1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,520 All right, we got a killer worship set. 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:08,600 We got a bumper video. Y'all, We are a church plant on 3 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:09,720 the move. Let me tell you. 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,040 Hey, it is good to be with you guys today worshipping King 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:15,400 Jesus. If I don't know you, my name is 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,360 Brandon. I get to serve as the pastor 7 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:18,720 here. We're going to be in Joshua. 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:19,960 I'll help you get there in a second. 9 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,720 It's on like page 180, something in your Bible. 10 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,680 I definitely looked it up before I walked up here and I totally 11 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:27,320 forgot what page it was. So it's somewhere in there. 12 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,640 There's a table of contents. I'll meet you there in just a 13 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,000 moment. And yeah, we're here today. 14 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,160 It's February 1st of 2026 and here we are at Saint City. 15 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:38,880 We are going after a lost campus. 16 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,200 At ASU we are being a light and a broken city. 17 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:47,960 And while we do that as God's bride, the Church, guess what we 18 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,240 we face some things. We face opposition and weariness 19 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:57,200 and disappointment. Discouragement and attack are 20 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,840 everywhere when we're out on the mission of God and we find 21 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:06,280 ourselves longing and needing from God strength and 22 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:11,840 encouragement and hope. Today we're starting a new 23 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,640 series. And today's message, it's going 24 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:19,640 to put rocket, rocket fuel on your faith that this series in 25 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:25,000 the book of Joshua is to help you hold fast to cling to the 26 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,400 very promises of God. He's made promises for his 27 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,480 people that he intends to keep. And Joshua is a book for a 28 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,360 church like ours so we can discover the God who always 29 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,760 keeps his promises. You see, if it's a promise God 30 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,200 has made, it is a promise God will fulfill. 31 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,360 He doesn't make promises he does not keep. 32 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,640 In fact, the theme verse for the book of Joshua comes from Joshua 33 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,280 2145. It says this, not one word of 34 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,200 all the good promises that the Lord had made to the House of 35 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,560 Israel had failed. All came to pass. 36 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:10,919 Not even one promise has failed. The hope for this series as we 37 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,440 go through this the next few months together in the book of 38 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,080 Joshua is that you would believe and trust in God's words deeper 39 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,960 than you ever have before. Because that's what a young 40 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,760 church needs most. That's what you need most for 41 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,760 your walking with Christ in 2026. 42 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,960 It's an unwavering belief and conviction that God keeps his 43 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,400 promises. He doesn't miss. 44 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,760 But the problem is, his life wants to steal your belief and 45 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:48,960 kill your courage to follow Christ, our enemies of the world 46 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,160 and sin, the pride of life and the flesh. 47 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:56,360 It will come at your courage. It will attack the very 48 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,640 heartbeats of what it means to obey Jesus. 49 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:03,280 If you'd like to take notes, jot down this definition for 50 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,600 courage. It's the moral capacity to do 51 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:11,320 what you know is right. It's not just knowing what you 52 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,640 know is right, but to do what you know is right. 53 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:19,400 That is what takes courage. And Joshua, while on the mission 54 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:24,000 of God, had questions like you and I do like, what does it mean 55 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,160 to have Godly courage or Christian courage? 56 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,960 You see, it's not only what Joshua needed, the leader of the 57 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,040 people of Israel, it's what you and I need right here, right now 58 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:38,280 because God is offering and inviting you to the very thing 59 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,280 you need most to have courage himself. 60 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,720 We're going to discover that together in Joshua chapter 1. 61 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,360 If you're there, say I'm there. All right, let's go. 62 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,400 Joshua chapter 1 says this. After the death of Moses the 63 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:55,600 servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun 64 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:00,440 Moses, assistant Moses, my servant is dead. 65 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,640 Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan River, you and all 66 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,760 this people, into the land that I'm giving to them to the people 67 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:13,680 of Israel. Every place that the sole of 68 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:18,959 your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised 69 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,839 to Moses. From the wilderness. 70 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:24,280 And this Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river 71 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:26,640 Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites of the great sea, 72 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:31,240 toward the going down to the sun, shall be your territory. 73 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,160 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your 74 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,720 life. Just as I was with Moses, so I 75 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:43,040 will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake 76 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:44,040 you. We're going to stop right there. 77 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:45,000 I'm going to give you a big idea. 78 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,520 I'm going to give you the sermon in a sense. 79 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,800 We're going to work our way through chapter 1 together 80 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:50,640 today. But I first want you to get this 81 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,320 big idea down. The sermon in a sense is this, 82 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:58,000 that no promise gives you courage like God is with me. 83 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,720 If you're going to have Christian courage, if you're 84 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,680 going to do the things that God asks you to do, if you're going 85 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,400 to obey Him and trust Him in every arena of your life, no 86 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,000 promise will quite give you the courage to do so like the 87 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,480 reality that God is with you. And so we're going to look at 88 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,320 three places where we need courage today that we're going 89 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,680 to see in Joshua we're going to apply to our very own. 90 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,800 The 1st is this that I need courage when first I doubt that 91 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,840 God could use me. These first 5 verses help us see 92 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:39,480 that I need courage when I doubt that God could use me because 93 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,280 God is with me is the encouragement that we need to 94 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:46,360 believe that that God is with me. 95 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:48,680 You and I doubt God could use me. 96 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,960 Look back at verse one after the death of Moses the servant of 97 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:54,440 the Lord. Now you might be new to studying 98 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:55,720 the Bible. You might not know who Moses is 99 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,560 or where the heck we are in the story of the Bible. 100 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,360 Now the Bible was written the first five books by Moses, 101 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,480 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 102 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,960 He wrote the first five books and he comes on the scene into 103 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:09,960 book 2 called Exodus. 1st we have Abraham who were introduced 104 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,800 to in Genesis 12. He has a kid named Isaac, who 105 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,440 has a kid named Jacob. Then they have he has twelve 106 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,800 sons who become what we know as the people of Israel. 107 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,080 Israel goes about their life. They land in Egypt and they 108 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,600 endure 400 years of slavery. And then we meet their 109 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,840 deliverer, Moses and Exodus. Now Exodus, Numbers, 110 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:34,680 Deuteronomy, guess what? It's Moses leading God's people 111 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:39,520 out of Egypt into a desert, wandering for 40 years. 112 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:43,560 And you see that phrase that describes Moses after the death 113 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,440 of Moses, the servant of the Lord. 114 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,520 Moses is the only person in all of Genesis through this point in 115 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,600 the Bible who's described like that. 116 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,600 It's highlighting his special relationship with God. 117 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:00,120 It's saying, hey, this is Moses. He was special, and Joshua knows 118 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,360 it because Joshua was his assistant for 40 years. 119 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,240 Joshua's actually very aware that Moses is awesome. 120 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,360 In fact, Moses is the best leader Joshua's ever known. 121 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,000 Joshua had been born into Egyptian slavery. 122 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,720 He knew what it was like. He knew it was like to have a 123 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,680 leader that was against him, that was opposed to him, that 124 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:22,760 wanted to enslave him. And now he's been following this 125 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,000 man Moses, for 40 years through the desert, and he has lost the 126 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:31,160 greatest leader he has ever known, and he's stepping into 127 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:37,960 the role of being his successor. We learn about Joshua right 128 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:39,560 there, that he is the son of nun. 129 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:40,920 That doesn't mean he doesn't have a dad. 130 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:42,240 That means his dad had a bad name. 131 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,440 OK, Joshua, the son of nun. We don't know who his mom is, 132 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:55,640 but Moses, my servant is dead. Joshua, out of the grief of 133 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,720 losing his leader, is now jumping into the leader of the 134 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:04,480 people of Israel, and God gives him some commandments. 135 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,680 Arise, go over this Jordan, you and all the people, into the 136 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:13,120 land that I am giving to you, to the people of Israel. 137 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,560 Every place that your soul of your foot will tread upon I have 138 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:19,560 given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 139 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,920 God is reinforcing to Joshua that just as he promised to 140 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,480 Moses, he is now promising to him. 141 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,120 The promises didn't evaporate. They didn't disintegrate. 142 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,680 They are still true. They will still come to pass. 143 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:34,960 And Joshua has seen God at work in the life of Moses. 144 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:39,200 In Exodus 17, he learned how to fight under the Lord's command, 145 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,320 and he saw victory in God's plans. 146 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:46,600 In Exodus 17, he also saw Moses interact with God, how to 147 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,520 remember, how to recite and memorialize God's faithfulness 148 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:53,000 to him. In Exodus 24, he sees Moses at 149 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:57,880 Mount Sinai and Joshua waits for Moses as he watches Moses meet 150 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,120 with God and he sees the consuming fire on the top of the 151 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,640 mountain. In Exodus 32, he sees the 152 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,680 Israelites receive the law and love their idols more and build 153 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:12,560 a golden calf. In Exodus 33, he learns what it 154 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:15,160 looks like to serve and minister with Moses, a man who walks with 155 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,760 God, listens to God, talks to God face to face as one speaks 156 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,560 with a friend. He saw what ministry looked like 157 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:24,440 under Moses. He saw what leadership looked 158 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,560 like under Moses. And now here he is being asked 159 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:32,200 to be the leader by God of the Israelite people. 160 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,640 He's without, the one who led them through 40 years in the 161 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,560 desert without his friend, without his mentor. 162 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,200 And his absence is certainly felt. 163 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:48,840 He's gone. I don't know if you've ever 164 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,680 experienced what it's like to have the absence of someone's 165 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:55,120 presence before. That, you know, is really 166 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,880 helpful. Not so long ago, I was back in 167 00:09:57,880 --> 00:09:59,840 Chicago, and I got the opportunity to go to Chicago 168 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,040 Bulls game. And my friend's dad worked for 169 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,960 the Chicago Bulls in the 90s. Of all the jobs in all the 170 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:07,880 world, to be working at a certain time and place, working 171 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,320 for the Chicago Bulls in the 90s had to be a pretty good gig, OK. 172 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,320 And so he was there when the Bulls were amazing at 173 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,560 basketball. And what happened is a lot of 174 00:10:15,560 --> 00:10:18,280 his friends were still in the office and working for the 175 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,080 organization. So when we get to the Bulls game 176 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,280 with Greg, Bulls games with Greg are pretty legit because Greg 177 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,280 knows everybody who works there. So what happens is when you go 178 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:30,200 to the Bulls game with Greg, you not only get to go to the arena, 179 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,000 you get to park in the VIP parking. 180 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,040 Didn't know that existed. I learned it existed because of 181 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:37,040 Greg. Not only that, I got not only 182 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,880 the Nosebleed seats at the United Center, I got to have 183 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:41,720 floor seats at the United Center. 184 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,960 Not only did I get to have floor seats, I got to go on the floor 185 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:47,880 and take a picture. I didn't know that I that like 186 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,640 somebody's leadership, their presence could mean so much. 187 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,280 But then I went to a Bulls game without Greg one time. 188 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:01,880 Not the same experience. I was sitting, I don't even know 189 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,640 what row of the 300 level. I couldn't even see the guys 190 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,280 anymore. I mean, they're 6 foot 10 191 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:08,120 giants, right? But I can't see them even from 192 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:09,560 that far away. So I'm watching them on the TV. 193 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:11,240 I'm like, why did I drive to the city? 194 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:12,800 Why am I watching this? And I could have just watched it 195 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,440 on TV at my house. You see, the power of presidents 196 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:18,760 can be really encouraging. It can be really strengthening 197 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,440 because when you're with somebody who belongs where 198 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,040 they're supposed to belong, you have the courage to go where you 199 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:29,800 couldn't go before. And often times when God 200 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,840 appoints us into a role into responsibility in ministry, 201 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,080 guess what? We start asking God questions 202 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,880 like this. Did God really call me? 203 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,560 Or am I just here because I was the only one with a pulse? 204 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,360 We get deeper in insecurity and we'll ask questions like, can 205 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:51,400 God really use someone like me with my past, my doubts, my 206 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,000 insecurities? Could God really use me? 207 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,240 Joshua didn't choose to lead. God chose Joshua to lead. 208 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,560 And if you're being called into the work of the Lord, if God is 209 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:09,040 calling you to be a small group leader or a team leader or a 210 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,040 servant on campus, wherever God would call you, guess what? 211 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:16,560 You can walk in the confidence that God himself is behind that 212 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:18,880 and He is with you wherever you go. 213 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:23,720 And I think there's three vulnerability points where we 214 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,640 feel this tension, where we feel this rub against us. 215 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,280 That man, I am not the person God would have in mind. 3 216 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,440 insecurities that God speaks to directly in Joshua that I think 217 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:34,400 we can relate to as well. Look back at verse 3. 218 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:38,040 It says this every place that the sole of your foot will tread 219 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:43,040 upon verse 5, no man shall be able to stand before you all the 220 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,720 days of your life, just as I was with Moses. 221 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:49,200 That's a position, so I'll be with you. 222 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,520 So the three vulnerabilities are this a place, people in a 223 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:58,280 position, 3 vulnerabilities, a people, a place in a position. 224 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:02,120 The place Joshua was called to was a territory marked by 225 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,720 darkness. The people he was called to 226 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,680 stand against were hostile towards God and the position he 227 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:09,880 was given felt beyond his capability. 228 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,040 That sound familiar to anybody at Saint City? 229 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:19,320 I know it sounds familiar to me. How am I going to go plant a 230 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,360 church? How's God going to use me? 231 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:24,840 I'm just a nobody from Crystal Lake, IL. 232 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,920 What's he going to do with a guy like me in Tempe, AZ? 233 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,120 God has a promise for you, St. City. 234 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,760 A promise that will fill your spine with steel, that will give 235 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,800 you courage in your spirit. It's this that God is with you 236 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,960 and the places He's called you to, the people He's called you 237 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:52,240 to, and the position He has given you that you can walk in 238 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,760 courage, you can walk in confidence. 239 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:57,640 Why? Because God is with you. 240 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:02,680 You are the exact person He had in mind for the job that in your 241 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:06,080 cubicle, guess what? God doesn't have somebody better 242 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:07,480 in mind. He has you in mind. 243 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,960 You're an everyday missionary right there, college students. 244 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:13,600 You might think of yourself as a weak evangelist on a campus that 245 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:14,760 needs Jesus. Guess what? 246 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,480 God has nobody better in mind than you in the classroom that 247 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:19,960 you're in, in the dorm that you live in. 248 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,800 Moms. God has the you there with those 249 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,520 young ones, raising them, loving them, disciple in them. 250 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,560 Why? He is with you and he is walking 251 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:33,080 with you and you are the person He has chosen for the work. 252 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:41,480 Walk in courage, do the next right thing, obeying God because 253 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:45,080 you can trust and have confidence and belief that He is 254 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,880 with you even when you doubt that God could use you. 255 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:52,480 I hope you are seeing the wonderful reality that the 256 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:56,120 organizing question of your life is not Are you ready for the 257 00:14:56,120 --> 00:15:00,000 work, but rather this is God with you. 258 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:07,360 It's not whether or not you're ready, it's whether or not God 259 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,160 is with you. You might have heard it say this 260 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:12,200 way. God does not equip the call or 261 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:13,920 call the equipped. He equips the called. 262 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,800 It's like that. Just say yes. 263 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,360 That's what courage is, saying yes and putting your guests on 264 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,720 the table. To God, you can use me no matter 265 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,320 who I am or where I've been. God, you can use me if you are 266 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:30,920 with me. We need courage when we doubt 267 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:35,560 that God has picked the right person and we doubt that He 268 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,040 could use me. We also need to hear #2 I need 269 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:43,560 courage when I call others to obey Him, when I call others to 270 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,520 obey Him. We're going to look back at the 271 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:47,960 text now. Verse 6 says this. 272 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:49,960 You've probably heard this verse before. 273 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:54,120 Be strong and courageous, for you shall 'cause this people to 274 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,920 inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 275 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:02,480 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do 276 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,280 according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. 277 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,440 Do not turn from the law to the right hand or to the left, that 278 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:11,120 you may have good success. Wherever you go, this book of 279 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,600 the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall 280 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,160 meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do 281 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,280 according to all that is written in it, for then you will make 282 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,360 your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 283 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:28,840 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. 284 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:33,280 Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your 285 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:37,720 God is with you wherever you go. OK, we'll stop right there for a 286 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,880 second. Joshua's turn to lead now. 287 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,120 God has called him. He's asked him to step into the 288 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:45,440 shoes of Moses. Here he is. 289 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,880 He's about to lead, and God gives him some marching orders. 290 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:49,440 But first he gives him some encouragement. 291 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:52,440 He says be strong and courageous. 292 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:57,320 Joshua you can lead this people now to give you a glimpse at 293 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,480 what Joshua the scope of Joshua's leadership. 294 00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:04,319 He's being asked to lead about a million people little over for 295 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:11,359 reference that's like the size of San Diego or Dallas get why 296 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:13,160 God's telling him to be strong and courageous. 297 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,560 What's amazing is if you were back in Deuteronomy, if you were 298 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:24,760 studying this, the the last words of Moses to Joshua, the 299 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:28,440 very last things he says to Joshua is these words be strong 300 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:32,120 and courageous. Joshua, almost as if to say God 301 00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:36,040 was like, hey, I saw what Moses said to you and Moses's words 302 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,640 for you are my words to you. They're no different. 303 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,400 Moses's message is my message for you, Joshua. 304 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:52,520 His words were my words. For you to have courage to call 305 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:56,840 people, to obey God's voice, we must trust God's voice for 306 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:01,120 ourselves. God's voice is the only way for 307 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:05,880 you to have true Christian courage because it's the only 308 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:09,240 way for you to do, know and do what is right. 309 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,600 He is actually a compass for us to guide us into the ways of 310 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,400 what is right. Did you not see what it said in 311 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,040 the text that this book of the Law will help you? 312 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,320 He repeats it three times. Why? 313 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,240 Because God's words are the words you need to have true 314 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,880 Christian courage. You have to trust God's voice. 315 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:31,200 It is the courage that you need to do the very next verb God is 316 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,440 asking you to do. It is found in His very words 317 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,680 preserved for us so we can know God know what to do and know 318 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:43,320 what is right from wrong. So then Joshua starts giving his 319 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:46,360 commands verse 10 and Joshua commanded the officers of the 320 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:49,600 people pass through the midst of the camp and command the people 321 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,280 listen all the things Joshua tells them to do. 322 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:56,360 First prepare your provisions for within three days you are to 323 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:59,880 2nd Passover the Jordan to go in and do what? 324 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,880 Take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you 325 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,520 to possess cool little like Bible nerd. 326 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,640 Note the ink, the grammar of that is saying this. 327 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:13,600 You've already got it, just go walk in and it's yours. 328 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,240 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites in the half tribe of 329 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:25,400 Manasseh, Joshua said this command, remember, because we're 330 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,120 so quick to forget the Lord the word that the Moses, the servant 331 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:31,880 of the Lord commanded you, saying the Lord your God is 332 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:36,440 providing you a place of rest and will give you this land. 333 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:39,520 Underline that verse. That's going to be a big verse 334 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,520 for the story of Joshua over the whole book. 335 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:46,320 Canaan, the promised land represents the rest that God was 336 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,000 always longing to give to Israel, the people. 337 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:54,160 Verse 14, your wives, your little ones in your livestock 338 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,000 shall next remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the 339 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,040 Jordan. But all the men of valor, all 340 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,840 the men of courage, all the men of bravery among you, shall 341 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,640 Passover armed before your brothers, and shall help them. 342 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:12,000 Brace yourself. War is coming in Joshua, A holy 343 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,800 war. We're going to talk about that 344 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,520 later on in the series. But Joshua's telling them, hey, 345 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,360 men, strap up. We're going to war. 346 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:24,160 Ladies, little ones, hang back last first. 347 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,840 Then you shall return to the land of your possession and 348 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:31,560 shall possess it, the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, 349 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,240 gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise. 350 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,040 That's all Christian courage really is. 351 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,440 It's just walking one step at a time by faith. 352 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,440 And you know what faith is. It's just your next step of 353 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,480 obedience. Just simplify it like that. 354 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:51,880 It's just taking the next step of obedience with God. 355 00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:55,160 It's hearing His word and acting upon it, trusting that there is 356 00:20:55,160 --> 00:21:02,480 a good result on the other side. And what we do is we just take 357 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:04,840 the verbs God gives us in the Bible and we do them. 358 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,320 That's all we're called to do. But not only are we called to do 359 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:11,920 it, we're also called to call others to obey God. 360 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,240 That's why we exist to proclaim the name of Jesus, to teach the 361 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:18,560 people to obey all that God commanded, it says in the Great 362 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,880 Commission. And calling others to obey can 363 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,080 be messy. It can be a battle at times, 364 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:26,920 right? I kind of picture it like this, 365 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:30,560 like maybe you think of calling others to obey more like the 366 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:34,680 judge in AUFC fight. You're observing the battle. 367 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,640 You're seeing the bruising and the absolute bloodshed that's 368 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:40,960 coming out of orifices you need to know existed on people's 369 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,080 faces, right? You're like, Oh my gosh, that is 370 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:44,320 so much blood. Some of you ladies right now are 371 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,200 cringing at the idea of that much blood. 372 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,440 And sorry, it can get graphic at AUC fight. 373 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,040 But the judge, what they'll do is they'll watch that fight. 374 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:57,680 They'll watch the the the competitors compete and battle 375 00:21:57,680 --> 00:21:59,360 against one another. And what they do is they give a 376 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,720 scorecard. They're judging based on 377 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,680 performance. And calling others to obey is 378 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,560 not like that. You know what's more like the 379 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:17,960 guy in the corner cheering on the guy in the ring, It's the 380 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,520 guy who's in the corner going, don't tap out, don't give up. 381 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:23,720 Hey, you got this. Hey, put your arms up. 382 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:25,600 Hey, don't tap out now. Hey, don't give up. 383 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:27,560 Hey, go now. Go harder. 384 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,600 Press forward. Don't you see that's our role 385 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:34,000 here, Christian to Christian. Guess what? 386 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,280 We can encourage one another. We can put courage in not to 387 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,880 leave the fight, but to keep battling sin, keep going and 388 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:43,480 doing the next thing God said giving us courage. 389 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,320 That's what encouragement is. It's putting courage into others 390 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:51,200 and saying you can do this, keep going, do not let up, do not 391 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:54,400 grow weary and doing good, but keep living for God. 392 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,040 That's what calling others to obey is like. 393 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,960 It's just calling them to obey again and again and again and 394 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,440 giving them the courage to do so. 395 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,600 To those of you who have the gift of encouragement, thanks be 396 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:16,000 to God for you helping us keep going in the fight and the 397 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,040 mission of God, making disciples until Jesus comes back. 398 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,840 And making disciples is such a gift to operate in this world, 399 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,880 proclaiming the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ has come 400 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,520 and died for the world. Like don't you see? 401 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,680 We have the best news to pro others. 402 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:37,880 The news that should never expire, shouldn't have a shelf 403 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,600 life. We have the news that Jesus died 404 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:46,400 in your place on a cross, that your sin put Jesus on a cross. 405 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,800 You should have died. God being just God being 406 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,360 wrathful and being a good judge, guess what he should have done? 407 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:54,400 He should pay. You should pay for your sin. 408 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:59,600 You should be the one. Your righteousness is not enough 409 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:03,080 to get you into heaven. Your sin is a real problem, an 410 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,280 eternal one. But thanks be to God that Jesus 411 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:10,200 Christ in your place went to a cross to pay with his blood, to 412 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:13,440 pay with his life to pay for your sins. 413 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,400 We call others to obey because we have the one who's worth 414 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:22,720 obeying. It's Jesus who rose again three 415 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:24,720 days later, who to never die again. 416 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,800 He's right now at the right hand of the Father, ruling and 417 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:33,840 reigning as a good king. And he's calling you to obey, to 418 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:39,640 proclaim his name. So what's it going to take to 419 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,760 obey Him? It's going to take courage. 420 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:45,720 It's going to take courage and calling others to obey. 421 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,000 It's going to take a heart in love with God's ways. 422 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,680 It's going to take a mind shaped by God's will and a mouth full 423 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,640 of God's words. That's what Christian courage 424 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,720 takes. Heart's in love with his ways, a 425 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,960 mind shaped by his will, and a mouthful of his words. 426 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:08,920 So what ways of God do you love? What knowledge of God has shaped 427 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:10,360 your mind? What words of God have 428 00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:12,280 transformed you? Start there. 429 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:14,920 Encourage this week. Share those with others around 430 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:18,240 you. Just find things about God that 431 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,240 you love, that you adore, that have changed you and start 432 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:23,320 sharing them. That would be an act of 433 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:28,040 Christian courage this week. So when you're insecure about 434 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,040 the quality of your speech or quality of how well you can 435 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,200 defend theology, take heart. God is with you. 436 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:39,080 Be strong and courageous. When you feel inadequate and 437 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,920 listening for the deeper longings of someone's heart, be 438 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:45,920 strong and courageous. God is with you if you worry 439 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,360 about all the things you've seen in life. 440 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:55,200 Be strong and courageous. God is with you if you doubt you 441 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:56,960 actually have the skill to help others. 442 00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,360 Be strong and courageous. God is with you. 443 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,840 Or if you sense that you're not the right person for the job, 444 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:08,760 like Joshua, be strong and very courageous. 445 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:14,640 God handpicked you for where He has you. 446 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,280 We need courage. We call others to obey in our 447 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:22,480 groups, on our teams, in our homes. 448 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:29,160 Let's be courageous people. Finally, I need courage when I 449 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:33,640 experienced ministry success, when I experienced ministry 450 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,320 success, God is with you there too. 451 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:40,400 Last three verses. And when they answered Joshua, 452 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,480 the people of Israel, they said, All that you have commanded us 453 00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:50,200 we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go. 454 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:57,360 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you 455 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:01,280 only. May the Lord your God be with 456 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:06,680 you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your 457 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,120 commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him 458 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,320 shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous. 459 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:15,960 What's happened? Joshua's officially taken the 460 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:17,880 mantle. The student has become the 461 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,920 master. There's been a transition. 462 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:23,200 And people have been influenced by Joshua. 463 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,320 They've been moved. They're like, hey, Joshua, just 464 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,800 tell us what to do. Just tell us where to go. 465 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:30,560 And if anyone disobeys or doesn't follow your orders, 466 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:31,920 guess what? It's the kill. 467 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:34,480 Like we're going to kill them. That's brutal. 468 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,760 OK. Graphic. 469 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,800 OK. What they're what are they're 470 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:40,600 saying is, hey, Joshua, you're in charge. 471 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,680 We're listening to you. We'll do whatever you say. 472 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:45,560 The baton has officially been passed. 473 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:50,640 And this generation, this generation watched all their 474 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:57,640 parents die from disobeying God. Imagine that they couldn't see 475 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,080 the promised land because of disobedience. 476 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:04,280 They saw the reality that if you choose to sin, you choose to 477 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,880 suffer. They experienced it first hand. 478 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,720 And they're like, hey, Joshua, we're going to follow you, our 479 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,200 appointed leader. We get the consequences of 480 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,480 disobeying God. But they mentioned Moses again 481 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:17,760 there. And I don't think it's a dig at 482 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:19,080 Joshua. I think it's actually helpful 483 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,960 for us because I think the Spirit of God preserved this 484 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,080 very thing for us to take note of who Moses was as a man. 485 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:29,880 Because now Joshua's experiencing is about to 486 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:32,560 experience the highlights of having ministry success. 487 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:35,920 And that's one of the hardest places to have courage because 488 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,760 you need to be humble in the face of it. 489 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,440 When God lifts you up, how do you get down low? 490 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:47,680 I think that's why the Spirit preserved Moses name for us 491 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:51,040 right there, Because look at what it's the Bible describes 492 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,240 Moses as Numbers 12 three. You can jot that reference down 493 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:56,440 the side notes of your Bible. Numbers 12 three says this. 494 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:00,880 Now, the man Moses was very humble, more than all people who 495 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:06,160 are on the face of the earth. Even if you don't call yourself 496 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:07,880 a Christian, you've probably heard of Moses. 497 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:13,400 It's not that his name is unknown, but what you might not 498 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:15,320 have known about Moses, He was considered one of the most 499 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,880 humble men to ever live at this time, the most humble man to 500 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:25,560 ever walk the face of the earth. When God is with you in 501 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:29,840 ministry, guess what? Good things happen, You bear 502 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:34,320 fruit, and the temptation is to go look at all the awesome 503 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:38,360 things I'm doing to take credit for what God has done. 504 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:40,960 Look at all the people in my small group. 505 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,600 Look at how awesome our church is, and look how great it is 506 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:44,880 that I've invited all my friends. 507 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:47,400 And I want you to take encourage and that God is using you. 508 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,920 But I don't want you to take credit for how God is using you. 509 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,760 You are not Ron Burgundy. Hey everyone, come see how good 510 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,600 I look. That is bad spirituality. 511 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,800 That is bad Christian living. That is not what God calls you 512 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,120 to. God calls his people to be a 513 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:11,440 humble people, to decrease when God brings the increase. 514 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,080 And it will take courage to humble yourself, to constantly 515 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,520 put others above yourself, to spotlight others. 516 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,040 And that is the paradox of following Jesus is that as you 517 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:26,680 humble yourself, God will give you the strength that as you go 518 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:32,600 down, God lifts you up, that when you are weak, Jesus is 519 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:37,120 strong in you. I was talking to a Christian 520 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,480 counselor recently who asked one of the most courageous questions 521 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,920 I've ever heard. He asked this of his best 522 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:45,880 friend. He asked the question, how do 523 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,880 you receive me? Like when I walk into a room, 524 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:57,480 How is it that you receive my personality, my presence, me And 525 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:01,760 his friend, being a good friend said this. 526 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,760 You're A1 upper every story, every idea. 527 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:11,320 You have to do better than that and you always have to have the 528 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:15,760 bigger thought. Now he was sharing his story, 529 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,040 but it was like the spirit of the God punctured my heart right 530 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:25,800 in that moment in my I can do the same. 531 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:33,120 I'm sure people experience me at my worst, my prideful, selfish 532 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:36,320 self. And when ministry success comes, 533 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:41,400 it will be a temptation to look at all the good you're doing and 534 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,160 to look at yourself instead of God. 535 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,400 To think, man, I've got it figured out instead of wow, 536 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,440 isn't he good? You see, everyone wants to be 537 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:54,840 humble. Nobody wants to be humiliated. 538 00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:59,560 And God has had to humiliate me more times than I can count 539 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:02,840 because I'm a man of deep and great pride. 540 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:07,840 But I am so thankful for Jesus and His grace, which is in a 541 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:11,240 slow motion miracle, taking me to the glory of being less and 542 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,080 less selfish and prideful every single week. 543 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:16,520 But St. City, I believe God has his hand 544 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:18,720 on us, that God is going to be with us. 545 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,560 And for us to be the church that God is calling us to be, we have 546 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,800 to be a humble people. We can't be looking at ourselves 547 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,120 and looking at our brand and looking at our name and going, 548 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,760 wow, aren't we great? No, no, no, the whole point of 549 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,480 Saint City is like, look at God, isn't he great? 550 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,120 That's who we are as God's people. 551 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,240 That's the good life he's calling us into. 552 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,560 And so I've begun a practice in my life that I would encourage 553 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,800 you to have as well, that every time you get a positive or 554 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:48,360 negative feedback, I want to give you these 5 words. 555 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:52,040 These 6 words. It is a very small thing. 556 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,360 It is a very small thing. I didn't come up with those 557 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:57,920 words. They're actually Bible words and 558 00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:59,280 it comes from First Corinthians 4. 559 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:07,000 It says this in verse 3. But with me, it is a very small 560 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:11,200 thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. 561 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,920 In fact, I do not even judge myself. 562 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:19,440 How is it that you can live with humility in a in a world where 563 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:24,240 God lifts you up? You shrink the opinions of 564 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,720 people, you shrink your perception of yourself, and you 565 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:32,560 magnify God at work in you. It is a very small thing. 566 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,360 You fight your pride by shrinking their feedback. 567 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:39,720 Good job, good job, small group leader. 568 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:44,400 It's a very small thing. Hey, can we fix that in your 569 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:46,040 life? It's a very small thing. 570 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:55,680 People who are humble cannot stop saying it is a very small 571 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,720 thing to be used by the God of the galaxies. 572 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:05,600 It is a very small thing. So when you experience ministry 573 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,639 success, you'll need the courage to humble yourself. 574 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:14,320 Now the Old Testament is the gospel in picture in the New 575 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:16,560 Testament is often the gospel in principle. 576 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:21,159 And Jesus echoes these words to Joshua. 577 00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:23,320 Maybe you're like, hey, this is for Joshua, this isn't for me. 578 00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:28,159 Matthew 28, I think, is intentionally A hyperlink for us 579 00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:32,800 for this passage, the end of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives 580 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,679 what's called the Great Commission, and it says these 581 00:34:35,679 --> 00:34:37,800 words. He says these words to his 11 582 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:40,280 disciples because Judas had already failed him. 583 00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:44,440 Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and earth 584 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,400 has been given to me. Go therefore make disciples of 585 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,639 all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and 586 00:34:49,639 --> 00:34:51,040 Holy Spirit. If you are a disciple of Jesus, 587 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,320 have been baptized, shameless plug, go say yes to Jesus. 588 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:57,240 Have the courage to stand up in faith and say I am his and he is 589 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:00,640 mine. But also here's the encourage 590 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,680 that you can have that that's worth doing here to teach them 591 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:05,920 to deserve all that I've commanded you. 592 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,440 And behold, these are Jesus's words for you, just like they 593 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:13,320 were for Joshua. I am with you always to the end 594 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:17,080 of the age. You're not Joshua, you're not 595 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,120 one of the 11 apostles, but you are one of Jesus disciples, 596 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:22,920 which means that verse holds true for you. 597 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:28,720 He is with you always. And if it's a promise God has 598 00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:31,800 made to you, it is a promise he will fulfill. 599 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,840 God is with you, Say it to yourself. 600 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:40,360 God is with you. Now let's say it all out loud. 601 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:42,880 God is with me. Say it again. 602 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:48,880 Say it like you're afraid. Say it like you need to hear it. 603 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:53,240 Say it like it's an act of worship. 604 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:57,760 God is with me. God is with you. 605 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:01,240 Don't you ever forget it. Let's pray. 606 00:36:01,240 --> 00:36:03,640 Lord, thank you. Thank you that your goodness and 607 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:05,920 mercy are with us all the days of our life. 608 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,160 I pray God that we would be a people who believe that you are 609 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:12,800 with us wherever we go, that we would be strong and courageous 610 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:18,120 because of it, that we would feel the fire in our bones. 611 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,880 God, wherever we go, whatever we do, Why? 612 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:25,760 Because you're with us. Whatever meeting we walk into, 613 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,800 whatever classroom we find ourselves in, whatever hard 614 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,600 conversation we're in, whatever family you've appointed us to, 615 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:35,440 God, you are with us there. There's not a better son or 616 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,240 daughter to be in that family. There's not a better friend for 617 00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:40,120 them. There's not a better Co worker. 618 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:44,480 God, you have everyday people there, ordinary people there, 619 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:48,600 who are there to courageously take their next step by offering 620 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,960 up a better way, the way of Jesus to all who listen. 621 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,480 Would that be the rallying point to Saint City? 622 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:59,720 Would it be our hearts cry that God, we are fearless and full of 623 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:02,200 faith and full of courage? Why? 624 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,560 Because we believe and trust that God is with us. 625 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:07,760 He's with us in our ears when we listen. 626 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:09,840 He's with us in our mouths when we speak. 627 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,280 He's with us, with us in our feet where we stand and live and 628 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:15,880 serve people. Oh God, will we be a people of 629 00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:21,320 Christian courage, a people of great faith who take your word 630 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:27,120 and act upon it, trusting and believing that you promise a 631 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,720 good result. O God, will we be strong and 632 00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:32,960 courageous, knowing and believing that you are with us. 633 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:36,840 Thank you God, for who you are. Jesus name, Amen. 634 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:38,000 Let's stand and sing.