The Danger of Self-Powered Salvation

• Eternal Inheritance [00:54:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines eternal life and the heavenly inheritance as a foundational truth for all believers, co-heirs with Christ.
• Leadership and Transition [00:58:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The sermon discusses the transition from Moses to Joshua, emphasizing the need for leaders who have the character of God, compassion, and competence.
• Inquiring of the Lord [01:04:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges believers to ask God for direction during life changes, contrasting King David's habit of inquiring with his own personal failures to do so.
• Spiritual Warfare and Unforgiveness [01:07:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the need to let go of unforgiveness and trust God to fight battles, referencing Exodus 14:14.
• The Word of God [01:10:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Highlighting Joshua's prioritization of the Torah/Law, the pastor emphasizes the power of Scripture and the need for believers to maintain a connection with God through it.
• Spiritual Warfare and Accountability [01:28:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues against blaming Satan for all struggles, emphasizing that believers are accountable for their own actions and must not give Satan undue credit or glory, as he is not omnipresent.
• Discipleship and Succession [01:14:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights the lack of successors in modern churches and stresses the divine mission to disciple the next generation to prevent losing a generation.
• Obedience and Prosperity [01:20:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between chasing worldly dreams and seeking godly prosperity, linking true success to obedience to God's law and instruction.
• Rejection of Worldly Values [01:30:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > Citing 1 John 2, the pastor warns against loving the world, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, urging believers to abide in God's will instead.
• Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God [01:33:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the battle against the devil, the flesh, and the world, citing Ephesians 6 to describe putting on the full armor of God, including the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.
• Overcoming Sin through the Word [01:35:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using Galatians 5 and Romans 8, the pastor argues that walking in the Spirit prevents fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, emphasizing that the Word of God is a living, powerful weapon sharper than a two-edged sword.
• Christ's Example in Temptation [01:37:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, detailing how Jesus defeated Satan's three temptations by responding with 'It is written,' demonstrating the power of Scripture as a defensive and offensive tool.
• Evangelism as Spiritual Warfare [01:46:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies presenting the gospel to non-believers as the 'greatest act of spiritual warfare,' explaining that it removes the enemy's 'uniform' and places the believer in the 'uniform of Christ.'
• Invitation to Salvation [01:47:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor issues a direct call to action for those who do not know Jesus, inviting them to come forward to be led to the Lord, emphasizing the urgency of accepting Christ before it is too late.

• Sermon Illustration [01:06:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about buying a Grand Am in Berlin, New Mexico, without seeking God's peace, leading to financial hardship, and later buying a 1979 Thunderbird for the same reason, which resulted in mechanical breakdowns.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the historical narrative of Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses' death, specifically citing Joshua 1:1-11 regarding God's command to be strong and courageous.
• Sermon Illustration [01:23:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the historical event of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River, noting that they had to maintain a half-mile gap from the Ark of the Covenant and follow God's specific command to succeed, illustrating that victories are established through obedience to God's instruction rather than intellect.
• Sermon Illustration [01:49:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about trying to distribute scriptures at Walmart on a Friday, describing the emotional pain ('my heart broke') caused by the rejection from people who did not want anything to do with God.

• Pastoral Charge [00:33:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > New attendees are asked to fill out Connect cards to facilitate future contact.
• Pastoral Charge [00:33:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > Female congregation members are urged to sign up for the Women's Conference.
• Pastoral Charge [00:33:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > Youth participants are urged to submit their camp money.
• Pastoral Charge [01:09:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > Congregants holding unforgiveness are commanded to release it to God.
• Pastoral Charge [01:11:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > Volunteer to fight for and protect the spiritual inheritance of their children.
• Pastoral Charge [01:11:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Commit to protecting the inheritance of God's word.
• Pastoral Charge [01:22:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > Demonstrate actual obedience to God, not just lip service.
• Pastoral Charge [01:18:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stop feeding fleshly desires and give spare time to God.
• Pastoral Charge [01:47:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > Identify deacons to assist in leading new believers to Christ.
• Pastoral Charge [01:49:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > Invite those who do not know Christ to come forward to the front or approach leaders for salvation.
• Pastoral Charge [01:50:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Surrender lives to God and prioritize Him in all things.

[00:31:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:31:58] We are officially kicking off our calendar fundraiser to support our Fortress youth. We want every student to have the chance to experience camp this summer, and you can help make that happen.
[00:32:09] Here's how it works.
[00:32:10] It's simple. Pick a day on the May calendar and donate that dollar amount.
[00:32:14] For example, pick May 5th and donate $5. Pick the 31st and pay $31.
[00:32:21] Or if you're feeling generous, pick a few days.
[00:32:24] We have three ways to give.

[00:32:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:32:28] First, text to give. You will text give and your amount to 844-984-3969.

[00:32:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:32:38] Second, if you prefer or only have cash, speak to one of our youth leaders.

[00:32:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:32:44] Third, if you simply want to write out a check, make it out to Youth Summer Camp.

[00:32:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:32:48] Every dollar goes directly toward camp registration and transportation.
[00:32:53] Please help our Fortress youth have a life-changing summer.

[00:32:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:32:56] So come support our youth and blessings to you and your family.

[00:33:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:33:05] Good morning, church. How are you guys?
[00:33:07] Yeah, it's a beautiful morning.
[00:33:09] Glad you guys are all here.
[00:33:12] Yeah.
[00:33:15] Welcome new people.
[00:33:16] If you're new here, there's some Connect cards in front of you and the seats in front of you in the back.
[00:33:20] Just fill them out. We'd like to connect with you later.
[00:33:23] Let's see. Women's Conference next Friday.
[00:33:28] Tomorrow's the last day to sign up.
[00:33:29] There's a sign-up sheet in the back there If you ladies want to sign up It's five bucks It's pretty cheap I guess you got a good speaker coming in So take advantage, ladies Take advantage
[00:33:40] Youth camp You guys got your money in yet?
[00:33:45] Tomorrow's the last day Got to get it in so we can go to camp So get that in Let's see Next week, next Sunday There's going to be a mandatory meeting right here For youth
[00:34:00] for the camp make sure we have everything you know our t's crossed and i's dotted um i just want to thank you guys again for being here um it's an awesome day lord provided you know
[00:34:13] jesus came here to uh show us how to love each other gospel in a nutshell he showed us how to love you know he even he even said you know the greatest love is to give your life for for your
[00:34:24] brother which he did for all of us so uh let's just praise and honor god today lord um can everybody stand we can uh say a prayer lord father god i just want to thank you for everybody that's
[00:34:37] here today we just honor you and praise you and thank you for everything you've done without you we wouldn't have anything this is all yours we just want to give it back to you lord father god
[00:34:47] thank you for jesus for coming here and doing what he did we just you know forgive us of our sins god we're we're not perfect and jesus uh jesus died for our sins so we could become perfect
[00:35:01] so god can look at us and and say well done you know when we get to heaven so lord father god just want to honor you and praise you and edgar lead us in praise and worship ladies waiting for

[00:35:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:35:12] you to rock you know have a good one in jesus name i pray amen come on church let's get ready come on church come on church come on who's ready to worship this morning i know that wasn't good
[00:35:25] enough for our God. Come on, let me hear a shout of praise for him. It's not good enough for our

[00:35:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:35:31] God. Let me hear that one more time. One, two, meet us together. Let's give him praise in the

[00:51:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:51:08] house today. He's worthy of all our praise. Thank you, Jesus. Oh, Father, we thank you for your goodness this morning. We thank you for breathing, putting air in our lungs and beating, the blood beating through our hearts. Father God, we thank you. We give you an anthem of praise this morning.
[00:51:29] You have counted us more than conquerors.
[00:51:32] We're victorious in Christ Jesus.
[00:51:34] Father, you have given the church so many blessings.
[00:51:38] Father, we thank you for the body of Christ this morning.
[00:51:42] Father, we come before you in the mighty name of Jesus.
[00:51:47] Thank you, Lord.
[00:51:48] God is so good.
[00:51:52] We can't say it enough.
[00:51:53] We can't even express it with words because God is good.
[00:51:58] Amen.
[00:51:59] Oh, praise the Lord.
[00:52:04] Let's get our ushers up here, and we're going to pray for the offering.
[00:52:10] And then we're going to dismiss our classes after that.
[00:52:16] Oh, praise the Lord.
[00:52:19] Father, we thank you for the abundance of your blessings, Father God.
[00:52:23] We thank you for filling our baskets, Father God, with your goodness.
[00:52:28] We thank you for the jobs that we have, Father God.
[00:52:30] Father we're grateful that we're able to come and bring our tithes before you this morning Father God to honor you Father God to glorify you to magnify you Father God I thank you God I pray
[00:52:45] that you would bless every giver Father I thank you Lord that you bless them abundantly Father God we thank you Lord we honor you in Jesus name amen amen amen hallelujah Well, if you notice, Pastor and Stella are not here this morning.
[00:53:06] And I thank God for the opportunity to stand before you.
[00:53:09] Praise team, you did an awesome job.
[00:53:12] Melissa, I want to thank you for preaching the word of God already in the prayer room.
[00:53:18] It was a word coming straight from God.
[00:53:21] We will not miss God.
[00:53:23] We stand in one spirit, and that's the Holy Spirit that leads us and guides us.
[00:53:27] i thank you lord that uh father for our children father god that you would protect them father god that they would absorb everything that they need to learn this morning father we honor you i am so
[00:53:41] glad i'm just bubbling up inside robert i'm glad you're here this morning praise god praise god praise god we serve a mighty god hallelujah he god even guides the hands of the surgeon amen Oh, praise the name of Jesus.
[00:54:01] Hallelujah.
[00:54:03] Oh, thank you, Lord.
[00:54:10] In Christian theology, that's the study of God and His Word.
[00:54:18] That's what Christian theology is, okay?
[00:54:24] Eternal life, and this is what I'm going to be speaking on partly today.
[00:54:30] We're going to be in the book of Joshua.
[00:54:32] But eternal life is a foundational inheritance for all believers.
[00:54:41] Can you wrap that around your head this morning?
[00:54:46] This is a foundational truth for every believer that you have an inheritance from God the Father.
[00:54:58] Because you're his son and you're his daughter.
[00:55:02] Amen?
[00:55:02] There's an inheritance.
[00:55:04] here on earth when maybe a family member passes away mother father uncle aunt whatever they leave an inheritance for their children well god gives us an inheritance also but it's heavenly and it's spiritual what a mighty god we serve we are co-heirs with christ jesus in his eternal
[00:55:35] kingdom. What a privilege that is to be a part of God's eternal kingdom. Sometimes, guys, I think we just take things for granted, and we just, oh, eternal kingdom. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna be there,
[00:55:54] whatever. But it goes deeper than that. If you can imagine being with God the Father, being with Jesus, walking with Moses on the streets of gold, dancing before the throne of David, and seeing all those who've gone before us, all our family members that have known Jesus Christ,
[00:56:20] we get to see him again. Amen. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. I'm going to ask you to stand up for the reading of God's Word. And our text is going to be in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 and 4.
[00:56:44] When you have it, say amen. Are you ready for God's Word today? Amen. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance
[00:57:09] incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
[00:57:21] You have an inheritance reserved for you. Father, we thank you for your word. I thank you that it penetrates deeply into our hearts and our minds father god i thank you for a life-changing word
[00:57:33] i thank you for transforming our lives from the inside out father god i thank you holy spirit that you have already prepared our hearts to receive the living and powerful word of god in us and through us father god that we walk in it and abide in it father we thank you in jesus mighty
[00:57:52] name you may be seated. Amen. Amen. Preparing for an inheritance. That's the title of this sermon and I'll begin with the introduction. Today we are going to be in the Old Testament and we will move our way through the New Testament. The Old Testament draws out timeless
[00:58:22] lessons, no matter how long ago it happened, it still speaks to us today. It doesn't matter if it happened 2,000 years ago. It doesn't matter if it happened 3,000 years ago. The Word of God
[00:58:37] still speaks to us. Amen? We will see leadership transition from Moses to Joshua. Some transitions are difficult and some are smooth. Now Moses died in Moab on Mount Nebo. Moses lived 120 years.
[00:59:03] Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land because he disobeyed God. At this time he was supposed to speak to the rock and not strike the rock for the water to come out. However,
[00:59:20] he was allowed to see the promised land from the summit of Mount Nebo. God has a plan and he has a plan for each and every one of us. Now we're going to be, I'm going to go to Joshua chapter 1
[00:59:44] verses 1 through 11. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now, therefore,
[01:00:06] arise and go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving you, given to them, the children of Israel. Every place that the soles of your feet will tread upon,
[01:00:22] I will give you. And I, as I said to Moses, from the wilderness of Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites and the great sea towards the
[01:00:41] going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
[01:01:01] Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to your fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe
[01:01:18] to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you.
[01:01:24] Do not turn it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper everywhere you go.
[01:01:33] This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success
[01:02:00] have not have i not commanded you be strong and of good courage do not be afraid nor dismayed for the lord your god is with you forever what a promise then joshua commanded the officers
[01:02:20] of the people saying pass through the camp and command the people saying prepare provisions for yourselves for within three days you will cross over the Jordan into the and to possess the land which the Lord your God has given you to possess amen what a faithful promise thank you
[01:02:47] Lord. Who is fit to be a leader? There are mighty warriors, mighty men in the Bible who are fit to be leaders. One who has the character of God. One who has compassion towards people.
[01:03:16] One who is competent to have the necessary ability, wisdom, knowledge, skill, and is qualified so the body, the church, can move as one.
[01:03:38] That's the kind of leadership we need.
[01:03:52] These pages stick together.
[01:03:53] this is a great reminder that when we go through changes or transitions and how many of you have gone through changes in your life and transitions in your lives maybe you've moved from one state to another
[01:04:12] one place to another maybe you moved to another job and there's adjustments that we have to take and make see we should inquire of the Lord we should always ask the Lord for direction in our lives
[01:04:32] especially in these days guys look look how fast this world is going look how fast this day will pass before you this day will pass before you so quickly that tomorrow morning it'll be another
[01:04:48] work day and there we go again on that cycle we'll go to our work we'll do our stuff we'll do but look how fast this world is going so we should inquire of the lord see king david
[01:05:05] was one who inquired of the Lord.
[01:05:10] It is recorded at least nine times that King David inquired of the Lord whether he should go to battle or not or what he should do.
[01:05:23] And that states in 1 Samuel 30, verse 8.
[01:05:29] The event of Joshua, the historical narrative is factual.
[01:05:36] This really happened in the book of Joshua.
[01:05:39] you know we for us that grew up in the church we remember the little song Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down Joshua was a mighty warrior he was a mighty
[01:06:01] commander see in my life guys I have missed God I have failed to ask him what I should do There was a time when I headed down to Berlin, New Mexico, to purchase a new car.
[01:06:24] It was a Grand Am.
[01:06:26] The thing about it is that I did not have peace, but I went ahead and purchased it.
[01:06:34] I felt uncertain.
[01:06:36] I was scared, unqualified to meet the payments.
[01:06:42] It got hard.
[01:06:44] Hey, sometimes we don't learn from our first mistakes.
[01:06:49] I did it a second time.
[01:06:51] and I didn't inquire of the Lord.
[01:06:54] I didn't ask the Lord for direction or instruction.
[01:07:00] I had to have it.
[01:07:03] I did it a second time.
[01:07:06] It was a beautiful black lemon, a 1979 Thunderbird with a 460 in it.
[01:07:15] It had all the power I wanted.
[01:07:17] It had this beautiful long black nose.
[01:07:20] It was a beautiful car.
[01:07:21] but what it cost me was parts here and there breakdowns here and there it wasn't dependable but i didn't ask the lord should i buy it guys we need to begin to start asking the lord
[01:07:43] what he desires of us all of us are called few are chosen but all of us are called to give the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we got to move. We got to move on this, guys, heavily, especially in these
[01:07:59] days. Sometimes we forget what battles to fight. Sometimes God is fighting for us. In Exodus 14, 14, the word of God says, the Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace. Sometimes we
[01:08:25] don't have to stand there and argue a point that is pointless that we always have to be right when we argue it escalates the problem we say hurtful things to one another sometimes we just need to turn it loose and turn it to God listen if there's unforgiveness in your
[01:09:04] heart today. Turn it loose. God will set you free. You will feel more free than you ever have in your whole life. See, sometimes unforgiveness holds us back from receiving all the blessings that God has for us. Sometimes we just need to pray. Okay, let's talk about Joshua some more.
[01:09:33] Yahshua it means Lord is salvation I believe God sent this man to lead the Israelites for a specific reason to give him the land that he promised but not only that but to complete his promise he that has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it Richie
[01:10:02] God has begun a good work in you and he's faithful to complete the work in you God is awesome and powerful he will strengthen you he'll see you through it we serve a mighty God
[01:10:18] now Joshua is from the tribe of Ephraim he was a devout disciple of God Moses under study for 40 years, but he prioritized something, guys. He prioritized the law of Moses. That's the Torah, the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
[01:10:59] He studied this law. He abided by this law. He was a fearless military commander, A man who knew how to battle not only physically.
[01:11:19] Joshua battled, but he didn't only battle physically.
[01:11:29] More than that, he battled spiritually.
[01:11:33] Because he kept a connection with God the Father.
[01:11:40] Guys, more than ever before, we have to maintain that connection with God.
[01:11:46] Look at the days that we're living in.
[01:11:48] Look at them.
[01:11:53] How many of you are willing to fight for your children?
[01:11:59] How many of you are willing to protect that inheritance?
[01:12:06] See, even the word of God is an inheritance to us.
[01:12:11] There is so much in God's word and value in God's word.
[01:12:17] Guys, let's not take it for granted.
[01:12:20] The word is powerful, God.
[01:12:22] The word of God is life-changing, unwavering faith.
[01:12:34] Joshua had unwavering faith he believed in trusting God and what God said he was going to do he believed in God for the promise in Joshua 1.11 he said pass through the camp and command the people saying
[01:12:58] prepare provisions for yourself for in three days you will cross over this Jordan to go and possess the land which the Lord your God has given you to possess he believed God how many of us would do that God is speaking to you and God is asking something
[01:13:20] uh you to do something maybe you're in Walmart maybe you're at work and God is asking you to to tell somebody about Jesus to convey to preach the gospel to somebody that's lost sometimes we're so closed in and shy and and we're more prideful not to to let go and to do
[01:13:52] what god wants us to do because we'll the word of god says guys if if you're ashamed of me i will be ashamed of you before the father i know this isn't a hoop and hollering message
[01:14:14] But guys, we got to wake up. We got to wake up. He was a man chosen to succeed Moses.
[01:14:31] He was chosen by God. Today in our churches, we lack successors. And I know that we are working hard at that, to have successors in this body, to take the role of somebody who is leading and
[01:14:56] teaching us. We need successors in every area of ministry from nursery to pastors. What happens when we miss one of those slots? What happens when we're not discipling somebody under us and teaching them and they're your protege? This is what happens. We lose a generation. We can't afford
[01:15:29] to lose any any more we can't afford to lose our children this is a divine mission so we stop losing generations everyone working together building the kingdom of god joshua is best known for leading the israelites into the promised land crossing the jordan do you have a promised
[01:16:10] land do you have an inheritance Joshua was as bold as to say as for me and my house we will serve the Lord how many of us are that bold to say that as for me and my house we will serve the
[01:16:33] Lord I don't say this these things in a condemning way I say it from a heart of love with compassion guys uh i i am just so stirred and moved by the holy spirit god bless you see he was telling the
[01:17:02] people not to serve the gods of the amorites but to only worship the i am yahweh to put god first in exodus 20 verse 3 you shall have no other gods before me are we living for the world
[01:17:24] are we living for ourselves? Are we living for Satan? How many of us can say that?
[01:17:41] See, I don't care what's trending or what the new thing is in the world, what the new game is out, a new vehicle that they just made. I don't care. I will not do what the world is doing.
[01:17:59] I will love God and I will put him first. And that's my desire and my passion for you as well, To put God first in all things.
[01:18:09] And what does he say in Matthew 6, 33?
[01:18:12] And all these things will be added unto you.
[01:18:17] But we got to seek him first and his righteousness.
[01:18:28] I will not feed my fleshly desires.
[01:18:33] How many of us have fleshly desires?
[01:18:36] Whether it's on our phones, our TVs, or what we do on our spare time.
[01:18:42] how many of us feed the flesh rather than giving our time to God.
[01:18:55] I will love God and I will put him first.
[01:19:00] Traits that stand out in Joshua, his unwavering courage.
[01:19:06] God repeatedly commanded Joshua to be strong and of good courage.
[01:19:12] The first time was for the people to divide the land between the 12 tribes as an inheritance.
[01:19:22] you have an inheritance if you are born again believer you have an inheritance guaranteed sealed with the holy spirit you have eternal life you'll be spending eternity with god the father the creator the one who created you the one that loves you so much he gave his son for you
[01:19:53] above all the other benefits heaven you'll have a heavenly family the second time was to observe the law which Moses commanded do not depart from it not from the right hand or the left that you may prosper wherever you go hey we all want to prosper in a godly way we don't want to
[01:20:26] prosper just to have. We want to prosper in a godly way. Amen. Because we can be chasing the dollar bill. We could be chasing homes and cars. We can be chasing the wrong dream.
[01:20:43] But let's chase what God wants us to run after. The third time, do not be afraid. Do not worry.
[01:21:05] do not fret do not be anxious how many of us get anxious as soon as some something happens we say oh i'm being attacked i'm being attacked by the enemy you forget who you are who you are
[01:21:22] in christ greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world the spirit of the living god is inside of you no weapon formed against you shall prosper you're the head and not the tail
[01:21:35] only above and not beneath. And God's defense and every tongue that rises up against you will be condemned. You got people talking bad things about you? Don't worry about it. God will take care of it. God will take care of it. Joshua demonstrates his strength through obedience
[01:22:07] to God. If I asked you, how many of you want to be obedient to God? I would see all the hands going up because we all want to be obedient to God. The thing is, how many of us are doing it?
[01:22:29] See, there's a difference. We all want to be obedient to God, but are we doing it? Sometimes it's just lip service, but sometimes we're doing exactly what God wants us to do. And that's where
[01:22:45] the blessing and his prosperity comes in is when we're doing the will of God. See, Joshua trusted God instead of fearing the giants in Canaan. He was a humble servant before he became a leader.
[01:23:07] He was Moses' loyal assistant. He studied the word and he had a deep devotion to God.
[01:23:16] most uh joshua was a brilliant military strategist he successfully led god's people when he led god's people through the jordan there was over two million to three million people that crossed over the jordan and some i can't imagine how many people it was and the ark of
[01:23:45] the covenant went before them the presence of the lord went before them and the ark stopped in the middle while the people cross the jordan see the thing is god commanded them to stay a half a mile
[01:24:03] away from the ark of the covenant so there was a big gap on this side there was a half a mile on this side and there was a half a mile on this side then there was people here and then there
[01:24:18] was people way over here crossing and the reason they made it through is because they followed God's command what God commanded them to do his victories were established in obedience to God's instruction a man of knowing God's word Joshua placed high value and studied the Torah and
[01:24:55] obeyed God's word. He attributes all his successes to following God's law rather than his own intellect. Okay, this is for us overthinkers, okay? When we're overthinking every situation we are processing, or we can do it this way, we can do it that way, or we can resolve this
[01:25:24] issue and problem this way if we do it this way how about just turning it over to god that would be a whole lot easier is just turning it over to god now i'm not saying don't be ignorant
[01:25:41] but listen god's given you a spirit to discern what is good and what is evil each and every one of us. We have that discernment to know that. See, Joshua was a witness of God, of God's love
[01:26:05] and power. He saw the Red Sea parted. He saw the miracle of manna. He saw the water come out of the rock. He saw the plagues of Egypt, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led them
[01:26:23] through the wilderness. He saw the word given to Moses. See, Joshua led the Israelites in multiple years of at least 31 battles that are recorded. It wasn't just one battle. See, it wasn't handed over to him on a silver platter. It was not entitlement. God, you owe me this land. It wasn't
[01:27:09] that. It's that God gave them the victory, but they had to battle for it. Yeah, God promised, and all the victories that were theirs, God gave it to them, but they had to fight for it.
[01:27:28] Hey, look, we get born again, saved. Hey, that's just the beginning. That's just the start.
[01:27:36] You've only begun your walk with the Lord when you first get saved.
[01:27:44] And you know what?
[01:27:45] You have to work at it.
[01:27:48] You have to pick up your word, the word of God.
[01:27:51] You have to take time in prayer and keep that fervent fire and relationship going with God.
[01:28:07] Sometimes we give Satan too much credit, guys.
[01:28:12] We give him too much glory.
[01:28:14] see satan is not omnipresent not like our god our god is omnipresent our god can be everywhere at one time satan cannot be everywhere at one time see he can't be attacking you here he can't be in china alaska florida new york australia italy or spain all at the same time
[01:28:41] Satan cannot do that. Now he does have demonic influence that he does have. He has demonic influence and he uses it. It's up to us whether we take the bait or not. He baits it so good sometimes
[01:29:05] because our flesh desires it. The theological concept comes from these verses. We war against the world we war against satan and we war against the flesh the first thing we do is satan we throw
[01:29:34] the blame on satan we're never accountable for ourselves or our actions or where we're at where we are at in our lives if we're walking with the king in righteousness or not so easy to blame
[01:29:50] somebody else. Even in our natural lives, when something happens, guys, it's, oh, no. We say, no, he did it. Oh, she did it. It wasn't me. It's so easy to do. Nobody wants to be accountable
[01:30:10] for what they do. But sometimes, one day, we will stand before the throne of God, And we will give account for every word that we have said.
[01:30:23] We don't always have to be right.
[01:30:31] But just be accountable to what God is doing in our lives.
[01:30:38] In John chapter 2, verses 15 and 17.
[01:30:44] And I hope I don't go over.
[01:30:49] Oh, I'm good.
[01:30:53] John chapter 2, verses 15 through 17.
[01:30:58] do not love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes
[01:31:15] and the pride of life i can do it on myself the pride of life i could do it on my own i can handle this. I could take care of this. Can you? It's better with God's help. And the world is
[01:31:34] passing away and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever. Amen. So we war against the world and we just read the scripture. So what is it speaking to you? What is it speaking
[01:31:54] to you? Not to love the world or the things of the world. Yes, we live in a natural world, but not to love him.
[01:32:09] The devil, Satan, the spiritual force of evil, the ultimate liar and deceiver.
[01:32:20] How many of you know that he is a liar and the father of lies?
[01:32:24] And he will deceive you at every corner that he can take you.
[01:32:30] He will deceive you.
[01:32:32] Oh, it's not that bad.
[01:32:34] It's okay.
[01:32:36] Everybody else does it.
[01:32:42] Hallelujah.
[01:32:44] I know it's a strong word, guys, but we got to hear this stuff.
[01:32:48] If we don't hear this, if we don't hear the word of God for the truth that it really is, we need to hear it because we're going to be accountable.
[01:32:59] We can't just live our lives however we want to.
[01:33:02] We were purchased with a price.
[01:33:05] We're not our own.
[01:33:08] Jesus Christ paid the price.
[01:33:11] You belong to Jesus Christ.
[01:33:14] You don't belong to yourself.
[01:33:21] Ephesians 6, verses 11 and 12.
[01:33:25] Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil.
[01:33:31] You will be able to withstand his trickery, his lies.
[01:33:37] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
[01:33:52] so there are spiritual things that we war against but what are you armoring yourself with we apply faith the shield of faith yeah we need to have faith the flesh our natural fallen human nature and its sinful desires we battle against the flesh sexual desires drunkenness
[01:34:39] I can't even name them.
[01:34:41] Just blatant sin, guys.
[01:34:45] We battle with our flesh.
[01:34:50] But we're so good at hiding it.
[01:34:54] We're so good at hiding our secret sins.
[01:34:56] But there's one who sees everything and knows everything.
[01:35:02] He is so nifty and he's all-knowing.
[01:35:07] We can't hide our little sins.
[01:35:13] Sometimes we even forget to ask for forgiveness for those hidden sins.
[01:35:17] we walk away and hey I'll do it again or it'll happen again we can't do that guys in Galatians chapter 5 verse 17 for the flesh okay I'm going to start up here I say walk in
[01:35:48] the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh for the flesh for the flesh lust against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish did you catch that last part so you do not do
[01:36:09] the things that you wish see how powerful the word of God there's protection in the word of God there's a warning right there a lot of times we'll read through the top part but it's so that
[01:36:25] you won't do the things that you want to do in romans chapter 8 it tells us that verses 12 through 14 therefore brethren we are not debtors not to the flesh we don't know what to to the
[01:36:50] flesh to live according to the flesh for if we live according to the flesh you will die and it's speaking spiritually, you will die. But if by the Spirit you will put to death the deeds
[01:37:09] of your body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. You are the sons and daughters of God, each and every one of you. I hope and I pray that each
[01:37:27] and every one of you are born again believers this morning and we'll get to that point jesus gave us a great example of how to overcome sin and how to overcome temptation right john the
[01:37:53] baptized john the baptist baptizes him and then he's led into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert and he is hungry and satan comes to him and says if you're the son of god
[01:38:14] command these stones to be bread jesus said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of god the second thing satan did is took him up to
[01:38:34] a temple on a pinnacle and he tells jesus hey throw yourself down the word says that the angels will rescue you. The angels will save you if you throw yourself down. Jesus replied, it is written
[01:38:53] again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Then he came a third time. The devil took him to a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and all its glory. All these things I
[01:39:12] will give you if you worship me and jesus said away with you satan for it is written you shall worship the lord your god and him only shall you serve what an example the king of kings and the
[01:39:35] lord of lords gives us an example to use the word of god the sword of the spirit jesus has the keys of hell and and death in revelations 1 18 in 2nd peter 1 3 as his divine power has given to us
[01:40:05] all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue god has called you by glory and virtue in hebrews 4 12 for the word
[01:40:28] of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and
[01:40:44] the intents of the heart he knows our every thought Ephesians 6 17 says take up the helmet of salvation. That protects your mindset, how you think, how you process things. And the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. The word is offensive. It's not defensive. The shield is
[01:41:37] defensive. The word of God is to be used. That's why it's offensive on the offense. You use it on the offense. This word, this word that you carry can change your destiny forever. Without this
[01:42:10] word, we don't know the gospel of Jesus Christ. You wouldn't know if you're saved or not.
[01:42:20] We wouldn't know that Jesus made a way. We wouldn't have a guide to direct us and instruct us.
[01:42:35] see God has standards and he has principles that we're supposed to abide by in this book you have one too you have one of these two it is a weapon to defeat the enemy to fight off our flesh
[01:43:02] to fight off the world it is a weapon this is not the only weapon that God has given us the time that we spend in prayer in communion with the living god that's another weapon that we have hallelujah ephesians 1 i know i have a lot
[01:43:41] of scripture but that's okay in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the holy spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
[01:44:07] to the praise of his glory let the praise of his glory let it be all his but see the holy spirit comes in and lives inside of you and transforms your life and changes you we within ourselves we
[01:44:29] are so evil if God would have left us to our own demise where would we be but God thoroughly equips us with everything that pertains to life and godliness we must pursue godliness with all our
[01:44:55] heart do you want this inheritance in order to have this inheritance of being a son of God you must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior.
[01:45:19] See, Jesus isn't just here for salvation.
[01:45:25] He is supposed to have lordship over your life.
[01:45:30] The King of kings and the Lord of lords is to have lordship over your life.
[01:45:36] We are to honor the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
[01:45:40] we are to have the most up reverence to the mighty god and his precious son and the holy spirit see ladies and gentlemen the greatest act of spiritual warfare is presenting the gospel of jesus christ to somebody that does not know jesus that is the greatest spiritual warfare we could do
[01:46:21] You know why?
[01:46:24] Because he takes off his uniform and he puts on the uniform of Christ on.
[01:46:32] It changes him.
[01:46:36] It changes that person.
[01:46:39] That is our greatest spiritual warfare is to present the gospel.
[01:46:46] Now, God is not willing that anyone should perish.
[01:46:54] He wants this inheritance for you.
[01:47:03] I won't talk about how right now.
[01:47:06] where there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[01:47:14] But God sent his son to redeem you from that, to rescue you from that.
[01:47:26] You see, and if there's anyone here this morning that does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and personal Savior, I want all the deacons to raise their hand.
[01:47:47] See these gentlemen?
[01:47:47] if you don't know the lord jesus christ they can lead you to the master this morning they can lead you to jesus you can have all this all these blessings and promises and inheritance so father
[01:48:10] right now we surrender to you holy spirit have your way working in the hearts of your people and your young men and your young ladies.
[01:48:23] Holy Spirit, I ask that you would come and convince and convict the need of a Savior in their lives and in their hearts.
[01:48:34] Father, we thank you for this opportunity right now.
[01:48:41] See, we don't always have this opportunity, guys.
[01:48:44] We're not promised tomorrow.
[01:48:48] You're not promised this afternoon.
[01:48:50] If you're living without Christ, you could be gone.
[01:48:56] this is an open door for you to accept him yesterday i was at walmart trying or the other day i was trying to give out scriptures it was friday and the rejection from the people
[01:49:18] that didn't want to have anything with god my heart broke my heart broke to reject jesus christ don't do it don't reject Jesus Christ guys here's an open opportunity you can come up to the front
[01:49:42] or you can come up to one of these gentlemen you can come up to me we'll lead you to the Lord so Father God we thank you for your word this morning we thank you that your word does not
[01:49:56] return void I thank you that there is power in your word and it's living and it's active Father in us and through us father it's your loving kindness that compels us to you your great grace your great love
[01:50:20] compels us to you so father we thank you for what you've accomplished this morning transform our lives from the inside out make us anew father right now we surrender we surrender everything that we are and we put you first we put you before our spouses we put
[01:50:55] you before our children. We put you before our church. Father, that we would put you first in all things, that you would place everything in order in our lives. If your life is in chaos
[01:51:10] this morning, God can put your life in order if you'll allow him. He will direct you. He will order your steps. So, Father, we thank you. We choose to live by your word in Jesus' name,
[01:51:32] and we give you all the praise.
[01:51:34] Amen.
[01:51:36] Thank you, guys.
[01:51:43] Well, I guess you guys get to leave early today.
[01:51:45] Early, early lunch.