1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,440 It's good to see you guys. Hey, I want to start like this. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,040 I want you to turn your Bibles to Joshua chapter 3. 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:09,880 If you don't have a Bible, we have one in the seat nearby in 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:11,440 front of you. It's just on the ground in front 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:13,480 of you. It's on page 179. 6 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:15,200 I'm going to meet you there in just a moment. 7 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,680 And while you're turning there, I want you to imagine with me 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:24,240 this moment. Imagine a man standing next to 9 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:29,840 the roaring Rapids of a river. He's sitting there and it the 10 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:34,360 calming, soothing sound of the river, it's just the best. 11 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:35,880 It's serene. It's nature. 12 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,480 And as he's standing there, he's looking out into the water and 13 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:45,000 he sees a school of tilapia going by. 14 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,200 And he thinks to himself, man, I wish I brought my fishing pole 15 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,440 today. Then behind him, he overhears 16 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,080 the chatter of the people behind him. 17 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,200 He hears some people gossiping, talking about the weather. 18 00:00:57,720 --> 00:00:59,320 He's like, oh, man, it's just another day. 19 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,680 But then he snaps back into the nature scene, and he sees the 20 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,440 sunrise coming up over the slope. 21 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,880 And he's like, man, the last time I was here was 40 years 22 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,920 ago. And it wasn't like this. 23 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:17,880 See, 40 years ago, he felt a little bit younger. 24 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,640 His back hurt a little bit worse, his jaw was a bit 25 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,120 stronger, his hairline a bit better. 26 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,400 But he also remembers not just feeling younger and being 27 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,040 younger. He remembers the fight that 28 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,000 happened between him and his friends. 29 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,280 You see, this wasn't the first time he's at this river, but 40 30 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,960 years ago. He remembers the great argument, 31 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,560 10 on one side, 2 on the other. And they're debating whether or 32 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,880 not that they can get across this river and get into this 33 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,800 place and say, hey, we actually belong here. 34 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,360 And on one side with the 10, there's panic and hysteria and 35 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,560 fear. And him and his buddy Caleb, all 36 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:59,520 they sense is confidence and peace. 37 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,800 But on that day, 40 years ago, in that argument, he wasn't 38 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:06,720 enough. He wasn't strong enough, 39 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,960 compelling enough, persuasive enough. 40 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:15,040 He felt the haunting memory of not being the leader he wanted 41 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,640 to be. And if you're there in that 42 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:21,880 moment in your mind right now, you're imagining not just a 43 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:26,160 story, you're putting yourself in the shoes of Joshua Chapter 44 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,400 3. That this was a man who's 45 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,280 stepping into not just a chapter of a story, but he had a real 46 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:38,960 life with real decisions, with real stories behind him. 47 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:44,080 And as he once again, Joshua the the the title character of the 48 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:49,600 book of Joshua, as he steps to the Jordan River once again, you 49 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,160 can't help but wonder and imagine what it must have felt 50 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:57,480 like to be him on that day, to come back to this river that he 51 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,600 and his people didn't get to cross. 52 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,880 They had to stay wandering in the desert for 40 years. 53 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,640 And I bet he'd be asking a question like this. 54 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,440 How do I know? How do I actually know God is 55 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:23,120 with us this time on this? If God is truly among us, what 56 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,880 is that going to look like? That's a question Joshua must 57 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:29,760 have been asking himself. It's a question the text is 58 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,120 going to answer, but I think it's also a question that many 59 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,560 of us find ourselves asking as a church family, as people in a 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,120 city. Hey, if God is really here 61 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,200 amongst Saints City, if he's really actually with us, what's 62 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,680 that going to look like? What's that going to feel like 63 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,520 and sound like? What does it look like for God 64 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,840 to not just be with us in presence, but for us in power? 65 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,280 That God is behind us, He's the one carrying us forward. 66 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:02,040 What does that look like? Because like Joshua, I'm sure 67 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:04,560 many of us are concerned with our life. 68 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,600 Like what does it look like for God to be behind me and my 69 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,320 family? How do we know His hand is upon 70 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:13,960 us? He's blessing us. 71 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,560 Another word for it would be favor toward us. 72 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,680 What do we know? When do we know, excuse me, that 73 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,800 God is with us? I think Joshua chapter 3 is 74 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,440 going to show us. But before we get into Joshua 75 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,400 three, I just want to take a moment as a church family. 76 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:32,760 I want to pray. I want to bring our eyes and our 77 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,480 hearts before the Lord and say, God, would you speak to us? 78 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,000 Would you move? So would you join me as I pray 79 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:43,080 right now, Lord, we believe that you are actually among your 80 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,480 people. You're a living God. 81 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,680 You didn't stay dead, but you rose three days later and you 82 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,520 are alive, ruling and reigning right now. 83 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,120 And you want to speak to your people. 84 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,040 You want to build your Kingdom. And so, God, we are crying out 85 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:03,720 to you as your people to speak to us through your words, that 86 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:09,320 we would know what it looks like to have the living God, the holy 87 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:13,840 God with us and for us, and we'd have that confidence in Jesus 88 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,600 name, Amen. Amen. 89 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:19,480 Before I read the text, I just want to give you one quick Bible 90 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,000 study tip. If you are reading your Bible, 91 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:22,600 you're going through your devotional plan and you're like, 92 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,040 hey, how do I like get into the Old Testament? 93 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,520 How do I read a book like this so that I understand what to do 94 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,240 with it for my life? I'm going to give you a quick 95 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,920 little acronym. It's called speak FPEAK, and 96 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:35,840 it's this. When you're reading the Bible, 97 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:37,400 you're trying to apply it to your life. 98 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,360 The first one is speak, which is mean. 99 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,680 Hey, is there a sin to confess in this chapter that I'm getting 100 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,120 out of the text? Sin to confess. 101 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,280 The P stands for promise to believe. 102 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,000 That's like Joshua chapter one that be strong and courageous 103 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:50,800 for I am with you. That's Joshua one. 104 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,400 It's a promise to believe 3, which is what we're in today. 105 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,280 An example to follow. We're going to follow the 106 00:05:56,280 --> 00:06:00,320 example of the Israelite people and of Joshua A stands for 107 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,440 actions to obey. That's like in the New Testament 108 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,400 when it's saying, hey, go love your neighbor. 109 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,040 That's like go do that. You don't have to follow an 110 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:09,720 example. You just go do the action that 111 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,760 the Bible said to do. And finally a knowledge to grow 112 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,200 in. That's like Colossians 115. 113 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,080 He is the image of the invisible God. 114 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,480 You're learning something about God and you need to grow in 115 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,680 knowledge of God so you can love Him and people more. 116 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,000 So that's a way to read your Bible. 117 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,320 I just want to give you that. Start here before we get into 118 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,640 Joshua one, and then we're going to get into this big idea that 119 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,280 the living God is among his people. 120 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:34,480 I get that from verse 10, which we'll get to in a moment. 121 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:36,720 But if you're taking notes and you'd like to take notes, jot 122 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:38,760 that down. That's this story, chapter 3. 123 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,640 It's what God wants us to know is that the living God is among 124 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:43,640 his people. And here's what the text says. 125 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,600 Joshua chapter 3, verse one. Then Joshua, the leader of 126 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,760 Israel, he rose early in the morning and they set out from 127 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,160 shitham and they came to the Jordan and he and all the people 128 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,440 of Israel and lodged there before they passed over. 129 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,200 At the end of the three days, the officers went through the 130 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:03,840 camp and commanded the people. As soon as you see the Ark of 131 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:05,160 the covenant, go ahead and underline that. 132 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:06,400 We're going to talk about that in a moment. 133 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,200 As soon as you see the ark of the Covenant of the Lord your 134 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,560 God being carried by the Levitical priest, then you shall 135 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,560 set out from your place and follow it. 136 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:23,360 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2000 137 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,440 cubits in length. Do not come near it in order 138 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:31,160 that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not 139 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:36,520 passed this way before. 1st 5 Then Joshua said to the people, 140 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,880 consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. 141 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,080 The Lord will do wonders among you. 142 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:52,560 Stop there. 4 signs that I want to give you this morning If 143 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:54,880 you're asking yourself the question if God is truly among 144 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,120 us, what will it look like? I want to give you 4 signs today 145 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,800 that you can be sure, you can be certain that God is with us as a 146 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,960 people at Saint City and you personally for your life. 147 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,880 The 1st is this 4 signs that God is with us is set apart lives 148 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,400 you can know, you can trust, you can believe. 149 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:20,080 God is with you. God is with us when one of the 150 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:23,640 signs, one of the markers of the people is that their lives are 151 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:28,000 set apart for God. They're consecrated before him. 152 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,200 In fact, if you're taking notes, write that word now and 153 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:31,920 consecrate, because that's where it's getting the point. 154 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,559 Consecrated just means dedicating your life to a sacred 155 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:40,880 purpose. And the Israelites are commanded 156 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,800 by Joshua here to do that, to set their part their lives apart 157 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,800 for him, to dedicate their lives to, for a sacred purpose of 158 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,480 knowing and loving God. And so Joshua, they're about to 159 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:54,880 cross the river, and the first thing he does to prepare his 160 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:59,480 people is he says, hey, stop for a second before we do anything 161 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,440 else and let's consecrate ourselves before God because 162 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:07,040 Joshua's lived through something pretty hard already. 163 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:10,800 You see, it only took him about 40 days to get out of Egypt, 164 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,960 where he was enslaved, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out 165 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,880 of the Israelite people. Joshua has lived through the 166 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:23,000 reality of people who will not give their lives set apart for 167 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:27,080 God, who don't listen to him, who don't take him at his word. 168 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,080 Joshua knows what that's like and he's now leading a 169 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:35,440 generation of people to once again at the Jordan River, say, 170 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,880 hey, God, we're setting apart our lives. 171 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,000 We're setting apart this land for you. 172 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:45,760 And what I think is interesting about this is this generation of 173 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,960 Israel, they've heard about the parting of the Red Sea. 174 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,640 Now they did not watch the Prince of Egypt like we did to 175 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,240 experience it. That, you know, 2000 nineties 176 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,080 classic, great soundtrack. By the way, that's an excellent 177 00:09:58,080 --> 00:09:58,960 movie. You should watch that. 178 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,440 Not exactly accurate. Sorry, I digress, but these 179 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,720 Israelites, those were their parents and their grandparents 180 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,080 who lived through that moment of the parting of the Red Sea. 181 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:12,560 And instead of like a vicarious, hey, I'm going to hear the story 182 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:14,880 about God being able to part water like this. 183 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,240 God's about to do basically the exact same thing for this 184 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,640 generation, basically the greatest miracle they'd ever 185 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:23,880 heard of, they're about to experience for themselves. 186 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:29,720 I think that's interesting. It's one thing to hear about 187 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:32,280 God's working power. It's another see it with your 188 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,360 own two eyes. When I was a kid, I grew up in 189 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,400 Chicagoland in the 90s. I was born in 93, which means I 190 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:43,720 missed peak Michael Jordan era. That's what it means I missed. 191 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,640 It means I was too young to fully appreciate the greatest of 192 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,640 all time. If you're a LeBron fan, the 193 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,000 doors right over there. No, I'm kidding. 194 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,160 But it was one thing to hear my dad, to hear my uncles talk 195 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:56,880 about Michael Jordan and his greatness. 196 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,600 It was another when I got old and I began to be able to watch 197 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,360 highlights of just how fantastic of a basketball player he was. 198 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:09,000 To hear reports of somebody's greatness is not the same as 199 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,560 seeing it in person. In fact, Job the author of a 200 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:16,320 book in the Bible, he says my ears had heard reports of you, 201 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,160 but now my eyes have seen your glory. 202 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:23,240 There is something different on being a visual learner about God 203 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:28,880 and these Israelites are about to experience first hand just 204 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,200 how powerful and mighty God is. That's why the second-half of 205 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,480 verse 5 says consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. 206 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,400 The Lord will do wonders among you. 207 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,000 That word wonder in the Old Testament, it's just how we 208 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,720 would say miracle there. Whenever they're saying wonders, 209 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:47,640 it just equals miracles. In the Old Testament they're 210 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,400 saying, hey, when God does awesome miraculous things, that 211 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,920 is a wonder. That is crazy. 212 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,480 That's astonishing. And God's about to part A river 213 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:02,600 before their eyes. But before he does that, Joshua 214 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,400 leads the people to consecrate themselves, to purify 215 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,720 themselves, because guess what? God himself is holy and pure, 216 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,280 therefore His people ought to be as well. 217 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:19,400 One of the signs of God being with us is that we set apart our 218 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:20,840 lives for Him, because guess what? 219 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,640 That's what God is. He is set apart from everything 220 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:30,520 else and all creation. And God will not be with us if 221 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:35,160 we do not have the reverence for His Holiness and His purity like 222 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,360 the Israelites did here. He will not be with us St. 223 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,160 City if we do not care about the holiness of God. 224 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,400 And I think I can hear some of you even objecting in in your 225 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,120 heart and your mind right now, if that like hey Brandon, are 226 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,440 you saying that God is not with me if I'm not living dedicated 227 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:56,320 to him if I'm not consecrated to him? 228 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,600 Not necessarily. Here's what I would say at that. 229 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,760 I would say that the sense of God being with you is what you 230 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,400 would feel. That God is not with you, not 231 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,280 that he's not actually with you, but your sense of whether or not 232 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,200 God is with you changes whether or not you are living dedicated 233 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,600 to him. That if you are drawing away 234 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,560 from God, it's not God who moved, it's you. 235 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,080 That as you draw near to God, he draws near to you. 236 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,320 And you might sense that God is far away, that he's distant, 237 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,600 that he is not with you, he is not among you. 238 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,440 If you are a Christian, you might get that sense, but it's 239 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,440 because you have not had a value for purity and holiness. 240 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:39,880 It's not because God changed or moved away from you. 241 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:41,840 It's because you moved away from Him. 242 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:47,720 We call that wandering in the Christian faith. 243 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:53,080 We call that wandering because you are moving from the 244 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:56,320 trajectory in the direction God has set for you, and you're 245 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,120 going the wrong direction for your life. 246 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,400 But there's good news for the wanderer here today. 247 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,440 If you find yourself wandering, if you find yourself lost, guess 248 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:08,960 what, today you can do this very verse 5, you can consecrate 249 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,560 yourself, you can set apart your life to God and he is right 250 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:17,120 there with a hug saying welcome home, welcome into relationship 251 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,160 with me. This is God. 252 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:25,360 He is a loving father who welcomes home every person who 253 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,000 has not lived their life fully to God. 254 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,800 He's saying, hey, guess what, You can live your life fully to 255 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:30,720 me now. It's OK. 256 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,320 You can turn from that and you can turn towards me. 257 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:40,320 You can no longer be a wanderer. You can be a worshipper, and 258 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:41,440 maybe you find yourself here today. 259 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:45,160 You're not actually wandering, but you're a worshipper of God. 260 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,640 This verse ought to give you gratitude. 261 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:51,400 Thank God that I know this God, that I love this God, that I can 262 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,400 walk with this God, that I can worship this God. 263 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,200 That's what it pulls out of you Every time you read a story like 264 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:57,600 this, you're like, wait a second. 265 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,240 I'm among the people who've heard the good news about Jesus. 266 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,680 I'm among the people who God is among. 267 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:07,520 How can that be? That's a miracle in of itself. 268 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,160 That's a wonder in and of itself. 269 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:12,600 It would you never lose the childlike wonder of what it is 270 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,680 to be adopted into God's family, worshipper of Jesus, the reality 271 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,440 that you are a son or daughter of God. 272 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:24,880 He looked into the spiritual orphan and he said I want that 273 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,600 one. And he called you by name, 274 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,480 consecrating yourself, setting your life apart from God. 275 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:36,640 Apart for God. Excuse me? 276 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:40,520 It's just a natural response of the grateful heart. 277 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,800 So we don't have to wander. We can worship because hey, we 278 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,440 want to see God with us. And we as God's people will live 279 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:50,360 lives set apart for him. That's the first thing. 280 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:52,280 That's the first sign. There'll be people everywhere 281 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:54,600 set apart for Him. The second one to look for is 282 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,000 spirit LED leadership. Spirit LED leadership. 283 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,040 God is the ultimate leader of his people and he is now setting 284 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:05,760 the plan for Joshua. In verse 3. 285 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,320 He's setting the plan for how 1,000,000 people are going to 286 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,480 cross the river by foot. I don't know if you've ever been 287 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:13,960 a crowd of 1,000,000 on foot before. 288 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:16,320 Crowds like that don't move well, they don't move fast. 289 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,520 They don't move organized. Every single time I see a parade 290 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,720 like that, you know, a victory parade for like the Seahawks, by 291 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:22,640 chance, shout out, Bo. Bo, where are you? 292 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:23,320 I don't know. I'll see you. 293 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:24,840 He's probably serving somewhere, always in the back. 294 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:26,440 Thank you, Bo. Seattle Seahawks fan, 295 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,120 congratulations. But there's a victory parade 296 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,200 when you're walking in that parade, guess what? 297 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,680 Those people don't move. Well, every time I'm at a parade 298 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,360 like that or see it, I just say man, they need a leader. 299 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,120 They need somebody to help them get through this. 300 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:41,800 These people need to move somewhere. 301 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,320 God saying, hey, I got you covered, Joshua, here's what I 302 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:47,280 want you to do. I want you to do 2 things before 303 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,040 we cross the river. First, I want the Ark of the 304 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,360 Covenant to go 1st and I want you Joshua, to know that I'm 305 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:54,200 with you. Both of them are important. 306 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,040 The first, the Ark of the covenant, verse three, look back 307 00:16:57,040 --> 00:16:59,400 at your Bible with me. He commanded the people. 308 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,240 As soon as you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your 309 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,560 God being carried by the Levitical priest, then you shall 310 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:07,160 set out for your place and follow it. 311 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,040 Now if you're new to following Jesus, you might be reading the 312 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,480 Ark of the Covenant as Noah's Ark. 313 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,240 Not the same thing. You're like, wait a second, were 314 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:16,880 they carrying that boat? No, they were not. 315 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,440 They were not carrying the ark that is in Noah's story. 316 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,480 This is a different ark. This ark is only about four feet 317 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,079 long and about 2.75 wide and tall. 318 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,360 So this is much more manageable than a floating zoo. 319 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:34,680 OK, much more manageable. And they're carrying this ark. 320 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:38,200 It is made of pure gold and what it represents and what the 321 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,200 Israelites actually believed was it was the actual throne where 322 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,600 God lived and dwelled among them, that this ark of the 323 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,120 covenant was a sign that their God was keeping his promise to 324 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:53,360 their forefather, Abram, Abraham, His name, it means the 325 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,800 father of many nations. And so they would carry this 326 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,880 with them and where they went as a symbol that we are God's 327 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:03,720 people and He is with us. He dwells among us. 328 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:06,640 He is alive. He is not dead. 329 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,000 He is not silent. He is here at this Ark of the 330 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,240 Covenant. So what that meant was the 331 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:12,960 people of Israel would look at this thing. 332 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,760 I mean, like how Indiana Jones looked at it, right? 333 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:19,680 I mean, just like, do not touch that. 334 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:24,560 That's dangerous. That's holy, that is set apart. 335 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,840 The Ark of the Covenant was the greatest artifact of the 336 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,280 Israelite people. It was their holy. 337 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:38,520 It went into the Holy of Holies. When the temple gets built, it 338 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:44,280 is their most precious, precious piece of worship. 339 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,000 And God says, hey, I want that to go first into the Jordan, 340 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,480 carried by the worship leaders of God's people, the Levites. 341 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,960 They're going to go first, symbolizing you're not just 342 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,760 following Joshua, you're following me into this river 343 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:08,360 spirit LED leadership. The Ark of the covenant actually 344 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:10,600 gets outdated in the New Testament. 345 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,360 Here's why. Because we have a better ark of 346 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:15,160 the covenant now that Jesus has come. 347 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,880 The reason that's not around anymore, the reason why we don't 348 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,760 need it is because Jesus Christ came to earth. 349 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:26,600 He died on a Roman cross. He rose again and by grace 350 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,440 alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, guess what? 351 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,680 God can live in you, that God the Father sent God the Son, so 352 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:35,520 God the Holy Spirit couldn't dwell. 353 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,960 Humans, normal, regular human beings, not just the priest, not 354 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,360 the leader of the people, Joshua, normal, regular, 355 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:48,000 ordinary people like you and I God can live inside of. 356 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:55,520 He can dwell among us. Isn't that mind blowing? 357 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:58,360 God lives in you. The same spirit that raised 358 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:01,160 Christ and the dead lives in you and is at work in you right here 359 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,560 right now. That is the promise of God. 360 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:12,160 And now God the spirit isn't just on a leader or on a people. 361 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,920 He is inside of him. He indwells people. 362 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:23,120 The spirit LED leader is the spirit filled leader. 363 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:27,640 Keep going in the text you'll see Joshua in verse 6, Joshua 364 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,240 says the priest take up the ark of the covenant pass on before 365 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:31,960 the people. So the priest take the ark. 366 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:33,520 They go in front of the people before them. 367 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:38,840 In verse 7, the Lord said to Joshua, today I will begin to 368 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,080 exalt you. I'll begin to lift you up, to 369 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:45,280 elevate you in the sight of all Israel that they may know, that 370 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:50,520 the people may know what that as God was with Moses, so I will be 371 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,640 with you. And As for you command the 372 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,040 priests who bear the ark, when you come to the brink of the 373 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,000 waters of Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan. 374 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,400 See, Joshua's leading the people now, and the Spirit of God is on 375 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,880 him, that just as God is with Moses now, he is with Joshua. 376 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,000 And the Spirit is not only leading through the ark of the 377 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,360 covenant, He's leading through a leader in the people's life. 378 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:17,760 And the Spirit LED leader that you need in your life, the 379 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,360 Spirit LED leadership you need in your life is no different. 380 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:23,360 You need a Spirit LED leader, not a self LED leader in your 381 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,760 life. Self LED leaders, Here's the 382 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:31,080 Bible's word wording for it. They follow their flesh. 383 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:35,120 That just means they go at what they feel is best or what they 384 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:38,800 want most or what they're driven by where their instincts may go. 385 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,760 Sometimes that lines up with God teaches in His word. 386 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,240 Most the time it doesn't win. Some lose most with that kind of 387 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,520 category, right? The problem is with being a 388 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,920 spirit. Having spirit, excuse me, having 389 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,400 self LED leadership in your life is that inevitably that will 390 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:57,680 point you in the wrong direction. 391 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:03,040 For example, you're wrestling through a job offer and if you 392 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,520 were to get a self LED leader in your life telling you why or why 393 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:11,760 not you should take that job, you might be wondering to 394 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:12,960 yourself, hey, what are they going to say? 395 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:14,960 How they're going to advise me? And they might be considering 396 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:16,920 things that the Bible doesn't actually care about. 397 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,920 They might be worried way more about how it affects your 398 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:23,840 budget. They might be worried way more 399 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,640 about how it affects your status at work. 400 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,840 They might be consumed with, hey, guess what? 401 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,480 That makes you get to here so you can get to there. 402 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:37,760 The strategy of it, the Spirit LED leader in your life is going 403 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:39,520 to go, hey, how's that going to affect your marriage in your 404 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,440 home? Is that going to affect your 405 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:45,960 ability to be a father and a husband? 406 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,840 How is that going to affect your ability to be generous to the 407 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:52,160 Kingdom? How is that going to affect your 408 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,040 ability to be connected to a local church? 409 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,320 That's what a spirit LED leader considers because the spirit LED 410 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,240 leader considers what God has said matters most. 411 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,280 We all need spirit LED leadership in our life, myself 412 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:08,800 included. Every single one of us is in 413 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:13,600 desperate need of real, influential, powerful spiritual 414 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:18,560 leadership in our hearts because we make decisions every day 415 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:20,480 about how we're going to parent the kids, how we're going to 416 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:22,440 love our spouse, how we're going to navigate our dating lives, 417 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,280 our careers. We need spirit LED leadership. 418 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:29,720 Let me ask you this question, Is the leadership in your life 419 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:34,880 spirit LED or self LED? Is the advice you're getting for 420 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:36,880 the decisions you're making week in and week out? 421 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,200 Is it coming from God and His words that coming from somebody 422 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,760 who's just telling you what they think you want to hear? 423 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,840 There's a difference and it can be grave in consequence. 424 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,880 Don't take advice. Don't take spiritual advice from 425 00:23:54,880 --> 00:24:00,960 self LED leaders. Is God with your marriage? 426 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,160 Is God with your parents? Is God with your most trusted 427 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,360 advisor? These are people you get counsel 428 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:10,520 from, but just because they have a role doesn't mean they should 429 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:16,120 have a voice. The advice that you're getting 430 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:19,520 spiritually has to come from people who are grounded and who 431 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,120 are rooted in God's Word. And that's, you know God is with 432 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:26,800 you because God is with you if you're receiving His words and 433 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,320 applying them to your life through His people. 434 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:31,800 In fact, that leads us to our Third Point. 435 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:33,640 One of the best ways to know that they're a spirit filled 436 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:35,840 person is our God's words with them. 437 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,320 Do they have what I'll call a scripture fed vocabulary? 438 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,120 They're not just a spirit LED leader, they are a scripture fed 439 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,000 talker. Their vocabulary, they're slang, 440 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,120 they're jargon. Is it biblical? 441 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:53,040 Does it come from the Bible? Is it scriptural? 442 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,720 Like do they feed their reality based on what God has said? 443 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:58,640 Look at the Bible with me in verse 9. 444 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:02,440 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, come here and listen to 445 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,840 the words of your living God. And Joshua said, here is how you 446 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,240 shall know that the living God is among you. 447 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,640 He's making it clear. Here's how you know. 448 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:15,680 He's putting a flashing light and saying, hey guys, tune into 449 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:17,880 verse 10. Here's how you know God is going 450 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:22,440 to be with you and that He will without fail drive out from you 451 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,520 a bunch of Ites, Canaanites, Hittites, Hittites, Perizzites, 452 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,120 Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 453 00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:31,560 That seven types of people that the rest of the book of Joshua 454 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:37,600 they're going to conquer. Here's how you'll know before 455 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,320 you beat all these people. Behold verse 11. 456 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,360 The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing 457 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:50,440 over before you into the Jordan. God's presence is gone 1st and 458 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:52,760 you are now listening to his words, and you are trusting his 459 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,120 words and acting upon it. You listen to God. 460 00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:00,040 Verse then verse 12 and 13, you're going to take 12 men and 461 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,360 appoint them for each tribe. Verse 13 And when the soles of 462 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:05,880 the feet of the priest bearing the ark of the Lord, Lord of all 463 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:08,400 the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters 464 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,520 of the Jordan are going to stop flowing. 465 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:16,120 He is going to part a river that is a football field wide and say 466 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:23,080 just walk across it on dry ground and they the waters 467 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,000 coming down from above shall stand in one heap. 468 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:35,040 God loves to keep His word. He is built different when it 469 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:38,640 comes to keeping His word. The sun doesn't get tired of 470 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:42,720 shining. A fountain doesn't get sick of 471 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:47,360 flowing. God doesn't get exhausted by 472 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:51,160 keeping His word. In fact, in Jeremiah it says 473 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,600 that He is watching over His word just so that He can perform 474 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:59,920 it. You might not be a good keeper 475 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:02,480 of your word. You might struggle to say 476 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,360 something over promise and undelivered. 477 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,440 Never God. Every promise He has made He 478 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,920 will fulfill. He will keep. 479 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:16,560 He is the promise keeping God. And so when our lives are built 480 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:21,000 around God's words, guess what? We have God with us because His 481 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,200 words stick with us wherever we go. 482 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,080 It's like He's with us because His words are with us. 483 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,520 That's how powerful His words are. 484 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,640 They never return empty or void. They always have an effect on 485 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:37,600 the situation. Every single time someone's 486 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,800 words sticking with you like that, it is a unique and fun 487 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,040 experience. I remember the power of 488 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:44,600 somebody's words. When I was a kid, I was the 489 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,520 oldest of four and at times I would go into the basement 490 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:52,520 because my brothers were playing NCAA Football 2008 and I wanted 491 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,360 a turn. And so I had my mom keeping a 492 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:56,680 clock and being the older brother, I had to listen to what 493 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,880 mom said. But it it was a fun moment being 494 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,840 the older brother when he went downstairs and you said, hey, 495 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,240 it's my turn. And what's the question every 496 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,440 sibling asks who said that? Right? 497 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:08,360 Who said, who said you get to have a turn? 498 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,680 Because if it's on your authority, it doesn't matter if 499 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,400 it's your words, Brandon, they're irrelevant. 500 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:16,800 But when I had that magical phrase behind me, Mom said it. 501 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:21,440 Mom said it's my turn. The whole conversation shifted 502 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,480 because her words, being with me, carried a different 503 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,480 authority, carried a different power, carried a different 504 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,440 confidence and comfort for my heart in that moment. 505 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,720 I think God's promises are intended to be the exact same 506 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:39,920 way for us, that there are promises all over this book 507 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,400 intended to comfort you, to give you confidence that God is 508 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:48,200 actually with you, that you have power in your life over sin. 509 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:51,800 You can have faith in the midst of fear. 510 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:54,840 You can have courage in the midst of hard work. 511 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,600 You have God with you, Christian. 512 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:02,960 His words are with you. So I'm going to give you 5 quick 513 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:04,440 promises that should stick with you this week. 514 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,000 OK, five quick promises. I'm going to give you the 515 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:07,920 references for them and read a few of them. 516 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,080 Isaiah 4110. So do not fear, for I am with 517 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,280 you. Do not be dismayed, for I am 518 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,160 your God. I will strengthen you and I will 519 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,480 help you. I will uphold you with my 520 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,720 righteous right hand. Do you have that promise on your 521 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,280 lips? Do you repeat it in your mind on 522 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:26,880 the moments where you feel like God has left you? 523 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,840 I am with you, do not be dismayed, I am your God. 524 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,520 Isaiah 4110, Second Peter 1/3 and four. 525 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:39,800 His divine power has granted to us all the things that pertain 526 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:43,480 to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called 527 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,040 us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has 528 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:52,320 granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that 529 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,880 through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. 530 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,400 Have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of 531 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,640 sinful desire. Second, Peter 1/3 and four, we 532 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,760 have great and precious promises. 533 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,320 Deuteronomy 31 eight. It is the Lord God who goes 534 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:10,680 before you. Deuteronomy 31 Eight. 535 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,560 He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake 536 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:18,080 you. Do not fear or be dismayed when 537 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,640 you're going into that moment, that hard conversation with your 538 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:22,080 mom. What are you going to say? 539 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,680 God is with me. I do not need to be afraid or be 540 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:28,320 dismayed. Romans 828 And we know that for 541 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,480 those who love God, all things work together for good. 542 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:36,840 For those who are called according to His purpose, God is 543 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:38,960 working out things on your eternal behalf. 544 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,440 Believer, this is all going somewhere good and planned and 545 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:46,360 perfect. Do you have Romans 828 on your 546 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:50,600 lips? First Corinthians 10/13? 547 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,600 No temptation is overtaking you. That is not common to man. 548 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,040 God is faithful. Listen to His promise, and He 549 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:00,440 will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. 550 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,120 But with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape 551 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:06,960 that you may be able to endure it. 552 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,600 God is with you in the midst of temptation. 553 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:15,400 You're going to need to turn to Him for strength and power, but 554 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:19,240 you have a promise right there as a weapon to wield against the 555 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,800 ways of the world. Do you have a scripture fed 556 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:25,520 vocabulary in your life? You need promises to have that. 557 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:27,840 You got to talk Bible. You don't have to talk all weird 558 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,400 about it. You can be a normal person 559 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:33,840 talking about the Bible for sure, but are they in your bones 560 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,760 that when you're bumped is what spills out of you the scripture? 561 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:45,200 Finally, undeniable miracles. We have 4 signs today. 562 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,920 Lives set apart for God. Spirit LED leadership, Scripture 563 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:54,400 fed vocabulary. Finally, undeniable miracles. 564 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,800 Y'all, this is a miracle. And you might have heard this 565 00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,600 story before. You might have glanced over in 566 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:01,400 your Bible plan. You might have never heard this 567 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:03,920 story. But rivers stopping from 568 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,640 flowing. I've never seen it. 569 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:15,680 Not just like a snap like that. And God spoke and it stopped. 570 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,320 That is a miracle and undeniable. 571 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:23,200 No explanation except there is something bigger, stronger, more 572 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:28,680 powerful than me that stopped that too big, too strong, too 573 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:31,120 powerful for a river to say no to it. 574 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:36,560 And that's God. That's a miracle. 575 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,760 I mean, this is a football field wide of a river. 576 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:45,360 And it stopped, verse 16, towards the end of the chapter, 577 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,480 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a 578 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:53,760 heap very far away. Like they're looking down the, 579 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,280 the, the banks of the river Adam, a city that is besides 580 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,720 Aerithan. And they're looking downstream 581 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:02,120 and like, wow, the river stopped so far that a million people 582 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:05,080 could get across it. God did that. 583 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,160 And now the priest, verse 17, bearing the ark of the covenant, 584 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:14,600 stood firmly on dry ground, a place their feet shouldn't have 585 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,480 touched, a land that they should not possess was given to them 586 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:21,600 because God, who gets to decide where people get to go, made it 587 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,280 happen. They stood on dry ground in the 588 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,560 midst of the Jordan River, which is still there today. 589 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,040 And all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the 590 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:34,400 nation finished passing over the Jordan. 591 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,080 I want you to underline that word nation. 592 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,080 This is really interesting. I learned this this week in 593 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:41,480 study that even earlier in the chapter, if you look back at 594 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:45,200 verse 1 and 2, verse one, they came to the Jordan, he and all 595 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,560 the people of Israel. In verse 2, they're the people 596 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:51,240 of Israel and verse 17 to the nation of Israel. 597 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:55,240 This is the first time in all the Bible that they're called a 598 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:58,320 nation. This is so cool to me and here's 599 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:00,200 why. Because in Genesis chapter 12, 600 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,440 God promised that they would become a nation. 601 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,600 And up until this point, they've just been a people. 602 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:07,760 But the moment that they stepped out in faith, the moment that 603 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:10,719 they obeyed God, that they after wandering the desert for forever 604 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:13,920 and consecrating their lives, following their leader, actually 605 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:16,760 honoring him and obeying the words of God, guess what? 606 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:22,040 Now they are a nation. Israel is passing into the 607 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,719 Jordan, not as a people anymore, but as a fulfillment of God's 608 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:27,600 promise to their forefather Abraham. 609 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:32,199 They are now a nation, a great nation, a million people big, 610 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:36,040 and they're crossing over this river as a nation. 611 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:41,880 That is a miracle that we who are not a people are now a 612 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,639 people of God called a nation, a holy nation. 613 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,920 First Peter 2 calls the people of God the church. 614 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:53,239 Now that is us. We are a chosen race, decided 615 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,520 and handpicked by God to be the people of God wherever we go. 616 00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:00,320 A nation waving the flag of Jesus Christ. 617 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,320 And that's why one of the reasons why we're called St. 618 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:06,040 City, or just one little outpost in this nation saying, hey, you 619 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,280 can come here and you can experience what life in the 620 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,520 Kingdom of God is like. You can experience what it's 621 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,440 like to be somebody who was not a person who lived for God. 622 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,240 And now you are set apart unto him. 623 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:19,280 You are a St. that you could Once Upon a time you lived a 624 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:23,040 life living for yourself and for the things of this world, self 625 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,440 LED, self reliant, self dependent, thinking that you 626 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,840 could get yourself to heaven. But there was a moment in your 627 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,080 life you realize Jesus Christ crossed the gates of death to 628 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,200 life for you so you could have eternal life. 629 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:35,880 And you now follow the leadership of Jesus Christ and 630 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:37,800 you're saying, hey, he's my new ark of the covenant. 631 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,400 He's the presence in my life that I need and I'm not going to 632 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,080 lead my life anymore. Jesus Christ is going to lead my 633 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,760 life. Not only that, you now have a 634 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:49,080 vocabulary that has totally changed because you live totally 635 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,600 different. God Himself has given you words 636 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:54,920 that shape your mind and your heart, and you are living for 637 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:56,880 Him. This is what it means to be a 638 00:35:56,880 --> 00:35:59,240 part of the Holy nation. We have a tongue, we have a 639 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:02,960 language that we talk, and it comes from the Bible primarily. 640 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:07,280 And those are miracles is my point. 641 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,000 The gospel started in the Middle East and you are here right now 642 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,600 hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, that He came 2000 years 643 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,360 ago to die the death you should have died. 644 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,200 He paid for the death of your sin with His blood, with His 645 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,480 life, so that you could have eternal life with Him. 646 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:25,600 He's the better. Joshua is the whole point of the 647 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:28,200 book. That name Joshua, the name Jesus 648 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,520 comes from the same Hebrew name, Yeshua. 649 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:35,440 This is the Bible putting up for you with foreshadowing. 650 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:37,320 Hey, a better version of this is coming. 651 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:42,160 And his name is Jesus and he is still going to work wonders and 652 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:44,720 miracles in the world. St. 653 00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:48,080 City's evidence of that. We're here today as an evidence 654 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:49,760 that God is still a wonder working God. 655 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:56,600 This time last year, 37 people were part of Saint City, 37 656 00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,240 people who would just come and get in a coffee shop in the East 657 00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:01,640 Valley and say, God, would you do more than this? 658 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:03,440 Would you meet with more people than us? 659 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:06,520 Would you shine your light in the darkness of Tempe and look 660 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:10,320 at us today? God is still doing miracles and 661 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:11,560 wonders. In fact, just during the meet 662 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:13,920 and greet just now, I'm hearing a story of somebody who's been 663 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,160 coming to our church since September and God has been at 664 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,080 work in him and changing his life. 665 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,320 In fact, he said God has changed my life completely. 666 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:23,320 God is still doing that. He's not done. 667 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:26,440 And if we want to see God continue to work wonders at 668 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:28,520 Saint City, guess what? We have to be these kinds of 669 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,600 people, people who are have lives set apart from him, who 670 00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:35,040 are led by God's leaders, spirit LED filled leaders, spirit LED 671 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:39,400 leaders and who teach the Bible who we ourselves are. 672 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,920 People who are feed our souls with God's words. 673 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:47,080 We want God with us, St. City. 674 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,000 We don't want to be proud because guess what? 675 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,960 God opposes the proud. It's like playing football. 676 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,000 Sorry for sports analogy, Phil, you hate it. 677 00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:00,680 It's literally like lining up against God and you're saying, 678 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:02,720 you know what? I can get past you offensive 679 00:38:02,720 --> 00:38:07,600 lineman God, and I'm a 5 foot 9 nothing burger of an athlete. 680 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:13,000 He's going to oppose you. Because if we're proud as a 681 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,960 people, that's what God does. But he lifts up the humble. 682 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:18,640 So we're not going to rely on ourselves. 683 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:22,200 What are we going to do? We're going to expect God to be 684 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:24,480 God. We're not going to lower 685 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:26,720 expectations. We're going to ask God to still 686 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:29,920 move mountains, to still part rivers, to let miracles still 687 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:33,280 happen, to keep his good and precious promises for us. 688 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:37,720 And so I want to close with this for us today as an undeniable 689 00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:42,120 wonder, undeniable miracle for us is I want to pray for God to 690 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:44,960 do 1 impossible thing together as a church. 691 00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:49,840 In fact, I want you to right now be thinking in your mind, what's 692 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:52,880 1 impossible thing I want to see God do in 2026? 693 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,000 And we as a church are going to pray for that together in a 694 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,600 moment. What's the one impossible thing 695 00:39:00,240 --> 00:39:03,800 that you have in your life? The one impossible person that 696 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:06,920 you're like, there is no way that person could know and love 697 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,280 Jesus or one impossible relationship that you're like, 698 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:13,720 man, there's never a chance that we could be reconciled that one 699 00:39:13,720 --> 00:39:19,000 impossible thing because what's impossible with man is possible 700 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,760 with God. What's the one impossible thing 701 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:24,080 you're going to be asking God for in 2026? 702 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:26,200 Is it a victory over a sin pattern? 703 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:30,120 It's more than likely related to the prayer request. 704 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:33,240 You want to pray, by the way, either people or land, because 705 00:39:33,240 --> 00:39:36,400 that's what's happening here. I'm praying. 706 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,840 My impossible prayer request for 2026 is that God would give us 707 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:43,760 land as a church family. I'm praying that and it's 708 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:44,600 impossible. Why? 709 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:45,960 Because I actually think it's impossible. 710 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,960 I actually believe that. But I also believe God is the 711 00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:54,040 God of the impossible, that if he can give the people of 712 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:56,800 Israel, Canaan, he can give us real estate here in this 713 00:39:56,800 --> 00:39:58,600 incredible city. Do I love this school? 714 00:39:58,600 --> 00:39:59,720 Yes. Will we be at the school as long 715 00:39:59,720 --> 00:40:00,920 as God blesses us? Of course. 716 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:04,440 But could God give us land? I'm going to pray for it. 717 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:06,480 So I want you to. I want you to do it if you can. 718 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:08,560 If you can get out of your seats, turn around and face your 719 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:09,840 chairs. I always want a moment as a 720 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:12,440 church where we pray and ask God for the impossible thing in our 721 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:17,840 life. Yeah, we're having a moment as a 722 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:19,760 church. Israel had a big moment crossing 723 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:21,800 the Jordan River. Thankfully, you don't have to 724 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:24,360 cross the river right now. You got to get up out of your 725 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:31,880 seat, turn around and pray. I want you to call to mind the 726 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:36,000 thing that's impossible this year, the miracle, the wonder 727 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,040 that you want to see God do in your life among you this year. 728 00:40:41,240 --> 00:40:43,200 What is the wonder? What is the miracle that you're 729 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:47,280 asking Him for delivery? Delivery from a diagnosis. 730 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:55,480 Restoration of relationship, Provision of a prayer that 731 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:58,840 you've been praying for years but given up on. 732 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:08,440 Salvation of a friend. I'll let you sit with God for 733 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,560 just a moment in silence, and I'm gonna pray for us in just a 734 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:49,320 moment. God, here we are once again, 735 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:55,560 praying as your people for you to do impossible things. 736 00:41:57,520 --> 00:41:59,920 You don't owe us anything else, we know that. 737 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:05,160 But you delight in doing the impossible, in demonstrating 738 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:07,400 just how good you are keeping your word. 739 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:10,600 Not even one promise of yours has failed. 740 00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:15,680 Show us that you're strong. Show us that you're with us. 741 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:18,480 Show us that you're for us by answering these prayers. 742 00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:25,920 God, would you pour out your grace upon this church, that as 743 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:29,280 we consecrate ourselves now, will you do wonders among us in 744 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:35,320 this next chapter at Saint City, Not just as a church, but as 745 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:37,680 individual people. God, we are crying out to you 746 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:48,720 with real prayers, real burdens, and for the person Even so beat 747 00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:52,640 up by not seeing you answer the prayer, would they not lose 748 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:55,520 faith in this moment to pray once again for the impossible 749 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,880 thing? Because God, we can't count on 750 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:03,360 one thing, that God, you never fail, you've never missed a 751 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,760 promise, and you never will. So God, we worship you when we 752 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:10,120 ask in faith for you to give us what we're asking for. 753 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:12,400 And as the pastor of this church, I ask for the impossible 754 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:15,680 thing of land in 2026. God, I believe it. 755 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:18,960 Could you do it? Would you do it for your glory 756 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:21,680 and our good in Jesus name, Amen.