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He is glorious.

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Behold the one who has come for us.

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Welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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To get connected or to give online,

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you can go to connect.hcv.church

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or give.hcv.church.

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If at any time during this message

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you feel called to make a change in your life,

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text changeme to 970-00.

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Thank you and enjoy the message.

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Hub City Vineyard, how are you guys feeling today?

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What's that?

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Oh, I love it.

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Well, apparently you guys are ready to go and on fire

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because no less than three or four people

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from the worship team told me to prepare myself

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because they said you guys are ready to receive

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the word of the Lord in the house today.

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I'm ready.

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I can't wait.

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So if this is your first time here this morning,

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I want to say God bless you and welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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I am not Chris Schlatterbeck, our senior lead pastor.

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My name is Rhett Trox.

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I'm actually the worship pastor here at Hub City Vineyard.

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But Chris has given me the incredible opportunity

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and privilege to come and deliver a word to you.

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So if you've been in the church for any decent amount of time,

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you know that Chris does not take Sundays off.

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So I consider this a very high blessing

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that he has entrusted me with his platform.

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And so I hope that I'm able to deliver on all

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that God has for you today.

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So I want to tell you a little bit about my preaching style.

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And I want to ask a favor, see if you guys will help me out.

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So as I preach, as I teach, as I talk, I love participation.

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So this is the house of the Lord.

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And I believe that our God was a radical God.

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He was full of energy.

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He was full of excitement.

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So if I say something this morning

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that resonates in your heart or in your soul,

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I'm here to tell you it's OK if you want to clap.

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All right?

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It's OK if you want to give me an amen and a hallelujah,

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because I like to feed off of the energy in the room.

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And I hope that I say a few things throughout this Sunday,

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this morning, that will just stir something up in you

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and allow you to just grasp on to all

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that God has for you in this moment.

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So once again, thank you to Chris for allowing me

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to have this incredible opportunity.

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You see, no matter where we are in our current walk of life,

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some of us go through things differently.

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Some of us experience things differently than others,

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obviously.

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But I believe that we all share one commonality.

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We all share something in our lives.

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And that, and maybe we're going through it

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right now this morning, but it's that we all

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share periods of being in what I call the fire, right?

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Being in periods, going through seasons of doubt,

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of anxiety, of frustration, of uncertainty, right?

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We all go through those seasons.

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Some of us process it the same.

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Some of us process it differently.

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But the one thing that we all share

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is that we all go through those seasons of life.

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Perhaps you're in a place this morning

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where you're going through one of those times, one

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of those seasons right now.

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Or maybe you've just come out of one of those seasons.

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Or maybe you're someone, unbeknownst to you,

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are getting ready to enter a season of uncertainty

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or a season of what I call being in the fire.

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So as you know, we started off a brand new series last week

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called The Real F-Words.

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And when Chris and Rudy and Carl came to me

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and we decided that we were going to preach a series called

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The Real F-Words, I thought, oh my gosh,

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I don't get to preach very often.

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And when I do, you're making me deliver a message on something

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called The Real F-Words.

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But I was immediately convicted that how many

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times you guys believe that the enemy can plant seeds

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of doubt in our mind and what God means for our good,

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the enemy can try to make us think

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that it's for his good, right?

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So I believe this morning that we

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need to shrug off the thought of the F-word, right?

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So clearly we know what that can mean in our society today.

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But we're going to be looking at four different words that

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begin with the letter F throughout this series in which

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we are calling The Real F-Words, right?

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So last week was forgiveness.

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I get the privilege and the honor

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of bringing you the word favor, favor.

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A term synonymous with favor can also be blessing, right?

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So if God has planted favor in your life,

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it could also mean that he's delivering a blessing

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or he's giving you a blessing in life.

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You see, so many times I believe that we

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correlate the presence of trouble in our life

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with the absence of God.

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We correlate the presence of trouble

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with the absence of God.

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If I'm going through a season of doubt,

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if I'm going through a difficult time,

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if I'm going through something I don't understand,

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if it's painful, right?

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A lot of times in those situations,

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we allow our minds to believe that God must

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be absent in that situation.

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But the presence of trouble does not mean the absence of God.

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And conversely, the presence of God

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doesn't mean the absence of trouble.

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We know that God is with us.

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We know that God is for us.

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We know that he's with us every step of the way.

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But what that doesn't mean, that even

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though he's present in our life, it doesn't mean that we will

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never encounter trouble, right?

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Amen.

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In fact, I believe, and this may seem backwards

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and may seem counterintuitive to you,

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but this is the standpoint of my whole message today.

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I believe that God's favor resides more

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during the seasons of doubt and the seasons of trouble,

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the seasons of being in the fire.

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I believe that God hides his Easter eggs of favor

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within those seasons of our life.

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And that's the title of my message today.

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There's favor in the fire.

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Come on, say it with me.

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There's favor in the fire.

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So Justin, if you want to throw up that slide,

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the title of my message today, there's favor in the fire.

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And my goal, my job, when I'm considering my task

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today is to deliver tools into your hands

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that you can use to unlock and realize

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that God hides incredible amounts of favor

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within your life.

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And the way that we are going to do that today,

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it might be a little unconventional

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as compared to traditional messages here

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at Hubstead E. Vineyard.

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We're going to look at four simple stories in the Bible.

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Some of them you may have heard, some of them

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you may not have heard.

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But we're going to look at four different stories

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in the Bible in which characters in the Bible encountered

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hardship or struggle or pain.

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But I want to show you the favor that God had waiting for them

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in that season in hopes to give you the tools to shift

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our mindset, to shift our thinking,

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and to being able to unlock all that God

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has for you in your life.

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So if I could tell you that God undoubtedly

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had favor for you no matter what walk of life

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you're going through right now.

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And if I could teach you how to find it,

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how many would want to unlock that ability this morning?

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You see, those are the types of questions

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that us pastors like to ask because it's basically

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guaranteed to get 100% participation.

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So Heavenly Father, thank you for this morning.

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God, I'm so grateful that you have entrusted me

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with this amazing opportunity.

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God, and that's what this is this morning.

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This is an opportunity, not an obligation.

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I don't have to be here.

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I get to be here.

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And Lord, I just pray that you would just

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use me as a conduit of your knowledge, of your wisdom,

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of all that you have for every person in this room

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and watching online.

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I pray that you would just allow me to be a vessel of hope,

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of wisdom, of guidance coming directly from you.

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God, that the words that I speak today would not be all me,

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but God, they would be all you.

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And Lord, as we walk and we talk through these different stories

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in the Bible, Lord, I pray that you would allow us to see how

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they correspond, to see how they correlate,

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to see how they relate to the seasons of life

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that we go through in hopes that we can unlock the favor

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and the blessing that you have for us.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Everybody say point one.

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Point one.

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All right, you guys are responsive.

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This is going in the right direction.

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Our first thought today is that there is favor in your purpose.

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There is favor in your purpose.

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Now, when I say purpose, we all have lofty goals in life.

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We all have a purpose that we are striving to get to.

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We all have a purpose that we want to see deployed

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or developed in our life.

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So if your purpose in here today is to become the CEO

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of a multinational banking corporation

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and be sitting on billions of dollars, that's great.

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That's awesome.

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But I'm not really talking about finding favor

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in that type of purpose today.

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The purpose that I want to highlight

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is the purpose that we are living in right here,

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right now, in the moment.

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Because as my good friend Jack Reacher from Amazon Prime

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says, details matter.

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I believe that God lives within the details of our lives.

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And we all are walking in a specific way.

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We're all walking in a specific purpose here this morning.

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And I want to show you that there

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is favor in your purpose.

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The character that I'm going to use to articulate this

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is quite arguably my favorite character in the entire Bible.

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He's just an incredible man of God.

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I actually model the leadership that I

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give our worship team after this man.

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And he is none other than David.

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So undoubtedly, when you hear of David,

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you instantly think of the story of him doing what?

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Killing Goliath, right?

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He's the giant slaying warrior.

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But let's take a minute to study David

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and obtain some facts on who he was prior to being

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the giant slaying warrior.

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David was from the tribe of Judah

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and was the youngest of seven sons.

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And most commonly, David was known as a shepherd boy, right?

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We all know David as the shepherd.

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David served under the powerful ruler named Saul.

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In 1 Samuel, the Bible tells us that when the Israelites

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wanted a human king, I say human king,

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because did you know that the Israelites were never

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supposed to have a human king?

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But they wanted to be like everybody else.

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They looked around and they saw human kings shepherding

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and lording all over the other territories around the world.

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And they said, well, we want one of those.

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We need to have a physical king here

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so that we look the part of everybody else.

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But when the people wanted a king,

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Saul was chosen because of his masculinity,

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because of his stature.

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The Bible says that he was chosen because he was a head

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taller than everybody else.

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Basically, the people wanted somebody that looked tough,

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right?

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They wanted a Chris Schlatterbeck type of leader, right?

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So they anointed Saul to show others

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that God had actually anointed him to be their king.

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But while David was serving as a shepherd,

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another one of my favorite fun facts about David

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is that he was a musician as well.

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Maybe that's why I like him so much.

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He was a musician.

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But you see, the position of a shepherd

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and a harp-slaying musician was not

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something that acclaimed great fame, great power back

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in the day.

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You see, I just said that Saul was chosen

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because of his masculinity, because of his structure,

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because of his physicality.

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But when Saul disobeyed God and fell out of favor,

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it was time for Samuel to anoint a new king.

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And here's what the Bible tells us.

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1 Samuel 16 through 16, verse 7.

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But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance

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or at the height of his stature.

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For God sees not as man sees.

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For man looks at outward appearance,

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but the Lord looks at the heart.

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So basically, God says, you took it upon yourself

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to try to go off on your own and pick

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a king that you thought would be valuable to your kingdom.

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But take the back seat for a minute,

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and let me show you how it's done.

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And here's what I love.

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Check this out.

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We learn that after Samuel learns

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that it's none of his top six candidates or qualifiers

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of Jesse's sons to be anointed as king, he finds David.

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And he realizes that David is the one to be anointed.

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And in the quiet and privacy of the living room in their house,

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David is appointed as the real king of Israel.

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And no one even knows it.

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No one even knows it.

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So I want to stop right here and expand on this for a second.

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I want to encourage someone in this place this morning.

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I don't know who has told you that you

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don't have what it takes because of the way that you look.

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But the next time that you come across somebody who tells you

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that you don't have what it takes because

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of your physical stature, you remind them

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that God chooses based on the heart,

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based on the posture of your heart,

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and based on who you have been called to be,

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not the way that you look.

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It's not the things that people can

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see that matter in this life.

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It's the things that you hide in your heart

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and hide in your mind that confirm

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who you are to be in this life that really matter.

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You see, they thought they had the right king in Saul

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because he looked the part.

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But in fact, the real courageous king of Israel

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was a small shepherd boy.

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Come on, touch your neighbor and say, I might be small,

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but I can pack a punch.

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And sometimes the favor of the Lord

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will be found in the quiet living room of your house

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where there's no fanfare, there's no grand celebration,

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but it comes from you just walking

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in the purpose that God has for you.

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So back to David, he was a simple shepherd boy,

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and the Israelites and Philistine armies were lining up

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getting ready for battle, right?

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This is where the traditional story of David comes in.

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Let me take a minute real quick.

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Man, I love the Bible.

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I love the Bible and here's why.

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I have read this story 10, 15, probably 20 times in my life,

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but every time I read the Bible,

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you can extract something out of it, right?

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I see Ronnie shaking his head, right?

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Every time you read a passage of scripture,

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God highlighted four words in this next passage

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that we're gonna read, four words,

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and it completely changed my thinking.

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It really made the basis and the foundation of this point

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of finding favor in your purpose.

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So here we go.

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First Samuel 17, 17 through 24.

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Now Jesse said to his son David,

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00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:22,920
take this food of roasted grain

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and these 10 loaves of bread for your brother

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and hurry to their camp.

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Take along these 10 cheeses to the commander of their unit.

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See how your brothers are

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00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,200
and bring back some assurance from them.

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They are with Saul and all the men of Israel

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in the valley of Elah fighting against the Philistines.

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So early in the morning,

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David left the flock in the care of a shepherd,

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loaded up and set out as Jesse had directed.

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He reached the camp as the army was going out

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to its battle position, shouting the war cry.

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00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,880
Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines,

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facing each other.

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David left his things with the keeper of supplies,

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ran to the battle lines

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and asked his brothers how they were.

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As he was talking with them, Goliath,

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00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,080
the Philistine champion from Gath,

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00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,520
stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance

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and David heard it.

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And David heard it.

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Those were the four words that God made

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just jump off the page when I was reading this.

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00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,960
So we know that David was there living out his purpose.

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He was asked to do something and he went to do it.

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And then we learn that Goliath steps out

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and he begins shouting.

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00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,040
So I think this passage of scripture would have been fine

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if that would have been omitted

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because by all intents and purposes,

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we can infer that David was there.

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He was in the moment and he heard it.

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But I believe that God specifically put that in the Bible

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because he wants to make us aware that David was there

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because he was supposed to be there.

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And if he wouldn't have been there serving his purpose,

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he might not have been able to hear it.

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Goliath stepped out from his lines

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and shouted his usual defiance and David heard it.

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Isn't it interesting that the gateway that led David

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00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,680
to his greatest claim to fame came from him

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walking in his humble purpose?

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00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:19,320
You see, you have to remember

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that he had already been anointed as king,

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but he's asked to deliver food to his brothers.

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Here he is working for Uber Eats or Door Dash

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00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,880
or whatever you wanna call it back in the day.

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And God says, you think you're just delivering food,

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but watch this, I have a greater calling for your life.

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David stepped out in obedience,

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carrying the weight of being just living in his purpose

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and it led to the gateway of him

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accomplishing his greatest claim to fame.

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00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:54,960
What if David would not have been faithful

391
00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:56,920
in that moment on that day?

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00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:59,080
What if he would have thought that he was too powerful

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00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:03,160
or he was too important to be a food delivery boy?

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00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,120
In my office at work, I have a quote

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00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:07,400
that hangs at the top of my whiteboard.

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00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,440
It says, never think of yourself as too big

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00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:10,960
to do the little things.

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00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,160
What if David would have thought that he was too important

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00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,520
or too big to deliver lunch

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00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,920
and he would have never heard Goliath shout?

401
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,680
You see, he was obedient, he was faithful in his purpose

402
00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,560
and God had an Easter egg of favor lying for him

403
00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,000
by simply carrying out the purpose

404
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,040
that he had in delivering lunch.

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00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,200
And the thing that could lead you

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00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:34,240
to defeating the Goliath in your life

407
00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,000
might come during a time

408
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,600
when you're just simply carrying out your purpose.

409
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:43,520
It might not be pretty, but it's a purpose.

410
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,440
It might not be popular, but it's a purpose.

411
00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:52,040
And it might not seem powerful, but it's a purpose.

412
00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,600
You see, delivering lunch to his brothers was not pretty,

413
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:57,040
was not popular, was not powerful,

414
00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,800
but it was the gateway that led David

415
00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,600
into defeating his Goliath.

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00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,920
And within your purpose is where God's favor can be found.

417
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,120
David was highly successful and chosen by God

418
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because of two things.

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00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,080
So you can throw up the action step, Justin.

420
00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,520
Execute your purpose with skill and heart.

421
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:17,560
I almost texted Matt Pointer last night

422
00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:20,440
and said I need to change, I need to revise my first point,

423
00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:22,280
but then I realized that that meant Tracy

424
00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:23,880
was gonna have to reprint all the bullets

425
00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,360
and so I said, okay, I won't do it.

426
00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:27,560
But I should have made my action step here,

427
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:28,920
deliver the lunch.

428
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:30,360
So I want you to write that in your bulletin.

429
00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:32,840
Deliver the lunch, right?

430
00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:33,960
Deliver the lunch.

431
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,400
It might not be pretty, but it's your purpose.

432
00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:40,360
Psalm 78, 70 through 72 said he chose David his servant

433
00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:42,920
and took him from the sheep pens.

434
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,000
From tending the sheep, he brought him

435
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,000
to be the shepherd of his people, Jacob,

436
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,080
of Israel, his inheritance.

437
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,840
And David, here we go, David shepherded them

438
00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:56,680
with integrity of heart and with skillful hands.

439
00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:58,840
He led them, skill and heart.

440
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,040
And then as I mentioned about five minutes ago,

441
00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,400
I modeled the leadership of our worship team after David

442
00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,080
because of those two things.

443
00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:07,760
The first thing I tell people,

444
00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:09,480
if you would ever wanna audition for our team,

445
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,400
the first thing I say is that you have to have two things

446
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:13,220
to be on this team.

447
00:19:13,220 --> 00:19:14,800
Number one, you have to be skilled

448
00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:16,560
because I believe that it takes a level of skill

449
00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:18,360
to be able to exhibit the quality of worship

450
00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:19,200
that we have here.

451
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,040
But number two, and number two is drastically

452
00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:23,680
the most important thing,

453
00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,440
so you have to have the heart to match.

454
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:29,160
And if you can adopt those two principles

455
00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:31,820
and extrapolate them into other areas of your life,

456
00:19:31,820 --> 00:19:36,820
if you can operate your purpose here with a skillful hand

457
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,960
and with the right heart posture that God has given you,

458
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:44,840
I promise you will find favor after favor after favor.

459
00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:49,840
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart

460
00:19:50,700 --> 00:19:53,340
and with skillful hands, he led them.

461
00:19:53,340 --> 00:19:56,700
So our action step today, execute your purpose

462
00:19:56,700 --> 00:19:58,220
with skill and heart.

463
00:19:58,220 --> 00:20:02,080
You see, David was simply walking in his purpose

464
00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,140
when God delivered an Easter egg of favor

465
00:20:05,140 --> 00:20:07,180
that became his greatest claim to fame.

466
00:20:08,140 --> 00:20:11,260
Our second point today, there's favor in,

467
00:20:11,260 --> 00:20:14,140
say it with me, perspective.

468
00:20:14,140 --> 00:20:16,140
Perspective, what a powerful word, right?

469
00:20:16,140 --> 00:20:17,680
Perspective is such a powerful word,

470
00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:19,380
it can be a challenging word,

471
00:20:19,380 --> 00:20:20,820
because the last thing you wanna hear

472
00:20:20,820 --> 00:20:22,140
when you're going through a tough time

473
00:20:22,140 --> 00:20:23,260
is for someone to say,

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00:20:23,260 --> 00:20:25,300
you just need to change your perspective, right?

475
00:20:25,300 --> 00:20:26,740
Nobody wants to hear that in the moment

476
00:20:26,740 --> 00:20:29,180
because it's frustrating, but it is so true.

477
00:20:29,180 --> 00:20:31,620
And it's something that has been just an ongoing struggle,

478
00:20:31,620 --> 00:20:33,340
ongoing battle in my life,

479
00:20:33,340 --> 00:20:35,340
because things aren't always perfect, right?

480
00:20:35,340 --> 00:20:38,580
Things go astray, the train comes off the tracks,

481
00:20:38,580 --> 00:20:41,420
but if you have a perspective on where things are going

482
00:20:41,420 --> 00:20:43,620
and where you are and knowing that God is for you

483
00:20:43,620 --> 00:20:46,340
and with you, our perspective can unlock

484
00:20:46,340 --> 00:20:48,540
a lot of favor in our life.

485
00:20:48,540 --> 00:20:51,260
The story that we're gonna look at within the Bible

486
00:20:51,260 --> 00:20:54,760
is none other than my good buddies, Paul and Silas, right?

487
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,980
So you probably already know the story that I'm going to.

488
00:20:56,980 --> 00:21:00,200
But you see, Paul and Silas had a simple mission

489
00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:01,460
when they were here,

490
00:21:01,460 --> 00:21:04,380
and that was to expand the kingdom of heaven.

491
00:21:04,380 --> 00:21:06,720
They wanted to preach, they wanted to teach,

492
00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:08,580
they were sold out to God.

493
00:21:08,580 --> 00:21:11,720
They wanted to tell anybody and everybody about God

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00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:13,820
that would listen.

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00:21:13,820 --> 00:21:15,180
Now at one point in their journey,

496
00:21:15,180 --> 00:21:18,980
they come across a roadblock or an issue,

497
00:21:18,980 --> 00:21:20,820
a hardship, if you will.

498
00:21:22,180 --> 00:21:23,540
So let's go to Acts 16.

499
00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:26,220
Once when we were going to the place of prayer,

500
00:21:26,220 --> 00:21:29,020
we were met by a female slave who had a spirit

501
00:21:29,020 --> 00:21:31,560
by which she predicted the future.

502
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:33,860
She earned a great deal of money for her owners

503
00:21:33,860 --> 00:21:35,080
by fortune telling.

504
00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,700
She followed Paul and the rest of us shouting,

505
00:21:37,700 --> 00:21:39,780
these men are servants of the most high God

506
00:21:39,780 --> 00:21:42,300
who are telling you the way to be saved.

507
00:21:42,300 --> 00:21:44,160
She kept us up for many days.

508
00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,300
Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around

509
00:21:47,300 --> 00:21:49,980
and said to the spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ,

510
00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:52,080
I command you to come out of her.

511
00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:53,980
At that moment, the spirit left her.

512
00:21:53,980 --> 00:21:56,220
When her owners realized that their hope

513
00:21:56,220 --> 00:22:00,180
of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas

514
00:22:00,180 --> 00:22:01,860
and dragged them into the marketplace

515
00:22:01,860 --> 00:22:03,640
to face the authorities.

516
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,960
They brought them before the magistrates and said,

517
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,420
these men are Jews and are throwing our city

518
00:22:08,420 --> 00:22:09,680
into an uproar.

519
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,400
By advocating on customs unlawful for us Romans

520
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,160
to accept or practice.

521
00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,540
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas

522
00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:18,740
and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped

523
00:22:18,740 --> 00:22:20,700
and beaten with rods.

524
00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:22,140
After they had been severely flogged,

525
00:22:22,140 --> 00:22:25,140
they were thrown into prison and the jailer was commanded

526
00:22:25,140 --> 00:22:26,660
to guard them carefully.

527
00:22:26,660 --> 00:22:29,280
When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell

528
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:30,740
and fastened their feet in the stocks.

529
00:22:30,740 --> 00:22:33,940
You see, this is where the trouble starts

530
00:22:33,940 --> 00:22:34,920
for Paul and Silas.

531
00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:36,540
They're out doing the Lord's work.

532
00:22:36,540 --> 00:22:38,480
They're just doing what they're supposed to do

533
00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:41,200
and they encounter a detour.

534
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,120
You ever been on a road trip and you encounter a detour?

535
00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:47,740
It's annoying, right?

536
00:22:47,740 --> 00:22:49,560
It's frustrating.

537
00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:50,860
Typically it means you're gonna get

538
00:22:50,860 --> 00:22:52,660
to wherever you're going later,

539
00:22:52,660 --> 00:22:55,180
which if you're my wife, you're already late anyway,

540
00:22:55,180 --> 00:22:56,180
so it doesn't matter.

541
00:22:58,120 --> 00:22:59,140
No, but in all seriousness,

542
00:22:59,140 --> 00:23:01,020
the detours of our life are frustrating, right?

543
00:23:01,020 --> 00:23:04,220
It represents some type of trouble, right?

544
00:23:04,220 --> 00:23:06,940
We're human creatures who likes to plan our next step

545
00:23:06,940 --> 00:23:08,820
and we like to have everything set in order

546
00:23:08,820 --> 00:23:10,660
and when we're driving our vehicle

547
00:23:10,660 --> 00:23:12,820
and we come up upon a sign that says detour,

548
00:23:12,820 --> 00:23:17,580
it usually corresponds to a feeling of frustration or anger.

549
00:23:19,260 --> 00:23:20,900
And while detours are inconvenient

550
00:23:21,820 --> 00:23:23,780
and annoying and disrupting,

551
00:23:25,060 --> 00:23:26,980
doesn't always mean that they're bad.

552
00:23:26,980 --> 00:23:28,860
So let's keep reading.

553
00:23:28,860 --> 00:23:31,780
About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying

554
00:23:31,780 --> 00:23:32,980
and singing hymns to God

555
00:23:32,980 --> 00:23:34,500
and the other prisoners were listening.

556
00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:36,460
I love to like envision things

557
00:23:36,460 --> 00:23:37,540
because I'm reading stories in the Bible

558
00:23:37,540 --> 00:23:38,380
how they're really playing out.

559
00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:40,200
So in verse 17, you heard me say

560
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,760
that the jailer put them in the inner cell, right?

561
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:44,660
That details matter, as I just said.

562
00:23:44,660 --> 00:23:47,140
So they're not like over on the West Wing

563
00:23:47,140 --> 00:23:48,100
where like they're singing

564
00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,600
and everyone on the East Wing can't hear them, right?

565
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:52,260
They're in the inner cell

566
00:23:52,260 --> 00:23:54,460
and I think that was on purpose and here's why, right?

567
00:23:54,460 --> 00:23:57,340
What do you think the culture or the mood

568
00:23:57,340 --> 00:23:58,900
is like in a prison?

569
00:23:58,900 --> 00:24:00,820
Probably not very good, right?

570
00:24:00,820 --> 00:24:03,560
Probably not one that makes you feel bubbly

571
00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:05,060
and happy inside.

572
00:24:05,060 --> 00:24:06,620
So here it is, midnight,

573
00:24:06,620 --> 00:24:09,220
which tells me that people are probably tired.

574
00:24:09,220 --> 00:24:11,700
They're probably trying to get some sleep

575
00:24:11,700 --> 00:24:13,540
and these two knuckleheads, Paul and Silas,

576
00:24:13,540 --> 00:24:16,860
in the middle of the prison start singing.

577
00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:18,900
Wonder what song they sang.

578
00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:20,260
Probably something by Hub City Worship

579
00:24:20,260 --> 00:24:23,020
because they have good taste, I believe.

580
00:24:23,020 --> 00:24:26,440
Maybe Hallelujah for the Cross runs wild, I don't know.

581
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:28,380
But anyway, here they are

582
00:24:28,380 --> 00:24:33,380
and they start singing praises and hymns to God

583
00:24:33,380 --> 00:24:38,380
at midnight while in the middle of their jail cell.

584
00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,720
Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake

585
00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,960
that the foundation of the prison were shaking.

586
00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,320
All at once, the prison doors flew open

587
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:49,300
and everyone's chains came loose.

588
00:24:49,300 --> 00:24:52,880
The jailer woke up and when he saw the prison doors open,

589
00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:54,840
he took out his sword and was about to kill himself

590
00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:56,720
because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

591
00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,840
But Paul shouted, don't harm yourself.

592
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:04,840
We are all here.

593
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,200
Now let's stop for a second.

594
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,120
As I just mentioned, here Paul and Silas,

595
00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:15,120
bounded, fastened, their feet are cut up

596
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:17,560
from being fastened in the stocks.

597
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,200
They got stripes on their back from being flogged

598
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,680
and beaten in the middle of a jail cell,

599
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,000
yet singing to God in the midst of their trouble.

600
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,480
You know, wanna know what a lot of us get wrong

601
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,920
in our lives from time to time and I do it too?

602
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:33,400
You wanna know?

603
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,240
We allow or we wait for the fire to subside

604
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,240
before we allow our faith to get stronger.

605
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:43,080
I hear an uh-oh.

606
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:45,880
Right, we do that, do we not?

607
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:47,720
We wait for the fire to subside

608
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:50,920
before we allow our faith to get stronger.

609
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:52,600
God, if you can just give me a glimpse

610
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,040
that I'm going on the right direction,

611
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,360
I'll let my faith get a little stronger.

612
00:25:57,360 --> 00:25:58,720
God, if you can just let me know

613
00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:01,240
that things are gonna be okay,

614
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,760
I'll let my faith get a little bit stronger.

615
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,080
God, if you can just fix this one little issue,

616
00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,680
if you could just help my kids listen to me

617
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:10,960
a little bit more, I'll let my faith

618
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:11,880
get a little bit stronger.

619
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,800
If you just give me a glimmer of hope on the job,

620
00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:16,880
I'll let my faith get a little bit stronger.

621
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:21,400
If you will let me see victory in this situation,

622
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:26,400
I'll let my praises get a little bit louder.

623
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:30,960
But you know why Paul and Silas were successful

624
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:32,880
in their prisons though?

625
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:34,160
They had perspective.

626
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,400
They allowed their perspective

627
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,200
and they found favor was waiting on them

628
00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:41,800
within their praise.

629
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:43,760
They knew God was good already,

630
00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:45,080
they knew he was for them,

631
00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:46,400
they knew he was with them,

632
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,840
so they didn't say, God, allow these prison doors

633
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:51,360
to be flung wide open and then I'll shout my praises

634
00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:53,320
to you, they said, God, I know you're good

635
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,920
and I'm gonna praise you in the middle of my jail cell

636
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,600
because I have a perspective that cannot be shaken.

637
00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,960
I may be bounded, I may be chained,

638
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,280
I may be hurting, I may be bleeding,

639
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,120
I may be broken, but I know that you are good,

640
00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:08,200
you are for good and you are with me here,

641
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,080
so I'm gonna praise you in the middle of this storm.

642
00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,600
And that's the favor that they found

643
00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,200
and why the prison doors were flung wide open.

644
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:18,960
You see guys, you have to remember,

645
00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:20,760
I'm the worship leader here, I'm the worship pastor.

646
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,760
I get to see, get to see you guys week in and week out.

647
00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:28,800
There are so many Sundays where Stacey Shifflett's

648
00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:30,800
up here singing It Is Well.

649
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:31,640
And here we are.

650
00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:37,720
It is well, I can't believe the Steelers lost last night.

651
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:41,840
With my soul.

652
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:46,840
With my soul, it is well, it'd be well if they'd get back

653
00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:53,200
to the chorus, because I'm hungry and I wanna go to lunch.

654
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:58,200
With my soul, I'm being funny, but I'm being serious, right?

655
00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:01,800
Let me get real serious for a minute.

656
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,760
So many times we allow our circumstances

657
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:07,320
to predicate the way we worship.

658
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:12,320
And if a mother can worship in the back left of this room,

659
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:15,720
knowing that her son has only hours before he's gonna pass

660
00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:17,960
away from a terminal illness and she can still show up

661
00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,680
on a Sunday morning, raise her hands with tears streaming

662
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,720
down her face and sing worship, then so can you.

663
00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:26,080
So can you.

664
00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:27,080
So can you.

665
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:30,480
You see so many times we come in here

666
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,200
and we carry the baggage, we carry the weight

667
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,040
of the work week or maybe we get in a fight

668
00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:35,720
with our spouse on the way to church.

669
00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,120
And we come in here and we allow that

670
00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,400
to dictate the way that we worship.

671
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:44,920
But Paul and Silas, while being bounded,

672
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:46,800
while being shackled, while being in chains,

673
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:48,240
chose to praise.

674
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,080
So let me ask you this question this morning.

675
00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,640
Do your chains break your praise

676
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:56,800
or will your praise break your chains?

677
00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:01,600
Do your chains break your praise

678
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,720
or will your praise break your chains?

679
00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:07,400
Are you a circumstantial worshiper?

680
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,680
Do you allow your worship to be dictated

681
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:11,840
by your circumstances or do you worship

682
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:13,240
through your circumstances?

683
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,600
Because you see Paul and Silas had every reason

684
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,960
to sit in that jail cell and be quiet.

685
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,600
They had every right to sit there dismayed,

686
00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,520
hurt, bleeding, bruised, upset, frustrated

687
00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,000
because of the detour and because of the pain

688
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,120
that they were in, but yet they didn't.

689
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:30,520
They chose to praise.

690
00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:34,320
They chose to praise in the middle of the storm.

691
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:37,480
If we choose to praise, when we choose to praise

692
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:38,480
in the middle of our problems,

693
00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:39,920
a beautiful thing can happen.

694
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:41,440
Let's keep going in the story.

695
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,680
The jailer called for lights, rushed in

696
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,760
and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

697
00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:48,160
He then brought them out and asked,

698
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,440
sirs, what must I do to be saved?

699
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,080
They replied, believe in the Lord Jesus

700
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,640
and you will be saved, you and your whole household.

701
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,320
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him

702
00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,560
and to all the others in his house.

703
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,680
At that hour of the night, the jailer took them

704
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:04,960
and washed their wounds.

705
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:09,960
Then immediately he and his whole household were baptized.

706
00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:11,960
First service, remember when I said about how

707
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:13,960
every time I read something, God highlights something

708
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,360
new to me, this happened first service.

709
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:18,880
I love the part in that verse where it just said

710
00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:20,760
and this was revealed to me, at that hour of the night,

711
00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:22,440
the jailer took them and washed their wounds.

712
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,240
The jailer took them and washed their wounds.

713
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,000
The same person who just beat them,

714
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:27,720
the same person who just fastened their feet

715
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:29,600
in the stocks and threw them in a jail cell

716
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,520
was the one to come back and wash their wounds.

717
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,560
Don't tell me that God can't take something

718
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:35,760
that the enemy means for your defeat

719
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,920
and make it for your good.

720
00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:39,800
The jailer washed their wounds.

721
00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:42,800
The jailer brought them into his house

722
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:44,280
and set a meal before him.

723
00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:46,240
He was filled with joy because he had come

724
00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:50,320
to believe in God, he and his whole household.

725
00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:55,200
You see, Paul and Silas found God's Easter egg of favor

726
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,880
within their jail cell that day.

727
00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,480
And it's because they chose to look at the scenario

728
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:02,680
that they were in, in a different way,

729
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:04,400
in a different light.

730
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,320
They chose to change their perspective on the prison.

731
00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:13,800
Instead of it being an obligation to be in prison,

732
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:17,040
they looked at it as an opportunity to experience freedom.

733
00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,680
And when they became free, what did they do?

734
00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:24,000
They healed an entire household of the jailer

735
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,640
who was the one who imprisoned them.

736
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,280
You see, friends, perspective can be everything.

737
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,160
Perspective can be the difference

738
00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,200
of you throwing in the towel

739
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,040
or you getting up tomorrow morning

740
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:37,960
and going back to the job.

741
00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:39,320
That's being frustrating.

742
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:44,320
Perspective can be the key to unlock your chains.

743
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,080
So our action step today, let your praise

744
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:51,720
let your praise break your chains.

745
00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,000
I'll ask the question one more time.

746
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,080
Do your chains break your praise

747
00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:00,120
or will your praise break your chains?

748
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:01,400
The choice is yours.

749
00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:04,120
The third area, is this good?

750
00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,200
You guys liking this so far?

751
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:07,720
All right.

752
00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:09,840
If you said no, I was gonna keep going.

753
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,320
Doesn't matter.

754
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:13,880
The third story we're gonna look at,

755
00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:15,880
we're gonna stay with my man Paul,

756
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,600
but the third point today is there's favor in,

757
00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:20,920
say it together, perseverance.

758
00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,960
There's favor in perseverance.

759
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:25,200
When I think of the word perseverance,

760
00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,160
I think of not quitting, not giving up,

761
00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:31,560
pursuing even when things are difficult.

762
00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:33,880
Paul was formerly named Saul.

763
00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:35,320
He was not a Christian, in fact.

764
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:36,480
He persecuted Christians.

765
00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:37,960
He was the opposite of a Christian

766
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,520
for many years of his life.

767
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:43,040
But God came to him in a dream and changed him.

768
00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:45,000
Once called by the Lord, he was sold out for God

769
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:48,280
and did nothing but try to expand the kingdom of heaven

770
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:49,680
as we just learned.

771
00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,400
However, with this mission brought great struggle.

772
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,600
See, he experienced severe, severe persecution.

773
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,240
Paul did not have an easy go of things.

774
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:03,200
He was chased, he was caught, he was flogged,

775
00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:07,360
he was beaten, he was imprisoned, he was plotted against.

776
00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:09,200
He basically went through so much stuff

777
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,160
that if he decided to throw in the towel,

778
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,080
we probably would have looked at him and said,

779
00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:14,680
yep, I can understand why you did that.

780
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:16,480
I don't fault you for doing that.

781
00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,840
He had a rough go of things early on

782
00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,200
when he was trying to pursue the kingdom of heaven.

783
00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,920
And he had every right to walk away, but he didn't.

784
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,880
You see, God eventually calls Paul to preach in Rome

785
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:32,480
and to set the standard for you.

786
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,480
This is like getting called to the big leagues, right?

787
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,360
This is like playing at Hagerstown Sun Stadium

788
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:38,920
and then getting the call that you're gonna pitch

789
00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:40,200
at Fenway Park.

790
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:41,680
Back in the day, if you will,

791
00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:45,360
this was like the greatest ask, the greatest blessing,

792
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:46,800
the greatest call that you could have

793
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,920
that God wanted you to preach in Rome.

794
00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:54,000
So Paul gets himself ready to go.

795
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,920
He hears the command from God,

796
00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,040
and he says, yes, Lord, I'll go.

797
00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:00,240
He seizes the opportunity.

798
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,040
He readies himself for the trip.

799
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:04,640
And as he is sailing off to Rome,

800
00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:06,400
I have to think that in that moment,

801
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,960
he probably took a deep breath and he probably said,

802
00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:12,640
I finally made it.

803
00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:13,960
I finally made it.

804
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,600
My life has been a living hell.

805
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,280
I've been chased.

806
00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,440
I've been thrown in jail cell after jail cell.

807
00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,680
I got scars on my back from where they whipped me

808
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:25,960
and beat me countless times.

809
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:29,240
But God, you finally called me to Rome, and I'm going.

810
00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,080
But, there's always a but.

811
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:35,960
They encounter a storm.

812
00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,040
Acts 27 says this, much time had been lost

813
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,280
and sailing had already become dangerous

814
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,280
because by now it was after the day of atonement.

815
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:47,360
So Paul warned them, men, I can see that our voyage

816
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,880
is going to be disastrous and bring great loss

817
00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,560
to ship and cargo and to our own lives also.

818
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:57,560
But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said,

819
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,760
followed the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship.

820
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:04,560
So see, basically Paul can see what's about to happen.

821
00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:06,040
He can see what's about to unfold.

822
00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,120
You ever been in a situation where you know somebody's

823
00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,720
about to act a fool or make a poor decision?

824
00:35:10,720 --> 00:35:12,240
You can see the writing on the wall,

825
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:14,560
but there's nothing you can do to stop it.

826
00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:16,200
I'm probably talking to all the guys in here, right?

827
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:17,280
Husbands, you know what I mean?

828
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,520
Like when your wife is about to go to Target, right?

829
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,440
And you know, that's probably not the Lord's best

830
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:23,280
for you right now.

831
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:24,920
Or when you ask, where do you want to go to lunch?

832
00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:26,400
They say Panera Bread.

833
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:28,240
And I can hear the spirit of my wallet saying

834
00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:30,640
it's not a good decision, but what do we do?

835
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:32,280
We let them go anyway.

836
00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:33,880
No, I'm being funny.

837
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,760
I mean, but in all seriousness, here's a personal example.

838
00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,880
In my house, I'm the saver, my wife is the spender.

839
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:41,280
I don't spend money.

840
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,880
But when I do spend money, I spend money, right?

841
00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,960
I buy a very few amount of things,

842
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:50,360
but they're usually large things.

843
00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:55,280
I like my toys, dirt bikes, four-wheelers, golf carts.

844
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,600
My wife, on the other hand, is the opposite.

845
00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,480
She buys stuff all the time, every day.

846
00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:03,440
I'm not saying that she buys a lot from Amazon,

847
00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,800
but we got a wedding invitation from our delivery driver.

848
00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:10,360
So I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

849
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:12,280
That's a meme on Facebook.

850
00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:14,240
I can't take credit for that.

851
00:36:14,240 --> 00:36:15,080
No, but it's true.

852
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:17,560
But in my house, my wife buys a lot of stuff,

853
00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:18,680
little things all the time,

854
00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:20,200
and I usually spend big purchases.

855
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,880
And the moments in my life where I have wanted a dirt bike

856
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:26,440
or a four-wheeler or a golf cart,

857
00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:28,760
right before I'm getting ready to go meet the person

858
00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,480
or go buy the thing, she'll come and she'll say,

859
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:35,760
do you think we really need that?

860
00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,280
And of course I say, well, yeah, absolutely we do, honey.

861
00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:39,400
And I can give her the reason.

862
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:43,120
What she's doing, she can see the writing on the wall, right?

863
00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,480
And I'll probably regret this later,

864
00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:46,920
but I have to admit that she's right,

865
00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:50,000
because standing here today, guess what I don't have?

866
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,480
A dirt bike, a four-wheeler, no golf cart,

867
00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:55,240
because I realized that I probably didn't need those things

868
00:36:55,240 --> 00:36:56,880
and I have since sold them.

869
00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:00,560
So Katie, my lovely wife, she can see the writing on the wall

870
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:02,960
in this scenario, but she lets it play out

871
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,040
because she's my wife and she loves me

872
00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:08,360
and she's fantastic and she's awesome, right?

873
00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:10,680
But she's just like Paul in this scenario.

874
00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,480
Paul can see what is about to happen.

875
00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:15,360
He tells these knuckleheads, he says,

876
00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:17,640
we should not be making this trip.

877
00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:19,640
I'm trying to get to Rome.

878
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:21,640
I have a message to preach.

879
00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,760
God has called me and you are making a terrible decision,

880
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:27,440
but he's not in a position of authority

881
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,440
where he can tell them what to do.

882
00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:33,000
So he has to watch the story play out.

883
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,760
In Acts 27, the story goes on,

884
00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,400
before very long, a wind of hurricane force

885
00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:40,000
called a nor'easter swept down from the island.

886
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:41,160
The ship was caught by the storm

887
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:42,800
and could not head into the wind,

888
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:45,800
so we gave way to it and were driven along.

889
00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,000
On the 14th night, we were still being driven

890
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,120
across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight,

891
00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:52,200
the sailors sensed they were approaching land,

892
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:54,880
they took soundings and found that the water

893
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:57,040
was 120 feet deep.

894
00:37:57,040 --> 00:37:58,800
A short time later, they took sounding aids

895
00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:01,760
again, found that it was 90 feet deep.

896
00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:04,200
Fearing that they would be dashed against the rocks,

897
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,120
they dropped four anchors from the stern

898
00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:08,360
and prayed for daylight.

899
00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:11,120
We then learned the next morning that they finally see land

900
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,960
and they decide to run the ship aground

901
00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:15,920
to keep from dying.

902
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,800
Once safely on shore, we found out

903
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:20,360
that the island was called Malta.

904
00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:21,520
Everybody say Malta.

905
00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:22,720
Malta.

906
00:38:22,720 --> 00:38:25,080
The islanders showed us unusual kindness.

907
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,160
They built a fire and welcomed us

908
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,160
because it was raining and cold.

909
00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,960
This point in my message, this story,

910
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:34,680
the third point here about Malta

911
00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:36,080
is the one that I learned the most

912
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:39,160
and it's probably my most favorite knowledge

913
00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:41,120
that I gained after reading all of these stories

914
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:42,760
because it was the one that was maybe

915
00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:45,000
the most unfamiliar with me.

916
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:49,080
But you see, Paul finds himself on Malta.

917
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:53,400
You see, Malta to me represents so much more

918
00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:56,040
than just a physical landmark or the name of an island

919
00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:57,160
where Paul finds himself.

920
00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:00,840
You see, Malta to me represents a place of uncertainty.

921
00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,240
An unfamiliar territory.

922
00:39:05,240 --> 00:39:09,200
A place of not knowing what to expect.

923
00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:10,320
You see, Paul, you have to remember,

924
00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:12,480
his life had been hard and he was finally gaining

925
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:14,360
some traction on where he wanted to go.

926
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:18,880
But he finds himself in an unfamiliar land called Malta.

927
00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:22,960
It's a place where you have to rely on your faith

928
00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:25,280
because you're not sure if your knowledge

929
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:26,720
or education of what you're going through

930
00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:28,680
is gonna be enough to see you through.

931
00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,320
A place like being a mom and a dad

932
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,160
wondering if you have what it takes to be good parents.

933
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,880
A place like not being sure if you're gonna make it

934
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:43,080
until your next paycheck comes in to pay the bills.

935
00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:46,720
A place like not being sure what your most recent diagnosis

936
00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:49,480
is gonna mean for you and I wonder how many of us

937
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:53,640
in here today have found ourself on a place called Malta.

938
00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:56,040
Maybe finding ourself today in a place called Malta,

939
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:57,880
an unfamiliar place.

940
00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:01,640
A place where you're not sure of what to expect.

941
00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:06,240
The Bible tells us that they built a fire

942
00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:09,240
and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.

943
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:11,760
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood

944
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:16,760
and as he put it on the fire, a viper driven out by the heat

945
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:21,080
fastened itself to his hand.

946
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:24,600
I have to believe that this was probably the moment

947
00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:28,600
where Paul said, are you kidding me?

948
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,400
I've been beaten, I've been thrown in jail,

949
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,160
I've been shipwrecked against my own good

950
00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,560
because I knew it was gonna happen.

951
00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:46,480
Now I am here in a place called Malta where I've never been.

952
00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:50,280
It's unfamiliar, I'm uncertain of what to expect.

953
00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,680
The islanders are actually showing me kindness

954
00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:54,960
which was non-customary back in the day.

955
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:56,640
The Bible actually calls them barbarians

956
00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:58,640
because people were very territorial

957
00:40:58,640 --> 00:40:59,840
of their land back then.

958
00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:04,520
So he makes it to shore and he thinks,

959
00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:06,400
I'll be a good guy, I'll help,

960
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,600
let me help gather some firewood.

961
00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,720
Notice the Bible doesn't say a snake,

962
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:14,680
it says a viper, right?

963
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:19,200
We need to know that this was a serious, serious occurrence.

964
00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:22,840
Wasn't your typical garden snake or a black snake,

965
00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:23,680
was a viper.

966
00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:26,400
And notice that it doesn't say it bit his hand,

967
00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:27,880
what does it say?

968
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:29,840
Fastened, fastened.

969
00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:31,720
So this was not like a quick bite and a release.

970
00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:34,560
This thing was stuck on Paul.

971
00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:36,160
And I can imagine the pain,

972
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:38,760
can imagine the suffering

973
00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:43,360
that Paul was going through.

974
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:45,720
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand,

975
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:48,480
they said to each other, this man must be a murderer.

976
00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:51,800
For though he escaped from the sea,

977
00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:56,320
the goddess justice had not allowed him to live.

978
00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:59,520
But Paul channeling his inner Taylor Swift,

979
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:00,640
what does he do?

980
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:02,520
Shake it off.

981
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:03,840
Everybody say shake it off.

982
00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:05,440
Shake it off.

983
00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:10,440
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

984
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:12,760
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire

985
00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:14,000
and suffered no ill effects.

986
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:16,600
The people expecting him to swell up

987
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,520
and suddenly fall dead,

988
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:20,040
but after waiting a long time

989
00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,040
and seeing nothing unusual happen to him,

990
00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,120
they changed their minds and said he was a God.

991
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:26,800
This is why you can't put your faith in people.

992
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:29,360
One minute a murderer, the next minute he's a God.

993
00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:34,800
One minute a murderer because he's been cursed

994
00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,080
and he's got a viper hanging off of his hand,

995
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,240
the next minute they treated him as a God.

996
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,120
Isn't it funny how when the favor of the Lord

997
00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:43,480
changes your circumstance,

998
00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:46,040
the story of who you are can radically change with it.

999
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:51,040
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius,

1000
00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:53,440
the chief official of the islands.

1001
00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:55,120
This is like the governor, the mayor,

1002
00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:57,320
the one in charge of Malta.

1003
00:42:57,320 --> 00:42:58,920
He welcomed us to his home

1004
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,840
and showed us generous hospitality for three days.

1005
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:04,080
You see what happened was the people of the island

1006
00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:09,080
saw that there was something special about Paul.

1007
00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:13,520
He survived a viper snake bite.

1008
00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:15,520
Snake bite.

1009
00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:16,720
So they ran and they told the leader,

1010
00:43:16,720 --> 00:43:18,200
they say there's something about this guy

1011
00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:19,560
that we need to tap into,

1012
00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:21,440
there's something that we need to learn.

1013
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,440
So Publius invites him to his house.

1014
00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:26,080
His father was sick in bed,

1015
00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:29,760
suffering from fever and dysentery.

1016
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:32,120
Paul went in to see him and after prayer,

1017
00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:33,680
placed his hands on him and healed him.

1018
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:34,520
Picture this.

1019
00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:38,240
So Paul with his viper bite,

1020
00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,040
I have to believe, I have to imagine

1021
00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,280
that the hand that he used to heal that man

1022
00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:47,760
was the same hand that the devil tried to take away from him

1023
00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:48,800
with that viper bite.

1024
00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:54,600
His hand still bloody, still swollen,

1025
00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:57,920
was the hand that healed Publius' father.

1026
00:43:57,920 --> 00:43:59,680
And I believe in that moment,

1027
00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:01,240
Paul said go ahead and bite me devil,

1028
00:44:01,240 --> 00:44:03,200
because I bite back.

1029
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,560
Come on, say that, say I bite back.

1030
00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,560
Tell the devil now I bite back.

1031
00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:09,520
I bite back.

1032
00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:12,200
And with his hand that was swollen,

1033
00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:14,080
healed the man.

1034
00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:16,120
When this had happened,

1035
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:18,400
the rest of the sickle in the island came and were cured.

1036
00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:19,800
They honored us in many ways

1037
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:21,560
and when we were ready to sail,

1038
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:23,960
they furnished us with the supplies we need,

1039
00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:25,600
which brings us to our action step today.

1040
00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:30,600
Friend, we have to persevere through the process.

1041
00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:34,480
The next chapter in the Bible is Paul arriving in Rome.

1042
00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:36,400
So he finally makes it.

1043
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:37,480
He finally makes it.

1044
00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:42,480
But you see, God wanted Paul to experience Malta.

1045
00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:47,040
Before Paul could arrive to Rome,

1046
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:50,480
he had to experience Malta.

1047
00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:54,160
And I believe that God wanted Paul to experience

1048
00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:58,080
the process before he could experience the promise.

1049
00:44:59,240 --> 00:45:01,920
God wanted Paul to experience the process

1050
00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:04,600
before he experienced the promise.

1051
00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:07,600
You see, Paul being a God-fearing man,

1052
00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:10,560
at this junction of his life, he knew that God was good.

1053
00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:12,960
He knew that whatever it is that he endured,

1054
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:14,520
he had to go through.

1055
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:16,760
He knew that the snake bite wasn't gonna kill him.

1056
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:18,200
If God called him to preach in Rome,

1057
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,040
he couldn't die on Malta.

1058
00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:23,120
So I believe that as he took his steps

1059
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:24,520
on the shore of Malta,

1060
00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:28,840
being frustrated, being bummed out,

1061
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:33,840
I believe in that moment that he probably thought

1062
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:35,800
that he needed Malta.

1063
00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:42,440
But friends, how cool is it that Paul didn't need Malta.

1064
00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:43,640
Malta needed Paul.

1065
00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:47,360
Paul didn't need Malta.

1066
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:49,640
Malta needed Paul.

1067
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:54,520
Sometimes the real destination that God wants us

1068
00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:57,080
to understand lies within the detour of our life.

1069
00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:02,080
So that unfamiliar place that you're in this morning,

1070
00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:05,760
your own Malta, that place of being maybe

1071
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,000
a little bit scared, that place of not being sure

1072
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,160
what comes next, maybe you don't need it,

1073
00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:14,320
maybe it needs you.

1074
00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:20,440
Maybe you don't need it, but maybe God has an Easter egg

1075
00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,760
of favor lying within the island of your own Malta.

1076
00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:29,080
So for anyone finding themselves walking

1077
00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:31,400
on the shore of their own Malta,

1078
00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:35,320
persevere through the process

1079
00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:38,160
because there's favor to be found.

1080
00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:42,960
You can't die on Malta if you're called to preach in Rome.

1081
00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:46,200
You can't die in your current situation today

1082
00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,080
because God has called you for so much more.

1083
00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:54,720
I'm gonna ask the worship team to come back up.

1084
00:46:54,720 --> 00:46:57,720
Our fourth and final point today

1085
00:46:57,720 --> 00:46:59,760
is there's favor in persistence.

1086
00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:01,160
Everybody say persistence.

1087
00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:02,000
Persistence.

1088
00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:06,240
See, I believe that perseverance and persistence

1089
00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:07,640
are all but synonymous, right?

1090
00:47:07,640 --> 00:47:09,760
There's a lot of commonality that we can extract

1091
00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:12,320
from perseverance and persistence.

1092
00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:17,560
And the story I'm gonna use to exemplify persistence

1093
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:20,120
is from our friend Joshua.

1094
00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:21,920
So I gotta be honest, I'm gonna channel

1095
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:25,400
my inner 2016 version of Retroxel

1096
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:27,720
when I preached a message on Joshua

1097
00:47:27,720 --> 00:47:29,240
and the walls of Jericho

1098
00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:33,320
to bring home this final point to us today.

1099
00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:35,920
You see, Joshua was a man of God

1100
00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:38,840
who found himself embarking on a very difficult task.

1101
00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:41,440
He found himself right outside of Jericho,

1102
00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:46,440
a city well known for its incredibly thick and tall walls.

1103
00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:50,320
The Bible tells us that there's a lot of people

1104
00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:52,400
who are not ready to go to the city.

1105
00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:57,400
The Bible tells us no one went out and no one came in.

1106
00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:00,400
The city was essentially on lockdown.

1107
00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:02,760
No one went out and no one came in.

1108
00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:04,520
It was so secured.

1109
00:48:04,520 --> 00:48:06,120
So you can imagine Joshua's position.

1110
00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:08,800
Not only are you facing an incredibly daunting

1111
00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:11,400
and large army on the inside of a city,

1112
00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:15,720
but you have to penetrate the industry standard

1113
00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:18,280
when it comes to wall defense.

1114
00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:21,120
The Lord said to Joshua, see I have delivered Jericho

1115
00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:25,520
into your hands along with its king and its fighting men.

1116
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:28,520
March around the city once with all the armed men.

1117
00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:30,280
Do this for six days.

1118
00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:33,600
Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram's horns

1119
00:48:33,600 --> 00:48:34,560
in front of the ark.

1120
00:48:35,440 --> 00:48:38,920
On the seventh day, march around the city seven times

1121
00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:41,640
with the priests blowing the trumpets.

1122
00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:44,080
When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets,

1123
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:45,920
have the whole army give a loud shout.

1124
00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:47,320
When the wall of the city will collapse,

1125
00:48:47,320 --> 00:48:50,080
the army will go up, everyone straight in.

1126
00:48:50,080 --> 00:48:51,440
When Joshua had spoken to the people,

1127
00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:53,240
the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets

1128
00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:54,320
before the Lord went forward,

1129
00:48:54,320 --> 00:48:56,600
blowing their trumpets in the ark of the Lord,

1130
00:48:56,600 --> 00:48:58,040
covenant followed them.

1131
00:48:58,040 --> 00:48:59,520
The armed guard marched ahead of the priests

1132
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:01,880
who blew the trumpets and the rear guard followed the ark.

1133
00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:03,800
At this time, the trumpets were sounding,

1134
00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:07,000
but Joshua had commanded the army, do not give a war cry.

1135
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:08,480
Do not raise your voices.

1136
00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:12,920
Do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout.

1137
00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:16,200
This is a very important detail that cannot be overlooked.

1138
00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:19,120
You see, God told Joshua how many days.

1139
00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:21,040
Everybody say seven.

1140
00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:23,400
God told Joshua that on the seventh day,

1141
00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:26,680
you walk around the city seven times before you shout.

1142
00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:28,480
But nowhere in this passage of scripture

1143
00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:31,680
can I find that Joshua told his men how many days to walk.

1144
00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:34,280
Yet they walked in obedience.

1145
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:38,480
Joshua knew how many days it would take,

1146
00:49:38,480 --> 00:49:39,720
but his men did not.

1147
00:49:43,400 --> 00:49:45,800
They didn't know how many laps

1148
00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:48,040
it would take for the walls to fall.

1149
00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:50,000
You see, sometimes in life,

1150
00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:54,000
we don't know how long something is going to take

1151
00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:55,240
for us to see the victory,

1152
00:49:55,240 --> 00:49:58,360
but we gotta keep walking while he's working.

1153
00:49:58,360 --> 00:50:00,400
I told Carl first service, write that down,

1154
00:50:00,400 --> 00:50:03,320
walking while he's working as their next original song.

1155
00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:06,480
Keep walking while he's working.

1156
00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:10,520
Joshua got up early the next morning

1157
00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:12,920
and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

1158
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:14,840
The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets

1159
00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:17,400
went forward marching before the ark of the Lord

1160
00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:18,840
and blowing the trumpet.

1161
00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:20,600
The armed men went ahead of them

1162
00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:22,600
and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord

1163
00:50:22,600 --> 00:50:24,760
while the trumpets kept sounding.

1164
00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:27,080
So on the second day, they marched around the city once

1165
00:50:27,080 --> 00:50:27,920
and returned to the camp.

1166
00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:30,840
They did this for six days.

1167
00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:35,720
Now why would God make it hard on Joshua and his men?

1168
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:40,080
Why not allow the walls to fall in a day?

1169
00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:40,920
Maybe two?

1170
00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:43,840
The victory was already theirs, right?

1171
00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:45,680
Why does God make them wait?

1172
00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:47,160
Why does God make us wait?

1173
00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:50,920
God, why won't you let the breakthrough

1174
00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:53,120
that I so desperately need happen right now?

1175
00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:01,320
God, how many more days until it's my turn

1176
00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:03,120
to be loved and wear a ring?

1177
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:06,840
God, how many more weeks is it gonna take

1178
00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:10,120
before I see the change in my work that I'm in?

1179
00:51:10,120 --> 00:51:13,360
God, how many more tests until my blood work comes back

1180
00:51:13,360 --> 00:51:14,960
showing that I'm healthy again?

1181
00:51:16,000 --> 00:51:19,720
God, how much longer until I get to be a mom?

1182
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:24,320
Why do you make me wait?

1183
00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:28,520
I used to run track back in high school

1184
00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:30,040
and I was known for having something

1185
00:51:30,040 --> 00:51:31,720
that was called a kick.

1186
00:51:31,720 --> 00:51:33,920
And what this means is you keep yourself positioned

1187
00:51:33,920 --> 00:51:36,400
close to the race but you hang back

1188
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:38,080
and you save up just enough of your time

1189
00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:40,320
and you hang back and you save up just enough

1190
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:44,120
of your strength to be able to outpace

1191
00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:46,320
those in front of you on the last home stretch.

1192
00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:47,880
That's what I did, that was my claim to fame.

1193
00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:52,880
I'd always sit back and I'd sprint at the very end to win.

1194
00:51:53,880 --> 00:51:56,160
But I learned a very, very valuable lesson

1195
00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:57,800
in those track races early on

1196
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:00,760
and it's that I had to keep myself positioned

1197
00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:03,320
in the race to be able to stand a chance

1198
00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:05,640
to out kick those in front of me.

1199
00:52:05,640 --> 00:52:07,440
So why does God make us wait?

1200
00:52:08,720 --> 00:52:11,880
I believe it's because he wants to see our faithfulness

1201
00:52:11,880 --> 00:52:14,280
through the race and not just on the home stretch.

1202
00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:17,800
I believe that God wants to see your faithfulness

1203
00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:19,440
through the race of your life.

1204
00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:21,960
Whatever situation that you're in right now,

1205
00:52:21,960 --> 00:52:24,440
marching around your own walls of Jericho,

1206
00:52:24,440 --> 00:52:26,960
he wants to see that you're gonna get up on day one

1207
00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:28,720
and you're gonna get up on day two

1208
00:52:28,720 --> 00:52:31,040
and you're gonna get up on day three, four, five,

1209
00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:32,520
and six as well.

1210
00:52:32,520 --> 00:52:34,800
He wants to see your faithfulness through the race

1211
00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:38,240
and not just on the home stretch.

1212
00:52:38,240 --> 00:52:40,640
Can we stand up together as we close this thing out?

1213
00:52:46,640 --> 00:52:50,000
See, here's what God revealed to me about Joshua and his men.

1214
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:51,720
They didn't know how many laps it was gonna take

1215
00:52:51,720 --> 00:52:53,320
for the walls of Jericho to fall,

1216
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:55,400
but every lap that they walked in obedience,

1217
00:52:55,400 --> 00:52:58,160
they were one lap closer to their victory.

1218
00:52:58,160 --> 00:53:01,120
They were one lap closer to the sad amount of times

1219
00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:04,280
that God had prededicated of winning the race

1220
00:53:04,280 --> 00:53:06,440
of when the walls would fall.

1221
00:53:06,440 --> 00:53:09,800
Every day that they chose to get up again and again

1222
00:53:09,800 --> 00:53:13,160
and again and walk around the walls again and again,

1223
00:53:13,160 --> 00:53:15,560
they were one day closer to the victory.

1224
00:53:15,560 --> 00:53:17,880
They didn't know when the walls would fall,

1225
00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:20,400
but they walked in faith knowing that they will

1226
00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:21,720
and that's the battle.

1227
00:53:21,720 --> 00:53:23,640
We don't know when the walls will fall,

1228
00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:26,240
but we need to have the faith that they will.

1229
00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:30,760
And today I came to tell somebody in this place

1230
00:53:30,760 --> 00:53:33,200
that it may not feel like the walls of your battle

1231
00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:34,400
are ever gonna fall,

1232
00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:37,240
but you keep taking another lap because they will.

1233
00:53:37,240 --> 00:53:39,880
It might not feel like it's gonna happen today,

1234
00:53:39,880 --> 00:53:41,560
but you take another lap.

1235
00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:44,640
So it might feel like you're never gonna lose the weight,

1236
00:53:44,640 --> 00:53:46,400
but you take another lap!

1237
00:53:46,400 --> 00:53:48,680
It might feel like your boss is never gonna

1238
00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:51,680
get off your back, but you take another lap.

1239
00:53:51,680 --> 00:53:53,920
It may feel like your kids are never gonna listen

1240
00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:54,800
or otherwise your son or daughter

1241
00:53:54,800 --> 00:53:56,480
is never gonna come back home,

1242
00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:58,120
but you take another lap.

1243
00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:00,840
It might feel like your spouse is never gonna love you

1244
00:54:00,840 --> 00:54:02,080
for who you really are,

1245
00:54:02,080 --> 00:54:06,880
but you take another lap. It might feel like your financial state is never going to change,

1246
00:54:06,880 --> 00:54:12,880
but you take another lap because guess what? That lap that you're on, that might be the one when the

1247
00:54:12,880 --> 00:54:19,120
walls fall down. That lap that you're walking today, getting up in faith, might be the one when the

1248
00:54:19,120 --> 00:54:24,960
walls fall down. Why does God make us wait? Why did God make him walk around the city? It's because

1249
00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:30,400
even after the walls fell down, there was an army to fight on the inside. There was a battle to fight

1250
00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:35,120
on the inside, and every day that they got up and they walked around those laps, they walked those

1251
00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:41,360
walls, their legs were getting stronger, their faith was getting stronger. They needed that confidence,

1252
00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:46,800
they needed that to be able to fight the battle that was on the inside. So you get up every morning

1253
00:54:46,800 --> 00:54:52,400
and you keep walking because that lap that you're on, that might be the one when the walls fall down.

1254
00:54:52,400 --> 00:55:00,000
That might be the one when God makes the walls fall down. That might be the one.