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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP220514S
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00:11 >> Good morning, church family. >> Good morning! 00:15 >> Thank you so much. I'm so glad that we could all be 00:18 here together, so please stand with us while we sing and praise 00:22 God. [ "Days of Elijah" begins ] 00:26 ♪♪ 03:27 [ "What a Beautiful Name" begins ] 03:34 ♪♪ 06:35 [ "Amazing Grace" begins ] ♪♪ 09:52 >> Our scripture reading for today is Joshua 1:8-9. 09:57 "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on 10:00 it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything 10:03 written in it. And then you will be prosperous 10:06 and successful. Have I not commanded you? 10:09 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be 10:12 discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you everywhere 10:15 you go." [ "Way Maker" begins ] 10:21 ♪♪ 14:15 >> Hello! I almost said good morning, but you know what? 14:19 It's good afternoon. Happy Sabbath. It is so good to see all of you 14:24 this morning. 14:26 I have a question for you today. 14:29 How many of you like to ride bicycles? 14:35 Let me see your hands. Oh, yes! Maybe it is a tricycle with 14:40 three wheels, or maybe if you're a little older, you are riding a bicycle with two wheels. 14:46 So let me ask you a question. Do we have any kids here who are riding bicycles without any 14:54 training wheels at all? Do I have any hands here? Wow, look at that. 14:59 We have a whole lot of veterans here, and we have some future veterans, too. 15:04 So, let me ask you a question, you veterans of bicycle riding? Do you remember what it was like 15:12 when your training wheels were taken off your bike and you were riding without them? 15:21 You no longer had those guards to protect you when you were leaning left or right. 15:28 Was that a little bit scary? Was that a little scary? No, it wasn't scary. 15:32 You were totally brave. Well, for me, when I started learning how to ride without 15:39 training wheels, it was a little scary. It was a little scary because I 15:43 was always worried that I was gonna fall over. And, so, I had someone who 15:49 helped me. It was my dad. And I'm gonna put a picture on 15:53 the screen for you here. He did just what this father is doing. 16:00 He came next to me and he said, "Don't worry, Jonathan, I'm right here," and he ran with me 16:07 while I was peddling. But I had a problem. I was still very wobbly. 16:12 But after he had been running with me for a while, he put his hand on the back of the seat and 16:17 said, "I'm still right here. You just look at the road and keep peddling." 16:21 And after we had done that for an hour or two, you know what happened? 16:27 I was doing it on my own. And that was so incredible. I had no idea that it could 16:36 happen that quickly. But you know what? Sometimes when we face things 16:41 in life that are really good and really important, they can sometimes be a little scary, 16:45 can't they? Maybe it's learning to ride a bicycle or maybe it's the first 16:50 day of school or maybe, like some of the preachers at the youth tent, it might be getting 16:56 up in front of people and actually sharing the message of Jesus. 17:01 But you know what? All of us, no matter what age we are, we have a special person 17:08 who is always there to hear us and help us through those difficult times. 17:14 And that person is Jesus. Whenever we're afraid, we can pray and ask Him to be right 17:21 there with us. In fact, our university is named after someone who learned 17:27 how to do that. Let me put a picture here on the screen. 17:30 This picture is right in front of the church here. Does anyone know who is on 17:37 those statues? I see a hand here, yes. J.N. Andrews. 17:41 John Andrews. Yes, that's right. And also his kids. 17:45 Mary and Charles. They are being pictured here as they are about to be 17:51 missionaries to Europe. They were our first official missionaries overseas. 17:58 And do you think it might be a little scary to go overseas? >> Yeah. 18:04 >> Yeah, I think it might be a little scary to go overseas, especially because this was the 18:10 days when there was no FaceTime. You couldn't just go over the ocean and then call up and say, 18:15 "Hey, mom and dad." Nope, that wasn't possible. You would go for weeks in a ship 18:20 and then you might not see anyone that you knew back in the United States for years. 18:26 Could that be scary? While they were getting ready to go, J.N. Andrews asked for 18:34 prayer, and he wrote this down. I'm going to read it to you. And this is an important 18:40 principle for each of us as we are going through our lives. "And now, as we set forth, we 18:46 commit ourselves to the merciful protection of God. And we especially ask the 18:52 prayers of the people of God, that His blessing may attend us in this sacred work." 19:00 So, when we are facing things that are scary, we commit ourselves to God, and then, we 19:05 ask Jesus to be with us. Do we have someone here who would like to pray for us 19:11 this morning? All right, I saw this hand right over here first. 19:18 And what is your name? >> Hadassa. >> Hadassa. 19:22 That is a wonderful name. So can you pray and ask Jesus to give us the strength and the 19:28 bravery to do the things that He wants us to do? >> Dear Jesus, thank you for 19:34 this day. Help us to be brave when we're scared. 19:38 Thank you that -- to the Sabbath. Amen. 19:42 >> Amen. All right, boys and girls, you can go back to your seats. 19:50 >> I want to pray with you. I'm excited about a brand-new series that begins right now. 19:56 Title of the series, "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho." It's a great song. 20:01 Sometime go on YouTube and make sure you see the one sung by Mahalia Jackson. 20:05 It's a powerful rendition from years ago. Father, You are the waymaker, 20:10 the promise keeper, light in the darkness, that is who You are. So we come to this moment when 20:18 you're going to speak through Holy Scripture, we're going to hear you, I know we will, 20:22 Father, so hush every other sound and noise inside of us so that the Holy Spirit may have 20:27 His way. We humbly pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 20:31 >> Amen. >> I was 13 years old when I left home for the first time. 20:38 Turns out, it was the last time. Except for a few summers along the way. 20:42 I'm a missionary's kid in Tokyo, Japan. 20:46 The closest academy is 5,317 kilometers to the south in 20:50 the island nation of Singapore. Far Eastern Academy. 20:54 And I'm gonna get on a big plane and fly out today. 20:58 I'll never forget that moment when my dad assembled the family 21:02 together, we're going to have worship. 21:04 We're going to have worship together. 21:08 Small, little Japanese house. Smaller living room. 21:13 I remember seeing my mother's eyes. They were red, and I knew she 21:16 had been crying. And I'm really not sure how to interpret the big smiles on my 21:22 younger brother and my little sister. Big bro is leaving. 21:28 Peace at last. My dad took his old Bible. And he said, "I'm gonna read," 21:35 Dwight, for you, a passage my father read to me when I left home for the first time." 21:42 Turns out, it's a passage I read to my kids when they left home, one by one, the last time. 21:48 It's Joshua chapter 1, and I'd like to have family worship right now if you're okay with 21:52 that and if you'd open your Bible to Joshua chapter 1. Come on, you got a Bible. 21:56 You're not totally reliant on technology. You have a Bible. 22:01 Open it up to Joshua 1. Joshua 1. Wow. 22:07 "After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, 22:15 Moses' aide." All right, he's kind of like the prime minister. 22:22 And God speaks to Joshua now. 23:31 And I am trying to imagine how Joshua must have felt as he hears the capital V Voice 23:36 speaking somewhere, speaking to him. "The God of Moses is speaking 23:40 to me. Little old me." And what's amazing to me is I 23:44 read these words and I suddenly realize the God of Moses is speaking to little old you and 23:50 little old me. "As I was with Moses, I will be with you. 23:57 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid. 24:04 Be not discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 24:09 Some of you are poised today on the brink of an uncertain future. 24:14 You have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. You're changing careers in 24:19 midstream. The doctor's walked into the room and has given you a 24:24 diagnosis that is without hope. You're standing on the edge today, your education somewhere 24:32 between now and then. You're still stuck in it and you're not sure what's coming 24:38 next. For all of us who stand at these moments, when we are absolutely 24:48 unsure of what comes next, God speaks these words. You're a volunteer leader, are 24:55 you? You're brand-new leader. Whoa, are you filling some big 24:59 shoes. They're not going to fit you. Yeah, that leader that went 25:03 before you is larger than life. And look at you. You're gonna take her place? 25:08 You're gonna take his place? Good luck. You know what? 25:14 If you are a leader, volunteer, paid, got a big constituency meeting going on tomorrow, 25:19 leaders will be voted and voted in. If you're a leader standing on 25:25 the edge and uncertain of what's ahead, you need to hear what God said to Joshua just now. 25:31 It isn't greater leadership skills that you need. Mnh-mnh. 25:35 It's deeper spiritual depth that you need. And that's why God will say -- 25:40 that's why God will say to Joshua, "Yo, Joshua keep this Book of the Law always on your 25:44 lips." What's that mean? Let your lips speak it out loud 25:48 so that your brain hears what your lips are reading. Meditate on the book, the book, 25:52 the book. "Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do 25:56 everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." 26:00 You know what? I'm not worried for you, sir. Ma'am, I'm not worried for you. 26:05 I'm not afraid. You're gonna be fine. Why? 26:10 Because you dwell in the secret place of the Most High and you abide under the shadow the 26:15 Almighty. And in that proximity, you have been shaped into a companion 26:18 with the Eternal. I'm worried at all about your future. 26:24 It's dark. You can't see a thing. But have I not commanded you? 26:32 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong, girl. Be courageous, boy. 26:40 Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you whither 26:45 soever you go." How's that work? It works like this. 26:49 God is always dependent on those who are dependent on Him. He doesn't need leaders that 26:56 have memorized every leadership book on Earth. No, He needs leaders who have 27:01 gone to the depths with Him. And if you are dependent on God, I got good news for you. 27:06 He's dependent on you. And, oh, boy, Joshua, is he ever dependent on God. 27:12 But fascinatingly enough, do you notice this? There is no game plan. 27:18 God does not tell Joshua a single thing to do. Why? 27:26 Well, you got a brain. [ Scoffs ] "You got a brain. 27:31 Use it. And I'll be with you." I'm gonna tell you something. 27:36 I've lived on this planet for a few years, and I have found out that most of the time, almost 27:41 all the time, that's how God answers prayer. I said, "God give me an e-mail. 27:46 Give me a phone call. Send somebody to walk through that door." 27:50 Knock, knock. "Yo, I bring a word for you." I've had that happen. 27:54 God sent me to you, and I knew the moment she opened her mouth, He sent me -- He sent her to me. 28:00 So I've had it happen. Very rare. You know what God says to me? 28:04 "Come on, Dwight, you got a brain. I gave it to you to use. 28:08 Now, listen, wherever you go, I'm with you. Just use it. 28:12 Go from me. I'll do it. And Joshua, he steps out. 28:16 He says, "Well, well, come on, let's do something." And here we go. 28:20 So, Joshua, right after the commands, "Joshua orders the the officers of the people, 'I 28:24 want you to go through the camp, tell the people, "Get ready, provisions ready. 28:28 This is it. Three days from now, you will cross the Jordan here to go in 28:33 and take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving for your very own."'" 28:38 And the word, like electricity -- zzzz-shoom! -- spreads through this horde of 28:43 people gathered on this side of the Jordan. My! 28:48 And Joshua walks into that crowd. He sees a boy over there. 28:51 "Hey, lad, come here." Hey, there's another one. "You, come here. 28:55 Hey, boys, come here. I want to talk to you. My friend, Caleb. 28:59 You know Caleb. Everybody admires that 85-year-old warrior. 29:04 Caleb and I were part of a reconnoitering group. 12 spies. 29:09 We went in. We measured the strengths, we took note of their weaknesses, 29:14 and our assignment was come back to the camp, and on behalf of Moses and God, give the report. 29:20 Caleb and I were absolutely certain that, if God fights for us, we can take this land. 29:27 But 10 of them, the majority report, came back with two words, and they were the wrong 29:34 two words. They said, 'We cannot.' Well, I'm sending you back into 29:39 that land, boys, just two this time. That's all it took last time to 29:43 get the word. And I need you to come back with two words, and I don't want 29:48 those words, 'We cannot.'" And when the boys come back, guess what. 29:55 "We can." [ Chuckles ] That's what's going on right 30:00 here. You don't get all that, but... 30:15 Awkward. I mean, please, guys. Motel 6, and you go here? 30:23 Awkward. Robert Alter, in his magnum opus, a one-man 30:28 translation of the Hebrew Bible, which is the Old Testament, here's how he renders this line. 30:49 It's even more awkward now. What's going on? The truth of the matter is there 30:57 is no way to import our Western sensibilities into ancient narratives. 31:02 We have no right to do that. Nobody's suggesting that the way the ancients live should be by 31:08 our moral interpretations, nor that we should live the way their ethical behavior lived. 31:14 Women were chattel back then. Marriages could be polygamous back then. 31:18 Sexual mores were not what they are today. Did God have an idea for them? 31:23 But of course. Did the Seventh Commandment, written with God's own finger, 31:27 still read back then, "Thou shalt not commit adultery"? Of course. 31:31 But the fact that God winked at the moral ignorance of the ancients, as Acts 17 reminds 31:37 us -- He just kind of winked -- is hardly license for you and me to embrace their ancient 31:43 ignorance. And besides, may I remind you that the Mosaic Code, both 31:46 the civil, the ceremonial, and the corporate code, is absolutely clear on the high 31:51 ideal of moral purity. There's no way you can flimflam around that. 31:59 No. And besides, these two boys have a very fresh memory in their 32:04 minds right now. Just days earlier, days earlier, they witnessed the fornicators 32:12 in the camp of Israel, who began to play sexually with young Moabite girls, pagans. 32:20 They witnessed 24,000 deaths. The largest number of terminated deaths in the four-year history 32:32 of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness. The boys have that story in 32:36 mind. Do you think they have any other plans in mind? 32:41 [ Scoffs ] Of course not. What do the boys do? The boys do when any stranger 32:47 coming to town would do, and that would be to blend into the anonymous shadows of a brothel. 32:53 You'll be safe there. And so they go. Not as customers. 32:57 As boarders. And guess what. They got caught. 33:10 We're talking about a city-state. So the king of Jericho has all 33:14 the territory around his walled city. But it's in a state of 33:17 emergency tonight. That's right. The gates are all locked tight 33:21 because the word has reached Jericho long before these boys, the spies, got there of a 33:26 marauding army marching up from the south land. It runs into two massive 33:32 city-states, two kings, and annihilates them. There's not a witness left to 33:38 what has happened. And they're headed this way. And in fact, that sprawling mob 33:46 of people is 15 miles away on the other side of the river. Oh, the word is out. 33:52 You better believe the king is nervous. 34:04 And now we not only have a nervous king, we have a nervous prostitute. 34:08 You know why? Because she's been putting two and two together for weeks now. 34:12 She's heard all the rumors because men talk loud and hard in a brothel, and a conviction 34:17 is growing in her polytheistic heart that maybe there is a God who is higher than all the other 34:23 gods of Earth. 34:24 That's been planted in her mind now. 34:27 Listen to her pouring out her heart to these two boys she now 34:32 knows are spies, Israelite spies. 34:51 "We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea." 34:55 40 years earlier is that story. "We have heard how he dried up the Red Sea for you when you 35:01 came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings, the Amorite kings east 35:07 of the Jordan, whom you completely annihilated." 35:22 My! 35:27 From those terrifying snatches of rumors and reports, this 35:32 prostitute believes that the God of this people is the reigning 35:37 God over all gods. 35:40 This newly minted monotheist. "I believe!" How do we know that's true? 35:48 [ Chuckles ] Bible Hall of Fame chapter. Can't miss it. 35:52 Hebrews 11:31. 36:05 Isn't that amazing? My, my, my. I believe. Robert Alter goes on, talking 36:12 about -- talking about a switch. Isn't this a switch? 36:16 "What a pointed reversal," he writes, "What a pointed reversal of the failed spy mission in 36:22 Numbers. There the Israelites quail before the gigantic inhabitants 36:26 of the land." But what's happening here? Here a Canaanite woman reports 36:30 that the inhabitants of the land are quailing before the Israelites. 36:33 The story has been flipped over. We can. We can! 36:41 Wow. I love this reminder embedded in the Bible commentary on Joshua. 36:49 This is good. "All appearances to the contrary notwithstanding"... 36:53 That's a tricky little sentence. You got to read that a little slower. 36:56 "All appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the forces of evil cringe" today. 37:02 The forces of evil cringe today before the manifest power of God. 37:05 Keep reading. 37:15 My... I don't care what's going on in Ukraine. 37:21 I don't care what's going on with this national economy. I don't care what we're paying 37:26 for a gallon of gasoline now. It doesn't matter what's going on in your life. 37:31 It doesn't matter what's going on in my life. The fact of the matter is the 37:35 kingdom of darkness is tottering to its fall and Satan and his hosts know it. 37:40 They know it, because the book of Joshua begins -- This Joshua who became the 37:47 namesake of the pre-incarnate Christ, who had come to Earth, and when he chooses the name, he 37:55 says, "I want the name of that boy. Yehoshua -- Call me Yehoshua." 38:01 That Christ has already spoken. What did he say? "Have I not commanded you? 38:07 Be strong and courageous." Don't worry about the hordes of darkness that are tottering all 38:11 around you. "Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, for the 38:14 Lord, your God, will be with you wherever you go." Wow. 38:18 He certainly directed the steps of the two spies to this brothel, where the invisible 38:25 seeds of belief have already begun to sprout up in a prostitute's heart. 38:30 He says, "Go there. Yeah, I'll be with you. Why are you afraid?" 38:37 Ah, she comes up to those two spies who were hiding under the flax that's drying out on her 38:43 now nighttime rooftop. And she speaks... 39:04 And the two boys reply, "Our lives for your lives," they assure her. 39:10 "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord 39:15 gives us the land." And then one of them stoops over because -- The Hebrew word is 39:19 for thread. She's a linen woman, and out of the flax, she produces textile. 39:25 And he picks up a red piece of cloth. He says, "All right, I'm gonna 39:30 give this to you. That window that you're gonna lower us out of right now, when 39:34 we're gone, put this in the window." This is not the cord that they 39:37 escaped. The Hebrew word is completely different. 39:39 That's a rope. This is textile. "I want you to hang this in the 39:43 window. Never take it out. And on the day we sack this 39:48 city, every human being who is gathered in that apartment space we will spare...if the sign 40:01 is in your window." She nods her head as she takes her textile back. 40:07 Let it be so. Now, they're ready to go, but she has last-minute 40:12 instructions. You know that she didn't yell this down from the top of the 40:15 wall, so she gives them, "Here." But it first describes them being let down by a rope -- 40:19 that's a different word -- through the window. "For the house she lived in was 40:24 part of the city wall." Back then, the ancients had double walls. 40:27 So her apartment goes into the exterior, the outer wall, and the window is straight down to 40:32 the ground. I have no idea how far down. "So she let them down by a rope 40:37 through the window." Now, she gives these instructions before they go, 40:41 obviously. She says to them, now listen, "Go to the hills" -- that's to 40:44 the West -- "so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days 40:48 until they return, and then go on your way." She had told the king's 40:51 emissaries, "Go East. Get to that river. They're probably trying to ford 40:55 the river." She sent them the wrong way so that she could send these boys. 40:58 I've been to Jericho. There's a towering cliff on the West side, peppered with caves. 41:04 "You go hide there for three days." Wow. 41:12 And three days later, under the cover of dark, you know those three -- those two -- dash to 41:20 freedom, cross the river. They come to Joshua. "Then the two men started back." 41:24 They went down out of the hills, they forded the river, they came to Joshua, son of Nun, "And told 41:28 him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, 'The Lord 41:31 has surely given the whole land into our hands. All the people are melting in 41:36 fear because of us.'" "We have come, sir, with your two-word report. 41:42 What's the word?" We can! We can. 38 years of a negative report 41:51 now reversed. We can. We need that can-do spirit 41:57 today, don't we? We can. Wow. 42:02 I spy two spies with the word, "The Lord can surely give the whole land." 42:13 He has given it into our hands. Oh, what's that line from the Bible, hall of faith, hall of 42:19 fame? "By faith the prostitute" -- You want to call her a 42:22 whore-woman as it reads literally in the Hebrew -- "By faith the prostitute Rahab, 42:26 because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." 42:32 I need to call a timeout right here. Timeout. 42:35 There's something wrong with this story. And I noticed it this week. 42:40 And I can't figure it out. Have you noticed, every time now this woman's story is retold 42:46 in the Old Testament or the New Testament, it's like she's been branded with her past. 42:52 She's always the prostitute. 42:57 She's always the sexually-fallen woman. Brand! 43:02 And that's happening, by the way, not withstanding the good news that's already embedded in 43:06 both the Old Testament and the New Testament. "What good news are you talking 43:10 about, Dwight?" Let me put it on the screen for you -- Psalm 51:10. 43:13 Create -- The Hebrew word is "bara." In the beginning, God bara'd the 43:17 Heavens and the Earth. "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast 43:22 spirit within me." God can wash you clean. And the New Testament echoes the 43:27 same good news. 2 Corinthians 5:17 -- "Therefore, if anyone is in 43:31 Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is 43:35 here!" Can I get an amen to that? My, oh, my, oh, my. 43:40 And yet poor Rahab has her past life, her past record, branded to her name in both testaments. 43:50 And it makes me wonder why. You think about it. Could it be that God very much 43:58 intentionally intends her name and her past to be lashed together by a scarlet cord that 44:05 shall never be untied or unloosed in this life? Could it be that the scarlet 44:12 cord in the window in Jericho and the crimson blood on the doorpost of Egypt are but 44:19 harbingers of the scarlet and crimson blood that stains Calvary's middle cross? 44:26 Could it be that God needed us to know that there is no sin too sinful, there is no sin too 44:38 powerful that you cannot be cut free from? No sin. 44:47 Our staff enjoyed an all-day retreat together this week. 44:57 But I want to read this. I want to read this text. I got so excited, I got a little 45:03 ahead of myself here. Colossians 2:15. I love this. This is one of my favorite 45:07 verses. I shouldn't have forgotten it. Come on, here we go. 45:10 "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He" -- we're talking about Jesus, Yehoshua -- 45:14 He made a public spectacle of Satan and his armies, "triumphing over them by the 45:20 cross." Isn't that something? Now, the truth of the scarlet 45:25 thread, there it is. What did we read just a moment ago in the Bible commentary? 45:29 "All appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the forces of evil cringe before the manifest 45:35 power of God. The kingdom of darkness is tottering to its fall today, and 45:39 Satan and his hosts know it. In view of this fact, let us be strong." 45:44 Now I'll tell you what we talked about on our staff retreat, this all-day retreat, Monday. 45:50 We spent some prayerful time deliberating a collaboration with a center for faith 45:55 engagement and Andrews University this Fall, wherein both places -- we're 46:00 talking about church and campus -- the theme of sexual purity will be front and center. 46:07 "Why are you doing that, Dwight?" Because I'm hearing too many 46:11 stories now. I'm hearing too many stories now, that's why. 46:16 Pornography is Satan's most effective killer. It's not heroin. 46:26 It's pornography, the destroyer of men and women's lives. We cannot sit here as a campus 46:36 congregation this new school year. We cannot just sit here 46:40 and wish everybody well. We need a strategic -- "You got a brain, use it, and 46:46 I'll be with you." We need a strategic plan to take on, in the name of the Lord 46:51 Jesus Christ, hiding behind Him, the furious forces of darkness who will resist every effort to 46:58 cut them off from this access to this parish, to you and to me. 47:08 Yeah. The enemy himself has personally forged these chains of 47:14 pornography that bind his victims and would love nothing more than for you, sir, to 47:20 believe, "We cannot quit. I cannot be freed. I cannot be saved. 47:24 I cannot be delivered." Yes, you can! You got the negative report of 47:29 the 10 spies. Take the two. We can. 47:33 We can...through the power of the scarlet thread. It's not my power, it's not your 47:40 power. You don't have the power, trust me. 47:44 It's a lie what Satan has been whispering into your mind. 47:47 It's a lie, nothing could be further from the truth, 47:50 according to the gospel of Joshua, according to the gospel 47:53 of Yehoshua, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. 47:59 The walls can come down. The chains can be broken. 48:06 And they will. All it will take is the power of the scarlet thread to make the 48:15 difference. I close with these words. A century ago or so, these words 48:22 were written. "Tell Satan," who knows his kingdom is numbered, his days 48:27 are numbered, his kingdom is tottering even now, "Tell Satan of the blood of Jesus that 48:33 cleanses from all sin. You cannot save yourself from" -- stop right there. 48:38 I'm gonna tell you it could read, "You cannot save yourself 48:41 from pornography." You cannot. 48:43 You've tried a thousand times. It doesn't work. 48:47 You cannot save yourself from pornography. 48:50 You'll have to have intervention. 48:53 "Tell Satan of the blood of Jesus that cleanses from all 48:56 sin. You cannot save yourself from 48:59 the tempter's power, but he trembles and flees when the 49:02 merits of that precious blood are urged." 49:06 Can I get an amen for that? Are urged. The power of the scarlet thread. 49:17 Wow. What does Jesus say to us? What he said to Joshua. 49:24 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. 49:32 Do not be discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go," especially if 49:43 you go to the cross. 49:55 We need to respond to this. We can't just hear it. I'll put the Connect Card on the 50:03 screen for you right now. 50:05 If you'll text the word "Joshua1" to this now-familiar 50:09 number -- 269-281-2345. You just text the word 50:14 "Joshua1," you'll get these next steps. 50:18 Step number one, "I want to pray the prayer of deliverance -- 50:22 'His blood be on us and on our children.'" 50:26 I've prayed that prayer in my lifetime morning after morning 50:30 after morning. It's Matthew 27:25. 50:33 It's right there, embedded in the story of Calvary. 50:36 The people meant it as a curse, but I have claimed it as a 50:40 blessed prayer -- "His blood be on us and on our children." 50:44 "His blood be on us and our children." 50:51 "I want to pray the prayer of deliverance." 50:53 Scribble that down -- Matthew 27:25. 50:57 "Please pray for me. I need Jesus' victory." 51:00 I do. Pray for me. If you put a checkmark there, 51:04 we will pray for you. We will. 51:08 And, "I want to be baptized and follow the Lord of Calvary." 51:11 You've never followed the Lord of Calvary yet? 51:14 Perfect time. We'll be in touch with you 51:17 electronically. We'll look at what would work 51:22 well for you as you think about this desire. 51:26 It's a good time to join Yehoshua in the final battle. 51:33 It's a very good time. 51:35 Let's pray. O God, you have commanded us, "Be strong and courageous." 51:42 We get it. "I'll be with you. I'll be with you. 51:46 I'll be with you wherever you go. You'll never be alone, ever." 51:52 O God, deliver us from the evil one. Deliver us from evil. 52:00 And in the power of the scarlet thread hanging from our -- the portals of our soul, 52:09 please know we wish to be under the blood. We can't do this on our own. 52:16 We have shown ourselves. We can't do it on our own. So grant us the courage and the 52:24 victory that comes with help. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 52:33 I want to sing an old hymn. Boy, I love this. You're gonna see white and 52:37 scarlet and white, scarlet, white all the way through this. This is beautiful -- 52:41 "Cover with His Life." That's this hymn. We're gonna sing the first three 52:46 stanzas. Hymn 412 -- 412 in your hymnal. But the words will be on the 52:50 screen. And we're gonna stand. We're not gonna sit while we 52:53 make this commitment to Jesus. As you sing the words "white" and "scarlet" back and forth, 52:58 lift your life to the one who says, "You and me together, we got it." 53:06 [ "Cover with His Life" begins ] ♪♪ 53:15 ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:29 ♪♪ 56:41 >> Bow our heads. The Lord bless you and keep you. 56:46 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. 56:50 The Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace. 56:54 In Jesus' name, the whole church prays. Amen. 56:58 Have a blessed Sabbath and a good week. 57:06 >> Thank you for taking the time to join us in worship today. 57:08 I'd like to spend another moment with you here at the end of our 57:11 program to share a word of hope. In fact, that's what this little 57:13 book is all about. In these uncertain times -- and 57:15 let's face it, they're uncertain all over this planet -- this 57:18 book entitled "The Great Hope" will help you understand 57:21 not just what God has planned for your future but for the 57:24 future of the entire human race. Light keeps shining on this dark 57:28 old world, and new truths long forgotten are being constantly 57:31 rediscovered. If you need a fresh dose of hope 57:33 for your life these days, or you know somebody else who could 57:37 sure use that gift of hope, then I'd like to invite you 57:39 to grab your phone, dial our toll-free number -- 57:41 877, the two words "His will" -- 877-HIS-WILL -- and at no charge 57:47 to you, we will get a copy in the mail to you right away. 57:50 Till the next time we meet, may the peace and hope of the 57:54 Lord Jesus be with you 24/7. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:16 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-06-01