1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Sharing good news of great joy to all people. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Elation Church. 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,000 Week number five in our series. 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,000 Can anybody remember the name of our series? 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,000 Everybody say hello. 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,000 My name is God. 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,000 Hello, my name is God. 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:34,000 We've been looking through scriptures to find out more about who God is. 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Because we can learn about him by learning the names that he has given us in scripture to us to reveal who he is. 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Now what are names all about anyway? 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 What's in a name? 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,000 Well first of all names are identity. 13 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,000 Names are identity. 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Now when I was a kid I wanted to play junior high football. 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:06,000 And when I signed up for the team everything was good but I had to produce a state birth certificate in the state of South Carolina. 16 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:12,000 And when my state birth certificate came in I found out what my name was. 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Because my name wasn't what I'd gone by my whole life. 18 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:21,000 Because my parents didn't name me before we left the hospital. 19 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:30,000 So I kid you not when my state birth certificate came in it said no name for us. 20 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,000 That's my name. 21 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:37,000 It's still like my legal name in the state of South Carolina. 22 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:45,000 I mean you can't change your name that you've gone by for 13 years at that point or 12 years without there being some indication that you've changed your name. 23 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:53,000 So when my birth certificate got corrected to my name there's an asterisk on my birth certificate. 24 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:59,000 To let everybody know that my name has been changed to this name. 25 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Which is the name that I've gone by my whole life which is Jeffrey Dean Forrest. 26 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Most people just call me Dean. 27 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 I don't go by my first name I go by my second name. 28 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000 So people call me Dean. 29 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,000 And that's identity right. 30 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,000 We can know each other by each other's names. 31 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,000 Names give us identity. 32 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Everybody say identity. 33 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:28,000 There's another name that's an identification name for me. 34 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,000 And that name is that I am a Christian. 35 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:37,000 It's not just something added on to who I am it's who I am. 36 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:43,000 And if you are a Christian then your name is Christian as well. 37 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:48,000 That is an identification name. 38 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,000 But we also have relationship names. 39 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,000 Everybody say relationship. 40 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,000 We have relationship names right. 41 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,000 My mom always called me baby. 42 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,000 Because I'm the youngest of four. 43 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:09,000 And even when I was 50 years old if she was introducing me to someone that I didn't know. 44 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:16,000 She would introduce me first and foremost as this is my baby. 45 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,000 Even when I'm a grown adult with kids of my own. 46 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:20,000 This is my baby. 47 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Sometimes she would say this is my baby Dean. 48 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,000 But sometimes she would just say this is my baby. 49 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,000 So that was a relationship name. 50 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,000 My dad didn't call me baby. 51 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,000 My dad just called me son. 52 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,000 This is my son. 53 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000 If he would introduce me he would say this is my son. 54 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,000 Or this is my son Dean. 55 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,000 I have some other relationship names. 56 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,000 I'm a husband. 57 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,000 My wife Gayna is gone to help take care of the little ones. 58 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,000 But I became a husband in 1984. 59 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:56,000 But since we're not from the UK she doesn't say oh husband. 60 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,000 She calls me honey. 61 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,000 Everybody say honey. 62 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000 She calls me honey unless I've been bad. 63 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Or unless I've irritated her in some way or another. 64 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,000 So that's one of my names. 65 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,000 I'm also a father. 66 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,000 Jeffrey is my son. 67 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,000 But again he doesn't say oh father. 68 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,000 When he was young he called me daddy and now he calls me dad. 69 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,000 It's a relationship name. 70 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,000 So names signify identity. 71 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,000 Everybody say identity. 72 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:29,000 They signify relationship. 73 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000 Everybody say relationship. 74 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,000 They also signify activity. 75 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,000 What a person does. 76 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,000 What a person is qualified to do. 77 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,000 So I have a lot of activity names. 78 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,000 Here's a few. 79 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 As a student for a long time, longer than most people. 80 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:50,000 A cook. 81 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,000 A salesman. 82 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:53,000 A sound man. 83 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,000 A custodian. 84 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:00,000 I can throw in a trainer and a coordinator. 85 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,000 A janitor. 86 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,000 A screen printer. 87 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,000 An A&R director. 88 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,000 Vice president of multiple organizations. 89 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,000 Music director of multiple organizations. 90 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,000 An event planner. 91 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,000 Planning events all over the United States. 92 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000 A crusade director. 93 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,000 A president of multiple organizations and nonprofit corporations. 94 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,000 A worship leader. 95 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,000 Sometimes that would be all I would do. 96 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,000 In an event. 97 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,000 I was a conference director. 98 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:36,000 Started a conference for students that ran for 21 years. 99 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:37,000 An evangelist. 100 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:38,000 I was on the road for 20 years. 101 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,000 A chaplain for 9 years. 102 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:42,000 A preacher. 103 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,000 A pastor. 104 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000 All those are my names. 105 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:52,000 I may not go by all of them all the time, but 106 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:57,000 I've done those things. 107 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:03,000 Most of those things that I've done have been, you know, 108 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,000 derived income from those things. 109 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:10,000 Not just a novice at those things. 110 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,000 You could say a professional at many of those things. 111 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000 So I've told you over 29 names, over 30 names. 112 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,000 But I'm only one person. 113 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,000 Now for those of you who just met me today, you just found out a lot about me. 114 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,000 Right? 115 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,000 Instead of just, well, he's the preacher at the church that we Googled and showed up at. 116 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:36,000 Now you know a little bit more about my history and my past and who I am and what I've done. 117 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:37,000 Well guess what? 118 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:42,000 When we look at God's names, we can see who he is and what he's done. 119 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:47,000 We can see what kind of relationship he wants to be in with us. 120 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:56,000 We can see what he is able to do for us, what he desires to do for us. 121 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,000 So that's why we're looking at these names. 122 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,000 Because in God's names, because we're not just talking about Dean all day, 123 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,000 in God's names we learn who he is, his identity. 124 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:13,000 He said, Yahweh is my name to be known for generations. 125 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:23,000 Identity, relationship, activity, who he wants to be to you and what he wants to do for you. 126 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,000 And this is our springboard verse, Psalm 910. 127 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,000 Find some very important information concerning the name of God. 128 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,000 Those who know your name, everybody say God's name. 129 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:39,000 Those who know your name will put their trust in you. 130 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,000 Now if you look up that Hebrew word, which I don't speak Hebrew, 131 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,000 but if you look it up you can Google it on your phone and look at the inter-dilinear 132 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:51,000 and look at the Strong's definitions for the words if you want to dig in deep. 133 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:57,000 But the word there for trust also means confidence. 134 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:03,000 See, when we know who God is, we can put our confidence in him. 135 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,000 I want to say that again because my son was the only one who said amen. 136 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:13,000 When we know who God is, we can put our confidence in him. 137 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,000 We can put our trust in him because that's who he is. 138 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:26,000 And here's why, for you Lord have not forsaken those who seek you. 139 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:31,000 What does that mean? God's not going to turn his back on you. 140 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,000 He won't forsake you. He won't turn his back on you. He won't leave you. 141 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:42,000 He won't say, yeah, you know, I'll do that for Colin, but I won't do it for Jeffrey 142 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:49,000 if we're seeking him based on who he is. He will not forsake you. 143 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:56,000 And when you know who he is, see the problem with most of us is we really don't know who he is. 144 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:00,000 And we don't know what he wants to do. We don't know the promises that he's made. 145 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:07,000 Or at least we don't have confidence in those yet. 146 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:14,000 But when we trust him and have confidence in him based on who he is, 147 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:19,000 then we can know that he's not going to forsake us when we seek him. 148 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Hello, my name is God. Today we are looking at God's name, Yahweh Nisi. 149 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Everybody say Yahweh Nisi. Yahweh Nisi. 150 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,000 You may or may not know what that means. 151 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,000 But hopefully by the end of today you will know what that means. 152 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:48,000 Because that's who God is and who he wants to be in your life 153 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,000 and what he wants to do in your life we find in his name. 154 00:09:52,000 --> 00:10:00,000 We find this name first mentioned in Exodus chapter 17, star of verse 8. 155 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:09,000 God's people were going from Egypt in captivity, slavery in Egypt. 156 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,000 God had set them free and he was taking them somewhere. 157 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,000 He was taking them to the promised land. 158 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:24,000 But on the way they had some challenges. On the way they had some struggles. 159 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,000 Has anybody in the room ever had a challenge or a struggle? 160 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:36,000 So we can look at their challenges and struggles and their interaction with God 161 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:42,000 and what God did for them and we can see that that's who God is. 162 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,000 The interesting thing is while the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, 163 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:53,000 you know what? That word Rephidim means a place of rest. 164 00:10:53,000 --> 00:11:00,000 So when they first arrived there they had just come off of a pressure and a trouble 165 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:06,000 and some difficulty and a challenge. They had just come off of that. 166 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:17,000 And now they were at a place of rest. It's good to be at a place of rest. 167 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:22,000 But just because we are at a place of rest doesn't mean that some other challenge 168 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:29,000 or trouble is going to come our way because we live in a fallen world. 169 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,000 I hate to keep going back to that other series that we talked about, 170 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:38,000 but Jesus said in this world you will face tribulation. 171 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,000 If you look up the word tribulation it means pressure and trouble. 172 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:51,000 So we live in a fallen world. Sin broke it. Sin messed it up. Sin brought trouble. 173 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:57,000 In this world you will face trouble. 174 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:03,000 So if you're not facing any trouble today, I hate to be such an encouragement to you, 175 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,000 but I'm just giving you the words of Jesus and He said there's going to be 176 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,000 pressure and trouble in this world. 177 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:16,000 When you're in the middle of pressure and trouble that's not a comforting word, is it? 178 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,000 Come on somebody. We're talking about real life here. 179 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:23,000 We're talking about the real deal going on. 180 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:30,000 But what did Jesus say? In this world you will have tribulation, you will have pressure, 181 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,000 you will have trouble, but what does He say to do? 182 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:40,000 In the middle of your pressure and trouble what does Jesus say to do? 183 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:45,000 Be of good cheer. That's what He says. 184 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:50,000 And some people want to throw a rock at me right now because I said that. 185 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:54,000 What do you mean be of good cheer? You don't know what I'm facing. 186 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,000 You don't know what challenge I'm dealing with right now. 187 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,000 And you're telling me to be of good cheer? 188 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:06,000 No, I'm not telling you to be of good cheer. Jesus told you to be of good cheer. 189 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:13,000 Seems trivial, but it just helps me out to say, cheer up buttercup. 190 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:18,000 Be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. 191 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,000 And you might say, how could I be of good cheer? 192 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,000 Well Jesus didn't stop right there saying be of good cheer. 193 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:32,000 He said be of good cheer because I have overcome. 194 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:37,000 Look to the person beside you and say, Jesus has overcome. 195 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:42,000 He's overcome the challenge that I'm facing right now. 196 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,000 He's overcome the pressure that I'm facing right now. 197 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,000 And I'm going to be of good cheer. 198 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,000 Just like Jesus was of good cheer when He was going through the same pressure 199 00:13:52,000 --> 00:14:03,000 that I'm going through right now. I'm going to be of good cheer too. 200 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:07,000 Church gave me an amen button for my birthday this year. 201 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:11,000 It's them people in the room saying amen on the button. 202 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:18,000 Alright, if we are in Christ, Christ has overcome. 203 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:24,000 So when we're in Him, we have overcome. 204 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,000 This is the victory that overcomes the world. 205 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:32,000 What's the rest of that? Even our? 206 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:37,000 Do you not know that verse? Or you just don't want to say it? 207 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:47,000 This is the victory that has overcome the world. Even our? 208 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,000 I'm going to have to start preaching three times every Sunday morning 209 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:55,000 if you don't know that. 210 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:05,000 Does anybody remember the hymn? Blank is the victory. Blank is the victory. 211 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:12,000 Off that verse out of the Bible. Oh, glorious victory that overcomes the world. 212 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:18,000 Does anybody know what the blank is? 213 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,000 We got a lot of plowing to do. 214 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Everybody say faith. Not just faith in faith, but faith in God. 215 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:30,000 When we're in Christ, He has overcome. So that means that we have overcome. 216 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:38,000 So we can be of good cheer even in the middle of our crisis. 217 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,000 Doesn't make the crisis disappear. 218 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:48,000 I'm pretty sure you won't be in the crisis as long as you will be if you don't be of good cheer. 219 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:55,000 When you get to be of good cheer in the middle of the crisis, it's going to shorten the crisis time. 220 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:02,000 All right. It's not my message. But I hope you got it. 221 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:07,000 Yahweh, Nisi, while the people of Israel were still at a place of rest at Rephidim, 222 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,000 the warriors of Amalek attacked them. 223 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:19,000 We just now got to a place of rest and now we're going to get attacked. 224 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Moses commanded Joshua, choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. 225 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:33,000 Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill holding the staff of God in my hand. 226 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:39,000 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. 227 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:45,000 Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron and her climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 228 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:52,000 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. 229 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:59,000 But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 230 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:05,000 Have you ever tried to hold up something a long time? 231 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:12,000 And it's like your arms just start aching, right? When you hold it up a long time. 232 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:17,000 I mean there's even been times when I've been in a worship service trying to hold up my hands 233 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:21,000 before the Lord and hold up my arms and my arms just start getting heavier and heavier and heavier. 234 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,000 Even in worship. 235 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,000 It's hard to hold something, especially, you know, holding up a rod or something 236 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000 and you just hold it and hold it and hold it and hold it. 237 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:34,000 I mean this is not for ten minutes. 238 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:41,000 This is like all day, holding up this rod. 239 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:49,000 And any time his arms got weak and heavy, he's like, I just have to change arms with me. 240 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:54,000 When he dropped it, the enemy began to win. 241 00:17:54,000 --> 00:18:01,000 As long as he held it up, he was winning. His people were winning. 242 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Moses' arms soon became so tired that he could no longer hold them up. 243 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:16,000 So Erin and her found a stone for him to sit on, then they stood on each side of Moses holding up his hands. 244 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 Is it important to be a part of a family of faith? 245 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,000 Sometimes you need somebody to help you hold up your hands. 246 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,000 Hello? 247 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,000 Somebody to pray for you. 248 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,000 Somebody to hold you up. 249 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,000 Somebody to encourage you. 250 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:42,000 So he sat down and Erin and her stood beside him helping hold his arms up 251 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:47,000 because he just couldn't do it anymore. 252 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:53,000 So his hands held steady until sunset. Everybody say all day. 253 00:18:53,000 --> 00:19:01,000 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. 254 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,000 After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, 255 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:16,000 write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder and read it aloud to Joshua. 256 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:21,000 I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven. 257 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nesi. 258 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:37,000 Everybody say Yahweh-Nesi, which means the Lord is my banner. 259 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:42,000 Notice he didn't name it, my walking stick is my banner. 260 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,000 Didn't name it that. 261 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,000 He said the Lord is my banner. 262 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,000 So let's talk about that. 263 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,000 Yahweh-Nesi, the Lord is my banner. 264 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:58,000 What did that mean to them and what does it mean to us 265 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:02,000 when we find out who God is and what His name is? 266 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,000 That He is Yahweh-Nesi. 267 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,000 He's telling us that He is the great I Am. 268 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:14,000 He is I Am that I Am, the eternally present and self-existent One. 269 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,000 That's what Yahweh means. 270 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:22,000 And He is our banner. He is my banner. 271 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,000 What does the banner represent? 272 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:35,000 Have you done any studies in history where you look at wars and you look at forts 273 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:42,000 and you see the flag of the person in charge of that military position? 274 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:46,000 Flags were very important, right? 275 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:54,000 Because if you're fighting for and with the people who own that position in battle, 276 00:20:54,000 --> 00:21:01,000 as long as you look up and see your flag there, you know that you're winning. 277 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,000 Come on, somebody. 278 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,000 As long as you look up and see your flag there, you know you're winning. 279 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:14,000 But if you look up and your flag's not there anymore and your enemy's flag is there, 280 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,000 you know that you're in trouble. 281 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:33,000 As long as the Lord is your banner, you're winning. 282 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:42,000 But if anything else becomes your banner, you're in trouble. 283 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:46,000 Did I need to say that again? Or did you get it the first time? 284 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,000 You got it? Okay. 285 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:59,000 So, as long as the Lord is your banner, you're winning. 286 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:06,000 But if anything else is your banner other than the Lord, you're in trouble. 287 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,000 He is our banner of identification. 288 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,000 And then Christ, right? 289 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,000 Moses' staff, what did that mean? 290 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:19,000 Well, Moses had used that staff symbolically to bring them out. 291 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:27,000 And it's like, that's like a representation of God. 292 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:34,000 They're not worshiping the rod, but they know that God is connected to the rod. 293 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:41,000 So when they see that staff, they can remember that they're identified 294 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:45,000 that the Lord is actually their banner because they knew what these words meant. 295 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:50,000 Yahweh, they knew that that meant I am the eternal self-existent one. 296 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:55,000 And now they're finding out that God is their banner. 297 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:59,000 Now they've got a picture, they've got an illustration of it being a rod, 298 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:03,000 but they know that it's really God and not the rod. 299 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:07,000 So the staff means, hey, we're God's people. 300 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,000 Look to the person beside you and say, I'm God's people. 301 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,000 I'm God's people. 302 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:18,000 I'm in Christ. 303 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,000 I'm in Christ. 304 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,000 So it's a banner of identification. 305 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,000 I'm on God's side. 306 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,000 He's on my side. 307 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,000 He's for me. 308 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:34,000 I'm the child of the King. 309 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:38,000 The Lord is my banner. 310 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,000 We need to live our lives every day like that. 311 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,000 It's a banner of remembrance. 312 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,000 The staff had brought them out of slavery. 313 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,000 Remember, threw it down, it turned into a servant, 314 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,000 picked it back up, turned back into a rod. 315 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,000 He tapped the Red Sea with it. 316 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,000 I mean, not the Red Sea, he tapped the Nile with it. 317 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:03,000 It turned to blood. 318 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,000 He held it up at the Red Sea. 319 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:10,000 The sea parted, they walked across. 320 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:16,000 The greatest army in the known world at that time was defeated, 321 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,000 drowned in the bottom of the Red Sea. 322 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:21,000 It's a banner of remembrance. 323 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:29,000 When they saw that rod, they were like, yeah, we can remember. 324 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,000 When the Lord is your banner, 325 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,000 you need to be able to look back on your life and say, 326 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,000 you know what, I've gone through pressure before. 327 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,000 You know what, I've gone through trouble before. 328 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,000 And this pressure and this trouble that I'm facing today, 329 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,000 I mean, instead of letting it overwhelm me, 330 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,000 the Lord is my banner. 331 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,000 He is Yahweh-Neh-See. 332 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,000 And I remember that God is able and God is faithful. 333 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:59,000 He's brought me through before. 334 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,000 Come on, somebody. 335 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,000 Has He? 336 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Has He ever brought you through? 337 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,000 Has He ever made a way for you? 338 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,000 So why are you looking at your situation today saying, oh, no, 339 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:20,000 I don't know if He's big enough to do it this time? 340 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:34,000 Well, that means that your problem has become your banner. 341 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,000 I'm going to preach this hard. 342 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:42,000 You folks from Canada pulling that out of me. 343 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:47,000 Yeah, tell me about it. 344 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,000 He's my banner of remembrance. 345 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:54,000 I think about who God is and how He's brought me through. 346 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:59,000 It's a banner of announcement. 347 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,000 As they continued in their journey, 348 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,000 words spread about their God, 349 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,000 even to the point where when they got to Jericho, 350 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,000 it's like, we've been scared of y'all coming now for 40 years. 351 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,000 What took you so long to get here? 352 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:19,000 We've been terrified because we found out what your God had done for you, 353 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,000 and we're shaking in our boots. 354 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:27,000 We've been shaking in our boots for 40 years. 355 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,000 It's a banner of announcement. 356 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,000 Here we are. 357 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:38,000 When the Lord is your banner, it's like saying, here I am. 358 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:43,000 Let me introduce you to my God who is my banner, the Lord my banner. 359 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:52,000 Let me introduce, hey, problem, let me introduce you to my God. 360 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 Telling everyone, including your problem, including the storm, 361 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,000 including the pressure, including the trouble, including the temptation, 362 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,000 including the tribulation, telling everybody who I am 363 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,000 and reminded them of what my God has done. 364 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,000 It's a banner of announcement. 365 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,000 It's a banner of focus. 366 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,000 It's a banner of focus. 367 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:22,000 As long as that staff is raised during that battle, 368 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:31,000 as long as they can see it, they were strengthened to continue. 369 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:38,000 When the Lord is your banner, when the Lord is your focus, 370 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:47,000 you can be strengthened to continue and not to give up and quit. 371 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:53,000 Be strengthened as long as you can see it. 372 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,000 I want you to listen to this. 373 00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:05,000 God's promises to you and your problem, your situation, your trial, 374 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:14,000 God's promise and your problem are working in your life at the same time. 375 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:19,000 Working in duality. 376 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,000 And here's the enemy's plan. 377 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,000 How many of you know we're in spiritual warfare? 378 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,000 We have a spiritual enemy. 379 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:32,000 The enemy's plan, and he has the ability to manipulate things in this fallen world 380 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:38,000 to bring some pressure to you and some stress to you. 381 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:47,000 I'm not saying that every problem and every trouble is coming as a direct, you know, 382 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,000 as a demonic problem, we can put it that way. 383 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:53,000 I'm not saying that every problem is. 384 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,000 But some of them are and we don't even realize it. 385 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:01,000 And the enemy's plan, whether he generated the problem 386 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:09,000 or worked in somebody else's mind and heart to actually cause that problem, 387 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,000 which that happens sometimes. 388 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:16,000 Has anybody ever experienced something like that? 389 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:21,000 Well, our spiritual enemy, now that person that did something against you 390 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,000 is not your enemy. 391 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:28,000 We're not fighting flesh and blood, the Bible says. 392 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,000 Are you with me? 393 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:34,000 If you ever started fighting flesh and blood, you're fighting the wrong thing. 394 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,000 We have spiritual enemy. 395 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:45,000 And the enemy's plan, strategic plan, is to use the pressure, the trouble, the problem 396 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:55,000 to make you doubt God's promise. 397 00:29:55,000 --> 00:30:00,000 We can grab a hold of this. 398 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,000 We can just grab a hold of this. 399 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,000 That's the strategy. 400 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,000 That's the strategy. 401 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:18,000 The whole purpose of the enemy is to try to get you to doubt God's promise. 402 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:26,000 If you don't believe me, go back to the garden, did God really say? 403 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:31,000 That's the first words of the enemy to people. 404 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,000 Did God really say? 405 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:40,000 Now, did God really say that? 406 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:44,000 So the plan is to use the problem, to use the trouble, to use the pressure 407 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:49,000 to make you doubt the promise of God, because the promise is available 408 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,000 and the problem is working. 409 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,000 They're both working together. 410 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:57,000 And let me tell you something, your attention, your focus, 411 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:04,000 will either empower the promise or empower the problem. 412 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:05,000 If we can all... 413 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:06,000 You know what? 414 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:13,000 This will change your life. 415 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,000 I mean, God's promise has God's power behind it, 416 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:26,000 but it doesn't come into your life until you reach out in faith and stand with it. 417 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:32,000 Are you with me? 418 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:37,000 I mean, God is our Savior, right? 419 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:42,000 Do you think He doesn't have enough power to save everybody? 420 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,000 Well, everybody's not saved. 421 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,000 Why aren't they? 422 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,000 Because they haven't heard, they haven't believed, 423 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:53,000 and they haven't reached out in faith. 424 00:31:53,000 --> 00:32:00,000 We're saved by grace, by God's work, His acts of kindness and favor, through faith. 425 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,000 It takes our faith to connect. 426 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,000 And it's just like that. 427 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,000 Everybody say, just like that. 428 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:14,000 Just like that in every other promise in the Word. 429 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,000 Why do we think salvation works one way 430 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:23,000 and then everything else works completely different? 431 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:27,000 I mean, why did I spend the majority of my life thinking that, you know, 432 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:36,000 salvation works one way, but every other promise of God has to work some kind of different way? 433 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:42,000 Why is it this simple? 434 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:49,000 I'll tell you why it's not simple, because if you get a hold of it, it'll change your life. 435 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:55,000 Your attention, your focus is going to empower, 436 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:59,000 because you're reaching out with faith and attaching to the promise of God, 437 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,000 it's going to empower the promise of God, 438 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:11,000 or if your focus is on the problem, it's going to empower the problem. 439 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,000 I'll go ahead and throw this out there for you to think about. 440 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,000 Don't have a slide for it. 441 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,000 You know I talk about emotions a lot, don't you? 442 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,000 Some people don't like for me to talk about emotions. 443 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,000 Talk about emotions a lot. 444 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:31,000 But you're really not going to like what I'm going to say right now, 445 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:38,000 because your emotions are a product of your focus. 446 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:47,000 I ain't never said that before. 447 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,000 I'm just letting it sit there a minute. 448 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:56,000 You know, sometimes you've got to leave something in the pan and let it cook a while. 449 00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:01,000 Turn up the heat, speed it up. 450 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:11,000 Your emotions are a product of your mind and your imagination. 451 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,000 Sometimes we think the emotion is a problem. 452 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,000 Well, the way we were thinking and what we were imagining 453 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:24,000 has caused the emotion that we're having to deal with. 454 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:30,000 Because our attention and our focus has gone to the problem. 455 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,000 When our attention and our focus goes to the problem, 456 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:44,000 then we're going to be in fear and in worry and in stress. 457 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:50,000 But when Jesus is your banner, when Yahweh, Nisi, 458 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,000 when you remember what He's done, He's a banner of remembrance, 459 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,000 and we've got some more banners coming up, 460 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,000 guess what that does? 461 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:01,000 When I start even talking this, all of a sudden my emotions begin to change 462 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,000 because it rises up in me. 463 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:09,000 And now I have joy and I have peace because my mind is set on the right thing, 464 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:14,000 even in the middle of my trouble. 465 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:19,000 It's good preaching right there. 466 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,000 I'm glad to hear it. 467 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,000 Example, Peter walked on water. 468 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:28,000 You remember that story in Matthew 14 where all of a sudden Jesus comes up. 469 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,000 There's wind and there's waves and there's trouble. 470 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:32,000 Everybody say trouble. 471 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,000 There's pressure. They think they're going to die. 472 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,000 Jesus comes walking up and Peter goes, 473 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:40,000 Hey, if that's you, let me come out there and walk with you. 474 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,000 Jesus said, Okay, come on. 475 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:48,000 So Peter stepped out of the boat. 476 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:52,000 He didn't walk on water. He walked on the Word 477 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:57,000 because the promise of God and the direction of Jesus 478 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:01,000 was greater than this natural order of things. 479 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,000 Because you can't just walk on water, can you? 480 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,000 Have you tried to walk on water? 481 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,000 Go to the pool this afternoon and try to walk on water 482 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,000 and see if you can walk on water. 483 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,000 He didn't walk on water. He was walking on the words of Christ. 484 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,000 Hey, come on, Peter. 485 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:21,000 So he stepped out of the boat. 486 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:26,000 And the law of buoyancy went out the door 487 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,000 because he was walking on the words of Christ. 488 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,000 It said, Come on. 489 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:33,000 Come on and walk. 490 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:41,000 So he's standing on, by faith, he's standing on the words of Christ. 491 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:44,000 As long as it's focused, everybody say focus. 492 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,000 Could you imagine the joy that's in Peter's heart at this moment 493 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,000 when he steps out of the boat and he's on solid 494 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,000 and he starts walking to Jesus and he's just like, 495 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,000 This is amazing. 496 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,000 Right? 497 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:03,000 But then his focus shifted. 498 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,000 His focus was on Jesus and what Jesus said. 499 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:10,000 And then now, there's wind. 500 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,000 There's waves. 501 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:22,000 This is water. 502 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:31,000 When his attention and focus turned towards the storm, 503 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:36,000 he sunk. 504 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,000 And you can go read your Bible this afternoon 505 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:45,000 and you can see that over and over and over and over again in the Bible. 506 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:54,000 So the Lord is our banner. 507 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:58,000 He's our banner of focus. 508 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:01,000 I will keep my eyes on God. 509 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,000 I'll keep my eyes on who He is. 510 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:07,000 I'll keep my eyes on what He's done, especially during the battle, 511 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,000 especially during the trouble, especially during the pressure. 512 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,000 I'm going to keep my eyes on Jesus. 513 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:22,000 I'm going to keep my eyes on God, who He is. 514 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,000 The banner of hope. 515 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,000 Everybody say hope. 516 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,000 The staff, as long as it was raised, 517 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:36,000 it wasn't time to quit or surrender. 518 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:42,000 As long as the flag is over the fort, there's still hope. 519 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:48,000 I mean, even in our national anthem, right? 520 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:54,000 It gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. 521 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:59,000 Put this in the spiritual arena. 522 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:03,000 Promises of God are proof through the dark times of our life 523 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:08,000 that our flag is still there, that Yahweh, Nisi is our banner. 524 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:13,000 The Lord is our banner. 525 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:17,000 I'm preaching better than you are, amen. 526 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:24,000 As long as my flag is flying, there's hope. 527 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,000 I need to remind you what the word hope in the New Testament always means. 528 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:32,000 See, in English we think the word hope is hope so. 529 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,000 Well, I hope so. 530 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:38,000 South Carolina Gamecocks going to have a good football team this year? 531 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,000 Well, I hope so. 532 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:47,000 I've been hoping a long time. 533 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,000 I've been hoping. 534 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:57,000 They had a good season a long time ago, but I'm hoping they'll have another. 535 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,000 It's not the same word. 536 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:07,000 The word hope in the New Testament means a confident expectation. 537 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:13,000 Such a confident expectation that you can anticipate with pleasure. 538 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:20,000 That's what the word means every time you read the word hope in the New Testament. 539 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:28,000 So when Yahweh is my banner, when the Lord is my banner, He's my banner of hope. 540 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:31,000 As long as my flag is flying, there is hope. 541 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,000 I will not give up. 542 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:39,000 I have a confident expectation, and my confident expectation is so strong 543 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:43,000 that I'm already happy about it. 544 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:54,000 My confident expectation has stirred my emotions toward joy and peace. 545 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:59,000 I might have to preach a whole series on that one day. 546 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:04,000 He's our banner of victory. 547 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,000 He's our banner of victory. 548 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:09,000 As long as the staff was raised, they were winning. 549 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:13,000 And they won because the staff kept being raised. 550 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:17,000 And when the Lord is your banner and He is continually raised, guess what? 551 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,000 You're going to win. 552 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:26,000 You're going to win. 553 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:32,000 He's my banner of victory. 554 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:35,000 And here's the deal. 555 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:44,000 You can sit in church and get a little excited about it, and walk out the door 556 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:55,000 and have your problem or your pressure as the banner as soon as you walk out the door. 557 00:41:55,000 --> 00:42:04,000 I wish I could make you, but I can't. 558 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:08,000 The Lord is your banner. 559 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:15,000 He told you. His word tells you that He's your banner. 560 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:26,000 And He tells you to keep your focus on Him, to keep your hope in Him. 561 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:30,000 2 Corinthians 2, 14. 562 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:46,000 Now thanks be to God who always, everybody say always, thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. 563 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:49,000 Now are you going to believe what the word says? 564 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:59,000 Or are you going to believe your experience over the word? 565 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:08,000 Don't ever say, well I know the Bible says this, but you don't understand. 566 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:16,000 Are you telling God He doesn't understand? 567 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:20,000 Whose report are you going to believe anyway? 568 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:23,000 The report of the problem or the report of the Lord? 569 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:27,000 Which one are you going to believe? 570 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:34,000 Does it say thanks be to God who every once in a while leads us in triumph? 571 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:36,000 You know, it's hit or miss. 572 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:39,000 About 50% of the time He'll lead us in triumph. 573 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:43,000 About 50% of the time He'll let us sink and drown. 574 00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:51,000 Is that what it says? 575 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:56,000 When are we going to come to the point where we're like, God said this. 576 00:43:56,000 --> 00:44:00,000 And I'm going to hold on to hope and hold on to victory because of what God says. 577 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:03,000 No matter what I see, no matter what I think, no matter what I feel. 578 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:13,000 And guess what? If we hold on to what God says, our feelings are going to change when we actually are holding on to the promise. 579 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:15,000 They will change. 580 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:21,000 There is no option for them not to change. 581 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:31,000 If your feelings don't change, then your focus isn't in the right place and your thoughts aren't in the right place. 582 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:35,000 Here's the message Bible. It's a paraphrase. 583 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:45,000 But when you look at the Qu'on a Greek words in that verse that I just shared, this is spot on. 584 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:49,000 Spot on to the translation of the words. 585 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:52,000 In the Messiah, in Christ, everybody say in Christ. 586 00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:55,000 Now that's important. 587 00:44:55,000 --> 00:45:03,000 Because I have people here who haven't heard me say this, I'm going to tell you anytime in the Bible where you see the words in Christ, in whom, in Him, 588 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:10,000 you better take notice because that's telling you something about who you are in Christ and what you have in Christ. 589 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:13,000 This is very important. 590 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:22,000 So don't ever read by one of those and just say, oh, those are just filler words to get to what it's saying. No. 591 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:39,000 In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. 592 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:44,000 But that's what it means. That's what it means. 593 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:54,000 It's actually in the Greek definition. Look it up yourself. Look at Strong's. Don't just take my word for it. Look it up. 594 00:45:54,000 --> 00:46:05,000 That word is talking about a parade, a victory parade, which is very common to these people because when when Rome would take over somewhere, 595 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:10,000 guess what? One of the first things they would do is they'd have a parade through that town. 596 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:22,000 All the military leaders, man, they're they're just having a big old procession on a big old parade to let everybody know, hey, we want. 597 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:27,000 You're not you're not in control anymore because we want. 598 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:37,000 So everybody line the streets and clap and cheer. 599 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:44,000 In Christ, God leads us from place to place in a perpetual victory parade. 600 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:48,000 What does that look like? Oh, I got this problem today. 601 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:58,000 But real soon, because I have faith in Christ real soon, we're going to have a victory parade right through the middle of this problem. 602 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:04,000 And the enemy that's tried to use this promise problem to try to keep me off of God's promise, 603 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:12,000 they're going to have to stand and cheer as you go through with victory. 604 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:23,000 Oh, he is. 605 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:28,000 You're better. 606 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:32,000 But just like he is your savior. 607 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:38,000 It's up to you whether he is going to be your banner of victory. 608 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:42,000 Or not. 609 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:44,000 This is who he wants to be. 610 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:49,000 This is what he wants to do in your life today. 611 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:52,000 It's who he is. 612 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:56,000 This is what he does. 613 00:47:56,000 --> 00:48:00,000 But we have to connect with it. 614 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:04,000 You have to believe. 615 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:09,000 You have to have our confidence in our God. 616 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:12,000 He's my banner. 617 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:17,000 And as long as he's my banner, I'm going to win. 618 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:24,000 In the middle of this stuff, I'm going to win if he's my banner. 619 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:29,000 But again, if I let my problem be my banner, I'm in trouble. 620 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:34,000 If I waver back and forth, well, God's my banner today and my trouble is my banner tomorrow, 621 00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:41,000 my pressure is my banner on Tuesday, and maybe I'll get back to God being my banner. 622 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:54,000 If you're just wavering all the time, it's going to take you a long time to have that victory parade. 623 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:59,000 Those who know your name will put their trust in you. 624 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:02,000 Will put their confidence in you. 625 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:09,000 You make us able to put our confidence and trust in you by giving us your name. 626 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:15,000 Because we know that you're not going to turn your back on us. 627 00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:20,000 When we seek you, you're not going to turn your back on us. 628 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:33,000 The Lord is my banner of identification, of remembrance, of announcement, of focus, of hope, and of victory. 629 00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:35,000 Let's pray together. God, thank you. 630 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:37,000 Thank you for your word. 631 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:43,000 Thank you for revealing to us who you are. 632 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:48,000 What you want to do in our lives. Who you want to be in our lives. 633 00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:54,000 Thank you for revealing that to us. 634 00:49:54,000 --> 00:50:00,000 Now we say yes. 635 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:07,000 We claim that you are our banner. 636 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:09,000 You are the Lord, our banner. 637 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:12,000 We hold to your name. 638 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:15,000 Stand in your name. 639 00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:21,000 Wage spiritual battle in your name. 640 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:24,000 Take hold of victory in your name. 641 00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:27,000 Take hold of hope in your name. 642 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:32,000 We keep our focus on you. 643 00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:35,000 Thank you, Jesus. 644 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:37,000 Amen. 645 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:45,000 This online worship experience was brought to you by the Friends and Partners of Elation Church.