Why Should We Have Hope: Peter’s Prison Rescue Andy Stanley One of the objectionable, irrational, easy to criticize things about our faith as Christians is this, you've experienced this. We actually turn to God when bad things happen, believing he could have kept them from happening in the first place, isn't this true? Don't we all do this in fact, we encourage other people to do this. We actually turned to God when something bad happens and we turn to God with this crazy confidence that well God, you could have kept this from happening in the first place, but now that it's happened, I'm gonna turn to the very one who could have kept this from happening. But at the same time, most of us feel like we really don't have any choice, but to do that. I mean, where else are we gonna turn? Or maybe you've been here before, you find yourself asking God to comfort someone else in the aftermath of a loss, a loss that you are confident God could have prevented in the first place, but didn't. So are we crazy? Are we naive? I mean, some would argue, yes. In fact, for you, this dynamic may be the reason you finally gave up on faith altogether and I'll just tell you just between the two of us, I understand that. In August, this past August, I participated video in a Memorial service for two teenage boys. They were brothers who passed away on the same day in circumstances that, in circumstances that are so horrific, that I'm not gonna tell you their story, primarily because it's not my story to tell. But if I were to tell you their story, you may not be able to pay attention to anything else I say in the next few minutes. Weeks, I did not know this family weeks after the incident weeks, which took place in March. The parents actually, the husband sent me an email, a long email and told me the entire story in detail of what happened. There was a statement in his email where he said, it doesn't really matter what God does now because of what he did not do then. he story was so difficult to even begin to imagine that I didn't even wanna respond to the email and I have since told the family that. When I called, I found myself in a conversation with a mom fighting, fighting to maintain her sanity and her faith, in fact, the entire family was. Her husband and their two daughters. And I was not sure their faith would survive, I even said that to her. I tried not to say anything patronizing. They already knew all the Bible verses and all the Bible stories and in a later conversation, she actually said to me, she said, "Andy, the most helpful thing you said", and when she said that, I thought, I can't imagine that I said anything helpful, but she said, "the most helpful thing that you said was that, that if our faith did not survive this", but that was understandable. "You said that it may take years for our faith to recover, assuming that it recovers it all". And that is what I said and I meant it. And through the weeks that ensued, we texted several times and then in June, remember this event happened in March, in June she texted me to say, "Hey, we're planning a Memorial service for our sons at a church". One of our partner churches. "It'll be an August and we would love for you to send a short video that could be part of the service". And honestly, I was stunned not that they asked me to send a video, I was stunned that their faith had begun to recover, that they were rediscovering faith, but not their old version of faith. They would be quick to tell you if they ever tell their story. A much better faith, a deeper faith, a faith that wasn't propped up by everything is up into the right, a faith that wasn't propped up by will God will make sure that you get back to normal eventually because they will never get back to normal eventually. And what they recovered was faith in God, not the promises of God, not the blessings of God, just God. Because all the other stuff, all the other fluff had been torn away in a day. Now you may know someone like that and perhaps you're hoping for a recovery like that. And it may help to know, it certainly helps me to know, it may help to know that the men and the women who brought us the message of Jesus walked through similar valleys, valleys filled with random acts of violence, unnecessary suffering, and unanswered prayer. And yet, somehow some way they believed and they persevered. Now, last time we were together and I hope you were with us last time we were together. Last time we were together, we looked at an episode from the life of the early church where food was about to become scarce throughout the entire Roman empire. And most people in ancient times were already hungry most of the time. So when a famine struck people didn't just eat less, in many parts of the world, there was literally nothing to eat. And as we discovered the church in Antioch, instead of turning inward and focusing on their own needs, they actually stop to consider who would be most negatively impacted by the famine. And then they asked the question, "What can we do about it"? And in an unprecedented move and an unprecedented move, they began collecting funds for a group of people, they had never met in a part of the world most of them would never visit whose culture was nothing like there's. In fact, this is so important and it was so unprecedented, I wanna give you a visual to help you understand the magnitude of their decision and what they did. Here's a map of what we generally consider the Holy land with Galilee in the North, Sumeria, Judea and the city of Jerusalem in the South. Now these gentile Jesus followers were located in Antioch, which doesn't even show up on the map, it is 300 miles away from Jerusalem. And in terms of ancient travel, these two cities, take a look, these two cities were, they were any eternity apart. And culturally speaking, as I said, they were half a world apart as well, never before, never before in recorded history had a local multicultural group felt responsibility for a group of people with whom they had virtually nothing in common. Now here's the question, where did, where did this politically and socially incorrect behavior come from? Well, it came from their recognition that for God so loved the entire world that he gave. And so they gave, they gave because that's what love required of them. So picking up where we left off last week, the folks in Antioch, the Gentile believers in Antioch are beginning to take up a collection, they're concerned about the believers in Jerusalem who are already suffering because they're being persecuted for their faith and then there's a famine that's about to make things even worse. So anyway, back in Jerusalem, something terrible happens. I mean, something terrible is coming, but something terrible happens. Something random, something seemingly unnecessary, something dark, something that would leave Jesus followers scratching their heads and wondering where in the world was God? Here's what happened. The text says that it was about this time, and again, just to put this into perspective, this is about 15 years after the resurrection. "It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to torture them". Now this King Herod is actually the grandson, this is Herod Agrippa, who is the grandson of Herod the great who murdered the babies in Bethlehem after the birth of Jesus. So violence clearly ran in their family. And the some, the son that he intended to arrest were actually Jesus' original apostles and his first victim was a high profile target. In fact, his first victim was one of Jesus first apostles. Here's what Luke tells us, He said, "He had James, the brother of John", not James, the brother of Jesus, "he had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword". He had James, the brother of John beheaded. Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Now this was a huge blow to morale for the Jesus followers in Jerusalem, but it won Herod political points with his constituency. In fact, here's what the text says, "When he saw, when he saw that is met with approval among the Judeans Herod proceeded to seize Peter also". Now Peter is a really big fish in next to Jesus, this is the biggest fish, and this would keep the taxpayers happy and perhaps it would quell some of the anti-Roman sentiment that was usually very high during Passover season. So Herod followed through with his threat, "After arresting him", after arresting Peter, so he arrested him, "he puts him in prison, handed him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each". So Peter is being guarded by four soldiers at all times and this happened at the beginning of Passover, inherit intended to bring him out for public trial after Passover, Luke continues, he says, "So Peter, Peter was kept in prison", but here it is, "but the church was earnestly praying to God for Peter". They were praying specifically for Peter's release. And there it is. This is one of the many places where the experience of first-generation believers intersects with ours. Think about it. The Jesus followers in Jerusalem, think about it. The Jesus followers in Jerusalem are asking God to deliver Peter days after God did not deliver James. Again, the Jesus followers, they're asking God, they're praying, they're asking God to deliver Peter from prison just days after God did not deliver James. I mean, why bother if God was concerned about Peter, he wouldn't have allowed Peter to be arrested in the first place, right? So if God didn't stop Peter from being arrested, why turn to God after he's arrested? And if God didn't protect James, why should they expect him to protect Peter? I mean, they were as crazy as we are. Actually, we are as crazy as they were because apart from their crazy, we would not be having this conversation. Apart from their crazy, the message of Jesus would have never survived the first century. In fact, it turns out they weren't crazy and their faith was not misplaced and neither is yours. So for me, narratives like this one are comforting on two levels. First, the people closest to the action, think about this. The people closest to the action, the men and women who actually knew Jesus personally and chose to follow him because of the resurrection, they were not immune to random inexplicable tragedy and loss. And in spite of believing that God could have kept these bad things from happening, they turned to him for comfort and help anyway right after they happened. So we may be crazy, but we are in good company. We are not the first. And they didn't continue trusting and turning to God because it all made sense. They continued trusting it and turning to God because the thing that made the least sense of all, the crucifixion of God's Messiah resulted in the greatest possible good for all, the salvation of the world, forgiveness of sin and on-ramp to our relationship with God. And here's the thing, to the degree, to the degree that our faith is anchored to those same ancient events, our confidence in God will sustain us through the random, inexplicable God where are you valleys of life. So when you find yourself praying to the very God who did not come through for you to begin with, the way you wanted it to, the way you expected him to, the way he came through for the person next to you, you are in good company. Peter, Andrew, James, John, Mary, Martha, the men and women whose faith laid the groundwork for the evangelization of the entire world. They're irrational in spite of where are you God faith is why the message of Jesus made its way into the 21st century. In fact, spoiler alert, Herod doesn't execute Peter, but we'll get back to that in just a minute. Now, several years after Peter was arrested in Jerusalem, he actually sits down and he dictates a letter to Christians living in a variety of regions, scattered around the Roman empire. Christians who like himself and his friends in Jerusalem were suffering because of their faith. Now, before I read you what he writes, keep in mind, by the time he's writing this letter, he's been arrested multiple times, he's been living as a fugitive for years. In fact, he kept his whereabouts so concealed, nobody even knows for sure where Peter was between his arrest in Jerusalem and his execution in Rome, maybe nine or 10 years later. Yet in spite of this, in spite of this, in spite of the fact that he's living on the run, here's what he says. He writes to Christians who are experiencing some of the same things he is. He says, "Praise, praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ". It's like, wait, wait, wait, Peter, Peter, you've been arrested multiple times, you've been flogged, you are scarred for life and the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ did nothing to stop it. I mean, you have a price on your head. Stephen is dead, James is dead, the apostles are all scattered. What are you talking about? And he would say, here's what I'm talking about, "In his great mercy, he has given us a new birth, a different kind of relationship with God. He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade". In other words, your prayers may not all get answered and you may never understand the randomness of life, but you have hope and your hope is an anchored to theology, it's not anchored to belief and it's not anchored to a book. Peter says that our hope is anchored to an event, an event that rekindled his hope, the resurrection of Jesus. And then he says this, "In all of this, all of this suffering and all of this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief of all kinds of trials in all kinds of trials". In other words, he says in light of all that God has done for you, you can find joy and you can rejoice in the middle of it. There's not joy because of their trials, there's joy in spite of the trials because of what God has done for you. And Peter, again, who has suffered in ways we can't even begin to imagine says that this suffering is just for a little while and he could have added on all kinds of trials like I have. To which we say, so wait again Peter, grief, trials, suffering, randomness are not evidence that God's not listening, that God's not involved. They don't indicate that things are spinning out of control that we need a revival that Jesus is returning soon, or maybe we've done something wrong and Peter would say, "No, not at all". "These, these trials have come. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith, the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may result", in other words, there's gonna be a result, "may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed". Again, to which we would say, so Peter, we should expect this to which Peter would say, "Yes". And people are watching, people who are suffering as you suffer are watching, people suffering without hope will be drawn to your hope, your peace. In fact, they may be drawn to the object of your faith because the darker it gets, the brighter your hope, the brighter your response shines. And then he would say, perhaps, as Jesus said, "So as you suffer, and as you try to explain the inexplicable, as you navigate yourself and navigate your way through things, you never anticipated and for which there are no answers, let your light shine in such a way, in such a way that people see your response and they look up". Then he continues, he says, "Though you have not seen him", And I love this because remember, he's writing to people who had never actually seen Jesus, the way that Peter had seen Jesus. He said, "Though you never met him, though you've never seen him, you love him based on my testimony about him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and you are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy because you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls". So once again, we pushed back, so Peter, so what you're saying is this, that the inconsistency and the randomness of life, it doesn't throw you off, It doesn't undermine your confidence. I mean, come on, they got James, they came for you and Peter would say, "No, my faith, my faith doesn't depend on consistency or certainty or my ability to explain things. My faith is not shaken by the randomness of life. Come on, I saw the best possible person suffered the worst possible death, it made no sense at all, none. And God brought him back to life. So while there's a lot, I can't explain, there's a lot I don't understand I just got to tell you. After the resurrection, the rest is just detail". And then in the same letter, Peter gives his audience and gives us the strangest to do list, but we're gonna talk about that next time. Now I want to get back to the storyline real quick, so to catch this us up. So God allows Herod to execute James, he allows Herod to arrest Peter and put him in jail, the Jesus followers in Jerusalem are praying, asking God to facilitate Peter's release, knowing that Herod may be coming for them next. And then for reasons that made absolutely no sense to them at the time, but would become clearer later, "The night before", check this out, "The night before Herod was to bring Peter to trial and then have him executed, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and sentries stood guard at the entrance. And then suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell and the angel struck Peter on the side and woke him up. 'Quick, get up!' He said, and the chains fell off of Peter's wrist. Then the angel said to him, 'Put on your clothes and sandals.' And Peter did so. 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.' The angel told him. And so of course, Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision or maybe having a dream. And then they pass the first and the second guards and they came to the iron gate, leading to the city. It opened for them by itself and they went through it. And then when they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him". Now I know what you're thinking, because I think the same thing, really, really. And why doesn't God do that kind of thing anymore? And why doesn't God do that kind of thing for me anymore? But let me tell you what Peter and his friends were wondering, why didn't God do that for James, our friend. And they never got a good answer to their question. And we may never get satisfying answers to ours either. "Now, when Peter realized that this was not a dream, that he really was safe and outside the city walls, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying for his release. So Peter runs down the street". He knows he doesn't have much time. He certainly doesn't want to incriminate his friends. So he runs to the door of a home he'd been to many times. "And Peter knocked on the outer entrance and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. And when she recognized Peter's voice, because he had been in their home many times, she was so overjoyed, she ran back to the people who were praying without opening the door and exclaimed, 'Peter is at the door.'" Now, remember they're praying for his release, but apparently they did not really expect God to answer their prayer. In fact, listen to their response and this is important, this is just more evidence that the writers of the new Testament did not write the main characters in as heroes or even people with more than average faith, they didn't experience miracles every day and they did not expect a miracle this day. Now when Rhoda tells the prayers that Peter is at the door, here's what they said. They said, "Rhoda, you are out of your mind", which would say, wait, weren't you just praying for this to which they would say, "Yeah, but we didn't really expect anything to happen". "When she kept insisting, when she kept insisting that it was so they said, 'Well, then it must be his angel, it must be his spirit counterpart. He must already be dead and it's, it's his ghost.' But Peter, but Peter kept on knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished". Imagined that an actual answer to prayer, imagine that. Now at this point they are so delighted, they're celebrating and they're making so much noise in the middle of the night that Peter motions to them with his hand to be quiet and then he says this, "Tell James, James the brother of Jesus, tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this, let them know that I've been, I've been released that I'm free. He said, and then he left for another place". Now this is so interesting and we're gonna come back to this next time, Luke doesn't say where Peter went. Now, remember when he wrote this, Peter was still alive and was still a wanted man. If Luke knew where Peter was, he didn't document it lest his document fall into the wrong hands. So Peter went underground, in fact, he went underground so successfully that to this day, no one has discovered for certain where he went. And then Luke gives us even more detail. As you might imagine, "In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. And after Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross examined the guards and ordered that they be executed". Now, Herod is publicly humiliated because he had promised the people that they were gonna see the trial of Peter, Jesus number one follower. He's so humiliated, he leaves town, he goes to his beach house down by the Mediterranean sea and while he's there a group from the neighboring city asked to have an audience with him to show their support because they depended on Herod and his favor for their food supply. And Luke tells us about this. Here's what he says, "He says on the appointed day, when Herod was having this public meeting, he was wearing his royal robes and he sat on his throne and he delivered a public address to the people". Now Jewish historian Josephus says that heritage robe on this particular day was actually made of silver. And that when the afternoon sun reflected off of the silver robe, that the crowd erupted and declared him a God. Luke says it this way, "The crowd shouted, this is the voice of a God, not a man. And immediately because Herod did not give praise to God an angel of the Lord struck him down and he was eaten by worms and died". And again, Josephus confirms this here's his version, he says, that Herod was seized by a severe pain in his bowels. He was rushed off the stage and several days later he died. Now, what do you think? What do you think Peter thought when he got the news? I mean, he was probably relieved that Herod was out of the way, but he may have thought, "God, if you had just taken him a month earlier, James would still be alive as well as four unfortunate prison guards". And then Luke wraps up this account with this statement, "But, in other words, in spite of all of this drama, in spite of all this inconsistency, in spite of all of these unanswered questions, but the word of God continued to spread and flourish". In fact, we know that it did because it's why these texts were created and preserved, it's why the name and the message of Jesus would eventually circle the globe. But on a personal level, these events and events like these and the response of our first century brothers and sisters is why to borrow a phrase from the apostle Paul, it's why we don't grieve, it's why we don't mourn as those who have no hope, for we believe that Jesus died and rose. Again, it's why to borrow from Peter's words, it's why we can cast our cares on him, because we know he cares for us. You can know that he cares for you in spite of what you see around you, in spite of what's happening to you, it's why to borrow a phrase from the author of Hebrews, "We can approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need". It's why we have hope even when we half explanations. If Peter is correct and he would know, if Peter is correct, what strikes us as random, unfair, unnecessary, may in fact be random, it's certainly unfair and perhaps unnecessary but in spite of that, if Peter is correct, he assures us our hope is not misplaced, our hope, your hope is not in vain because we have a living hope that is anchored not to our ability to predict and interpret circumstances, we have a living hope that is anchored to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It can be hard to maintain hope in the middle of chaos. But our hope isn’t anchored to circumstances, theological opinions, or a book. Our hope is anchored to an event—an event that rekindled the dwindling hope of the first followers of Christ. Preached at North Point Church.

Your co-worker has just shared with you that her husband was just diagnosed with cancer. You press in and provide a listening ear. But as the conversation closes, what do you say? Nothing? That you will pray for her family? Or do you ask if you could pray with her right then? I’ve done all three, and there are circumstances where all three are wise and godly responses. But usually praying for a friend with a request then and there is the best response. There have been far too many times when I have not prayed with someone who needed prayer or told them I would pray for them later when the most loving thing I should have done for them was to pray with them right there. Offering to pray for someone in the moment can feel awkward. Your mind races: do they even believe in God? What god do they believe in? Are they going to be offended if I ask? Why is it worth the risk to pray for someone in need? And how do you do it? When we pray for someone, we demonstrate Christianity is so much more than mere platitudes. One of the most frequent responses I’ve observed on Facebook from unbelievers when encountering difficult situations with others is their promise to “send good thoughts.” The statement itself concedes that it is nothing more than a platitude. What does it look like to “send good thoughts”? Will the one who promises to send them follow through? What happens when those “good thoughts” are sent? Will they have any impact? On all counts: no, and assuredly not. When we say “I’ll pray for you” for many non-Christians, they hear a promise as empty as “sending good thoughts.” By actually praying with them then and there, you are demonstrating that you are not just offering a sentiment, not just dropping an empty platitude, but you will follow through. When we pray for someone, we demonstrate we have really heard our friend. Praying out loud with your friend shows that you have really heard them. As you ask God to intervene in the situation and you echo back specifics they mentioned and reflect to God emotions they may not have even stated out loud, your friend can hear your attention to them. When you pray, you demonstrate your love for your friend. When you pray, you show your love for them in two ways: first, you show that you love them because you offer to them your full attention and your empathetic listening. Second, you demonstrate your love to them in risking embarrassment, both to them and to others. Ironically, because it takes a measure of courage to risk praying for someone publicly, that same risk proves your love for them. When we pray, we demonstrate our belief. The watching world is always wondering if our belief is true and authentic. What demonstrates that belief more than, in time of need, reaching out to the only one we believe can truly intervene? Peter promises us that through Christ we are a “holy priesthood.” What he means by this is that we are God’s intercessors for the world. [i] It is our duty to cry out to God on behalf of a world that doesn’t know him. When we pray, we invite those we pray with to pray. To the world, prayer is often considered something formal and stilted, disconnected from our everyday speech. “Thees and thous” pepper memorized soliloquies to an unseen, unapproachable, and stoic deity. When we pray normal everyday prayers with real emotion and normal language, we model for them the simplicity and availability of prayer to them. If you have authentic relationships with unbelievers, then you will have opportunities weekly to pray for them. You may be surprised how well received your offer is. I can’t think of the number of times people have expressed deep gratitude for being prayed for and I can only remember a few occasions where someone refused my offer to pray for them. Lean in and take the risk that you would act as the priest Christ has called you to be, showing Christ’s love to those around you and inviting them into that love. www.thebeehive.live .

The Giant of Overwhelming Odds - Judges 7:1-15 - Skip Heitzig Turn in those Bibles to the book of Judges 7. Judges 7. Seventh book in the Old Testament. Just so you know, this little film that we show every week, this wasn't done in some Hollywood vault. This was done by our own staff. Our own team did this. They did such a good job at this media. Judges 7. So there's this Amish family, and they went to the city for the very first time in their lives. And they ended up at a mall. So, they were completely overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, the crowds, the stores, the lights. And they, in the mall, came to an elevator. And they watched as the elevator doors opened and an elderly woman stepped in, and the doors closed and it went up and it went down. And then, when it came back down, the doors opened and this young beautiful woman stepped out. And so, the little boy said, "Papa what is that?" And he said, "Never mind son. Just go get your mama quick." I don't know what you feel like or how you react when you are feeling overwhelmed by something, but chances are you've used that word in the past year, year and a half, two years. With the events that have occurred in our world, you have perhaps felt overwhelmed. That's the word a lot of people have used. One news source said people are feeling more stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed than ever before. And one of the reasons why it feels or seems overwhelming to us is we start thinking, well, we didn't see that one coming. We didn't see coronavirus shutting down the world, and the economic freefall. And if that happened, what else could happen? What does the future hold for us? In ancient times, when they drew maps out, the map makers, the cartographers, they would draw what they knew. And so they would draw the land masses and the lines for the countries, that's what they knew. But when they were writing down or drawing what they didn't know, they would, at the edge of the map, simply write these words. "Beyond here, there be dragons." And to use our own little analogy, we might say, beyond here, there be giants. We don't know what the future holds, but we know that God's got it covered, and I want to talk to you about that today. We have been studying standing up to giants. We began with the giant of conformity, and we saw how Daniel didn't bend, that he refused to indulge himself in the delicacies of the king. He didn't conform to the culture. We looked at the giant of silence, how John the Baptist stood up and spoke up against the abuse of hypocrisy of King Herod, Herod Antipas. We looked at the giant of apathy, how Nehemiah had a pretty cushy job and he decided that he would leave his comfort zone and be involved in God's work. We looked at the giant of fear, how David took on the whole Philistine army, and, in particular, that intimidating NBA guy named Goliath. We looked at the giant of self, and we saw that Esther put her life on the line to save the Jewish people with the words, "If I perish, I perish." Today, we want to look at another giant. And I'm calling this the giant of overwhelming odds. What do you do, how do you act, how do you calibrate, when the odds just seem overwhelming? When the news that comes to you is just so devastating, so intimidating. Now, let me just sort of set it up, and I'm going to give you the numbers of the army, and I'm going to count on you to remember these. In fact, I'm going to test you during this message. So, the Israelite army-- under a guy by the name of Gideon in chapter 7 of Judges-- the Israelite army has 32,000 men. The enemy army-- the Midianites-- has 135,000 men. So, he is outnumbered four to one. So how many people are in Israel's army? No, 32,000. We'll get this. Don't worry, by the end you will have this memorized. 32,000. How many are in the enemy's camp? 135,000. So, that's what we're up against. Gideon is facing not a giant, but a giant army. He is outnumbered, which is precisely the position we find ourselves in as believers today. We are always outnumbered. You know that, right? That is our MO. That's how we operate. That's our modus operandi. We are always outnumbered. There's always more unbelievers than there are believers. There are always more faithless people than there are faithful people. But sometimes, we know that, and on top of that, we have family issues and health issues and economy issues, and it all piles up and we feel overwhelmed. And I love David's prayer in Psalm 61, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." I want to show you how to get to that rock. I want to show you five keys to standing strong when the odds are against you, when the circumstances seem overwhelming. And here's what's great about this story. What's great about this story is it's not just a story of a man with a small army against a big army. It's a story of a weak man who leads a small army against a big army. He's a man of very frail faith. He's learning. He's growing in his faith. He's learning to trust God. Chapter 7 of Judges is a battle scene. The enemy has come into the land. There's a coalition of tribal nations, Midianites, Amalekites, people from the East. They all band together, they come in, and they invade the land of Israel. So, I want to show you those five keys to standing strong. Here's the first key. Your faith is gradual. That is, you have faith in God, but that faith grows. And God doesn't expect you to get all As on the first day of class for a test or a class that may take a year for you to sit in. Your faith, and the journey of your faith, is gradual. So look at verse 1. Judges 7:1. "Then"-- get this name, don't ever name your child this name-- "Jerubbaal"-- or, the Hebrew pronunciation, Yeh ru-buh-al. Yeh-ru-buh-al. I'm not going to even pronounce it that way. We're Americans, so we're going to say Jeru-bale. So, "Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon"-- I'll explain that in a moment-- "Jarubbaal, that is, Gideon, and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley." What I want you to notice is the very first name we get for Gideon in chapter 7 isn't Gideon. It's a name with pagan ties. It's a nickname that his dad, who at one time was a pagan worshipper-- he worshipped like God, the God of Israel, and this god named Baal-- it was the nickname that his dad gave him. And it's there to remind us that Gideon, though he's going to be used by God, had the influence of paganism from his dad in the past. Now, if you know your Bible, you know that Gideon is not just an Old Testament hero, but he makes it all the way into the New Testament. Do you know what book he's in in the New Testament? The book of Hebrews. So, the writer of Hebrews gives the Hall of Fame-- the Hall of Fame of Faith-- and he lists all these faithful examples, and he says, "And time would fail me to tell you about Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah." So , he begins not with faith, but he ends up in the Hall of Faith. Do you know how Gideon started? How Jerubbaal started? Fearful. That's how he began his journey of faith. He believed in God, but he was so timid. Let me explain. When God calls him in chapter 6, it says that he was threshing wheat at the winepress. Now, we would just read that through and not maybe understand the background of why that is important. Nobody threshed wheat at a winepress because the winepress is down in the valley. The place you thresh wheat-- the threshing floor-- is on the top of the mountain. And the reason you do that is because the afternoon breezes carry the chaff away. So you take a pitchfork full of your grain, throw it in the air, the wind blows the chaff away, the grain falls on the rock. That's where you thresh wheat. He's not doing that. It says he threshed wheat in the winepress-- listen to this-- in order to hide from the Midianites. Does that sound like a man of faith? No, it sounds like a man of fear. A man of fear. So, it's funny when the angel of the Lord shows up while he's throwing that stuff in the air, and he says, hey, what's up? That's kind of a paraphrase. And he says, you mighty man of valor. And I'm guessing Gideon is looking around, going, is there somebody else here that I don't see? Who's he talking to? He's talking to the man who would become a mighty man of valor, but was not at that moment. He began very fearful. OK, forward a little bit more in chapter 6. In chapter 6, God comes to Gideon. He says, Gideon, your dad has a statue in his backyard of Baal. I want you to cut it down. I want you to kill it. Cut down the statue. Burn it. Get rid of it. What's interesting is that the name Gideon literally means hacker, or hewer, or one who cuts something down. So, God comes to Gideon in this journey of faith and he says, Gideon, it's time for you to live up to your name. Go cut down that cult object that your dad has been worshipping. Now, why would God require that of him? Because he's about to lead an army, that's why. Before you can ever lead publicly, you've got to work on things privately. You've got to start in your own backyard. And so, he starts in his dad's own backyard. But even cutting down the statue, he wouldn't do it during the day. He did it at night, secretly. So this is Judges 6:27. "Because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it at night." You can say, well, that's just practical. Maybe, but he's still scared. He started out scared, and God calls him to do something. He does it, but he's still timid. Now, we come to chapter 7, and in chapter 7, he's going to lead this army. He's going to do these great exploits. We're told in Judges 6:34, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that's a good thing. He's got the Holy Spirit, he's empowered by God to do this. But even filled with the Spirit, he's still scared. He's still timid. He's still fearful. Because he says, you got to show me a sign. I need a sign that you're in this. So, God gives him not one sign, not two signs, three signs. Sign number one, fire comes out of a rock and consumes the sacrifice. That's a pretty good sign. Sign number two, he takes an animal hide, a fleece, puts it out. The next morning, there's dew on the fleece but there's no dew anywhere else in the land. That's the second sign. Gideon didn't know if that was just a fluke of nature, so he wanted God to repeat it but reverse it. So He gives him a third sign. There's no dew the next day on the fleece but there's dew everywhere else. Three signs. So, he believes, he acts, he's called upon to lead an army, but all the way along, he's still scared, and God has to confirm it. Here's what I want you to see. Hunting giants is a progressive skill. It's a progressive skill. You learn how to do it. And you learn how to do it gradually over time. Gideon started out fearful before he ever became faithful. I hope that encourages you. He started out fearful before he ever became faithful. In Psalm 144:1, we read this. "Blessed be the Lord who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle." You're in a learning process. You're in school God is teaching you through your life, through the trials, through the difficulties, in this journey of faith, how to hunt giants. You're a work in progress. And here's what I mean. You believe in God, but sometimes you're afraid. You trust, but I have a little bit of fear and trepidation here in this area. Right? Is that true about you? Yeah, it's true for most of us. It's like the guy in the New Testament who brought his son to Jesus who was demon possessed. He said, please heal my son. Jesus said, all things are possible to him who believes. And the man said back to Jesus, Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. I trust you, but I'm scared. That's Gideon. That's the journey of faith. We're all on it. You are in process. Long before I ever stood before heads of state and rulers with the gospel, I stood in my classroom. I stood with my family. I had to make a stand with my friends and at work. And God knows that you are in this process, and He cuts you a lot of slack. He doesn't condemn you. He understands. I love the Bible verse that says, God knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. God knows what you're made out of. He doesn't have high expectations for dust, right? It's like, OK-- not to put you down, not to put me down-- I don't expect a lot out of dirt. I know what you're made out of. You're human, and it's only natural for humans to trust but have a little bit of fear mixed in with it. So, I love also Hebrews 4. Jesus is called our great high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. So, here is the gradual growing of Gideon's faith. By the way, why does God test our faith? And He does. He's testing Gideon's faith, every little increment here. He's testing his faith. Testing, testing, testing. Why does God test our faith? Any takers on that? That's good. I'm hearing some good answers. Let me give you two of them. Number one, God tests your faith not so He can find out what kind of faith you have. It's not like God's saying, gosh, I got to find this out. He knows already going into it how much faith you have or don't have. But, you don't. So the test is to reveal to you the level of your faith. Number two, God tests your faith, and I heard it shouted out, so it will grow. So, I go into the gym. The only way for those muscles to grow is for you to put some resistance on them, and when that resistance, those weights, are added, and the muscle breaks down, it's going to build back up. And so, the trials, the hardship, the testing of your faith is what builds you up. God tests your faith. A faith that can't be tested is a faith that can't be trusted. So, your faith is gradual. Second key. God's math is unusual. And we would even say, God does weird math. He does it way differently than we do. So, there's Midianites and there's Israelites. How many people are in the Israelite army? 32,000. How many in the enemy's army? 135,000. You got the number down now. 32,000 to 135,000. Four to one odds. By the way, Midianites were like a Bedouin tribal peoples in ancient times. I don't know if you know this or not, but Midian was one of Abraham's sons. You're going, I don't remember that. There was Isaac and there was Ishmael, but that was with his first wife, Sarah. After she died, he got married again to Keturah, and had a whole bunch of kids. One of them was named Midian. He goes down into the Sinai desert in northern Saudi Arabia, and that's his area. By the way, Jethro, the Father-in law of Moses, was a Midianite priest. So they have ties way back. At this time, they have invaded the land and they've encamped around. They're stealing their crops. They're terrorizing them. And there are way more of them than there are of God's people. So, it already seems impossible, 32,000 to 135,000. Now, look at verse 2. "The Lord said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many.'" Uh, hello? Because that's not what I was thinking. Yeah, God, I wanted to talk to you about the size of my army because I'm outnumbered four to one. And I was just about to say, I have too few, and what did you just say? "The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'" How many of you think Gideon was shocked when God said that? Yeah, I do. I think he was pretty shocked. Did you know that we rarely think that size-- bigness of size-- is a hindrance to the work of God. Most Christian organizations, most churches don't see size as a hindrance. They see that as a good thing. They see the hindrances as things being small, not big. But when things are large, and resources are abundant, and there's lots of people, it's often harder to trust God. What we trust in is our resources. Those resources may be from God, but it doesn't take much faith when the cupboards are full, and the money's in, and the crowds are there. Sometimes, churches are wowed by size and statistics, and they think they're strong because they're big. That's a misconception. I want to throw up on the screen what Gary Inrig wrote, just a little portion. He says, "You cannot be too small for God to use, but you can be too big. That is why, as you look around, you will see God working in a powerful way in the lives of some very weak people." Well, I hope that encourages you. Because if you're thinking, man, I just feel so weak. Perfect. You are a great candidate for God to use. Do you know that? God has chosen the foolish things of this world, the weak things of this world, to confound the mighty and the wise. Size can hinder the work of God. Now, wait a minute. I have 32,000. They have 135,000. You're telling me I have too many? Did you notice how God wrote that, or put that, how He spoke it? "The people who are with you are too many." What's the next two words? "For Me." "Too many for Me." I know they're not too many for you, Gideon. You think you need 10 times more. Too many for Me. Who's doing the work here? Who's doing the fighting here? God's doing the fighting. Too many for Me to deliver them into your hands. Listen to this principle, never forget this. Difficulty must always be measured by the capacity of the agent doing the work. Difficulty must always be measured by the capacity of the agent doing the work. Gideon, you're not doing the work. You're going to blow off some trumpets and hit some jars. That's basically what you're going to do. I'm doing the work. I'm doing the deliverance. And difficulty must always be measured by the capacity of the agent doing the work. So, God's math is pretty simple. It's pretty straightforward. Here it is, here's God's math. I'm here, and it doesn't matter how many are out there. They're outnumbered because I'm here. That's what Martin Luther said. He said, "With God, one is a majority." So, here's God's math. I'm here. No matter who's out there, they're outnumbered. Here's another story in the Old Testament. Elijah the prophet, 2 Kings 6. He goes to a town called Dothan. He's there with his buddy, his assistant. And his assistant looks around one morning, and he sees that he is surrounded by Syrian soldiers, the army of Syria camped around them. And they're ready to pounce on Dothan to kill Elijah and his buddy. So, he looks around, the servant, and says, alas, my master. That's Bible talk for, oh no, we're toast. Alas, my master, what shall we do? And Elijah, he's just so cool. He goes, chill out, dude. Now, that is a paraphrase. He actually didn't say that in the Bible. Maybe in the NSV, the New Skip Version. But, it's like, relax. Literally, it says, "Do not fear. Those who are with us"-- listen to this-- "are more than those who are with them." That's God's math. Those that are with us are more than those who are with them. That's God's math. Now, let me throw something fun at you. In Deuteronomy 32, before this was written in the law, God promised his people, hey listen, if you obey Me, if you do what I say, if you keep my commandments, listen to these words, one man shall chase 1,000, and two will put 10,000 to flight. How's that for math? According to God's math, all Gideon needed, then, was 27 men to fight 135,000 Midianites. All of that to say this, don't be surprised if God starts trimming your resources. If He starts tearing down your strength. And you say, man, I'm not as strong as I used to be. I'm feeling weaker and weaker and weaker. Paul the Apostle thought that. He had a thorn in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 12, he prayed to God about it, and God came to him and said, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." Listen, man's extremity is God's opportunity. That was a good place for an amen, right there. All right, that's good. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. God likes when you're weak because you lean into Him. You lean in Him. You trust Him. When you got the resources, the strength, the bigness, you don't do that. When you have none of that, you lean into Him. So God's math is unusual. Here's the third. People's fear is transmissible. People's fear gets passed on. It's like coronavirus. Others get it. People's fear is transmissible. I'm going to add to that, people's fear, or faith, is transmissible. Look at verse 3. "Now therefore"-- this is God talking to Gideon. You got too many, Gideon. "Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.'" OK, stop. He's already outnumbered. How many are in his army? 32,000. You thought this number keeps changing. 32,000. How many are in the enemy's army? OK. 32,000 to 135,000. So, he's already outnumbered, and then God says, whoever's scared-- here, I'll make the announcement-- any of you in my army afraid to go to war? Go home. And Gideon's expecting that nobody's leaving. They know what they signed up for. They're in this army to fight. Nobody's scared here. Well, let's finish verse 3. "And 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained." Wow, 2/3 just walked out on Gideon. They just bailed. They dropped their weapons. See ya, I'm going home. Bye. I'm scared. See ya. Just like that. So, he was already outnumbered four to one. Now, there are only 10,000 people left. Here's what you may not know. What God called Gideon to do with this was standard operating military procedure in the Old Testament. That was. When God gave the law to Moses, He said, when the people go to war, there are four exemptions I'm going to list. Four reasons why they don't have to go to war and fight. This is Deuteronomy 20. "What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go home." It'd be frustrating to plan and build and save and have a house, and then you get drafted to go to war and you can't enjoy it. So, God says, go home, enjoy your house. That's number one. Number two. "What man is there who has planted a vineyard and not eaten of it?" Again, very frustrating. You plant, you fertilize, you water, it grows up. You got the grapes, but you can't enjoy it because there's a war. God says, no, you stay home and enjoy the vineyard. Third exemption. "What man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her?" You got the wedding announcements, everybody's coming, you're all happy, and then you have to go fight? God says, no, let him stay and get married and enjoy. Here's the fourth exemption, listen to this one. "What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart." You know why God said that? Because fear is contagious. Fear is contagious. One timid soldier can do more damage than a whole bunch of enemies. I mean, imagine if the battle begins, and in the middle of the battle, 22,000 people leave. If 22,000 people leave, everybody is gone. It would be mass panic. It would be crowd panic. We see this in stadiums when there's some threat that happens and people try to rush out and they trample others because of it. John Wesley wrote, "Give me 100 men who fear nothing but sin and love nothing but God, and I will shake the gates of hell." I don't need a lot. I can shake the gates of hell with just 100 faithful people. It's all I need. You see, a few people with faith is better than a lot of people without faith. You want a lean, mean, fighting machine. G. Campbell Morgan, I'm going to throw this up, said, "The trouble today is that the fearful and trembling man insists on remaining in the army. A decrease that sifts the ranks of the Church of men who fear and tremble is a great, a gracious, and a glorious gain." You see, and here's why. When you feel overwhelmed, it's different than feeling stressful. We all get stressed. There's a number of things that cause stress in our lives. It could be our job. It could be our family, relationship with a friend, or health. We're stressed. But, when you have one, two, three, four, five, several things piling up, and you start feeling overwhelmed, that's like stress on steroids. And when you're feeling overwhelmed, you don't need people around you filled with fear. You need people around you filled with faith. They're the ones that are going to carry you through. And you need not only fearless people, you need people who are alert. They're watching. They got your back. They're ready for action. And I want you to see that in verse 4. "The Lord said to Gideon"-- OK, you've got 10,000. So how many were in the army? 32,000. How many were in the enemy's army? Yeah, come on, group participation. 135,000. Now, how many are in the army? 10,000. 135,000. Their odds haven't changed, but the odds toward Gideon's defeat go way up. OK. I lost my place. Verse 8. "The Lord said to Gideon, 'The people who are still too many, bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, "This one shall go with you," the same shall go with you, and whomever I say to you, "This one shall not go," the same shall not go.' So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, 'Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, like a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself. Likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.' And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouth, was 300 men. But all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, 'By the 300 men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.' So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those 300 men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley." We read this, and I go, this is weird. What does drinking water have to do with fighting a battle? Well, the way a man would drink water in those days would tell an awful lot about the man. If on one hand, he bows all the way down, gets on all fours. And here's the stream of water, and he just bows down like this, drinks water, what's he looking at? Just the water, right? He is predisposed. He is vulnerable. He is not able to act quickly, right? Because he is just into drinking the water. Self-gratification. But, if somebody bows down slightly, and takes water in his hands, and brings it up to his mouth, and laps it, he still has eyes out. He's less vulnerable. He's on the alert. He has his priorities right. There's a sense of urgency about him. I think that's behind this little test. Listen, some people take unnecessary time with necessary things. You got to do it, you got to drink. Everybody has to do it. But some people take unnecessary time with necessary things. There's no sense of urgency about their lives. There's no sense of priority. And you need people around you in a battle that have a sense of vigilance, right? Peter said, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Get friends on your side like that. Fearless people, watchful people. Fear is transmissible. Here's the fourth. Enemy's words may be helpful. Your enemy's words may be helpful. Now, normally I wouldn't say this, and you wouldn't expect a pastor to say, go listen to your enemies. You would think the pastors would say, don't listen to your enemies. They don't trust God. Don't listen to what they have to say. You need to just listen to words of faith, et cetera. But in some cases, it's actually helpful for you to listen to your enemies because what they say, what they reveal, will be encouraging to your heart. I want you to see that. Look at verse 9. "It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, 'Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hands.'" In other words, strike by night. "'But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant.'" Now, the fact that he goes down to the camp with Purah his servant indicates that he was afraid. He's still fearful. "'And you shall hear what they say, and afterwards your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.' Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp." So, get the scene. He's being real sneaky here. He takes Purah, shhh, let's go. Let's go. Tiptoe. We're going to the camp of the Midianites. I don't know why, but God said if I'm scared, I should go do this, and I'm really scared, so let's just go down. Come on, come on. So, they go down, verse 12. "The Midianites and the Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts." I mean, there's 135,000 of them. "And their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, 'I've had a dream. To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.' Then his companion answered and said, 'This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.'" Now, God just gave Gideon another sign. Another sign. He got fire out of a rock, the fleece thing, the fleece thing again. Now, he just sneaks into the camp and he happens to hear a conversation spoken out loud about a-- you know, I had this weird dream last night. Yeah, it just woke me up, just now, man. There's this piece of bread, this loaf of bread came tumbling down, destroyed the tent. What's up with that? Well, the guy said, well, I'll tell you exactly what's up with that. That is a prophecy saying that we're about to get wiped out by this guy named Gideon. And Gideon just happens to hear that and be there at that time. This is where I'm going with this. So often, you and I are afraid to engage with unbelievers. We're intimidated by them. Let's say they're agnostic, atheist. Maybe they're real smart, they're clever in their arguments. They're very articulate. We're afraid to engage with unbelievers because we're afraid of what they might say. We're afraid we won't be able to stand up to their arguments. We're afraid to answer the questions that they have coming. We're afraid we're not going to be able to penetrate their defenses. But listen to them. Sometimes, when you listen to them, they will betray their true feelings. They will reveal to you that God has been working on their hearts, and it will encourage you. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. I'm just going to give you a couple examples. Number one. When I was in my college training-- it was a UCLA program-- I was at San Bernardino County Medical Center where there was a radiology internship. I worked there every day. So, I'm going to work. And I noticed this one guy, he was an orderly. He would pick up patients and bring them down to the wards-- from the wards, down to radiology. And I noticed him, and I'd say hi to him. I didn't know much about him, but come to find out, he claimed to be a Satan worshipper. Now, I don't know if he really was a Satan worshipper, but he claimed it. And I don't know if he just wanted to scare little kids or scare me, kind of look at me and go, augh. So, I'd wave at him, and, come to find out also, he lived right across the street from my apartment. One day, in an afternoon, knock on my door. I opened the door. It's Satan worshiper guy. And he comes, and his eyes are shifting a little bit. He goes, this is going to sound really weird. I work with you. I notice you. I go, yeah, I've seen you at the hospital. He goes, well, I've seen you too. And I've watched you with people. And, I don't know how to put this, but it's like you glow. I said, what? Come again? I what? Well, it's like you have a glow. I'm thinking, OK, I work in radiology, maybe I should go look in the mirror, and maybe I have radioactive poisoning or something. I didn't notice any glow. But he said, no, I noticed you have something about you. I invited him in my house because it was such a weird thing. And just as he was talking about it, and I listened to him, and listened to his arguments and his rebuttals to things, I could see God has been working on his heart. And I said, would you like to receive Jesus Christ as Savior? And he goes, I would like that. And I got to pray with him to receive Christ that afternoon. That's one. Number two. I worked in another hospital with a gal who worked at the front desk. And she knew I was a Christian, and she didn't believe what I believed. And she brought evidence and papers and articles to work, and wanted to show me that I was wrong and she was right. And this went on for days and weeks. And one day, one evening, I walked her out in the parking lot, the St. Joseph hospital in Orange. I walk her out to the parking lot, to her car, and she still has her papers, and she's saying this and saying that. And I stopped in the parking lot, and I said, Linda, throw in the towel. She goes, what? I said, stop. You're fighting God. I have a hunch that all of this wrangling that you are doing is because you are convicted by God and you know that you need to receive Christ. Am I right, Linda? And I did not expect what happened next. She broke down weeping. She broke down weeping. And she stood with me in the parking lot and prayed to receive Christ. To this day, she and her family are still walking with the Lord. So, when those things happen, they build up your faith. Sometimes, you need to listen to your enemies to find out what God is doing in their lives. And then fifth, and finally. We only have a couple of minutes to finish this off. Fifth, our worship is essential. Look at verse 15, it closes out the paragraph. "And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshipped." You're going, well, yeah. He just had four signs from God. Yeah, but follow me here. "He heard the telling of the dream and it's an interpretation, he worshipped. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, 'Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand." Here's what I want you to notice. Gideon worshipped before the battle, not after the battle. Now, he may have worshipped after the battle. He probably did. Praise God, we won. But before the battle, he was a worshiper before he was a warrior. You see, worship reorients you when you're in a battle. It recalibrates your spiritual GPS, so to speak. It adjusts your compass. It reaffirms your purpose. So, there's a great passage in Romans 8. I know you know it. Paul said, in all these things, we are more than conquerors. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. It's one thing to be a conqueror. What is it to be more than a conqueror? More than conquerors, those are three words in English. In Greek, it's one word, [SPEAKING GREEK] And it means, the best translation is, you'll be a hyper conqueror. In all these things, we are hyper conquerors. We are super conquerors. Well, what's the difference between a conqueror and a hyper conqueror? Super conqueror? To be a conqueror is to rejoice when the battle is over. To be more than a conqueror is to rejoice before the battles start. And that's Gideon. He goes, boys, the Lord has given the enemy into our hands. Let's march down. That's how you stand when you face overwhelming odds. That's how you stand up to devastating news. Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States-- I talk about overwhelming times, the Civil War. He said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go." There's nowhere else to go. There's no plan B. It's plan A all the way. It's trust God, trust God, trust God. And so, he paused and he worshipped. He'd been praying, and now he worships. All of that deep prayer life. You've heard the name John Knox, the Great Reformer of Scotland. John Knox was a pretty fiery preacher. He got in the face of Mary Queen of Scots many times. He just sort of said it like it was. You need to repent of your sins, on and on and on. So, there was a debate between them. Mary Queen of Scots said, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than I fear all the armies of Europe." That's quite a statement, isn't it. "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than I fear all the armies of Europe." The Midianites should have been afraid of the prayers of Gideon, because he's the guy who took the battle. So, as you map out your future, as you look ahead, and you are tempted to say, I don't know what the future holds, it's been such a bad year, couple of years, granted. It's OK, it's OK. You're fearful. You're learning. We're all getting our faith feet on. But, know this. God's got you covered. God's got you covered. In the old times, when they made maps, cartographers-- did I tell you this already? Beyond here, there be dragons, right? So, as you look at your future and map it out, instead of saying, beyond here, there be dragons. How about, beyond here lay the everlasting arms of God, who holds you right where He wants you. Father, thank you for this incredible story, and all of these lessons we have been learning about men and women of great faith and great courage. And I pray, Lord, that you will make us such. A people who trust you. We are weak. We are fearful on many occasions. You know what we're made of. You know our frame. You remember that we're but dust. But Lord, what you can take with dust-- what you can do with dust. We're just clay pots, but that clay pot filled with your Holy Spirit is a mighty weapon. I pray, Lord, that you will use us in this faithless generation-- Paul called it-- faithless generation. Make us faithful, men and women full of faith. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen. To be a conqueror is to rejoice when the battle is over. To be more than a conqueror is to rejoice before the battles start. And that’s Gideon. He goes, boys, the Lord has given the enemy into our hands. Let’s march down. That’s how you stand when you face overwhelming odds. That’s how you stand up to devastating news. http://connectwithskip.com .

Transcript: lo Dr. Larry Osborne October 9-10, 2021 Message #23 / Revelation northcoastchurch.com/sermons Revelation A Promise for Now - A Roadmap for Later The Who, What and Why Revelation 1:1-9/ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 A Few Key Passages Revelation 1-5 How to Study the Book of Revelation The Promise and The Roadmap (1) Revelation is not a UNIQUE book. It’s a DIFFERENT book. John 5:39-40 & Luke 24:25-27/ 1 Peter 1:10-12 (2) These are the LAST DAYS. But Jesus might not return for a LONG TIME. A) The last days began 2,000 YEARS ago. Acts 2:17/ Hebrews 1:2/ James 5:3/ 1 John 2:18-19/ Jude 1:17-19 B) God’s calendar doesn’t MATCH OURS – and never has. 2 Peter 3:8-10/ Isaiah 55:8-9/ Genesis 13:14-15 & Genesis 15:13-16 C) “No one knows the day or hour,” actually means, “NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR.” Matthew 24:36-39/ Matthew 24:42-51 & Matthew 25:1-13 (3) When these things ACTUALLY HAPPEN, we won’t need Bible scholars to comprehend the Book of Revelation. (4) There is nothing we can do to HASTEN or HOLD BACK these events. (5) Our blessed hope is THE RETURN OF JESUS, not the things most of us hope and pray for. Titus 2:11-13 The best way to connect with us is the Connection Card in the bulletin. For the Digital Bulletin, visit myncc.info. Dr. Larry Osborne October 9-10, 2021 Message #23 / Revelation northcoastchurch.com/sermons Revelation A Promise for Now - A Roadmap for Later The Who, What and Why Revelation 1:1-9/ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 A Few Key Passages Revelation 1-5 How to Study the Book of Revelation The Promise and The Roadmap (1) Revelation is not a ___________ book. It’s a ______________ book. John 5:39-40 & Luke 24:25-27/ 1 Peter 1:10-12 (2) These are the ________________. But Jesus might not return for a _______________. A) The last days began ________________ ago. Acts 2:17/ Hebrews 1:2/ James 5:3/ 1 John 2:18-19/ Jude 1:17-19 B) God’s calendar doesn’t ________________– and never has. 2 Peter 3:8-10/ Isaiah 55:8-9/ Genesis 13:14-15 & Genesis 15:13-16 C) “No one knows the day or hour,” actually means, “______________________________________.” Matthew 24:36-39/ Matthew 24:42-51 & Matthew 25:1-13 (3) When these things _________________________, we won’t need Bible scholars to comprehend the Book of Revelation. (4) There is nothing we can do to __________ or _____________ these events. (5) Our blessed hope is ___________________________, not the things most of us hope and pray for. Titus 2:11-13 The best way to connect with us is the Connection Card in the bulletin. For the Digital Bulletin, visit myncc.info. Life Group Study Questions For the week of October 10, 2021 QUICK REVIEW Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or something that caught your attention, challenged or confused you? MY STORY 1. When you hear someone talking about the end times and speculating about Jesus’ return, what is your typical response? How has your interest in and/or understanding of the return of Christ changed as you’ve gotten older? 2. James 5:7 tells us to be patient as we wait for the return of Jesus. Most people aren’t very good at patiently waiting for anything. What is something that is hard for you to wait for? Have you developed any ways to help you be patient when you’re in a situation requiring waiting? DIGGING DEEPER 1. Revelation is not the only place in the New Testament that talks about the last days and the return of Jesus. At least 12 of the New Testament books refer to it. One of the longer passages is found in 2 Peter 3. As you read through this passage… 1. Circle / highlight any words or phrases talking about how we are to live in the last days in light of the future. 2. Underline the portions that describe what will happen when the day of the Lord arrives (Jesus returns). 3. Put an X next to anything that confuses you. 2 Peter 3:3-14, 17-18 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. What sticks out to you about how we’re supposed to live in light of what will happen when Christ returns? Knowing how everything will turn out in the end, what differences could this make in how we live out our faith? How does 2 Corinthians 4:18 influence your answer? 2 Corinthians 4:18 New International Version (NIV) 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2. The Book of Revelation was written to seven churches located in modern day Turkey. In chapters 2 and 3, John recorded a message from God for each of these seven churches with the first one being to the church at Ephesus. If you had to sum up God’s assessment of the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7, what would you say? Revelation 2:1-7 New International Version (NIV) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. If God were to make a similar assessment of your life like He did with the church at Ephesus, what do you think He would commend you for and what would He say needs some attention? TAKING IT HOME Looking back on this week’s sermon and study, what’s most important for you to remember? PRAYER REQUESTS ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ MEN’S CONFERENCE Join us Friday, October 22 & Saturday, October 23 for the first ever North Coast Church Men’s Conference held at the Vista Campus! Come enjoy teaching led by pastors Chris Brown and Mark Clark! Register at northcoastchurch.com/2021-mens-conference/. WOMEN’S GATHERING – North Coast Leadership Conference Join us Monday, October 18, 6-9pm at the Vista Campus and be equipped to lead no matter what role you serve in — as a student, single woman, wife, mom or in the marketplace. Visit northcoastchurch.com/womens-gathering-event/. prophecyThe Book of Revelation has a two-fold purpose. But contrary to what many Christians assume, it’s not a book of riddles and cryptic clues to see who’s smart enough to figure them out. This week we will discover what those two purposes are. www.northcoast.org .

God uses suffering for his glory and our growth. Sermon begins at 19:00 Preached at New Life Bible Fellowship, Tucson, Arizona. Team sermon by Greg Lavine and John Beeson

Sexual Freedom = Happiness? Gen Z (also known as iGen), are currently between the ages of 6 and 24 years old. These youth have been influenced by society to view sex, sexuality, and now even gender identity, as critical aspects of their personal “happiness.” There are so many directions we could take in this post, but let’s ask a single question, “Does sexual freedom actually make us happy?” If sexual exploration and experimentation are so “affirming,” why does Gen Z admit it feels incredibly lonely, lost, depressed, and stressed out? Wait, sex isn’t making life better? A study from 2000 found that teens viewed  143 incidents of sexual behavior  on network television during prime time viewing hours  each week  — with little of it morally affirming. How, after 20 years of this messaging, might we demonstrate that we have “come a long way”? Perhaps this popular Google search term —  “Become Sexually Irresistible” —  could be one measure. If sexual freedom, as society suggests, is the yellow brick road to empowerment and good vibes, shouldn’t we find Gen Z creating their best lives as they curiously explore? Sexual Freedom = Bondage? Research statistics confirm that, for many, sexual curiosity and engagement has led to significant pain and bondage: Studies show that one in seven teens are actively  sexting , sharing sexual content and photos via texts, social platforms, secret chat rooms, and live-streaming websites. Many then experience the nightmare of being controlled, bullied, and sexually trafficked from “ sextortion .”  When our teens (and even pre-teens) believe they need to sexualize their bodies, it should “wake” us to the fact that they’re desperately seeking validation where society has placed value.   Society champions the  porn  industry, asserting that viewing porn is “normal, harmless, and fun.” For many, it’s the start of a spiraling addiction. 64 percent of young people between 13-24 admit they regularly view porn, and many find they can’t stop. Many also admit the addiction makes it impossible for them to interact in real relationships in healthy patterns.  Healthy relationships are a necessity for a healthy society. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 million new cases of  sexually transmitted diseases  infect Americans each year, with half of the infected between 15 and 24 years old. In one U.S. survey, 24 percent of teenage girls tested were found to have an  STI . Sexual infection rates across the U.S. indicates the  upward trend  isn’t slowing down. As half of the eight most common sexually transmitted diseases aren’t curable with available drugs, infections are easily shared with each new sexual partner.  Will every sexually active person become infected? Gen Z has been raised in a world that promotes sexual “empowerment.” Many find the promised “liberation” actually comes with chains. Rethinking Sex  There are many good reasons that God asks us to live to His standards. Though Gen Z might assert that being asked to curb their sexual exploration and experimentation limits their personal choice and freedom, we can help Gen Z to: Compare media messaging about sex with how it’s playing out in real life among their peers. Get clear on the personal safety and control they give up when they sext and participate in sexual activity. This downloadable  Sexting Handbook  link by The Common Sense Media is a helpful resource. Embrace what God says about their bodies, including their worth having nothing to do with their sex appeal. Do you know a young person who could benefit from your loving wisdom and God’s ceaseless love?  Let’s help to connect these youth with churches and groups that will guide them in building empowering lives they will fully enjoy. Our own  Resolution Movement , as well as these  organizations , focus on helping youth to break the chains of unhealthy sexual habits, addiction, and shame. Let’s help Gen Z to live in the freedom God wants them to enjoy! One’s sexuality is an important part of life, for sure. But sex was meant to be sacred. When it’s not, it leads to bondage. There’s no liberation in that.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH January 2417, 2021 Win the Day – Wind the Clock Dr. Mark Batterson Many years ago, Dr. Tony Campolo was teaching a class at the University of Pennsylvania when he turned an ordinary lecture into an unforgettable lesson. He asked the students sitting on the front row, "Young man, how long have you lived?" Well, the unsuspecting student answered his age. "No, no, no, no", said Tony Campolo, "that's how long your heart has been pumping blood. That's not how long you've lived." That's when Tony Campolo told the class a story about one of the most memorable moments of his life. In 1944, his fourth grade class took a field trip to the top of the Empire State Building, tallest building in the world at the time. When nine year old Tony got off the elevator, walked out onto the observation deck overlooking New York City time stood still. "If I live a million years", said Tony Campolo "that moment will still be part of my consciousness because I was fully alive when I lived it." Tony turned back to the same student and said, "Now let me ask the question again. How long have you lived?" "When you say it that way," the students said, "maybe an hour, maybe a minute, maybe two minutes." Let me ask you two questions. One, how old are you? And two, how long have you lived? It's easy calculating age, much more difficult quantifying life. Why? Time is measured in minutes, but life is measured in moments. What are those Empire State Building moments for you? When was the last time that time stood still? And if you turn those moments into minutes, how long have you lived? We're in a series based on the book 'Win the Day'. I talked about five habits; flip the script, kiss the wave, eat the frog, fly the kite, cut the rope, it is time to wind the clock, habit number six. If you have a Bible, you can meet me in Ephesians 5:16. Before we talk about minutes and moments, three thoughts... The goal this weekend is really a right relationship with time. Lots of people living in the wrong time zone stuck in past tense - guilt; paralyzed by future tense - fear. Either way, they're half present half the time, which means they're half alive. My goal this weekend is to close that gap between those two questions. How old are you and how long have you lived? I want to help you make the most minutes and moments. But time management is not just practical, it's theological and so three thoughts before we wind the clock... One time is a human construct. "With the Lord a day is like 1,000 years," 2 Peter 3:8, and "1,000 years are like a day." Okay, that makes no sense in four dimensions of space time. Newsflash, God does not exist within the space, time, dimensions that he created. There is no past, present, or future. The challenge we face is that four dimensions is all we have ever known. So in the beginning, God created - 1 - us in His image we have been creating God in our image ever since and so what do we do? We timestamp God. No, he's the same yesterday, today and forever. He is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end; he is the Ancient of Days. In the words of theologian Paul Tillich, he is the eternal now. All of that to say this - creation was God's way of starting the clock. We've been on the clock since God said, "Let there be light." That said, day is coming when we will cross that space-time continuum, we will enter a dimension that the Bible calls heaven. And we think of heaven as a future destination and it is, it is. But Heaven is invading Earth; eternity is invading time, right here, right now. One time is a human construct. Two - we live forward, but God is working backward. We are God's workmanship, Ephesians 2:10 created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared for us in advance. This is where our holy confidence comes from. God is setting you up. God wants you to get where God wants to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go and he's really good at getting you there. He is ordering your footsteps. He is working all things together for good. Now, let's not just kind of use that as a platitude doesn't mean all things are good. Listen, bad things happen to good people. Why? Because we live in a fallen world with free will. But there is a God who can redeem and recycle even the pain and suffering and work it together. And the same God who began a good work is the God who is carrying it to completion in your life. There is a fancy word in philosophy - teleology, it's beginning with the end in mind, that's who God is, that's what God does. For us the arrow of time points in one direction past, present, future. Then Jesus shows up and says, "Before Abraham was I am. Wait, wait, what? Like what is that about? No, that that is the Eternal One invading our space-time reality. It's called the incarnation. Now I think Joshua's 6:2 is another example. I love this. It says, "I will deliver Jericho into your hands." Now you got check your pastor that's not what it says. That's what it should say in my book because it hasn't happened yet. It should be future tense. But God says, "I have delivered Jericho into your hands", past tense, but it hasn't happened yet. Well, that brings us to the third thought. Everything is created twice, breakthroughs, miracles they happen twice. Everything was once a thought. There is an internal creation - first mental, spiritual, then and only then there is a physical manifestation. That's what imagining unborn tomorrows is all about. Have a little bit of fun with this. The layout of the city where we live many of us live and work Washington, DC first existed in the imagination of a Frenchman named Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the military engineer turned urban planner transferred those ideas onto a 20 ounce piece of paper, which now sits in a plexiglass case, breathing pressurized argon gas at the Library of Congress. When we navigate Pennsylvania Avenue, when you run around the National Mall, we are navigating places and spaces that were once thoughts and ideas. Our physical reality was nothing more than an idea that existed in the mind of Pierre Charles L'Enfant. This is part of the image of God. That image is the ability to imagine and we'll talk more about that when we get to habit seven, seeding the clouds. - 2 - According to the Talmud, along with everything God spoke into existence during those six days of creation God made provision for some miraculous moments that would happen throughout human history. I really like this and it illustrates the idea that I'm trying to make. Now this is rabbinic tradition, but it's in keeping with God's character. During those first six days, according to rabbinic tradition, God commanded the Red Sea to split apart, the sun and moon to stand still for Joshua, the ravens to feed Elijah, the fish to spit out Jonah, the fire not to burn Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the lions not to harm Daniel. Simply put, when God gives a vision he makes provision. We have experienced this 101 times as a church. Here's what I know for sure. We live at the intersection of two theologies, two realities, the faithfulness of God is pursuing us from the past, the sovereignty of God is setting us up for the future. And we live where those two theologies and realities intersect, so far so God, the best is yet to come. I think what I'm getting at is this you are here for such a time as this; you are here for such a place as this. Here's the bottom line and the big idea. God can do more in one day than you can accomplish in 1000 lifetimes that said, gotta wind the clock. And so ready or not, here we go. Ephesians 5:16, "15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” The King James Version, that little phrase make the most of every opportunity translates it as redeem the time and I'll come back to that. Let me talk about minutes and then we'll talk about moments. In 1977 the Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff immigrated to the United States. He was asked what do you love most about this country. He said, "American grocery stores." He said, "I'll never forget walking in grocery store, walked down an aisle; powdered milk, just add water get milk, right next to it powdered orange juice, just add water get orange juice, then I saw baby powder and I thought to myself, what a country?" Yeah, no, that isn't exactly the way it works but the reality is we live in a quick fix, get rich quick, 15 minutes of fame, instant gratification culture. We got to wind the clock a little bit more than that. So let's talk about managing minutes. And then we'll talk about managing moments. Here's a critical thought; you do not find time, you make time. {Singing} 525,600 minutes 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? {End singing} Now every time I do that, I regret it. I'm not headed to Broadway anytime soon. But I like having a little bit of fun too. All of us are allotted the same amount of seconds every minute, same amount of minutes every hour, same amount of hours every day. Time is this great equalizer. I'll let you in on a little secret. You don't find time to write books you make time. You don't find time to train for a marathon, you make time. You don't find time for your family, you make time. How? Let's talk about two things. One, you got to curse the barren fig tree. Two, do the math. Now, in the gospels there's this miracle that I find fascinating and it's a category all by itself because all the other miracles - 3 - are life giving. This one is the exact opposite Jesus curses, a barren fig tree. Why? Pretty simple, it's not producing fruit. It's just taking up space. That's not good stewardship. Listen, faithfulness, is fruitfulness. All of us have barren fig trees in our lives, things that are not producing fruit. To be blunt, they're a waste of time, and a waste of energy. Now, I want to be careful here. The difference between consuming and creating but the average person spends 142 minutes on social media. Is that the way that you want to spend 15% of your waking hours? Cursing the barren fig tree? I think it's saving time the same way that you might save money. Let me come right out and say this, I think setting your alarm clock is one of the most spiritual decisions that you make. Now, before sending anybody on a guilt trip, hear me out. All of us have different personality types and we have different chronotypes. There are larks early morning people, there are owls, late night people and listen to each his own. If you're a lark, you got to guard those early morning hours. If you're an owl, you need to leverage those late nights. During a writing season I set my alarm clock a little bit earlier. It gives me the creative margin that I need to write. Now I still listen to the NCC daily, I climb the stairs to the upper zoom; I still get my latte two shots, and drink it while I do my daily Bible reading plan. Those things are part of my morning rhythm, my morning routine. But here's what I've learned as a lark 90% of my creativity happens before noon. And so I try not to check email first thing in the morning. Why? Because winding the clock is spending your best time, your best energy on the most important things. This isn't just time management, this is stewardship. I'll add one thing to the mix. A NASA study found that a 26 minute nap increases productivity 34%. And so if I get a 26 minute nap, you know what I found, I actually get two windows of productivity, two windows of creativity. All of that to say this, you've got to figure out what works for you. One way, though, is to curse that barren fig tree. And one way to do it is habit stacking and so stick with me just a couple of practical ideas. Put a book in your bathroom, and you can read a book a month, some of you, you got more potential than that. Now, don't just listen to the news. Pray the news, turn it into an exercise. I bet a few of us blood pressure gone up a little bit, a little bit of adrenaline. Listen, leverage it, don't be anxious about anything, in everything by prayer and petition. What a great way to redeem the time. Listen to a podcast while you exercise. Listen to an audio book while you commute. Now I know that those seem very common sensical but the reality is a lot of us waste a lot of our downtime, doing things that really don't contribute to our growth. Now, finally, I think you can curse the barren fig tree by establishing boundaries and establishing priorities. You know, for Lora and me, it's sometimes really hard to guard a day off. And so recently we've been doing day off - phone off. Why? You know why. Because we have these devices that are constant interruptions, especially if you leave your notifications on, right? It's pinging you all the time. I - 4 - think it's interesting to me that the Sabbath is the longest commandment most number of words to describe it. And I think it's because it's honestly one of the hardest commandments for us to obey. Why? It's just really hard to believe that we don't keep the planets in orbit. Right? And so we play God, we feel like if we aren't constantly on the move, like the world's gonna pass us by. You have to establish boundaries and in a sense, they're pre-decisions. A number of years ago, you've heard me share this, made a decision that I wouldn't do more than 12 overnight speaking trips a year. A couple of years ago, I dialed that back to seven. Why? Because I know myself if I don't make some pre-decisions. I'm gonna overextend myself, and they're gonna be some barren fig trees. And you know what those boundaries not only save time and energy; they might even save your marriage. So curse the barren fig tree two do the math. During a writing season, I set my alarm clock a little bit earlier and I don't take outside NCC appointments. And that's hard for me because my default setting is yes; I kind of want to meet with anybody and everybody I can. But here's how I think about writing and this is really me kind of letting you into my world and the way I wind the clock. To me, a book is my way of saying I'll spend six or seven hours with anyone, anywhere, you can take me wherever. In fact, if you're a slow reader, we can spend more time together than that. A book is my way of giving people the best six or seven hours that they have. Now, that doesn't mean I don't take other appointments, of course I do. But during a writing season, the only way I'm going to write that book is if I put some of those boundaries in place. And so as a people pleaser, my default setting is yes, its really hard to say no. And so one of the ways that I Jedi mind trick myself is I do the math and so stick with me. When we averaged 20 people to church a half hour message, total 10 hours of collective time, does that make sense? You know, 20 people times 30 minutes, there you go. Now I can honestly say, I really feel like I have preached almost every sermon like it's the last sermon I will ever preach. That goes all the way back to college when I preached a message to about 12 people. I remember staying up until 3am, in the prayer room saying God, I need a word from you. And so that's how I go at it. I'm also cognizant that as NCC is growing, the stakes get a little bit higher, 100 people that's 50 hours, like that's a work week. 1000 people, that's 500 hours, that's 20 days of collective time. The last time I checked one sermon now, but 208 days, that's more than seven months. And that's my mindset as I prepare a message. Why? It helps me manage the minutes. It's the way I establish priorities and establish boundaries. Same goes for writing, multiply the number of copies, The Circle Maker by average reading time, 1678 years, I remind myself of that every once in a while, because I have a hard time managing the minutes. But I want to make sure that I am giving God my utmost for his highest. All right, let me switch gears. If managing minutes is a science, then managing moments is an art, it's a soft skill, it's a sixth sense. Now the ancient Greeks had two words for time, both of them appearing in Scripture - chrónos, kairos, two sides of the same coin, but as different as heads and tails. Chrónos is - 5 - clock time, it's where we get our word, chronology. It's sequential, past, present future, its quantitative seconds, minutes and hours. Managing chrónos time is incredibly important. If you don't control your calendar, your calendar will control you. I believe in Lombardi time if you aren't 15 minutes early, you're late. That said, the word used in Ephesians 5:16 that gets translated make the most of every opportunity or redeem the time is this word kairos. I think it refers to those top of the Empire State Building moments. And let me talk about how you manage it. In a sense, it's counting the cost but not just the actual cost. It's counting the opportunity cost. Two ways to manage or wind the kairos clock... • One, you have to steward teachable moments • And two, you have to accumulate experiences. Let me break this down. One of my earliest memories could have been a traumatic memory. I was at my grandparents house. They lived on the Mississippi River, Fridley, Minnesota. We'd go over there all the time. I loved them, they love me and we could do about anything we wanted to. But my grandfather taught history at the University of Minnesota, and one of his prized possessions was a collection of fossils. And there was one simple rule, 'Don't play with grandpa's fossils.' It's the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you can call me Adam. I pick up the fossil five year old hands I can still feel it, just slipped through my hands, hit the ground crack in two. Whoooo! Listen, my little five year old heart, I could feel it, no idea how my grandpa was gonna respond, died 1000 deaths. He walks in, and I'll never forget this moment, it's one of those early, early memories, doesn't say a word just kind of assesses the situation. Then without saying a word picks me up, gives me one of these, holds me tight, not a word spoken. Oh, I heard what he said. Mark, you're far more valuable to me than a fossil. There's a moment I'll never forget. It was a lesson in grace. I don't know what was going through my grandfather's mind. There would have been nothing wrong I suppose with him maybe disciplining me for not obeying what was the house rule but I think he saw a teachable moment. As parents, this is huge, because it's so easy for us to just react and listen, parents, just to let you in on a little secret, all of us, okay, have reacted more times than we wish or care to admit and this is true in the workplace, I think it's true in politics. I think there are moments that are teachable moments and if we could not react but pro act, if we could exercise a little bit of this kairos sensitivity, we would see those moments as opportunities to make a tremendous difference. You see opportunities instead of issues and no one was better at this than Jesus, right? The religious leaders want to stone this woman to death a woman caught in the act of adultery and Jesus steps in and steps up, pretty much says, "Over my dead body". And then there's this woman who breaks open an alabaster jar, and pours it on his feet, anoints Jesus and everybody's given her a hard time. Judas is like, "Hey, we could have used that to, to give to the poor". Yeah, right, you would have stolen it, right, and so another sermon for another day, Jesus says, "The whole world is gonna hear about what you did for me." The disciples, I love this moment, - 6 - they're playing, gatekeeper, right? They're kind of secret service, like we need to keep the families and children away. We have places to go things to do. And Jesus says, "Are you kidding me? Come on; let the little children come on to me." Imagine these moments where he would place a hand on a head and pronounce blessing on children's lives and then even on the cross. I think sometimes we lose the human dynamic. What's incredible to me is Jesus is thinking about everybody else. What do you mean? He says, "Father forgive them," talking about the soldiers, "for they know not what they do." Seriously? Like you're thinking about the soldiers who put nails through your hands. Oh, and John, would you take care of my mother? Wow. Like he's making arrangements while he's suffering on a cross. Oh, and then the guy next to him, "Today, you'll be with me in paradise." Like what? Who, who has the emotional capacity hanging on a cross? I'll tell you someone, someone who understood moments, and the difference that they can make in people's lives. There are people all around us all the time that need us to be peacemakers, grace givers, tone setters and so we wind the kairos clock by stewarding those teachable moments. And two, we wind that kairos clock by accumulating experiences. I try to live by a little mantra 'don't accumulate possessions, accumulate experiences.' By the way, I met very few people possessed by a demon, met a lot of people who are possessed by their possessions. Don't accumulate possessions, accumulate experiences. Let me tell you where it comes from and we'll close with this. There are decades when nothing happens and there are days when decades happen and they come in all sizes and shapes. August 16, 1996 I prayed a 4.7 mile perimeter around Capitol Hill. It was the day when decades happened. July 23, 2000 intestines ruptured, emergency surgery, two days on a respirator, lose 25 it was a day when decades happened. August 12, 2001, five years into this church plan, not a whole lot of growth to show for it and wouldn't you know it we land on the front page of the Washington Post's Sunday edition. It was a day when decades happened. Lots of sizes and shapes but let me share one more May 27, 2005. It's one of those top of the Empire State Building moments for me. I was on a mission team from this church to the church that we were planting in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Beza International Church. It was an incredible week; we were there for their inaugural service. I helped build a mud hut, which was amazing. And we get to the end of the week, and there's a free day. And so we decide to take a little trip to Awash National Park. And so we drive out of the city, few hours out of the city, and we stop for a picnic lunch, and there's some cows grazing nearby and listen, cows in other countries far more fascinating than American cows. And so we're taking pictures of the cows when I don't know where shepherds aren't shepherds carrying AK-47s come running at us, and basically hold us up at gunpoint. Like, well, evidently, their cows are cash cows, okay, so we pay them some cash and we're driving. You ever had one of those experiences where when you're in it, it is absolutely terrifying but I kid you not like the split second after it was awesome. It was awesome. You know, like, I'm driving away we just got held up in Ethiopia, you know, at gunpoint in Ethiopia. You know, I feel like I'm fully living my life right now. - 7 - And so we keep driving, and we get into the outback, and we go off road and there is a natural spring heated by a volcano. Our guides tell us its 114 degrees. Like that's barely humanly possible. But sure enough, about five minutes in one of the guys on our team faints. Now fortunately, there's someone on a team who had a camera and was actually filming while this happened, and I won't mention his initials, Pastor Joel. But listen, this guy goes under the water camera doesn't move, you may drown, but we are going to capture this for posterity. Fortunately, someone else on the team made the rescue attempt. We may have watched that video more than once. And so we finally get to Awash National Park it's already been a day. And we're on Range Rovers, African sun setting. I'm seeing animals I don't know their names. I've never seen these in a zoo. I mean, it's just absolutely breathtaking. We get to our campsite 80 baboons kind of hanging out in the trees. Like have you have you seen the backside of a baboons? Do not tell me God does not have a sense of humor. And one of my favorite moments, one of these baboons decides to kind of drop a little something, something and it lands on one person on our team. Now I'm not sure that for her it was the top of the Empire State Building moment, it was for me, yeah, it would probably be a lot of fun. And then we're around the campfire that night we're singing worship choruses, one of those moments you can't not worship. And the guards, armed guards who guarded our campsite, said "Hey, be quiet." And sure enough, there is a lion roaring, we hope in the distance. And so put yourself in my shoes. I'm sitting in my pup tent like I'm just a guy from America, right? And I've never experienced any of this stuff. I don't even know what to do with it but that's the moment. This thought fires across my synapses and I write it in my journal, "don't accumulate possessions, accumulate experiences". I want to tell you this, the greatest experiences are the experiences you accumulate, following in the footsteps of someone named Jesus, He will take you places you can't go, you will do things, they're impossible. You will experience love and joy and power and peace and grace and things that just aren't humanly possible. You will accumulate experiences that will change not only your life, but will change your eternity. I am out of time. Pun intended. You got to manage minutes, you got to manage moments. Only one life will soon be past only what's done for Christ will last. - 8 - Time is measured in MINUTES, but life is measured in MOMENTS. You don’t FIND TIME, you have to MAKE TIME. How? For starters, curse the barren fig trees. These are the things that waste time, waste energy. How do you curse the barren fig tree? You establish boundaries and establish priorities. If managing minutes is a science, then managing moments is an art form. It’s recognizing teachable moments and making the most of them. It’s accumulating experiences, rather than possessions. Preached at National Community Church

Dr. Larry Osborne January 29-30, 2022 Message #4 / 1 Samuel 16:13-14 & 18:5-11 northcoastchurch.com/sermons Who You Gonna Listen To? The Rise Of A Shepherd / The Demise Of A King 1 Samuel 15-17/ 18:5-11 & 19-30 The Turning Point: 1 Samuel 16:13-14 Two Options: Proverbs 3:5-6/ Galatians 5:16-17 1. Trust in the LORD and respond HIS WAY 2. Trust in MYSELF and respond MY WAY Walking In The Spirit: Five Important Observations 1. We have one big advantage David didn’t have. The Holy Spirit is not just WITH us, He is IN us. John 14:15-17/ 16:7-11 2. Walking in the Spirit is simply TRUSTING God enough to DO what He SAYS no matter what. Two Areas Where That Is Really Hard To Do: 1. Returning GOOD for EVIL Romans 12:17-21/ 1 Peter 2:21-23 & 3:9 2. Waiting for God’s PERFECT TIMING 1 Peter 5:6/ Matthew 4:1-11/ Proverbs 20:22 3. God’s will is more like a GAME PLAN than a BLUEPRINT. 4. There will always be some STATIC on the line. Romans 7:15-25/ Acts 16:6-10/ Daniel 9:20-23 & Daniel 10:11-14 5. The Holy Spirit will never CONTRADICT Himself. 2 Timothy 3:16-17/ Proverbs 12:15/ John 14:26/ Romans 12:2 The best way to connect with us is the Connection Card in the bulletin. For the Digital Bulletin, visit myncc.info. Dr. Larry Osborne January 29-30, 2022 Message #4 / 1 Samuel 16:13-14 & 18:5-11 northcoastchurch.com/sermons Who You Gonna Listen To? The Rise Of A Shepherd / The Demise Of A King 1 Samuel 15-17/ 18:5-11 & 19-30 The Turning Point: 1 Samuel 16:13-14 Two Options: Proverbs 3:5-6/ Galatians 5:16-17 1. Trust in the ________ and respond ___________ 2. Trust in __________ and respond __________ Walking In The Spirit: Five Important Observations 1. We have one big advantage David didn’t have. The Holy Spirit is not just ________ us, He is ______ us. John 14:15-17/ 16:7-11 2. Walking in the Spirit is simply ___________ God enough to ______ what He ________ no matter what. Two Areas Where That Is Really Hard To Do: 1. Returning ________ for ________ Romans 12:17-21/ 1 Peter 2:21-23 & 3:9 2. Waiting for God’s ___________________ 1 Peter 5:6/ Matthew 4:1-11/ Proverbs 20:22 3. God’s will is more like a ______________ than a ______________. 4. There will always be some __________ on the line. Romans 7:15-25/ Acts 16:6-10/ Daniel 9:20-23 & Daniel 10:11-14 5. The Holy Spirit will never _______________ Himself. 2 Timothy 3:16-17/ Proverbs 12:15/ John 14:26/ Romans 12:2 The best way to connect with us is the Connection Card in the bulletin. For the Digital Bulletin, visit myncc.info. Life Group Study Questions For the week of January 30, 2022 QUICK REVIEW Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or something that caught your attention, challenged or confused you? MY STORY 1. This weekend we learned about the importance of wise counsel in our decision-making process. What is the wisest advice you have ever received? (Potential areas to think through: relationships, marriage, parenting, finances, spirituality, work, etc.) Can you think of a piece of advice you didn’t take, but in hindsight, wish you would have? 2. When we can be tempted to respond in the flesh, Pastor Larry mentioned there are many things that influence our response (i.e., feelings, thoughts, calculations, friends, prevailing culture). Which one may be more difficult for you when it comes to not responding in the flesh? DIGGING DEEPER 1. As we look at Saul and David’s relationship beginning to unravel, we notice some key differences in their response to fear and uncertainty. We notice Saul responding out of the flesh and David mostly responding out of the Spirit. All of us face similar challenges of walking in the Spirit or responding in our own flesh. When it comes to how we respond, what are some of the guidelines the Apostle Paul gives in Romans 12:17-21 to help us understand what a Spirit-filled response looks like? Romans 12:17-21 New International Version (NIV) 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Which one of the guidelines you identified comes most naturally to you? Which response may be more difficult for you? Paul’s call for us to live at peace with everyone doesn’t mean we ignore wrong behavior or become passive. Depending on the situation, there will be times that call for us to engage in healthy conflict resolution or confronting sinful behavior or injustice. When you know something is wrong, how do you decide whether to remain silent or to engage in resolving the situation? Can you think of a time when you were in the wrong and the other person, instead of returning evil for evil, responded to you in a godly way? 2. Another area where we need to be led by the Spirit is in our decision-making. Pastor Larry taught that when we make a decision, we need to run through the filter of God’s Word, wise counsel and promptings of the Holy Spirit. Take a look at the Proverbs below as they help guide us into making wise decisions. Proverbs 2:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 11:14 New International Version (NIV) 14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers. Proverbs 12:15 New International Version (NIV) 15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 15:22 New International Version (NIV) 22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Do you have someone you would lean on for wise counsel? Is it the same person in every area of your life, or do you have different people for different areas of your life? Make a list of the characteristics you would look for in someone whom you would consider wise. Is there a characteristic you listed above that you most want to work on to become wise counsel in someone else’s life? TAKING IT HOME Which point from this weekend’s message or Life Group study is most important for you to remember? PRAYER REQUESTS ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ COMMUNITY SERVICE IMPACT Looking to serve with your Life Group? To check out all your options, go to NorthCoastCommunityService.org It’s been said that our decisions and responses determine our destiny. As we explore the rise of David and the sad demise of King Saul, we’ll see why one of the most important decisions we’ll ever make is simply, “Who are we gonna listen to?” Preached at North Coast Church.

lo Setting the scene: Pastor Chris Brown October 16-17, 2021 Message #1 / Judges 4 northcoastchurch.com/sermons How To Know If God Is Out In Front (Deborah & Barak) Judges 1:1-3, 1:19-33, 2:1-3, 2:10, 3:7, 3:12, 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Psalm 139:23-24 If our Christianity is based on following a PERSON or a PROGRAM, then it probably isn’t PERSONAL. Partial OBEDIENCE makes SLAVES of us all. If we aren’t OBEDIENT to what we already know, then we should stop asking for the NEXT STEPS. Deborah: No EXCUSE given; no EXCUSE necessary. Going against the odds: Judges 4, 5:4-5, 5:20-21, 6:1, Philippians 4:10-13 There may be a big difference between “God being WITH US” and “God being AHEAD OF US.” By definition, FOLLOWING God means He is OUT IN FRONT. If God is out in front, then let’s never forget the POWER of His MIGHT and His use of the MINUTIAE. The best way to connect with us is the Connection Card in the bulletin. For the Digital Bulletin, visit myncc.info. Pastor Chris Brown October 16-17, 2021 Message #1 / Judges 4 northcoastchurch.com/sermons How To Know If God Is Out In Front (Deborah & Barak) Setting the scene: Judges 1:1-3, 19-33, 2:1-3, 2:10, 3:7 & 12, 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Psalm 139:23-24 If our Christianity is based on following a ___________ or a ____________, then it probably isn’t _____________. Partial ______________ makes ___________ of us all. If we aren’t _____________ to what we already know, then we should stop asking for the _______________. Deborah: No ___________ given; no ___________ necessary. Going against the odds: Judges 4, 5:4-5, 5:20-21, 6:1, Philippians 4:10-13 There may be a big difference between “God being __________” and “God being ________________.” By definition, _____________ God means He is ______________. If God is out in front, then let’s never forget the _________ of His __________ and His use of the _____________. The best way to connect with us is the Connection Card in the bulletin. For the Digital Bulletin, visit myncc.info. Life Group Study Questions For the week of October 17, 2021 QUICK REVIEW Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or something that caught your attention, challenged or confused you? MY STORY 1. As we kick off our new series, “Wanted,” about the Old Testament legends that forged our faith, can you think of a “legend,” dead or alive, who has helped paved the way in your faith or your understanding of who God is? 2. As Chris mentioned, there are plenty of times in the Old Testament where people got ahead of God instead of letting Him go ahead of them. Have you ever had a time where you went ahead of God? If so, what might you have done differently? DIGGING DEEPER 1. Before Deborah told Barak that God would go before him to take on the Canaanites in Judges 4, the Israelites had a history of God going before them. What do you notice in the following verses about what happened when God went before His people? Exodus 13:21-22 New International Version (NIV) 21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Deuteronomy 1:29-33 New International Version (NIV) 29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” 32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. Deuteronomy 31:7-8 New International Version (NIV) 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Psalm 77:16-20 New International Version (NIV) 16 The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. 17 The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. 18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. 19 Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Despite being told the Lord goes before them, it seems it takes courage, strength and assurance for followers of God to trust and let God lead. What do you learn about the role and responsibility of the follower in the passages you just read? When is it hardest for you to take on this role of the follower and trust that God is out in front of you? How do we have courage and better trust God to go ahead of us? 2. One of the biggest issues with those during the time of Judges was doing what was right in their own eyes and walking in partial obedience to God. Scripture makes it clear that partial obedience is disobedience. An example of this is Saul in 1 Samuel 15:1-26. What do you learn about compromise, good intentions and God in these verses? 1 Samuel 15:1-26 New International Version (NIV) Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” 4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. 10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night. 12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” 13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” 16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” 20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” 22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!” In what ways do we try to justify our actions like Saul does in this chapter? Let’s be honest. We can often fall into the trap of thinking, like Saul, that if we are obeying God in most areas of our lives, we are doing well. Why do you think this is such a common misassumption Christians struggle with? Can you think of any dangers or consequences of thinking like this? Though we are called to obedience, we also know our sinful nature keeps us from being perfect on this side of Heaven. How does Romans 7:15-25 help you understand the difference between obedience and perfection? Romans 7:15-25 New International Version (NIV) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. TAKING IT HOME 1. Chris mentioned that to clearly follow God and know He is ahead of you involves being obedient to what you’ve already been told to do. Is there an area of obedience you would like prayer for from your Life Group? 2. Looking back on this week’s sermon and study, what’s most important for you to remember? PRAYER REQUESTS ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ MEN’S CONFERENCE Join us Friday, October 22 & Saturday, October 23 for the first ever North Coast Church Men’s Conference held at the Vista Campus! Come enjoy teaching led by pastors Chris Brown and Mark Clark! Register at northcoastchurch.com/2021-mens-conference/. Do you follow God or run ahead of Him? You may have heard the story of Deborah and Barak, but have you ever stopped and thought about their impact? Where are you on your faith journey? Be sure God is in front in all you do! www.northcoastchurch.org .

Playing into Satan’s Strategy The increase in Christians bickering over non-essentials doesn’t seem to be a passing phase. And it injures our witness, inviting eye rolls and mockery from unbelievers and prompting believers to wonder whether church hurts more than it helps. Satan is called the accuser of God’s family ( Revelation 12:10 ) and uses every means to undercut our love for each other. Too often we do his work for him. His goal is to divide churches and keep people from believing the gospel. “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” ( 1 John 3:10 ). When we fail to love each other,  we are acting like the devil’s children. “Give no opportunity to the devil” ( Ephesians 4:27 ). To resist the devil, we must  love God with abandonment, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  That central principle is the heart and soul of Scripture. “The whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” ( Galatians 5:14–15 ). Few words of Jesus are as sobering as these: “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” ( Matthew 12:35-36 ). Unity of Differing Opinions When Paul wrote to believers in Rome, he addressed the issues of eating “unclean” meat and which day to worship on—each certainly as if not  more  controversial in the culture of their day as most political issues or COVID responses are to us today. The paradigm-shifting revelation he shared in Romans 14  is this: while true love and unity are never achieved at the expense of primary biblical truths, they  are  achieved at the expense of our personal preferences about secondary issues. We are to welcome those who think and act differently than we do and are “not to quarrel over opinions” ( Romans 14:1 ). Or as the NLT puts it, “Don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” Love doesn’t require wholesale agreement. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ( Romans 14:3 ) Paul emphatically states that equally Christ-centered people can have different beliefs, which lead to them taking different—even  opposite —actions in faith. They are OK with God and therefore should be OK with us (unless we have higher standards than God). “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” ( Romans 14:5 ). We can take contradictory positions on nonessential issues but still honor God by valuing love over our opinions. Pursue What Makes for Peace As long as we hold our convictions with faith and a good conscience, God Himself approves of people on both sides of nonessential matters. And if God can be pleased both by those who do and don’t eat certain foods that were addressed under Old Testament law, and by those who worship on the Sabbath or another day of the week, can’t He also be pleased with those who choose to take or not take a vaccine, or to wear or not wear a mask? “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?” ( Romans 14:4 ). God warns us not to set up our own judgment seats as if we were omniscient. Why do we imagine we can know that a brother’s or sister’s decisions, heart, and motives are wrong? “Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another” ( Romans 14:12–13 ). We will not ultimately answer to each other, but we  will  answer to God concerning each other. We lack the qualifications of the only true Judge, including omniscience, infinite wisdom, and righteousness. “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. . . . The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God” ( Romans 14:19 ,  22 ). Peace and edification don’t come naturally; they require Spirit-empowered work. The call to “pursue” peace (or “make every effort,” NIV) means unless there’s a compelling reason to speak or post, and you’ve sought God’s direction and sense his leading, and you can speak graciously, then do what Scripture says and  keep what you believe between yourself and God .   Having a strong opinion never equals God telling us to express it. Scripture confronts us for how we have treated each other before the watching world: “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” ( Proverbs 18:2 ). “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” ( Proverbs 10:19 ). “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” ( Proverbs 12:18 ). Steps Toward Love and Unity “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” ( Romans 13:8 ). We don’t simply owe it to God to love each other and thereby obey Him. We owe love to one another.  We are part of God’s family. We need each other. What practical steps might we take toward love and unity in our fractured times? 1. Practice  James 1:19 . If we would only “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,” this  alone  would foster love and unity to an astonishing degree. 2. When you disagree, if possible, meet face to face and talk. Don’t shred each other publicly. 3. Ask yourself where you are pointing. Will my words or social-media post be more or less likely to draw others to Jesus? 4. Raise your expectations for love and unity in your church. Lower your expectations for them coming naturally or easily. 5. Repent of being an agitator; commit to becoming a peacemaker. 6. Talk to your church leaders. Honestly articulate problems and ask how you can help foster love and unity. 7. Pray for those who’ve hurt you. Doing so transformed my relationship with a brother. One of my wife’s closest friends is someone she chose to intercede for decades ago, despite their conflicts. 8. Ask God to help you reject pride and develop true humility. John Newton wrote, “What will it profit a man if he silences his adversary and loses that humble spirit in which the Lord delights?” A.W. Tozer said, “Only the humble are completely sane, for they are the only ones who see clearly their own size and limitations” ( Tozer on Christian Leadership ). To think clearly is to think humbly. “Think of yourself with sober judgment” ( Romans 12:3 ). Show Them Jesus True unity is grounded on mutually believed primary truths about Jesus, refusal to elevate secondary beliefs over primary beliefs, demonstrated heartfelt love for Jesus and others, and the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. When I reread  The Mark of the Christian  fifty years later, when divisiveness is the air we breathe, it spoke to me more deeply than ever. Schaeffer’s message rings true: when we call upon God, and make concerted efforts to live in humble love and unity, people will see Jesus. By His grace, some will believe in Him. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” ( Romans 15:5-7, NIV ).

Social psychologist Adam Grant believes that the most powerful thing we can do to improve our thinking is to change the way we approach thinking. In Think Again Grant argues that the unmovable beliefs we have are potentially the most dangerous and probably the most likely to be wrong. By cultivating a curious mindset that sees re-learning, re-thinking, and re-assessing beliefs as a positive experience, we can improve as thinkers and human beings. Grant introduces four types: the preacher, prosecutor, politician, and scientist. The preacher is convinced they are right and tries to convince others they are right. The prosecutor tries to convince someone else they’re wrong. The politician tries to win the audience. The scientist looks at the data and constantly re-evaluates their beliefs. As a preacher I don’t love the names of the types :)… but I appreciate the basic insight. Grant urges the reader to “favor humility over pride and curiosity over conviction.” When we act as scientists, “You look for reasons why you might be wrong, not just reasons why you must be right.” I resonate with the need to grow in this area. I love the idea of getting a rush from discovering I am wrong about something and experiencing joy in being corrected. The more we can embrace the unknown, the more our curiosity and humility will grow. The challenge is that “We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt,” Grant says. Grant points out that intelligence and even expertise can backfire. He says that, “Research reveals that the higher you score on an IQ test, the more likely you are to fall for stereotypes, because you’re faster at recognizing patterns. And recent experiments suggest that the smarter you are, the more you might struggle to update your beliefs.” Our strongest weapon for intellectual growth—our brains—can actually be our greatest foes. Organizationally we can help reinforce the conjoined attributes of humility and curiosity by creating feedback loops, demonstrating these traits as leaders, and modeling that learning, feedback, and admitting when we are wrong are all positive traits. I loved how Grant modeled this himself at the end of the book by asking questions about what he got wrong in the book and sharing what he is currently re-thinking. Only two aspects detracted from Think Again for me. First was Grant’s model of four types, which caricatured the worst of the preacher, politician, and prosecutor while caricaturing the best of the scientist. It’s a helpful model, but one that I think reifies some unhelpful cultural stereotypes. The second aspect was was some of the studies that Grant pulled in later in the book that felt a little more tangential. That said, this is a great book for anyone to read. It’s an easy read that will nudge you toward humility and curiosity–who doesn’t need more of those in their life? www.thebeehive.live

Abba, we love you today, and we worship and adore you. We're not angels, but we want to gather around your throne like they do and give you praise, and we want to sing what they sing. We want to say, "Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb to open the scroll". We thank you, Lord, that all of history is in your hands. We thank you that everything in the past that has happened is now being brought into perfect alignment with the future you have prophesied over us in this moment. We say that because our confidence is in your unchanging nature and your steadfast character. We want to be more like you are, God. We want to be rooted and grounded in what lasts. So, today, Lord, I thank you for a sustaining blessing over these men and women, a sustaining blessing over these boys and girls. We thank you that you are a creator and a keeper. Lord, right now, I thank you that I'm in the palm of your hand. Right now, I thank you that your grip is stronger than my resistance. God, I thank you that you're stronger at holding me than I am at letting go. I thank you that you've got me right where you want me. I'm not behind. I'm not off schedule. I'm right where I need to be. I'm who I need to be. You didn't want to make me any different than you made me. There wasn't a missing worker on the assembly line on the day you created me. Before I was born you knew me. You set me apart in my mother's womb. Everything I'm missing is just an opportunity for a miracle. Every space in me is just somewhere for you to show off in my life. In my weakness you are strong. You are a mighty God, a wonderful counselor, an everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. We call on your great name, Jesus. Your name is above every other name. Who you are is what we trust in, and we place our hope in you. In Jesus' name… Everybody who believes that name is the name that matters, shout "Amen"! Well, we were singing the names of God, but let me just take a minute… What's your name? Tell three people around you, "Hi, my name is… What's your name"? Just get to know them. All right. In the chat, who are you? Where are you? Let me open this YouTube link. Let me know in the chat who you are. Somebody shout your name right here at me real quick. Shout your legal name. I don't know you enough to have a nickname relationship yet. From all over the world… It would amaze you. I don't want you to do it, because it would be distracting, but if you saw all of the people in the chat who are joining us for church today… It really is true. I didn't know God was literal when he said, "I'm going to stretch your boundaries," but he did that. It's even beyond what we could have thought. We built buildings all of these many years for the church, and the Lord was like, "That's great. The buildings are great. Build them". But what God is doing here now, in the year 2021, is so far beyond a building. What I love about it is it's not only people who watch online, but they worship, they give, they build. It's our extended family. Let's welcome our eFam all around the world. I learned that the Lord's ways are higher than mine. Have you learned that yet? The sooner you learn that, you're going to waste less money, less time, less prayers asking God for stuff that, if he gave it to you, you'd want to return back to sender. I'm just trying to save you some time. God's ways are better… better, better, better. All right. We have Emma, Chris, Jean, Steven… What an anointed name that is. With a V. He spelled it right: Steven. God bless your mother, and blessed be the fruit of your mother's womb. Samantha from Malaysia. Do you see what I'm saying? From Malaysia! I never thought I would put a campus in Malaysia, but God did that. God is going to do so much more through your life than you know to ask him for right now, so be encouraged. We're getting ready… We're preparing our year-end offering. The year-end offering is called Better this year. That's the word God spoke to me. I'm like, "Lord, I can't tell them it's going to get better". Nuh-uh. He said, "That's not the point of it. The point is if it doesn't get better, they will". God is going to increase you, make you stronger and wiser. He's going to do that. He's doing that sometimes when you don't feel it. I noticed when I'm working out physically, the moments where I feel the weakest I'm growing the most. I wonder, is that true in the Spirit? She said, "I hope so". So, you had a bad week? "I barely made it in. I hope you're telling the truth". It's amazing, though. You never know what somebody is going through right next to you. That's why I hate when y'all leave when I'm closing my sermon in prayer. When you slip out so you can get to lunch, it bothers me, because you don't know what that person on that row came in carrying and what God is lifting. One of our long-time volunteers… This is just one example. One of our long-time volunteers in the Raleigh-Durham area had just made it back to church last week, and afterward, one of our campus pastors said, "I've missed you, man. Where have you been"? He said, "Well, I fell out for a little while, but this week, my son took his own life. While we were worshiping, God spoke to me: 'It's going to get better.'" Only in God's presence can you receive a truth like that. I didn't tell him that, because that's not my place to tell him that. I can't imagine what that feels like, but God can say that. And he does, every single time we get together. How many of you are better in some way, or your family is better, because of the ministry right here at Elevation? I mean, even if it was just one time God spoke to you… So, the best thing we can do is to always invest in what God is using to feed us. There's no better place to invest. On December 12… We set the date. Really, it's now through the whole end of the year, but we'll be receiving the offering. We use it for expansion and outreach and all of the great ministries. I'm looking at a couple dozen people in here who I know are tithers. They always give God the first 10 percent of what God gives them. Not the leftovers, not that congealed cranberry sauce nobody wanted to eat on Thanksgiving Day. They don't throw God the scraps, but they come to God first and say, "I trust you. You're my God," systematically. So, thousands begin doing that during this time. Many give above and beyond. That's what Holly and I… I didn't tell her the number God gave me yet, but it's… I don't like it. It's kind of bigger than I wanted it, but I'm always glad I did it. It's a chance for you to seek God… that's the thing… for you to ask God, "God, what would you have me to give"? There are envelopes and details, but that's not my department. Today, my role is to take this Bible, and I'm going to try to knock that Devil off your shoulder that's been talking to you all week. Let's see. This is a pretty big Bible. If I swing it hard enough, maybe that Devil will leave you alone for a couple minutes. All right. Thank you, worship team. What an awesome video about the worship ministry, huh? Everybody grateful for God's presence, give God a shout of praise. All right. Be seated. Class is in session. This is a lesson today. I've been threatening to teach this for a year. I keep playing with it, and God confirmed in several different ways that this was the word for today, so I'm very confident about that. I'm going to teach you on the subject The Power of a Better Question. I've been flirting with it for some time now, but today, because our word is better… The prophet Haggai asked a series of questions. "Who of you is left who saw the former house in its glory"? Then he asked, "How does it look to you now"? He's asking questions. Do any of you know the first question in the Bible, by the way? Anybody I can call on? Just guess. I won't make you look dumb. I promise. I'm not setting you up. I would never embarrass you. First question. Male: "Where are you"? Steven: That's the second question. I thought that was the first question in the Bible too. "Adam, where are you"? When I was going on the chat and I asked, "Who are you? Where are you?" you probably put a physical location, geographical… Malaysia… or you put a name. Right? But the more specific we get with that question, "Where are you"? it just becomes endlessly deep. If I ask, "Where are you?" and you're like, "Topeka… " Cool. Now I know your address, but I don't know your attitude. Where are you if we take it deeper? The depth of the question can go as deep as you want it to go. If I ask, "Where are you… "? "Well, I'm kind of offended, because last week I was supposed to get invited to this thing, and nobody invited me. And really, I'm mad because I'm always the one doing the inviting, so I'm really in a state of bitterness that seems to get darker as I hold on to it". That could be the answer to the question, "Where are you"? also. Or you could just say, "Topeka". It's just depending how deep you see the question. That is the first question God asked in the Bible, but it's not the first question that appears in the Bible. That's what God asked Adam. I'm glad you said that one, because that is such a powerful question. "Where are you"? Like, I can see that physically. Fourth row, Jireh shirt, looks like a good Christian. She has a Jireh shirt on her back and a Blessing hoodie in her lap. She is double-portion praising God today. "I want all of it, God". But I don't know if I can see… Adam was hiding from God. When God asks, "Where are you, Adam"? he's not asking him for information; he's asking him for location. Not for God… for Adam. That's kind of a deep question: "Where are you"? It's like, "Greenville. Nope. Grief. That's where I am". So, how deep do we go? But we ask people surface questions. You know, "What do you do for a living? Are you excited about Cam coming back"? Just surface stuff. That's fine. I don't think you should ask people too deep of questions when you're getting to know them. It's creepy. You know what I mean? "Oh, what Enneagram number are you"? I don't want to talk to you about numbers yet. You have not earned my number yet. All right? The first question that appears in the Bible is in Genesis 3 before Adam realizes he's naked when the Serpent asks Eve… Do you remember? "Did God really say… "? The first question that appears in the Bible isn't the one God asks; it's the one Satan asks, which makes me wonder. Sometimes, is the first question that comes to our mind about something not the best question available? Sometimes the questions I ask about a situation are not the best questions. That's why the Lord led me to The Power of a Better Question. Abbey, my 10-year-old, gets this at a deep level, apparently. I asked her this week… She said, "I haven't made my Christmas list yet". I said, "Well, you'd better get started. What do you want"? She said, "What should I want"? I'm living with Socrates in the house or something like that. I'm like, "Wow! That's deep". I don't know if she was trying to provoke me to say what my ceiling is. "Is this a $300 Christmas? How much does the tooth fairy bring? I want to get up as high as I can go". I don't even know how deep she meant it, but I thought, "Wow"! That's the first question Jesus asked. In all of the Bible, the first time we see him talk, in John 1, he doesn't give an answer. Jesus is the answer, sure, but he's also the question. He asked these two guys who were following him, "What do you want"? What a question. They said, "We want to come see where you're staying, Rabbi". I think the rest of his ministry was dealing with that second question, the one Abbey asked. "What should I want"? Is what I want, is what I wish for, is what I think I want really what I want or will I get what I want and not want what I've got in the end? That's called a midlife crisis. If we would ask better early-life questions, we wouldn't have midlife crises. The Power of a Better Question. In a minute, I'm going to give you a Scripture from Numbers, chapter 13, but in the meantime, let me give you a few examples of what I mean before we get very deep textually. I told you the first question in the Bible came from Satan. "Did God really say… "? Then he twisted what God actually said and added to it and exaggerated it, like the Enemy always does. We'll come back to that. Then the question God asked was simple. Not "Where should you be"? but "Where are you"? God starts where you are. When I start with the sermon, I don't start by preparing with "What do I know"? because, honestly, what you need goes far beyond what I know. I don't know how to answer the real questions you're asking. I don't know if you should marry him or whatever. I don't know if you should move out or move in. I don't know, but God does. So, I've learned to ask the question, as a preacher, not "What do I know"? A lot of times, we come to the Bible, and we think we know it so well. "Oh man, I know that story". Sometimes when I read… I can see some of you. Your eyes glaze over. You're like, "I know this story. He fed 5,000 people. Tell me something I don't know". Okay. Well, maybe God is going to show you something you don't know from something that you think you do. If I start with "What do I know?" when I read the Bible, I'm going to impose all of my influences… Instead of getting insight from God's Word, I'm going to bring to it what I already think I know. I don't know what my message is going to be about when I start to prepare it. I don't start with that. If I start with what I know, it's going to be a 30-second sermon. How stupid would it be for you to come out here and take all this time out of your day if the starting place is "What does Steven Furtick know"? I could put that in a tweet. We don't need a sermon for that. It's a waste of time. But I start with this: "God, what do they need"? That's a better question. God knows that in a way I don't. He might speak to me and say, "You need to tell them, 'Stop crying; it's coming.'" I'm like, "Well, God, I didn't even know to tell them that. I didn't even know there are trumpets and tears," what I preached last week. I didn't come to the text looking for what I already knew. I came looking for "God, what do we need"? Not just you, but me. What do we need? It's an amazing thing that your Father knows what you need. You start with where you are, but you don't stop there. You start with a better question. When I first started preaching, again, my question would always be… I'd look at a message, and I'd go, "How will this preach"? In other words, "Will it be exciting, dynamic? Will people laugh at it? Will they go, 'Ooh! Wow! I have to write that down. Yeah! Come on!' Will it produce a reaction"? But now I want to know, "Will it produce repentance"? Repentance is not feeling bad. I'm not saying I want you to feel bad when you leave. "Let me just beat the crap out of them, and they'll come back next Sunday for more". That's not what I'm looking for, not how to make you feel bad. You already do a pretty good job at that without any instruction. You do not need school in how bad you already suck. This pulpit is not a "how much you suck" school. You know, "Point number one: you suck. Point number two: you used to suck even more. Point number three: no matter how much you work, you're still going to suck. See you next Sunday". Have you been to that church before? God knows what you need. That's not going to help you. That sin consciousness is not going to bring you to repentance. That's not going to change you. You need to see Jesus when you come. You need to know that Christ in you is the hope of glory. So, it's the better question. "What should I want? Huh. I don't know. Maybe I want the wrong stuff. Maybe I'm focused on the wrong thing". Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom. Don't run around like the pagans, saying, 'What shall we eat?'" Thanksgiving sermon. "What shall we wear"? If you spent more time today figuring out what you were going to wear to church before you got here than you do asking the question "What did God speak to me?" when you leave here… Why are y'all looking at me like that wasn't the best thing that has ever been said from this pulpit? I remember one time. I was so into my "What do I wear when I preach"? because I wanted to look good. You have to be presentable, you know. People are looking at you up here. A lot of people are looking at you. The Lord said, "I don't want you to focus more on your outfit than you do your outline". What is God speaking? If it took you an hour to figure out what to wear to get here… "That's not me. I'm in bed right now watching online". Okay. If it took you an hour to figure out what to watch on YouTube and you can't even take 10 seconds… That's what the Enemy does. He is going to snatch the seed before it ever hits the soil and goes deep enough to make a difference. And if all you hear when I'm preaching is what somebody else should do with what I preached… "Boy, I wish my husband would have come. He could have used that word". You are not God's mirror holder. Praise the Lord. Numbers, chapter 13. I'm just trying to think about the power of a better question. I used to ask, "How will this preach"? Now I want to know, "What kind of person will this preaching produce"? If I preach something like, "Your haters are elevators… " It rhymes. It's exciting. "All of your haters… Tell all of your haters… " Look. The reason that kind of preaching gets people excited is because it absolves us from all relational responsibility. If all I do is talk about your haters… "Your haters can't stand you because you're so blessed, you're so favored". No, your haters can't stand you because you are late to work. "What kind of person is this preaching producing"? That's a better question. If you are single and you are asking God for a man to pop the question to you… Okay. You need to ask two questions. Not only, when you meet a man, "Is he single"? Hold on. Not even "Is he saved"? That's a good question. He should be saved. He should know the Lord. But "Is he sane"? Because there are crazy Christians. Just a few. He's cute, but he's crazy. He can quote Colossians, but he's crazy. "Is he sexy"? Is he stable? Unstable is only sexy so much for so long. Numbers, chapter 13. It's a familiar passage of Scripture. The Lord told Moses, "I want you to send 12 men into the land I am giving the Israelites as their inheritance". The question isn't… Has God given it? The question is… Will you go forward? I want to speak that over every area of your life right now that God has promised. The question isn't… Has God given it? Joy, peace… all the fruit of the Spirit… love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's the fruit of the Spirit. That's what grows from knowing God in the spirit of a believer. It's called the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, and it's all yours. That's not the question about the fruit. It's the question… Will you go forward into it? Now we're going to see what happens when God is bringing you into something and the Devil is pulling you back to something at the same time. The Power of a Better Question. Let's go to verse 17. "When Moses sent them to explore Canaan… " All of the leaders of the tribes. Just remember the leaders. I won't list them all. Just the leaders of the tribes, 12 of them. "… to explore Canaan… " That's what God had promised Abraham, and now he's bringing them into it. They are right on the cusp of it. You don't know how close you are. Y'all are looking at me in shock and disbelief. Tell the person next to you so they'll believe you, "You don't know how close you are". You don't know. They're coming into Canaan, but you'll remember, they just got out of Egypt. He told them, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many". It's an exploration. "What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not"? It's like, "Moses, slow down. One thing at a time. Okay. I'm making my list. Good or bad? Unwalled or fortified? Trees or no trees? Fertile or poor soil"? Then he says, "'Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.' (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)" Say it: "It's eating season". I cancel every carbohydrate you're going to eat on Thursday. It's eating season. I hope you brought your elastic pants to church at Elevation Church, because it's eating season. I'm going to need a little room to grow, because it's eating season. I've been in starving season long enough. I've been in scavenger scrap season long enough. I've been in leftover living long enough. Now I'm coming to where the grapes are growing. It's time to eat! Verse 21: "So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak… " The giants. You know this little Bible story. I promise you know it. You heard it one time. They have grapes (the promise). They have giants (the problem). This is really powerful. Watch this. Verse 23: "When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there". Eshkol means cluster in Hebrew. They're like, "It's a cluster of grapes. What do you want to call it"? "How about Cluster"? "Cool. Let's go back". Verse 25: "At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert… " They're still in the desert. When you're in the desert, you ask desert-level questions. It's survival based. When you're in the desert, it's like, "How am I going to get through this day"? Let me back up a little bit. "How am I going to make it to 10:00 a.m".? Let me back it up a little bit. "How am I going to get out of the bed this morning"? Let me back it up a little bit more than that. "How am I going to get to sleep tonight with everything I have on my mind"? Those are desert questions. They are focused on limitation. They originate with Satan. "Did God really say you must not eat of any tree"? It's a limitation-based question, but God wants me to teach you on the power of a better question, a loaded question. Do you know the phrase? A loaded question. It contains more than appears on the surface. When Jesus asks, "What do you want"? he's not saying it like your kids just walked into your room and you're trying to have some married people time. "What do you want? Get out of here". He says, "What do you want? Let's start there, and let's move toward the deeper desire I created you for". It's a better question. When you are in the desert, you let the Devil do all the question asking. "Who do you think you are dreaming like that? Who do you think you are putting yourself out there like that? What makes you think you can accomplish that? Well, if it was going to work, wouldn't it have worked by now"? Those are desert questions. It's when you've been used to not having enough or you've been used to somebody else oppressing you or something else oppressing you. Let's say it's an addiction. An addiction has been calling the shots. The only question you've been asking if you've been stuck in the throes of addiction is, "When can I get another hit of that"? By the way, it can be cocaine or it can be shopping. It can be Amazon just as easily as it can be heroin. We are not talking about one substance here. I'm coming for you today. God spoke to me. He said those are desert questions. When you ask desert questions, you get dead-end answers. It doesn't open anything up. When you pick up your kids for school, don't ask, "How was your day"? because it gives them the option for a one-word answer: "Good" or "Bad". You have to ask them something more open. If you want to be creative, if you want to get your teenager to talk, you have to ask something different. I don't even know what the question would be yet, because I still haven't figured out how to get Graham to talk to me on the way home from school, but I'm working on it. I know what doesn't work is a "Yes or no," "Good or bad" answer. So, let's journey on in the text. "They [the spies] came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There [in the desert] they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: 'We went into the land [what God promised] to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!'" News flash: God is right. "Here is its fruit". "You wanted some grapes. We brought you some grapes". Now, only the ones Joshua and Caleb would carry, because the rest of them wouldn't carry any fruit. Joshua and Caleb, the two spies they didn't name… They had a different spirit. They asked better questions. Instead of looking at how hard it was in the land and asking, "How in the world are we possibly going to do this"? they looked at the same situation… This is what I want you to see: God can give you the ability to look at a situation you were looking at as an impossibility and see it as an opportunity. There's a cluster of fruit… You know, the pomegranates, the figs, and the grapes. There's a cluster from Eshkol, but there's also a cluster happening between what God has called his people to do and the conflict they feel about it inside of themselves. It's a cluster. That's a negative word to me. I don't hear that usually about fruit. I usually hear it about stuff that goes wrong. "Man, it was a cluster". People say that. It's a cluster at Kadesh Barnea, because you have these 12 spies, and you have two of them who have faith to say, "Oh yeah. Taste this fruit. Get a little taste of this". At the same time they are getting a taste of tomorrow, they are being dragged back to a past that is beneath them. Watch this. Verse 28: "But… " The fruit is just like God said it would be. "But the people… " The promise and the people. It's a cluster. The promise and the problems. It's a cluster. God told me to preach to somebody today who has a cluster right now in their life, in their mind, in their marriage, in their family. It's a cluster of fear and faith. It's a cluster of thoughts. You can't get it untangled. You can't really figure out if it has been a good year or a bad year. You don't really know what to think about it anymore. You don't know to think, "Is this my friend? Is this my enemy"? It's a cluster. That's what's happening at Kadesh Barnea. The man of God, Moses, sent these spies out, and he asked them three simple questions, but they came back with a but. "'But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.' Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'" "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and Philippians 4:13 hasn't even been written yet. "But the men… " There's another but. There's a promise. There's a problem. There's a but in between. "But God… " That's my favorite but in the Bible: "But God… " You don't understand. "But God, who is rich in mercy… " "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". I don't know if this sounds right, but you need another but. You need a new leader. You keep being led by your feelings. You keep being led by your frustrations. You keep being led by your limits. You need a new leader or you're going to die in the desert, in the wilderness of "What if"? "Wow! We can't attack those people". Is this good to you? I swear, the church went Presbyterian on me overnight. I don't know what's happening in here today. I am preaching this passage of Scripture. You know what? Maybe that's a bad question, "Is this good to you"? Maybe, is it good for you? Maybe you need to hear this word today, that you can't hide behind your but. "'We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.' And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, 'The land we explored devours those living in it.'" Some people think this is a reference to infertility in Canaan. "It devours those living in it". Some scholars say that's because there was such a high infertility rate, and that's what it means. Regardless about it, they said, "The land is fruitful, but the people are of great size". "We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them". Chapter 14, verse 1: "That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt!'" On the cusp of Canaan. Do you know how close you are to being free? And you taste tomorrow sometimes. You taste the grapes sometimes. "Oh, that's what a good day feels like. Oh, that's what it feels like to not have to prove myself and just sit there and let them sound smart if they want to, but I don't have to say anything back. Oh, that's what it feels like. Three hours without Instagram, and I feel like I have detoxed from the Devil himself". You get a little taste of it. You get a little taste of tomorrow. I almost wanted to call this message "Tomorrow Tastes Better". That's the only way you're going to give up Egypt. We all have a secret Egypt. Not a geographical place… an emotional place. It emotionally grips your potential tightly… Egypt. I'm spelling Egypt. Everybody has a secret Egypt. Let's be nice to these people. You think you would have done better? You almost wouldn't even come to church, because "I don't like the parking". Look. They're nervous of warriors who are bigger than them. You're nervous about your mother-in-law on Thursday coming into town for Thanksgiving, and can you put up with her for four hours. So let's give some grace. They just came out of Egypt. It's not easy leaving Egypt. I've been preaching about this for two years now. "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword"? That's a really dumb question. You know, you could take that same question… "Why did the Lord bring us through the Red Sea? Why did the Lord get me through my 20s? Why did the Lord get me through that horrible divorce? Why did the Lord get my kid through that horrible situation"? But look at how they finish it. "… only to let us fall by the sword"? I think you could take that same question… "Why did God bring me this far to leave me"? If you flip that question a little bit… "Why would God bring me this far to leave me right now"? That is a better question. Do you really think he saved you with his Son's blood, but he's not going to provide for your material needs? Do you really think he came all the way from heaven at Christmastime like a baby, but he's going to leave you now because you're struggling with this? Do you really think God did all of that and saw you through all of these dangers and toils and snares, and his grace is going away now? Why would God bring you this far to leave you? Why would he speak it if he didn't mean it? Why would he do it if he wasn't committed to it? He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it. So, the same question they're using to get discouraged, I want to turn it on the Devil and say, "He didn't bring me out of Egypt to kill me in Canaan. He didn't bring me out of oppression to let me die in this uncertainty. No, no! He didn't bring me through COVID to let me drop this Christmas". It's a better question. Why would he have done all that if that was all it was? Why would he have put it in you? Another better question: Why is the Devil fighting you so hard? If you're not carrying anything, why is he coming at you? I watched a little bit of football. They don't usually hit somebody if they're not carrying the ball or blocking somebody who is. I never saw a fan get hit. I never saw a water boy get hit, except on Adam Sandler and Bobby Boucher, but that's not in the Bible. I'm carrying something. I've got something. I'm on to something. I'm on the edge of something. I have a better question: Why is the Devil standing at this door? I'm coming out of the desert. Yes! I don't know the answer, but I have a better question: If God be for me, who can be against me? I'm carrying something. It's a cluster. I'm carrying some grapes, but I'm fighting some giants. It's a cluster. I'm carrying promise, but I have some problems. It's a cluster. I have a heavenly calling, but I have some human conflicts. It's a cluster. "I'm in the valley of Eshkol right now. Be patient with me. It's heavy. I'm carrying something. I'm carrying a promise on a pole. I never carried grapes before. I only ate quail in Egypt. I never tasted tomorrow yet. When you're nice to me, it scares me, because the only people I ever knew who said they loved me were nasty to me. I'm trying to start liking when you're nice to me, but when I push you away like that, be patient with me, because it's a cluster. I don't know how to trust, because it's a cluster. I don't really know how to show love. That's why sometimes I lash out. I don't know how to show love, so I lash out, but really, I want to be close to you. It's a cluster". The craziest question in the text, the one I wanted to preach, is verse 3. Verse 3 says, "Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back? We should choose a leader and go back". They are not being led by their potential at this moment or their wisdom. They're certainly not being led by God's promise. They're being led by their fear back to what is familiar. People preach coming out of Egypt like Egypt represents sin. It doesn't. It represents survival. Have you noticed this thread of my teaching these past two years? I'm watching people stuck in survival mode. You get a little taste of tomorrow, a little glimpse of God's best, but the moment you taste the grapes, you start thinking about the giants. The people who made the decision not to go into this Canaan, this promise, this flowing place, this promised land… They didn't even see the giants for themselves. Do you know what's even crazier? The spies who came back answered a question Moses didn't even ask. I read you every question Moses asked. He asked, "What are the people like"? That was his problem right there. He started the question with "What are the people like"? That's something you can't control. When you start with other people, you need a better question. No, no, no. This is going to have practical value. If you are going to entrust your time to me, I am going to help you in your Monday, your Tuesday, your Wednesday. I'm not giving you some Sunday syrup pancake preacher sermon where we just feel good for a few minutes and everybody goes out in a little Christian coma for 30 minutes. This is the Word of God. You can't start in the wrong place and end up at the right place. When Moses asked, "What are the people like? Are they big or small?" the people who were under his leadership went in and looked for exactly the lens he gave them. So, when they came back, all they could talk about was the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites (it's holiday season… the cellulites), and all of the battles. (I couldn't resist it.) When you start with that, when you start with desert questions, you end up in dead-end situations. In 11 days you could have moved through this wilderness. You have to study this sometime. Promise me you'll look this up later. Okay? In Joshua 2, one of the spies who carried the pole with Caleb… He got to go into the Promised Land. Everybody else who was over 20 died in the wilderness. They got stuck, because they asked questions God didn't tell them to ask. They tried to answer questions God wasn't even asking. "How is it going to work out"? That's above your pay grade, Bubba. (Moncks Corner coming out of me now.) I know all things work together for the good. Right? So, my question about it can't be, "How is this going to work out"? If I do that, I will limit my answer to my experience, how I've seen God work it out so far at this point in my life. What if he wants to do something better? It's the power of a better question. "God, what have I not even asked, thought, or imagined that you have the power to do"? When Joshua led the people into the Promised Land 40 years later, he sent two spies, not twelve, because he didn't want another cluster. That represents focus. You have the wrong focus group. You're asking the wrong people. You're asking jealous people. Sometimes they don't even know they're insecure, and you are limiting your potential to their insecurity. "Well, I'd tell my wife off if I were you. I would just go down there to the golf course". That's why your wife sleeps in another room, dude. Okay. "Oh, this is kind of rough now. I like the other stuff he was preaching earlier". But it's true, isn't it? Sometimes when we get the wrong focus group it costs us our fruit. There are three questions Moses told them to ask. When Joshua sent the people into the land, he didn't do any of that. He said, "Just go check it out. Come back. We're going in. God said it, so we're going to focus". Do y'all remember about Rahab? She was of a questionable profession. She was a prostitute, and the Lord used her. "I don't know if the Lord can use a prostitute". He didn't ask you who he could use. You didn't think virgins could have babies either, but you're going to be singing "Silent Night" in a few days. Nothing is impossible with God. When Rahab told Joshua, she said, "We're all scared of y'all". The spies came back saying, "They're huge. We look like grasshoppers to them". Well, first of all, what are you doing asking your enemies what you look like? Why are you answering the Devil's question? The Serpent said to Eve, "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden"? That's the Devil's question. Look at verse 2. Eve said back to the Serpent… So, what would be a better question? The Serpent slithers up to you in the garden. "Did God really say… "? questioning God's intentions and motives and capacity and wisdom and all that stuff. What would be a better question than "Did God really say"? I have one suggestion for Eve. "Why am I talking to a snake"? "Why am I speaking to something that's beneath me? Why am I dealing with something… ? Why am I consulting with something that Jesus could"... That's a better question. Right? Y'all, the other day I was driving through a parking lot, and this lady whips out of her parking space and almost hits me. I had to put the brakes on. I put them on pretty hard. It wasn't like the airbag came out, but it was a close call. My car does this thing… I don't know if your car has this feature. When somebody does something stupid, the car honks. It grabs my hand and honks the car. It's a feature on my car. I honked at the lady. Y'all, I'm sure she saw my Elevation sticker, but she flipped me the bird, sideways bird with the thumb, and she was eating a bagel and looking at… She didn't even look up at me to flip me off. A bagel, driving with her knees, running out of the parking lot. She flipped me the bird. Apparently, my car also has a feature that it goes in reverse when someone flips me the bird. Y'all, I wasn't thinking. Something took over. I put the car… Oh, this wasn't 18 years ago before I became a pastor. This was last week. I wish it was 18 years ago under the blood. I'm not even sure I'm forgiven of this one yet that I'm telling you. I haven't even told my kids this yet. I put the car in reverse. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get back, but I can't drive by somebody flipping me the… It was the bagel that put me over the top. If she hadn't been eating the bagel, I wouldn't have backed up, but bagel and bird, I'm backing up. I put the car in reverse. Boom! Right into another lady's Jeep. So now I'm like… I got out of my car with my hands up. Not worship, just surrender to stupidity. I said, "I'm so sorry. Let's look at it. We'll do whatever you want to do. It's my fault. I'm an idiot. She had a bagel. She flipped me off". It was the bagel. It took it over the top. Then we looked. Her car was fine. It's a Jeep. God loves Jeeps. Mine was fine too. I gave her all the cash I had. She didn't want to call the cops. There was nothing wrong with her car. But when I drove back off, I looked at my car. There was a little scratch, just a little scratch. It could have gone a whole different way. Right? She could have been crazy. She could have been a church member. Thankfully, it was just a little scratch. I got a lesson from it. A very simple lesson, but it was powerful. The Lord said, "I want you to be glad you have that scratch to remind you what happens the next time you are tempted to back up to something that is beneath you". It's a little scratch, but what a lesson. Here's the real question: What were you going to do when you got back there? You want to go back to Egypt? You want to go back to that? So, what are you going to do when you prove you're right? Are you going to be right and lonely? Every time you want to go back, remember you are going back to something that is beneath you. By the way, it's not always bad to go back. In Luke 15, there was this young man who decided to ask his father for his share of the inheritance early. "I want it now". Do you know what's really scary? His father gave him what he asked for even though it wasn't best for him. Israel got Saul as their king, and God didn't want to give them a king. He wanted to be their king. You can get what you wanted asking the wrong question. After this young man had spent all his money, the father said, "Okay. I'll let you go," because he loved him enough to let him go. Now, this is one parable Jesus told. It's just one. The Bible says that after he had spent all he had in a foreign land, there began to be a famine in that country. That's what connected me from Numbers 13 with the Israelites who went to Egypt for a famine. God is setting them free, but they have to go through the desert. So do you, and so do I. We have to learn new ways. It's not enough to taste tomorrow. We have to learn new patterns, new responses. Backing up to somebody who shoots you the bird… You are a preacher, bro. What are you doing? We all have these moments. What you do in those moments can be critical. Their fear in the moment kept them stuck for an entire generation, all because they asked the wrong question. Moses didn't ask them all that. He said, "Find out about the land. Is it good or bad"? That's a multiple choice. That's the first question. "Is this worth it"? Isn't that a great question? "Is this worth the energy? Is this worth the fight"? I had to learn that some things aren't. Moses said, "Spy out the land, and find out if it is good or bad". "Is this even worth fighting for? Is this worth fighting about? Is this worth all this back and forth or can we just hug"? Do I really need you to like me? Look. Do whatever you want to do. I quit trying to change people's opinions about me. I decided to focus on my character and my actions and not backing up into people's Jeeps and getting my own act together and finding out "Wow! If I will focus on my character, God will take care of my reputation". Moses said, "Check out the land. Is it good or bad"? "Is this even worth fighting for"? That's a good question. The second thing he said was, "Check out the towns. Are they unwalled or fortified"? What a great question. He said, "How are we going to do this? Do we have to go around the guards? Are there big walls? What are we going to have to do"? That's a great question. Not "Can we do it"? "How are we going to do it"? You have to shift your spirit to be more like Caleb. You have to start looking at stuff and saying, "If there are walls, we'll blow trumpets. If there are walls, we'll scale them. If there are enemies, God will take their protection away". So, how are we going to do this? Stop focusing so much of the question on how high the wall is. I just want to know, "God, is there a way around it or do you want me to go over it or do you want me to go under it"? Because one thing is for sure: I will not die in the desert. I won't do it. I am not going to let negative questions run the show of my life and contradict God's promise. Then I love the last thing he said. "How's the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees? Bring some grapes, because it's the season". I learned that it's a really good question to ask. What is already growing? Sometimes it's the soil, not the seed. There is nothing wrong with what I preached to you today. There's a lot right with it. It's the Word of God. It can grow in your life. How's your soil? If your soil is too thorny, it won't matter how true the sermon was. Sometimes we're focused on the seed that goes in, but not the soil. That's what I want you to look at today: the soil of your heart, the soil of your soul, the soil of your mind. It's the power of a better question. It's the power of getting from a point of where they said, "Why would God bring us this far just to kill us? Shouldn't we go back to Egypt"? Do you remember what happened to the boy in Luke 15? He spent all of his money, and he was filling his stomach with what the pigs were eating. A Jewish boy eating with pigs. That's about as far down as you can go. Right? But then he did something. He did something very significant. I want you to do this today. It's verse 17. It says, "When he came to his senses… " Up until now, he has been in his feelings. "This is what I want. This is what I deserve. This is where I'm going". Up until now, he has been in his feelings, but when he came to his senses, he asked a better question. "How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, have a fridge full, have doggy bags after every night's meal? How are the servants eating at a buffet, and I'm rolling around with the pigs at the bottom"? When he asked a better question, he made a better decision. When you ask a better question… Help me, Holy Spirit. Help me get this message through. Help me push through all the stuff the Enemy has been asking. "Oh, how small I am, how little I have, how much I've messed up, what I could have done different". That's the wrong question. Here's a better question: "Why am I starving when my father is good? Why am I dying when my father is good? Why am I hungry when my father has more than enough? Why am I living on this level? Why am I backing up to something that is beneath me"? Watch his decision. Verse 18: "I will set out and go back". It's not always bad to go back. "I'm going back to my father". That's quite the opposite of how the children of Israel responded. It got hard. They said, "We're going back to Pharaoh". This cat said, "It's getting hard. I'm going back to my father". Please stand. Put down whatever you're holding in your hands. Open your hands. Plant your feet. Take a deep breath. I want to ask you a better question. Numbers 14: "Wouldn't it be better to go back"? Not to Egypt… to your Father. Wouldn't it be better to go to the source rather than going to people? Wouldn't it be better to go back? That's crazy. That's the same question that kept them stuck in the wilderness, and it's the same question that brought the Prodigal Son back home. Wouldn't it be better to go back? I feel God calling somebody back today… back, back, back… back to your full self, back to your real life, back to the real reasons, back to the true motive, back to the kingdom of God, back to what's within you, back to what you were when he made you in his image, back to what you were when he spoke you into existence, back to what you were when he created you and knit you together in your mother's womb. Before you knew your name, he knew you. Before you were born, he set you apart. Back to that. Back to the real you. Back to beneath all of the layers of disappointment. Wouldn't it be better to go back to your Father who's already on the porch than to stay down here with these pigs? Wouldn't it be better to go back to the one who made you? Father, your Word goes forth like seed, and it needs good soil. I honor you today, God, because you gave us good seed. You spoke to us a better question. "Is it worth it? What will it take? What's growing right now in my life"? We thank you, Lord, for the power of a better question. We think we know what we need. We think we know what we want. What should we want, God? For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so are your ways above our ways and your thoughts above our thoughts. We're coming back, God. We're coming back to the only one who knows. Yes, Lord. We repent. We're coming back to the top. Repent. Back to your way of thinking. I thank you now, Lord, and I want to pray for somebody who has been with the pigs. I want to speak to somebody who's halfway back to Egypt, and I want to ask that your love would draw them home. Maybe the best question is, "Who will separate us from the love of God"? I thank you, Lord, that nothing can stand between us and our Father. For how shall he who freely gave us all things not also give us this gift? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. What should I want, God? I want to tell you one more thing. It may be my whole message for you. When Jesus said you don't have to run around asking, "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear"? he said, "Your Father knows that you need them". Your Father knows. And here's what I want you to know: If he dresses the lilies With beauty and splendor How much more will he clothe you? What a question. "How much more"? That's a better question. "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear"? That's a better question. Caleb and Joshua showed great faith in the midst of “giant” obstacles. When you are in the desert, you let the Devil tempt you to ask the wrong questions. “Who do you think you are dreaming like that? Who do you think you are putting yourself out there like that? What makes you think you can accomplish that? Well, if it was going to work, wouldn’t it have worked by now”? Those are desert questions. It’s when you’ve been used to not having enough or you’ve been used to somebody else oppressing you or something else oppressing you. Why did God bring me this far to leave me”? If you flip that question a little bit… “Why would God bring me this far to leave me right now”? That is a better question. Do you really think he saved you with his Son’s blood, but he’s not going to provide for your material needs? Do you really think God sent His Son and saw you through all of these dangers and toils and snares, and his grace is going away now? Why would God bring you this far to leave you? Why would he speak it if he didn’t mean it? Why would he do it if he wasn’t committed to it? He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it. Preached at Elevation Church.