 258 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:12,700 the Trinity, right? The the father Son and the Holy 259 00:13:12,700 --> 00:13:16,100 Spirit Before Time began, I'm not going to go into Super 260 00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:19,600 detail there, don't worry but Before Time began the godhead 261 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:22,900 was in perfect communion and so when he created us he said I 262 00:13:22,900 --> 00:13:26,200 want them to be like we are I want them to know. 263 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,400 I want them to know me and also know me through the way, they 264 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,500 love one another. That's the way he set this whole 265 00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:35,300 thing up, battle-ready relationships are found in that 266 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:39,100 found in our understanding of who Jesus is Introvert. 267 00:13:39,100 --> 00:13:41,500 I want to say this really quick. You can do it. 268 00:13:42,300 --> 00:13:44,700 Those of you in this room, that's a mica, you don't 269 00:13:44,700 --> 00:13:47,000 understand. I don't want a thousand more 270 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,900 problems, right? Have 99 problems. 271 00:13:48,900 --> 00:13:51,100 And a friend is not one, and that's fine. 272 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,500 The older I get, the more I understand and I'm with you, a 273 00:13:54,508 --> 00:13:56,900 lot of times church ministry. If you're not careful can do 274 00:13:56,900 --> 00:13:59,200 that to. You can cause you to get callous 275 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,400 towards people. But that's not the heart of God. 276 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:03,500 I'm not saying all introverts do that, by the way, but I'm 277 00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:05,900 saying, you may be there and I want you to know this, I'm not 278 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:09,600 asking you to get 1,000 friends. I'm Asking you who's the core 279 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,300 people in your life, that know you, that know you from the 280 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:16,900 inside out that are ready to step into your situation with 281 00:14:16,900 --> 00:14:19,200 you ready to love you, who are those people? 282 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,500 So, here's the word for everybody this morning, here's 283 00:14:24,500 --> 00:14:28,200 the word unique community. And I don't know if you like 284 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,700 that, and I don't care because it's not up to us. 285 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:34,100 This is a calling from God, which God has made us in. 286 00:14:34,100 --> 00:14:36,300 Such a way to say you need Community. 287 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,500 When you were born, you needed other People with you to walk, 288 00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:42,200 you long to keep you alive and unique Community. 289 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,800 Now in your old age now you feel like man, I got this. 290 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,700 I'm grown. I'm an adult man. 291 00:14:47,700 --> 00:14:50,400 I got it figured out. No, you don't, and that's 292 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:51,800 awesome. That's awesome. 293 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,100 Because that's where we turn to God. 294 00:14:55,900 --> 00:14:59,800 Let's look at chap, that's look at verses 11 through 13 and go 295 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:04,700 further. As long as Moses held up the 296 00:15:04,700 --> 00:15:07,900 staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage, 297 00:15:07,900 --> 00:15:10,700 but whenever he dropped his hands, the amalekites gain the 298 00:15:10,700 --> 00:15:14,800 advantage, Moses, his arms soon became so tired, he could no 299 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:18,800 longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone 300 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,100 for him to sit on then they stood on each side of Moses 301 00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:25,600 holding up his hand so His Hands Held steady until sunset as a 302 00:15:25,608 --> 00:15:31,200 result, Joshua overwhelmed. The army of amalek in battle. 303 00:15:31,900 --> 00:15:34,200 So wasn't enough, right? It wasn't enough that they were 304 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,300 there. They were they were intentional 305 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,600 that got them there. They're intentionality got them 306 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:40,600 there. Listen to me students in the 307 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:41,700 front row. Love you guys. 308 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:43,700 They're intentionality. Got them there. 309 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:48,100 But that wasn't enough, they had to once they were there, make a 310 00:15:48,108 --> 00:15:51,800 decision to love their brother. They had to make a decision to 311 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,400 do something about what God saw and allowed them to see through 312 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:01,300 their intentionality. You ever been there? 313 00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:05,100 You ever see a friend in any, maybe you're having coffee 314 00:16:05,100 --> 00:16:08,100 together and somewhere in the midst of the relationship. 315 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:10,500 I've been Somewhere In The Mists of the conversation, you start 316 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:12,900 talking and you're like all of a sudden you hear that your 317 00:16:12,900 --> 00:16:15,300 friends you kind of zoned out and maybe you hear your friends, 318 00:16:15,300 --> 00:16:18,700 just saying some wild stuff and you're just like, you're having 319 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:23,400 this inner dialogue and you're like, what, what? 320 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,200 And you're, maybe also in a quiet coffee, shops, or like, 321 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:28,400 quiet down, like you were saying, some wild stuff. 322 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:32,000 Like you are airing Your mess out in that moment, your maybe 323 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,100 like, okay, maybe tomorrow. I'm not going to answer their 324 00:16:34,100 --> 00:16:36,500 phone to call. Like after this lunch is done, 325 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,200 this is we are no longer friends with this person but if you're a 326 00:16:39,208 --> 00:16:41,300 good friend, what do you do? You step into it? 327 00:16:41,300 --> 00:16:43,000 And you say, I'm going to sit here, I'm going to finish this 328 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,200 meal, I'm going to continue on, I'm gonna call them in the 329 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:46,600 morning. I'm gonna have a conversation 330 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,200 with them about what's going on in their life. 331 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:50,600 That's where it moves from intentional to what I call 332 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:53,700 committed. Battle ready? 333 00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:55,600 Relationships are this? Our second observation is. 334 00:16:55,600 --> 00:17:00,600 This are committed. If we're talking about 335 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,000 commitment here, we need to talk about. 336 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,200 What's at stake. If if I'm calling you to have 337 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,900 committed relationships with one another, there has to be 338 00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:09,500 something that's keeping you and that's dangerous for you. 339 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:10,599 If you need to commit to it, right? 340 00:17:10,599 --> 00:17:13,099 There's nothing to commit to if there's not something that 341 00:17:13,099 --> 00:17:14,400 happens if you don't commit to it, right? 342 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:19,800 That's really basic. So for Moses and Aaron and Hur 343 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:24,000 here, they knew that if they didn't help one another, if they 344 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,800 did it get arm and arm together. We're not going to say that they 345 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,000 would have lost the battle but they probably would have lost a 346 00:17:31,008 --> 00:17:32,900 lot of men. They probably would have lost a 347 00:17:32,908 --> 00:17:35,100 lot of women and children. They probably would have lost a 348 00:17:35,108 --> 00:17:37,500 lot of their Nation. If they did it make this 349 00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:41,100 decision there, they their life's were literally at stake. 350 00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:42,400 So, what's at stake for our life? 351 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,700 Had this quote here, it's really interesting. 352 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:50,200 According to the National Institute on Aging, the health 353 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:54,200 risks of prolonged isolation are equivalent to smoking 15 354 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:58,100 cigarettes a day. Social isolation and loneliness 355 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,700 have been estimated to shorten. A person's life span by as many 356 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,200 as 15 years. Our lives are quite literally a 357 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,400 steak and I don't mean to get super heavy for no reason, but I 358 00:18:09,408 --> 00:18:11,100 get heavy because that's reality. 359 00:18:11,500 --> 00:18:16,200 A life's are at stake. And here's what I love. 360 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:20,000 Like I know there are lives are at stake and it seems insane to 361 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,400 say that because of relationships and the importance 362 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,800 of them. But here's an idea that I 363 00:18:25,808 --> 00:18:29,700 thought of this week that just encourage me so much are very 364 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:35,000 loneliness proves proves to us from our inner inward being of 365 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,900 who we are our soul. It proves to us that we are made 366 00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:40,500 for Community. Listen, if you never got lonely, 367 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:42,800 if you and I never got lonely, and we could live our whole 368 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,600 lives on our own, We would most likely not be made for 369 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,400 community, and that's not how God made us. 370 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:51,400 But look the very reality that we get lonely, the very reality 371 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,900 is that that we need people in our life proves that we are made 372 00:18:54,900 --> 00:18:56,500 for this. Listen, I'm not just saying 373 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:58,400 because I'm a pastor that you need Community. 374 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,400 I'm saying it because it's who we are from our from our 375 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:06,100 innermost be. We are longing to be with others 376 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,900 longing to be with others. It's who we are. 377 00:19:09,900 --> 00:19:12,200 I see two things if we're talking about this commitment 378 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,800 here. There's two Two things happening 379 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:18,600 in this passage first Moses had to what he had to allow them to 380 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,600 help him. He had to be there and he had to 381 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:23,900 say, I need your help. We don't know if he really said 382 00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:27,400 that if they saw it, but either way, he had to allow them to 383 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:29,100 help him. That's the first thing that has 384 00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:31,200 to happen. Did you know that? 385 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,400 There's a difference between vulnerability and transparency? 386 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,000 There's a difference there. I'm transparent, right? 387 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,200 I'm a person who, if you meet me out front, I'll tell you 388 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,200 everything you want to know, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let 389 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:44,900 you in. Like I may say. 390 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:45,700 Yep. That's me. 391 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,500 That's me. I'll go to the counselor and say 392 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:48,200 yep. Uh-huh. 393 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,000 But that doesn't mean I'm letting him say but let's try to 394 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,000 fix it, right? Let's do something about it. 395 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:55,600 That's what vulnerability is Moses. 396 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,900 Here we can assume was not just transparent. 397 00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:04,000 He was allowing his brothers to open him up and say, I'm a 398 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,300 totally inadequate. We see that through Moses, his 399 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:09,400 life, his life was built upon this inadequacy. 400 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:10,900 Like, how can that make any sense? 401 00:20:10,900 --> 00:20:12,300 Why are you preaching that? How is that? 402 00:20:12,300 --> 00:20:16,400 Good news, because God is, All we need, he's everything we 403 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,700 need. The more we realize we're in 404 00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:20,300 adequate, the more. We realize we need God. 405 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:23,700 And the more we finally see God, and we stop acting like we have 406 00:20:23,700 --> 00:20:26,200 it all. Together are an adequacy proves 407 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:30,100 that God is good and know, that seems crazy, but there's the 408 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:32,300 other side of the story, not only do we need to be 409 00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:35,400 vulnerable. But Aaron and Hur, they had to 410 00:20:35,408 --> 00:20:38,300 be ready to help. They first saw the need then. 411 00:20:38,300 --> 00:20:41,000 They went searching for a way to help him and they found a rock, 412 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,400 but they didn't stop there. And I want to get honest for a 413 00:20:43,408 --> 00:20:45,500 second with some faithful well-meaning Christians in the 414 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:47,200 room. I'm gonna get honest for a 415 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:49,300 second. How often, how often do we do 416 00:20:49,300 --> 00:20:50,700 this? How often do we? 417 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,900 We put a chair out, a rock and we say. 418 00:20:53,900 --> 00:20:57,000 All right buddy, sit down. Sister. 419 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,700 Sit down. And then we do this. 420 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,600 See ya. We walk off. 421 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:10,600 We oftentimes our chair. Iraq is, is the word of God? 422 00:21:11,100 --> 00:21:15,000 Oftentimes, it's, it's a prayer and listen. 423 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:19,400 The word of God is the words of Life. 424 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,600 The Bible has the words of life in it prayer. 425 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,500 Is a work that's powerful more powerful than you and I will 426 00:21:26,500 --> 00:21:29,500 probably ever understand and if we would take it and use it 427 00:21:29,500 --> 00:21:31,700 more, oh, the things we would see in our life. 428 00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:34,200 But what I'm saying, is, what if we gave them that? 429 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,600 What if we said, okay, take a seat, right? 430 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,700 Take a seat, take a word, take a prayer and then let me get a 431 00:21:39,708 --> 00:21:41,700 brother with me. And let's sit right here and 432 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:44,700 let's hold your arms up and just say look to Jesus. 433 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,900 What if we as Christians, stop just giving blanket fixes and we 434 00:21:48,900 --> 00:21:52,900 said, I'm gonna walk with you. I'm gonna walk with you, I'm 435 00:21:52,900 --> 00:21:55,100 gonna help you. Keep your eyes on Jesus. 436 00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:57,700 So we need to be vulnerable. You have to be able to sit in 437 00:21:57,700 --> 00:22:00,200 the seat, and then you need people next to you, who, when 438 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,700 you need to sit in the seat can sit next to you, and hold your 439 00:22:02,700 --> 00:22:05,500 arms up and say, I'm hurting to listen, Erin and her. 440 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,100 Imagine the pain, they must have felt right. 441 00:22:08,100 --> 00:22:13,500 Imagine the pain, it says until sunset until sunset. 442 00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:16,500 They sat there, they probably thought, Division, I know what's 443 00:22:16,500 --> 00:22:18,000 happening. I know God. 444 00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:21,000 I know what you said. I know you would probably win 445 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,800 this battle, but it hurts like my arms are dying. 446 00:22:25,500 --> 00:22:27,500 We see the victory happening, but it's really hard. 447 00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:31,400 We need one another. I want to ask you this. 448 00:22:31,700 --> 00:22:34,200 Are you ready to do? Whatever it takes to see someone 449 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,500 win. Think about that for a second. 450 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:39,800 Are you ready to do? Whatever it takes to see someone 451 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:45,000 else win. Leads me to another observation 452 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,300 today, battle-ready relationships are purposeful. 453 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:50,500 I'm not if you knew this but who you surround yourself with 454 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:53,700 matters? Whether you like it or not 455 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,100 relationships, serve a purpose, whether you like it or not, I've 456 00:22:57,100 --> 00:23:00,300 said that probably a thousand times a day Relationship. 457 00:23:00,300 --> 00:23:04,800 Serve a purpose. Listen relationships, either. 458 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,200 And that I just believe this to be true either push us towards 459 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:08,800 Jesus. Christian relationships, pushed 460 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,000 us towards Jesus, they keep us forever. 461 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:14,100 And I'm being generous, he's a lot of people in this, In This 462 00:23:14,100 --> 00:23:16,300 Crowd, made see me after, and say, they don't just keep you 463 00:23:16,308 --> 00:23:17,800 where you're at, they pull you back. 464 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,400 So, I'm being generous today, at least at the, at minimum, they 465 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,300 keep you where, Or they push you towards Jesus. 466 00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:29,400 God intended. God has an intended purpose for 467 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,900 his people. He desires on a relationships. 468 00:23:31,900 --> 00:23:35,900 Would push us to become more like Jesus. 469 00:23:35,900 --> 00:23:40,000 Look, we are way more malleable. Way more shapeable when were 470 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,000 multiple, if those are words than we could ever imagine. 471 00:23:44,700 --> 00:23:48,500 So the people we choose to do life with not just minister to 472 00:23:48,500 --> 00:23:51,300 but do life with and let's speak into our life, they can change 473 00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:52,300 the way we think. Ink. 474 00:23:52,700 --> 00:23:56,600 And when you, we know this, to be fact, when you change the way 475 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,500 you think you ultimately change the way you act people can 476 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:01,300 change you, man, and that's good. 477 00:24:01,300 --> 00:24:03,300 And that's scary. That's two things. 478 00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:05,700 They're battle-ready relationships. 479 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,100 They look like this. This purposeful idea, they look 480 00:24:08,100 --> 00:24:12,600 like a group of people, a church who has one win that already 481 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,900 relationships in a church model. Look like a group of people 482 00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:18,100 bounding themselves together. Not worried about a building, 483 00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:21,800 but worried about being arm and arm and looking to Jesus and st. 484 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:26,600 You Irwin is mine, went often I do this when I'm going on a way 485 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:28,400 to maybe have coffee with someone. 486 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,500 I'm about to have a hard conversation. 487 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,300 I tell myself a lot of times in marriage, I say this, I say 488 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:39,800 Micah be prepared to take an l and those who don't know the 489 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,600 modern sayings and today, that just means loss be prepared to 490 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,300 take a loss. I tell myself that all the time. 491 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:51,300 Why? Because this relationships, this 492 00:24:51,300 --> 00:24:55,000 relationship the their win is my win. 493 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:59,300 And I care more at that point about God getting the glory in 494 00:24:59,308 --> 00:25:01,800 their life and about seeing them look more like Jesus than I do 495 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,700 winning a church, a church following. 496 00:25:04,700 --> 00:25:07,000 Jesus looks more like a bunch of people who are set. 497 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,400 I'm ready to be wrong. You just say, I'm ready to be 498 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,700 wrong. I'm ready to lose every 499 00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:13,900 argument. If it means that you come to 500 00:25:13,908 --> 00:25:16,600 know Jesus, if it means that you get closer to Jesus, and I'm not 501 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,200 saying we just need to E flippantly walking around having 502 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,400 no truth. I'm talking about when we're in 503 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:25,100 our pride and we have this desire to prove to someone who 504 00:25:25,100 --> 00:25:26,700 we are. We have this desire to prove 505 00:25:26,700 --> 00:25:29,300 that that person's wrong and God says, no reconcile. 506 00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:30,800 Turn the other cheek, you don't have to be right? 507 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,600 I'm right. I'm truth. 508 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,700 Let me ask you this, who is winning because of the 509 00:25:37,708 --> 00:25:42,200 relationship with you. Who's winning who's winning. 510 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,600 If you can't think of anybody don't get discouraged, this 511 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,500 could be true for you. Someone could win because of 512 00:25:48,500 --> 00:25:51,600 their relationship with you. What is winning looking more 513 00:25:51,700 --> 00:25:55,100 like Jesus, who can look back and say this person or that 514 00:25:55,100 --> 00:25:59,600 person was with me and loved me so well, and they are the reason 515 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:01,500 in the Holy Spirit walking with me. 516 00:26:01,500 --> 00:26:04,300 They're the reason that I am who I am today. 517 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,000 They are the reason who can, who can say that of you. 518 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,600 So I want to, I want to do this, I want to acknowledge something. 519 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,100 We've talked about some pretty heavy stuff because it's a heavy 520 00:26:15,100 --> 00:26:17,200 reality, but I want to know something. 521 00:26:17,500 --> 00:26:20,600 It's impossible. It's impossible to have 522 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:24,300 battle-ready relationships. On our own. 523 00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:28,200 It's impossible to have battle-ready relationships. 524 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:32,700 These kind of christ-centered relationships on our own without 525 00:26:32,700 --> 00:26:35,900 Jesus. Look, you can, you can see here 526 00:26:35,900 --> 00:26:37,300 all the work that has to go into this. 527 00:26:37,300 --> 00:26:39,100 I just want to run through a couple of these things. 528 00:26:39,100 --> 00:26:41,700 Let's go through the list. You have to love others, more 529 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:45,800 than yourself. You have to put others before 530 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,000 yourself. So you're not just love them 531 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,500 mentally, but you have to do you have to position yourself in a 532 00:26:50,508 --> 00:26:52,400 way where they're over here and you're behind. 533 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,500 You say, you win. I want to see you look more like 534 00:26:55,500 --> 00:26:58,200 Christ and this is one. I'm not going to get an amen on. 535 00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:00,900 You have to give flawed people the ability to speak in your 536 00:27:00,900 --> 00:27:02,600 life. That's tough. 537 00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:05,400 You have to give people who are flawed just like you, the 538 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:09,700 ability to speak into your life. It's impossible. 539 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,800 It's impossible. So I set you up for failure. 540 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,300 If I haven't given you this last observation here, let's look at 541 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:18,100 it. Battle ready? 542 00:27:18,100 --> 00:27:19,800 Relationships? Are Jesus focused. 543 00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:24,800 So the staff that, that, that signified, the Lord's victory 544 00:27:25,700 --> 00:27:29,000 for Moses and Aaron and Hur as as long as they held it, it gave 545 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,900 them victory victory was in their hands and all they had to 546 00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:34,500 do was hold it up. All they have to do is say God, 547 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,500 you are my victory. You are the win here, you 548 00:27:37,500 --> 00:27:39,900 deserve the glory. You got us out of Egypt. 549 00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:42,900 We just want to see you glorified, all he had to do was, 550 00:27:42,900 --> 00:27:46,200 lift it up for us for us? This is the easiest Sunday 551 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,300 school answer ever, for us. We have Jesus, those of us who 552 00:27:50,300 --> 00:27:54,200 have Place our faith in Jesus. We have Victory living in US. 553 00:27:54,300 --> 00:27:58,400 Amen. Victory living in us at any 554 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:02,200 given moment at any given time. I can attain that Victory and 555 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,000 say, yes, I have Victory. I have victory. 556 00:28:06,900 --> 00:28:11,800 I have Victory in Jesus. A lot of us in this room who 557 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,700 have that new life, understand what it's like. 558 00:28:15,700 --> 00:28:17,500 We love to talk about this thing new life. 559 00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:20,700 What that means is that a lot of us in this room have said, 560 00:28:20,700 --> 00:28:23,900 Jesus, you are my everything, and you're the best thing. 561 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,800 You're the only thing. The first and foremost, I want 562 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,200 you to get the glory. And then what happens, what 563 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,900 happens you do that one Sunday night or, and then you wake up 564 00:28:31,900 --> 00:28:34,200 the next day and you go to work and you're loving the person 565 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:36,600 that you hated last week, makes no. 566 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,500 It makes no sense. You're loving the person that 567 00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:42,900 you despise and you're like, oh wow, God changed me and it 568 00:28:42,900 --> 00:28:45,900 doesn't have to make sense. This is a little side. 569 00:28:45,900 --> 00:28:48,400 Note, we need to stop trying to make sense of God. 570 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,100 We need to start. It's not our job to make sense 571 00:28:51,100 --> 00:28:52,800 of God. We're going to spend eternity 572 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:54,500 trying to figure it out and we will search. 573 00:28:54,500 --> 00:28:56,800 The word. We will try to understand truth 574 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,900 and we will put truth on on the banner of Our Lives all the 575 00:28:59,900 --> 00:29:01,500 time. But listen, we need to stop 576 00:29:01,500 --> 00:29:04,400 trying to figure it out and we need to start just trusting God 577 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,500 and saying God I want to live in wonder. 578 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,800 And all of you, if you look all through the Psalms all through 579 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,800 the Old Testaments, the power was found in fear. 580 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:16,100 It says, in Proverbs that, the fear of God is the Fountain of 581 00:29:16,100 --> 00:29:18,800 Life. What that means is that all of 582 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:22,700 God, the say, the, the god you were big and I'm small as a 583 00:29:22,700 --> 00:29:24,000 Fountain of Life. Why? 584 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,000 Because we get outside of ourselves for a moment, for 585 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,600 just, for a moment. And finally, we are aligned with 586 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:31,100 Heaven. We're like, okay, this is what 587 00:29:31,100 --> 00:29:35,900 the universe screams about. We cannot have healthy Christian 588 00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:39,900 Community in relationships. Without that look, you cannot 589 00:29:39,900 --> 00:29:43,700 love people without Jesus into story and that's good because 590 00:29:43,700 --> 00:29:47,300 Jesus is Arms Wide Open. Come to me, come to me, I'll 591 00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:48,900 give you New Life. I'll teach you how to love. 592 00:29:48,900 --> 00:29:52,400 Like I love, I'll teach you how to do what I do. 593 00:29:52,500 --> 00:29:56,500 I'll give you my burden. I'll give you my yoke. 594 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,100 I'll give you my plan for your life. 595 00:29:59,300 --> 00:30:01,400 Just trust me. You don't have it figured out. 596 00:30:01,700 --> 00:30:04,600 That's what these kind of Ships are stem from. 597 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:13,500 So as we close today, I love this idea and you know, I would 598 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:15,600 love to just come right out the gate with this but you know a 599 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:19,800 good speaker holds his greatest news at the end and keeps you 600 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,300 hanging on. But I want you to know that in 601 00:30:23,300 --> 00:30:27,700 this story, as Moses stood on a mountain, with the staff and 602 00:30:27,700 --> 00:30:31,100 that signified, God's Victory. Jesus stands on the mountain. 603 00:30:31,700 --> 00:30:34,700 Jesus stands on a mountain and he's holding a banner, like a, 604 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,600 like, a dad at a soccer game. He's holding a banner that just 605 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,200 says, I love you. I have your Victory! 606 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:42,000 I love you. And so, when we have this chair 607 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,600 out and we're letting people sit and we're holding their arms up. 608 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,700 We're like, hey, just look to death, look to God, look to him, 609 00:30:47,700 --> 00:30:51,800 he loves you. He cares for you, he wants you. 610 00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:54,300 He just wants you to see his face. 611 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:57,600 He just wants you to see that he's worthy of everything, he 612 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,200 wants you to see that he loves you, and you have no idea how 613 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,300 much had happened and you just looking to his love, man. 614 00:31:03,300 --> 00:31:06,900 We try to figure things out. We try to understand it and we 615 00:31:06,900 --> 00:31:10,100 try to worry about how to act out his love, but look, what if 616 00:31:10,100 --> 00:31:13,200 we spent more time in his love, then we did trying to figure it 617 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:15,900 out and trying to act it out because look, I believe that 618 00:31:15,900 --> 00:31:18,300 when you get in his presence that's when you become powerful. 619 00:31:18,500 --> 00:31:20,500 That's when you go into the world and you're like, man, I 620 00:31:20,500 --> 00:31:21,900 don't care. Like we sang earlier. 621 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,300 David said, I became courageous because of my love for God. 622 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,000 He became less powerful when he turned his face from God. 623 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:31,800 If you look at the life of David, our power is in the face 624 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,300 of God, because his face is good, and it's enough. 625 00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:36,700 That's all we need. It's what we've been longing for 626 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,400 since birth. Our relationships guys 627 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:46,100 Riverbend, there's so much more depth to be had as a church. 628 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,000 Look, God is with us and there are great. 629 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,100 Things ahead and God has the best things ahead for eternity. 630 00:31:54,300 --> 00:31:58,600 but it's gonna take us loving one, another really well as you 631 00:31:58,608 --> 00:32:03,700 already have done, It's gonna take arm and arms. 632 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,400 It's gonna take. Hey, I want to go deeper. 633 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,300 I want to go deeper with you. I want to know you. 634 00:32:09,300 --> 00:32:11,700 I want you to know me. I want to be known, it's going 635 00:32:11,700 --> 00:32:13,800 to take join in a small group. It's going to take serving 636 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:16,900 inside outside of the church, you've got to get to know people 637 00:32:18,300 --> 00:32:21,000 because in that is where we see the presence of God in the 638 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,300 world. Finally sees this, God, we love 639 00:32:24,100 --> 00:32:25,300 through our love for one another. 640 00:32:25,300 --> 00:32:31,100 Here's some questions. I want to ask as we close First, 641 00:32:31,100 --> 00:32:34,500 is this where you going? There's a lot of people in this 642 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:38,600 room who are not there yet with Jesus. 643 00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:41,600 You just don't have your faith in him. 644 00:32:41,900 --> 00:32:46,700 You don't really understand him. And I want you to know that that 645 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,500 we call this an altar here and it really just just means it's a 646 00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:53,400 place to signify what God is doing in your heart. 647 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:57,100 And like, there's so much room here to come and lay that down. 648 00:32:57,100 --> 00:33:00,100 Lay your life down and stand up a new person, because Jesus is 649 00:33:00,100 --> 00:33:03,400 just there with a banner saying. I just love you and then you 650 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:08,500 stand up with a purpose. We can't lead purposeful 651 00:33:08,500 --> 00:33:11,300 relationships. If we don't have that inward 652 00:33:11,300 --> 00:33:16,700 purpose that we don't seek the glory of God in our life. when I 653 00:33:16,708 --> 00:33:21,100 ask you this, who's going with you, Who's going with you? 654 00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:22,900 Who do you have in your life that are going with? 655 00:33:22,900 --> 00:33:26,000 You better? That say I believe in the same 656 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,700 thing you believe my win is your win I believe in Jesus going 657 00:33:29,700 --> 00:33:32,500 forth in our city who's going with you and let me finish this 658 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:36,100 way. Whose arm do you need to hold 659 00:33:36,100 --> 00:33:39,000 up? when I want to say that maybe 660 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,900 you think of people, maybe you think of people in your small 661 00:33:40,900 --> 00:33:45,300 group, Maybe you think. Okay, I know that that person I 662 00:33:45,308 --> 00:33:47,100 need to love really well. Maybe you're that person that 663 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:49,500 needs to be loved really well, and you need to allow others to 664 00:33:49,500 --> 00:33:51,900 love you. Who's armed, you need to hold 665 00:33:51,900 --> 00:33:53,700 out. So here's we're going to do. 666 00:33:53,700 --> 00:33:55,300 We're going to, we're going to worship. 667 00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:00,300 And again this altar is open as it always is come come talk to 668 00:34:00,300 --> 00:34:01,000 me. I'll be over here. 669 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,700 Come talk to someone you know in the room who loves Jesus and 670 00:34:03,700 --> 00:34:07,400 just let God work. Let God do whatever he wants to 671 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,400 do in your life church. God has so much for us. 672 00:34:10,500 --> 00:34:13,900 He has a depth of relationships and a depth of his presence that 673 00:34:13,900 --> 00:34:16,000 we haven't even understood yet. Amen. 674 00:34:17,500 --> 00:34:20,000 God is with us and wants to work in our life. 675 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,100 Let me pray for us. Jesus. 676 00:34:26,300 --> 00:34:32,100 Love you, God. You are the center, all our 677 00:34:32,100 --> 00:34:36,199 relationships fall on you. God, we're going to let one 678 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:37,900 another down. We're going to hurt one, 679 00:34:37,900 --> 00:34:40,300 another, we're difficult, we're difficult people. 680 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:42,900 But you love us. And we've been saved by grace, 681 00:34:42,900 --> 00:34:45,199 and we've been changed by grace, and your life. 682 00:34:47,100 --> 00:34:50,100 So, Jesus Lord, would you reconcile hearts in this room 683 00:34:50,100 --> 00:34:52,000 who were are not reconciled together? 684 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:58,600 would you bring people closer together not just for the sake 685 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:02,400 in that, we feel good about it but For Your Glory so that we 686 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,500 could actually be a perfect representation of Heaven for our 687 00:35:06,500 --> 00:35:11,800 city for the people, we love the most God, would you unify people 688 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:13,300 this morning? Would you unify around a 689 00:35:13,308 --> 00:35:19,900 mission? We thank you, God, finally. 690 00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:22,200 Just that you're here. I thank you that we didn't have 691 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,800 to Usher you, and now we didn't have to burn incense and we 692 00:35:24,808 --> 00:35:28,300 don't have to bang symbols together to get you awake. 693 00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:30,500 God, you've been here. You've been waiting. 694 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:33,000 You filled your spirit and all these chairs before. 695 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,400 People came in this room, you are the best thing. 696 00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:37,900 You're the best thing. Be the center of our world. 697 00:35:37,900 --> 00:35:40,100 Be the center of our universe. Be the center of our hearts. 698 00:35:40,100 --> 00:35:44,300 God work in our life this week. We just love you and pray. 699 00:35:44,300 --> 00:35:46,800 All this in your holy and Powerful name. 700 00:35:47,300 --> 00:35:51,400 Amen. Thank you for listening to the 701 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:53,100 river. Bend Church podcast. 702 00:35:53,100 --> 00:35:55,800 Learn more about who we are as a church and how to connect you 703 00:35:55,808 --> 00:35:59,000 can head over to our website Riverbend Church dot life.