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Hello and welcome to the
Middletown Baptist Church podcast,

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where we are proclaiming the
truth to the world.

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My name is Pastor Josh, and I
want to thank you for listening to

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this podcast.

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I hope that this podcast can
be a blessing to you and strengthen

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you in the word of God.

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Now come along, let's look
into the Bible and see what God has

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for us here today.

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Joshua, chapter four.

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Now, to understand Joshua,
chapter four, we have to know where

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we've come from and where
we're going.

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And so where we come from.

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Well, in Joshua, chapter one,
God gave a promise to Joshua, and

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by way of extension, it was a
promise to the whole nation of Israel.

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And that promise was that he
would take them to the promised land.

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And so God made a promise
early on there to Joshua.

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And he says, joshua, this is
what I promised to you.

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Don't fear, don't be dismayed,
don't quit.

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But he tells Joshua the hope
that he has.

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And the hope really was this.

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Here's the promise, here's my presence.

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When God makes a promise to us
in our life, he doesn't just promise

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us the end, he promises us the
end, but also that he will be with

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us through it, through the ups
and through the downs.

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And sometimes when God makes
us a promise, it doesn't immediately

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come to pass.

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Sometimes there's going to be
ups and downs, difficulties, struggles,

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temptations.

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And God could promise us a lot
of different things, but he promises

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us his presence.

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You go back to Joshua, chapter
one, verse nine.

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He says, have not I commanded thee?

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Be strong and of a good courage.

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Be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed, for the Lord thy God is

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with thee, whithersoever thou goest.

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And oftentimes we just skim
over the fact that God is with us.

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And the presence of God is a
real thing.

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But folks, that is the
greatest thing that we can take.

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Solitude as a Christian is
that even though I'm going through

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a difficulty, God is with me
through this.

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He's carrying me through this.

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The Bible tells us in the Book
of Hebrews that Jesus is our high

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priest, but he's also the one
who knows our infirmities.

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He's been there.

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He's gone through all the pain
and struggle that we've gone through,

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but he overcame that struggle,
as the Bible says, yet without sin.

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And because of that, we know
that we have that person who is going

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to be with us and carry us
through those struggles.

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But then he doesn't just
promise his presence, even though

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that would be enough, but he
promises his power in our lives.

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So as God gives us a promise,
for the Israelites, it was to get

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to the promised land, to cross
the Jordan river, to have victory

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over their enemies.

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But when God gives that
promise, he says, hey, I'm going

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to be with you through it.

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And I'm also going to give you
the power to overcome the enemy.

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I'm going to give you power to
overcome your fear, as brother Toby

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talked about here this morning.

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And so even in the Great
Commission, if you go back to Matthew

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chapter 28 and you read those
last verses in Matthew chapter 28,

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remember what Jesus promised.

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He says, okay, here's your
marching orders and I'm going to

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be with you.

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He says, lo, I am with you
alway, so I'm with you always, even

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to the end of the world.

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And then he goes on to say,
it's my power that you're going to

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receive as you do the work of
the ministry.

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And so when God makes a
promise to us, he's making us a promise

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of his presence and also the
promise of his power.

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And even in that, we know that
it's the promise of his provisions.

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He's going to give us
everything that we need in the midst

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of the work that we're doing
for Him.

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And so what does that look like?

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Well, that doesn't mean that
God gives us everything that we want.

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One commentator said it this way.

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He doesn't give us our greed
to give us our.

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He gives us our needs.

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And In Philippians, chapter 4,
verse 13, I can do all things through.

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Christ means this as God's
called me to do something.

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If he's given me a situation
in my life, he's going to give me

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the power to.

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To do the thing that he has
called me to do.

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So remember, the promise there
for Joshua was this, you're going

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to go to the promised land.

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But what was the issue?

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The immediate obstacle to the
promise was there's this big river

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in front of us and we've got
to cross this river.

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And they had to cross not just
three or four people, they had to

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cross a whole nation across
that river.

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By the way, there's enemies on
the other side.

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And sometimes that's what's
going to happen in our lives.

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God's going to make a promise
and we're going to be very confirmed

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in that promise.

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We're going to.

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We're gonna even believe in
that promise.

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We're gonna have faith, we're
gonna have strength, we're gonna

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have his presence, we're gonna
have his power.

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And then we get right up to
the Jordan river, and we go, wait.

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I thought it was gonna be easy.

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But those obstacles come.

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So what do we do when the
obstacles come?

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Well, we see what happens.

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Joshua turned his heart to the
Lord, Joshua turned his eyes to the

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Lord, and he says, hey, we're
gonna move in faith, get the ark

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ready.

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We're gonna walk across, and
God's going to split the Jordan river,

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and we're gonna walk across.

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And that's exactly what happened.

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That's what we looked at last week.

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Joshua, chapter three.

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The obstacle came, Joshua, and
he led the people through in faith.

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And they watched the ark of
the covenant go before them, and

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they made it through.

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And there was this awesome
time where we see unity.

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Even remember, there were
three tribes that didn't need to

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cross the river.

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They were already secure in
the land that God had promised.

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But because of unity and
because of the fact that they wanted

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to help their brothers and
sisters, they went across as well

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to fight these battles with them.

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And so that's where we pick up
in Joshua chapter four.

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That's where we've been.

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So we saw the promise.

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We saw God's power in his presence.

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We saw the obstacle, and we
saw their trust in the Lord, and

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we see that miracle happen.

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So the miracle for them was
the Jordan river opening, and there

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was dry land, and millions of
the Israelites walked through.

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The Jews walked through.

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That's a miracle.

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And that's easy for us to look
at and say, well, I've never seen

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a river part in front of me.

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I've never had the Red Sea open.

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I've never seen God send out
manna from the sky.

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But, folks, I think oftentimes
we look at Old Testament miracles

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and even New Testament
miracles, and we forget to think

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about the miracles that God
has given us in our own lives.

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And what miracle do we start with?

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Well, we start with salvation, right?

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Think about just what it is in
salvation that God would take a wretched

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sinner in darkness who does
not deserve salvation, who does not

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deserve grace, who does not
deserve heaven, and give us the opportunity

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to go from darkness into
marvelous light.

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Folks, your salvation is a
miracle in itself.

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It's a beautiful thing.

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And think about all the
different things that come along

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with those miracles that God
has blessed us with in our life.

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And so oftentimes, we are
willing to give God the glory in

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the middle of the miracle
right there.

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There's no doubt in my mind as
the Israelites are crossing over

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the Jordan River.

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They're.

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They're.

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They're.

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Chanting, they're shouting,
they're giving praise to God because

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right then, then and there,
the miracle is so evident to them.

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I talked a little bit about
this last week when talked about

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when we pulled our children
aside after our car accident a few

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years ago, and we said, guys,
it's a miracle that none of you have

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bruises on you.

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It's a miracle that we're okay.

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And so in that moment when
we're sitting on our living room

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floor, it was easy for us to
perceive the power and the blessing

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of God.

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It was so easy.

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But you know what?

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After that miracle, after days
and months and years go along, sometimes

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it's tempting for us to forget
the goodness of God and his miracles.

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And so what chapter four is
all about is them making a memorial

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so that they wouldn't forget
about the power of God and so that

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the next generations would not
forget about the power and the promise

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of God.

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And so here it is, in verse
number one, it says, and it came

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to pass when all the people
were clean passed over Jordan, that

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the Lord spake unto Joshua
saying, take you 12 men out of the

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people, out of every tribe of
man, and command ye them saying,

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take you hence out of the
midst of Jordan, out of the place

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where the priest feet stood
firm, 12 stones, and you shall carry

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them over with you and leave
them in the lodging place where ye

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shall lodge this night.

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So what does he tell them?

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Well, God tells Joshua to tell
the people, I need one man from each

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tribe to take a large stone
out of the Jordan river where it's

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dry now, where the water's
about to crash in, and put it as

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a memorial for a purpose.

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We're going to talk about that
purpose here in a few moments.

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Now, I think there's a lot
that we could glean just from that

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verse.

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Take you 12 men out of the people.

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This speaks of the unity, right?

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Because though they're one
nation, there's 12 tribes.

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And sometimes we are tempted
to think that God's miraculous work

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is just for us, or maybe just
for somebody else.

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But God's work is a work for
his people, meaning this.

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When other people have a
victory, when other people have a

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miracle, that's a miracle and
a victory for us, right?

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As a believer.

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And if you're a believer, my
miracle is a victory in my life.

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But in extension, it's a
miracle for all of us as believers.

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We're a family of God, we're
the body of Christ, and oftentimes

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we selfishly get to a place in
our life.

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Where we almost are in a place
of covetousness against someone else

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who is seeing the blessing of
God in their life.

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I had an opportunity to speak
to pastor John's new church down

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there, and I told someone, I
said I had the freedom to kind of

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preach and then leave so I can
say whatever I want to say and let

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him deal with it when I go.

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So I told him, look, the
reality is this.

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If someone else in the church
is having joy and success, celebrate

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that.

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Because you would want them to
celebrate your success.

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You would want them to
celebrate God's hand in your life.

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And so here, I believe it's a
picture of all the tribes coming

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together in unity as one,
saying, we're all going to celebrate

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this.

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And by the way, there were
tribes that didn't need to cross

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the river.

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Remember those three tribes,
but yet it was still a memorial for

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them.

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Why?

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Because this is a work of God
in all of our lives.

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So as pastor Carlos mentioned
here, we should celebrate God's work

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at Middletown Baptist Church.

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Hey, when people get baptized,
when people join the church, when

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people give a testimony of
God's work, don't look at it and

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go, well, why didn't I get
that to happen for me?

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Why didn't people clap as loud
for me when I got baptized?

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No, it's about celebrating
what God is doing in all of our lives.

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And that's what we see here.

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They're gonna bring together
these memorial stones.

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What an amazing thing this
really is.

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And so each tribe was to send
a representative to take a stone

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from the dry riverbed of the
river Jordan, and they're gonna do

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this to set up a memorial.

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Verse 4.

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Then Joshua called the twelve
men whom he had prepared of the children

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of Israel out of every tribe
of man and Joshua.

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So, by the way, there's
obedience there.

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Joshua was obedient to God.

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God tells him to do this.

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He immediately obeys.

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Verse 5.

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And Joshua said unto them,
pass over before the ark of the Lord

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your God into the midst of
Jordan and take you up, every man

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of you a stone upon his
shoulder according to the number

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00:10:49,610 --> 00:10:51,930
of the tribes, of the children
of Israel.

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And then he's going to give
the purpose, he's going to give the

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reason.

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Because this would be a
strange thing to ask.

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Like, hey, guys, go grab a
bunch of stones.

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They could be like, joshua, we
got Jericho ahead of us.

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Why are you worried about
these stones?

253
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Because God has told us to do this.

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00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,120
There's some times in our life
where we have to stop and be sensitive.

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To what God has for us, even
if it doesn't make sense, even if

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it doesn't kind of jive with
the understanding of what we have

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before us.

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00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,040
There should be times and
places where we just stop and praise

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God.

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00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,400
That's why we do testimonies
on Sunday nights.

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00:11:22,130 --> 00:11:24,450
There's a lot of things that
we could do in place of that.

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00:11:26,130 --> 00:11:27,290
I could preach longer.

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00:11:27,290 --> 00:11:29,090
Some of you were like, no, no,
no, no, no.

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00:11:29,570 --> 00:11:31,330
I could just replace that and
just preach longer.

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00:11:31,330 --> 00:11:33,090
We could sing more songs,
which, that's fine.

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But I do believe there's a
time and a place for us to proclaim

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the goodness of God publicly.

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And so we need to understand
that there are things just that we

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need to be still and know that
God is God.

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Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so.

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And so that's what they're
doing here.

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They're giving a testimony to
the work of God.

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00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:54,200
So he says, let's do this.

274
00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,360
And he says in verse six, why
we're doing this?

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And sometimes God gives us a why.

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And those are great.

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00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,480
Those are great moments when
God gives us the why, says that this

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00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,400
may be a sign among you.

279
00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:10,440
So for them specifically, that
when your children ask their fathers

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00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,920
in time to come, saying, what
mean ye by these stones?

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00:12:14,990 --> 00:12:18,790
Then ye shall answer them that
the waters of Jordan were cut off

282
00:12:18,790 --> 00:12:21,230
before the ark of the covenant
of the Lord.

283
00:12:21,230 --> 00:12:24,270
When it passed over Jordan,
the waters of Jordan were cut off.

284
00:12:24,590 --> 00:12:27,870
And these stones shall be for
a memorial unto the children of Israel

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00:12:27,870 --> 00:12:28,310
forever.

286
00:12:28,310 --> 00:12:29,150
So he says this.

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00:12:29,390 --> 00:12:35,150
It's to remind you, to remind
your children and the next generations

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00:12:35,630 --> 00:12:36,750
what God has done.

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00:12:37,870 --> 00:12:40,310
So we could stop there right
now and we could say, okay, there

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00:12:40,310 --> 00:12:40,670
it is.

291
00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,640
That's really the goal for
this specific story, to remember

292
00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:50,840
what God has done and to tell
other people, specifically our families

293
00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,280
and our friends and the next
generation how God has done this

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00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,240
amazing, amazing work.

295
00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:00,000
And so he says, for you to
remember now, the temptation would

296
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,840
be for us to think, how could
anybody ever forget the time that

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00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,320
they came up to the Jordan
river and God opened that Jordan

298
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:08,680
River?

299
00:13:09,180 --> 00:13:12,660
It's the same people that
forgot that the Red Sea was open

300
00:13:12,660 --> 00:13:14,060
and started questioning God.

301
00:13:14,380 --> 00:13:17,860
It's the same people that
forgot that God sent manna and they

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00:13:17,860 --> 00:13:20,020
got tired of that and they
wanted more.

303
00:13:20,020 --> 00:13:23,180
The same people that
complained, now we not.

304
00:13:23,180 --> 00:13:23,500
We.

305
00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:24,860
Let me not throw you under the bus.

306
00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:28,740
I sometimes question, how do
these people not see the hand of

307
00:13:28,740 --> 00:13:29,340
God working?

308
00:13:29,580 --> 00:13:30,220
Come on.

309
00:13:30,460 --> 00:13:34,100
I mean, if I saw God sending
down food from the sky and doing

310
00:13:34,100 --> 00:13:36,860
all this work and opening The
Red Sea and doing these things and

311
00:13:36,860 --> 00:13:39,660
leading us by day, by a cloud
and by fire, by night.

312
00:13:39,660 --> 00:13:41,180
How could I ever doubt?

313
00:13:41,180 --> 00:13:42,620
I would never doubt if I was them.

314
00:13:42,620 --> 00:13:44,980
Folks, I'm gonna tell you
this, and you might not wanna hear

315
00:13:44,980 --> 00:13:47,340
this, but we would doubt.

316
00:13:47,900 --> 00:13:48,220
Why?

317
00:13:48,220 --> 00:13:49,260
Because we're humans.

318
00:13:50,220 --> 00:13:53,220
Because God has already proven
to us miracle after miracle.

319
00:13:53,220 --> 00:13:56,300
And then we still struggle
because that's the reality of things.

320
00:13:56,300 --> 00:13:59,580
And the Bible says something
very amazing in the New Testament.

321
00:14:00,380 --> 00:14:02,340
The Bible says, and there's a
guy named Peter.

322
00:14:02,340 --> 00:14:03,420
You guys all know Peter.

323
00:14:03,820 --> 00:14:05,340
Think about the things that
Peter saw.

324
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:08,920
Peter saw Jesus walk on water.

325
00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:10,520
Peter got to walk on water.

326
00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:14,840
Peter got to be at a place
called the Mount of Transfiguration.

327
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,560
And he saw Jesus in his
glorified state.

328
00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:18,680
And just.

329
00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:20,120
It was an amazing experience.

330
00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:22,480
You know what Peter says later on?

331
00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,920
He says, you as the believer,
have a more sure word of prophecy

332
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,560
in the complete revealed word
of God.

333
00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,460
Now, that's hard for us to
understand because we say, well,

334
00:14:32,460 --> 00:14:34,980
Peter saw all these great
works and wonders.

335
00:14:35,380 --> 00:14:38,060
And he says we have a more
sure word.

336
00:14:38,060 --> 00:14:38,380
Yes.

337
00:14:38,380 --> 00:14:41,740
He says that because we have
the Word of God before us, we have

338
00:14:41,740 --> 00:14:44,260
every reason to go back and
see the great works of God because

339
00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:45,300
we've seen the whole story.

340
00:14:45,780 --> 00:14:47,380
This is the complete word of God.

341
00:14:47,380 --> 00:14:51,140
And so therefore, we can look
at instances in our life as confirmation

342
00:14:51,300 --> 00:14:52,100
as we should.

343
00:14:52,420 --> 00:14:55,300
But we also can look back at
thousands and thousands of years

344
00:14:55,300 --> 00:14:58,780
of history to see that God has
worked throughout history, history

345
00:14:58,780 --> 00:15:00,900
with his people, and he's
always faithful.

346
00:15:01,780 --> 00:15:02,980
So do we doubt?

347
00:15:02,980 --> 00:15:04,020
Yes, we forget.

348
00:15:05,060 --> 00:15:08,340
I remember big days of my life.

349
00:15:08,340 --> 00:15:09,700
Some of you remember your big days.

350
00:15:09,860 --> 00:15:11,660
I would say, like, a big day
for me was my.

351
00:15:11,660 --> 00:15:12,500
My wedding.

352
00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:14,940
That was a huge day for me.

353
00:15:14,940 --> 00:15:16,100
I was super nervous.

354
00:15:16,420 --> 00:15:18,540
I remember getting up there
and not knowing what to say.

355
00:15:18,540 --> 00:15:20,340
I was worried I was gonna mess
up my vows.

356
00:15:21,140 --> 00:15:23,220
I was worried I was gonna lock
my legs and fall over.

357
00:15:23,220 --> 00:15:26,020
I had all these fears in my
mind as I was going into that day.

358
00:15:27,050 --> 00:15:27,690
And you know what?

359
00:15:27,690 --> 00:15:31,450
I cannot remember anything
that the pastor said on that day.

360
00:15:32,170 --> 00:15:33,410
But I still know I'm married, right?

361
00:15:33,410 --> 00:15:35,890
I was there, but I can't
remember the words that were said.

362
00:15:35,890 --> 00:15:36,250
Why?

363
00:15:36,570 --> 00:15:38,250
Because it's hard to remember.

364
00:15:38,570 --> 00:15:40,770
We're humans, we're limited in
our knowledge.

365
00:15:40,770 --> 00:15:45,410
But the day my children were
born, I remember those days, but

366
00:15:45,410 --> 00:15:47,530
I don't remember every element
of those days.

367
00:15:48,010 --> 00:15:50,010
I don't necessarily remember
everything I ate that day.

368
00:15:50,010 --> 00:15:52,850
I don't remember exactly what
happened on every little thing.

369
00:15:52,850 --> 00:15:56,710
And so what happens is that so
often we have these big radio revelatory

370
00:15:56,710 --> 00:15:58,830
moments with God, and we see
God's hand working.

371
00:15:58,830 --> 00:16:01,150
But then we're tempted to
doubt, and then we're tempted to

372
00:16:01,150 --> 00:16:02,550
get to a place of a lack of faith.

373
00:16:02,550 --> 00:16:05,070
And we're tempted to
demonstrate, whether we know it or

374
00:16:05,070 --> 00:16:08,990
not, demonstrate to the next
generation that maybe God isn't faithful.

375
00:16:10,270 --> 00:16:12,870
Maybe God isn't gonna keep his
word this time, and we act that way.

376
00:16:12,870 --> 00:16:14,230
And that's exactly what he
says here.

377
00:16:14,230 --> 00:16:15,030
He's warning against.

378
00:16:15,030 --> 00:16:17,870
He says, remember, remember.

379
00:16:17,950 --> 00:16:20,710
And so the purpose of the
memorial was so that the people of

380
00:16:20,710 --> 00:16:24,960
Israel could remember
themselves the miracle of God and

381
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,160
so that they could teach their
children and their grandchildren

382
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,360
and their great grandchildren
the great things that God had done

383
00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:36,000
so that the work of God would
not be forgotten in future generations.

384
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,360
And I think that's exactly
what we need to do within our church,

385
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:45,400
within our homes, within our
country, to explain to the next generation

386
00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,640
that God is good, that God is
faithful, and recall those things

387
00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,760
that God has done in our lives
to our children who, whether they

388
00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,440
know it at that moment and the
importance of it or not.

389
00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:57,960
You know what some people say?

390
00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,640
Well, you know, does Silas
really understand.

391
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,720
Silas is not even two years old.

392
00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,120
Does Silas really understand
the Bible lesson that you're doing

393
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:06,560
with him?

394
00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,400
I don't think Silas is
comprehending justification and sanctification

395
00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,160
and propitiation and all the
other Asians.

396
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:13,680
Okay?

397
00:17:15,120 --> 00:17:19,000
But if a child is raised in
the nurture and admonition of the

398
00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:20,800
Lord, he or she will not know
the difference.

399
00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,800
Like, that's the truth that
they're grounded in.

400
00:17:23,429 --> 00:17:25,989
Not everyone got that
opportunity to be that way.

401
00:17:25,989 --> 00:17:28,629
But that's not an excuse for
us to miss the next generation.

402
00:17:29,669 --> 00:17:33,589
At Middletown Baptist Church,
unapologetically, we want to display

403
00:17:34,389 --> 00:17:38,309
to our children, to our
grandchildren, to our great grandchildren,

404
00:17:39,189 --> 00:17:40,629
maybe someone in here.

405
00:17:40,709 --> 00:17:44,989
Great, great grandchildren,
the idea of who God is and what he

406
00:17:44,989 --> 00:17:45,829
has done for us.

407
00:17:46,549 --> 00:17:48,749
You know, there's a lot of
things that we could pass along to

408
00:17:48,749 --> 00:17:49,189
our children.

409
00:17:50,820 --> 00:17:52,900
And I'm going to be very
careful when I say this, because

410
00:17:52,900 --> 00:17:55,020
there are things that are not
necessarily biblical that we should

411
00:17:55,020 --> 00:17:56,100
pass along to our children.

412
00:17:57,380 --> 00:18:02,060
But sometimes we spend more
time on tradition than we do with

413
00:18:02,060 --> 00:18:03,700
the actual gospel message.

414
00:18:04,260 --> 00:18:07,340
Now, by the way, I think it's
great to teach children tradition

415
00:18:07,340 --> 00:18:08,340
of different things.

416
00:18:08,340 --> 00:18:08,660
Okay?

417
00:18:08,660 --> 00:18:11,940
I'm not against tradition, but
when we elevate things that don't

418
00:18:11,940 --> 00:18:15,660
matter for eternity higher
than the things that do matter, we

419
00:18:15,660 --> 00:18:17,510
are flipping our priorities.

420
00:18:19,030 --> 00:18:19,990
I think we should.

421
00:18:19,990 --> 00:18:22,790
Some of you that have children
in this room, I think we should account

422
00:18:22,790 --> 00:18:26,710
for the things that God has
done for our lives, small and big.

423
00:18:27,270 --> 00:18:28,990
Tell your kids their salvation story.

424
00:18:28,990 --> 00:18:31,030
Now, some of you say, I don't
have kids in the home anymore.

425
00:18:31,030 --> 00:18:33,790
You might have grandkids that
come over or that you face time or

426
00:18:33,790 --> 00:18:34,790
that you spend time around.

427
00:18:35,030 --> 00:18:37,590
But hey, if you don't have
anyone in your home that's a child,

428
00:18:37,670 --> 00:18:38,190
guess what?

429
00:18:38,190 --> 00:18:41,790
We've got a bunch of little
children at Middletown Baptist Church

430
00:18:41,790 --> 00:18:42,870
that are running around here.

431
00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:45,760
You know, some people, good,
bad or indifferent, they're running

432
00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:46,600
around, okay?

433
00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:52,120
And sometimes it's tempting to
look at those children as inconveniences

434
00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,720
or burdens or anything.

435
00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,000
Like, hey, they're in the way,
or, hey, we gotta teach them this,

436
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,520
or, hey, they're doing this,
and they're this and this and this

437
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:01,800
and okay, there's a lot of
things we can think about them.

438
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:07,960
Or we could biblically see the
young people, teenagers, children,

439
00:19:08,930 --> 00:19:13,010
the nursery, as the next
generation of the Gospel of Jesus

440
00:19:13,010 --> 00:19:14,050
Christ in the ministry.

441
00:19:14,130 --> 00:19:15,250
Who knows who's here?

442
00:19:15,410 --> 00:19:16,050
Who knows?

443
00:19:16,130 --> 00:19:19,890
We have a future missionary, a
future pastor, a future whatever,

444
00:19:20,210 --> 00:19:22,290
but God is going to use the
next generation.

445
00:19:22,290 --> 00:19:26,170
But what we have to do is we
have to display the work of God before

446
00:19:26,170 --> 00:19:28,690
them by what we say and by
what we do.

447
00:19:30,130 --> 00:19:35,620
And so we often fail in our
trust in God because we forget about

448
00:19:35,620 --> 00:19:37,380
the great things that God has
done for us.

449
00:19:37,380 --> 00:19:41,460
And when we do that, our
children pick up and our grandchildren,

450
00:19:41,460 --> 00:19:42,620
the next generation, pick up.

451
00:19:42,620 --> 00:19:45,500
Weak faith, a lack of faith.

452
00:19:46,220 --> 00:19:49,540
And they've never been told
how great God is, or they never seen

453
00:19:49,540 --> 00:19:51,100
a miracle happen in their life.

454
00:19:51,100 --> 00:19:53,660
And then what happens is it's
not real for them.

455
00:19:54,300 --> 00:19:57,460
And then we question why a
young person leaves church when they

456
00:19:57,460 --> 00:19:57,980
turn 18.

457
00:19:58,700 --> 00:20:01,620
There's a lot of factors on
why a person might leave church,

458
00:20:01,620 --> 00:20:02,060
okay?

459
00:20:02,220 --> 00:20:05,260
And I'm not saying that the
only factor is that we haven't demonstrated

460
00:20:05,340 --> 00:20:06,580
the truth of God to them.

461
00:20:06,580 --> 00:20:09,220
But what I am saying is that
we need to do everything that we

462
00:20:09,220 --> 00:20:13,140
possibly can on the side of
the church to display to the young

463
00:20:13,140 --> 00:20:17,260
people that are coming up
authentic Christianity.

464
00:20:18,059 --> 00:20:19,340
Authentic Christianity.

465
00:20:19,580 --> 00:20:24,020
Not, hey, look this way, but
behind the scenes, do this or be

466
00:20:24,020 --> 00:20:25,460
a certain way in front of
certain people.

467
00:20:25,460 --> 00:20:27,100
But over here, you can do what
you want to do.

468
00:20:27,100 --> 00:20:30,620
No, to be authentically across
the board, sold out for Jesus Christ.

469
00:20:32,370 --> 00:20:35,410
That's tough, especially if
you have kids in the home, because

470
00:20:35,410 --> 00:20:37,650
they'll see you at church, but
they'll also see you at home.

471
00:20:39,330 --> 00:20:42,570
And my kids will look right
through me if I'm a certain way at

472
00:20:42,570 --> 00:20:44,850
church and a certain way at home.

473
00:20:45,890 --> 00:20:49,010
The reality is that that's a
good reminder for us to continue

474
00:20:49,090 --> 00:20:52,890
on preaching the gospel not
just from where we're at in our pews

475
00:20:52,890 --> 00:20:55,610
or from the pulpit, but in
every element of our life.

476
00:20:55,610 --> 00:20:58,250
Because our children and our
next generation is watching.

477
00:20:58,330 --> 00:21:00,570
And I'll tell you this just by
way of experience.

478
00:21:01,370 --> 00:21:05,930
Young people are better at
reading through the falsehoods and

479
00:21:06,010 --> 00:21:06,650
the mask.

480
00:21:06,650 --> 00:21:09,930
Sometimes they're willing to
see and they're ready to see different

481
00:21:09,930 --> 00:21:11,330
people that are inconsistent.

482
00:21:11,330 --> 00:21:13,530
Like, my kids pick up my
inconsistencies all the time.

483
00:21:13,530 --> 00:21:16,370
Dad, didn't you say that we
shouldn't worry about this?

484
00:21:16,370 --> 00:21:18,090
Didn't you say we're supposed
to do this?

485
00:21:18,490 --> 00:21:19,250
They know the rules.

486
00:21:19,250 --> 00:21:19,930
They're on it.

487
00:21:20,490 --> 00:21:23,210
And the reality is, for us,
instead of getting upset with them

488
00:21:23,210 --> 00:21:25,530
and saying this, and maybe
some of you have heard this before,

489
00:21:25,770 --> 00:21:27,290
well, do as I say, not as I do.

490
00:21:27,290 --> 00:21:27,570
Right?

491
00:21:27,570 --> 00:21:28,330
Don't do that.

492
00:21:28,650 --> 00:21:30,650
It should be within the church.

493
00:21:31,050 --> 00:21:33,690
The young people should look
at the mature Christians and say,

494
00:21:34,170 --> 00:21:35,530
that's who I want to be.

495
00:21:36,170 --> 00:21:39,170
I want to be Brother so and
so, who looks so joyful every time

496
00:21:39,170 --> 00:21:39,850
he's in church.

497
00:21:40,650 --> 00:21:41,649
I want to be like, Ms.

498
00:21:41,649 --> 00:21:44,930
So and so, who teaches my
class and is so excited every single

499
00:21:44,930 --> 00:21:47,930
day, even if two people show
up to our Sunday school class.

500
00:21:48,810 --> 00:21:49,290
You know what?

501
00:21:49,290 --> 00:21:53,010
You know, one of the major
reasons why I'm a pastor today, there's

502
00:21:53,010 --> 00:21:55,450
a lot of reasons, but one
reason was my pastor looked like

503
00:21:55,450 --> 00:21:57,330
he was having the best time of
his life.

504
00:21:58,130 --> 00:21:59,050
That I'm like, that's.

505
00:21:59,050 --> 00:21:59,890
I want to be that.

506
00:22:01,090 --> 00:22:03,690
I want to do what he's doing now.

507
00:22:03,690 --> 00:22:06,010
He didn't get up before the
church and tell everybody, well,

508
00:22:06,010 --> 00:22:06,410
you know what?

509
00:22:06,410 --> 00:22:08,129
I'm really miserable.

510
00:22:08,129 --> 00:22:10,290
I mean, I'm sure maybe there
were days where he was miserable,

511
00:22:10,370 --> 00:22:13,850
but the truth is that he loved
the Lord enough to show the love

512
00:22:13,850 --> 00:22:15,570
of Christ to me as a young man.

513
00:22:15,570 --> 00:22:17,970
And I was excited for that,
and I wanted to be that way.

514
00:22:18,170 --> 00:22:19,210
So what I say is this.

515
00:22:20,490 --> 00:22:24,170
If children are walking around
our midst, our church, our ministries,

516
00:22:24,170 --> 00:22:27,290
and they see people who won't,
who don't have the joy of the Lord,

517
00:22:28,170 --> 00:22:33,010
who don't have the passion for
the gospel, who aren't living, as

518
00:22:33,010 --> 00:22:37,690
the book of Joshua says, with
courage, with boldness for the gospel,

519
00:22:38,650 --> 00:22:40,370
guess what the next generation
is going to look like?

520
00:22:40,370 --> 00:22:42,330
They're going to look exactly
the way that we are.

521
00:22:43,210 --> 00:22:46,380
And if we expect the next
generation to carry the torch, guess

522
00:22:46,380 --> 00:22:47,980
what the implication for that is?

523
00:22:47,980 --> 00:22:49,380
That we are carrying the torch.

524
00:22:49,860 --> 00:22:52,820
We can't pass it on to anybody
else if we haven't allowed ourselves

525
00:22:52,820 --> 00:22:54,100
to take the torch and run with it.

526
00:22:54,580 --> 00:22:55,420
So what does he say here?

527
00:22:55,420 --> 00:22:59,460
He says, remember, tell your
next generation.

528
00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:03,420
Especially in times of
emptiness, especially in times of

529
00:23:03,420 --> 00:23:06,100
doubt, we need to remember the
great things that God has done.

530
00:23:06,100 --> 00:23:09,620
Like I said before, in the
moment of the miracle, it's easy

531
00:23:09,620 --> 00:23:11,140
to understand God's greatness.

532
00:23:12,110 --> 00:23:13,790
It's easy to give him praise.

533
00:23:14,030 --> 00:23:17,270
It's more difficult to give
him praise and glory in the midst

534
00:23:17,270 --> 00:23:19,070
of the drought, in the midst
of the famine.

535
00:23:19,070 --> 00:23:22,270
But that's all the more reason
why we need to preach the truth in

536
00:23:22,270 --> 00:23:23,630
the midst of those difficult times.

537
00:23:23,870 --> 00:23:29,110
Because the next generation,
the world, needs to see that we are

538
00:23:29,110 --> 00:23:34,310
real about what we believe in
the good, in the plenty and in the

539
00:23:34,310 --> 00:23:36,350
difficult and in the famine times.

540
00:23:36,350 --> 00:23:39,010
And there's going to be famine
times, there's going to be empty

541
00:23:39,010 --> 00:23:42,130
times, there's going to be the
highs and the lows, the circumstantial

542
00:23:42,130 --> 00:23:43,770
highs and the circumstantial lows.

543
00:23:43,770 --> 00:23:46,970
But what we need to do is, as
Christians say this, hey, look, God

544
00:23:46,970 --> 00:23:47,410
is good.

545
00:23:48,210 --> 00:23:49,410
God has been faithful.

546
00:23:50,850 --> 00:23:52,850
And we need to tell other
people about that.

547
00:23:52,850 --> 00:23:55,570
So he goes on to say in verse
nine, and Joshua set up the 12 stones

548
00:23:55,570 --> 00:23:59,130
in the midst of Jordan, in the
place where the feet of the priests

549
00:23:59,130 --> 00:24:03,250
which bear the ark of the
covenant stood, and there, and they

550
00:24:03,250 --> 00:24:05,090
are there unto this day.

551
00:24:07,470 --> 00:24:10,870
So it's a simple lesson that
we see in the first nine verses here

552
00:24:10,870 --> 00:24:15,310
in Joshua chapter four, is to
give glory to God in the midst of

553
00:24:15,310 --> 00:24:18,590
the miracle, in the midst of
God keeping His word.

554
00:24:19,230 --> 00:24:23,350
But to remember in the times
when we're tempted to doubt, that

555
00:24:23,350 --> 00:24:26,070
God is going to keep his word,
that God has kept his word, that

556
00:24:26,070 --> 00:24:26,910
he is faithful.

557
00:24:28,270 --> 00:24:31,230
And there's many passages that
we could look at in the New Testament

558
00:24:31,230 --> 00:24:34,820
to cross reference this, but
one that I think is applicable is

559
00:24:34,820 --> 00:24:36,860
in Hebrews chapter 10.

560
00:24:36,860 --> 00:24:38,620
If you want to turn there with
me, we can.

561
00:24:39,180 --> 00:24:40,860
Hebrews chapter 10.

562
00:24:41,420 --> 00:24:46,900
And I think that there's a lot
to be said about trusting in the

563
00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:49,780
faithfulness of God, because
God has called us to be faithful.

564
00:24:49,780 --> 00:24:52,780
But the reality is that we
will always fall short in our faithfulness.

565
00:24:53,660 --> 00:24:55,500
So what do we do when we stumble?

566
00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:57,500
What do we do when we're
tempted to doubt?

567
00:24:57,580 --> 00:25:00,780
Well, the Bible very clearly
tells us what to do in this time,

568
00:25:00,780 --> 00:25:05,060
when we're tempted to doubt,
when we're tempted to question, when

569
00:25:05,060 --> 00:25:06,220
we're tempted to let go.

570
00:25:07,580 --> 00:25:10,860
And we'll start in Hebrews
chapter 10 and let's look at verse

571
00:25:11,260 --> 00:25:12,220
number 19.

572
00:25:12,460 --> 00:25:16,220
We'll just go right down
through this to verse number 25.

573
00:25:17,980 --> 00:25:21,820
This portion of Hebrews
chapter 10 speaks of holding fast

574
00:25:21,820 --> 00:25:24,900
to the faith or being faithful
to what we believe in.

575
00:25:24,900 --> 00:25:27,940
And it says, having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into

576
00:25:27,940 --> 00:25:32,880
the holiness holiest by the
blood of Jesus, by the way, the only

577
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:38,000
way that we can have access to
God and access to his promises and

578
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:43,160
access to his power and his
provisions and his presence is through

579
00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:43,880
Jesus Christ.

580
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:45,520
We know that there's one way.

581
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:51,400
And I said this morning, as I
was preaching to Pastor John's church,

582
00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:55,880
I said unapologetically, the
Gospel needs to be presented in every

583
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:56,600
single setting.

584
00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:57,280
I believe that.

585
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:00,120
I mean, I don't care if I'm
preaching the book of Joshua or the

586
00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:02,320
book of Genesis or any New
Testament book.

587
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:03,640
The Gospel needs to be there.

588
00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:03,840
Why?

589
00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:05,360
Because we all need to hear
the gospel.

590
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,600
I can't assume that someone's
a believer.

591
00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:10,720
And even if they are a
believer, sometimes as believers,

592
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:12,080
we need to be reminded of the Gospel.

593
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,040
We need to be reminded of what
we've been saved from.

594
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,000
We need to be reminded how
we've been saved.

595
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:17,480
And so what does it say here?

596
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,920
It says the only way that we
can access God, the only way that

597
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,520
we can have this confidence,
the only way that we can come boldly

598
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,990
into the throne of grace, is,
as it says here, through the blood

599
00:26:27,990 --> 00:26:31,470
of Jesus Christ, through his
sacrifice, says by a new and living

600
00:26:31,470 --> 00:26:35,350
way, which he in verse 20 says
this, which he hath consecrated for

601
00:26:35,350 --> 00:26:37,590
us through the veil, that is
to say, his flesh.

602
00:26:37,590 --> 00:26:41,230
And having an high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near

603
00:26:41,390 --> 00:26:43,950
with a true heart in full
assurance of faith.

604
00:26:44,430 --> 00:26:47,190
The Bible says that once we
understand what Jesus Christ has

605
00:26:47,190 --> 00:26:51,270
done for us and who he is as
our Savior, we can, as it says in

606
00:26:51,270 --> 00:26:55,700
verse number 22, draw near
with a true heart, with an honest

607
00:26:55,700 --> 00:26:59,900
heart, with an authentic
heart, and full assurance of faith.

608
00:27:00,460 --> 00:27:04,580
Having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience and our bodies

609
00:27:04,580 --> 00:27:05,780
washed with pure water.

610
00:27:05,780 --> 00:27:09,460
This speaks of how we can
stand before God, how we can draw

611
00:27:09,460 --> 00:27:12,700
close to him, as the Bible
tells us in James chapter four, draw

612
00:27:12,780 --> 00:27:15,500
near to God and what he will
draw near to us.

613
00:27:16,380 --> 00:27:19,180
It's speaking of that personal
relationship that we can have with

614
00:27:19,180 --> 00:27:19,460
God.

615
00:27:19,460 --> 00:27:22,950
And so I'm speaking here about
those times in which we're tempted

616
00:27:22,950 --> 00:27:26,790
to doubt, which we're tempted
to quit, which we're tempted not

617
00:27:26,790 --> 00:27:27,430
to have faith.

618
00:27:27,430 --> 00:27:29,150
It says, draw closer to Him.

619
00:27:29,230 --> 00:27:32,110
But usually what happens is
our default mode is that when we're

620
00:27:32,110 --> 00:27:32,950
tempted to doubt.

621
00:27:32,950 --> 00:27:33,790
We pull away.

622
00:27:34,190 --> 00:27:35,070
Why we do that?

623
00:27:35,070 --> 00:27:39,350
Well, we do that because we're
fleshly flawed human beings.

624
00:27:39,350 --> 00:27:42,150
And so sometimes the
temptation is to.

625
00:27:42,150 --> 00:27:44,910
As God is doing things in our
life or allowing things to happen

626
00:27:44,910 --> 00:27:46,190
in our life that we don't understand.

627
00:27:46,390 --> 00:27:49,700
And instead of getting closer
to him and wanting to know more about

628
00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:51,300
who he is, we pull away.

629
00:27:51,300 --> 00:27:53,140
Because we say, well, you know what?

630
00:27:53,140 --> 00:27:54,940
If God loves me, he wouldn't
let this happen.

631
00:27:54,940 --> 00:27:57,620
And, you know, if that person
did this to me, maybe God doesn't

632
00:27:57,620 --> 00:27:57,940
love me.

633
00:27:57,940 --> 00:27:58,700
And we pull away.

634
00:27:58,700 --> 00:28:00,540
But he says it's actually the opposite.

635
00:28:00,540 --> 00:28:04,180
In the times of difficulty, we
grow closer to him and understand

636
00:28:04,180 --> 00:28:05,580
that full assurance of faith.

637
00:28:05,660 --> 00:28:09,220
And then he goes on to say
this in verse 23, let us hold fast.

638
00:28:09,220 --> 00:28:14,990
Let us hold on to the
profession, our faith, without wavering.

639
00:28:14,990 --> 00:28:15,350
Why?

640
00:28:16,310 --> 00:28:18,550
For he is faithful that promised.

641
00:28:19,030 --> 00:28:20,630
For he is faithful that promise.

642
00:28:20,630 --> 00:28:22,870
So it's not about me being
more faithful.

643
00:28:23,430 --> 00:28:26,430
So, like, I could get here
tonight and say, okay, guys, how

644
00:28:26,430 --> 00:28:29,230
many of you are perfectly
faithful, perfectly faithful to God

645
00:28:29,230 --> 00:28:30,070
in every way?

646
00:28:30,710 --> 00:28:35,070
Most of us would be like,
well, I mess up here and there, and

647
00:28:35,070 --> 00:28:37,190
we would be honest, and that's
okay, I mess up too.

648
00:28:37,430 --> 00:28:38,750
So what do we do with that?

649
00:28:38,750 --> 00:28:43,590
Well, what I sometimes grew up
with, and at least I had the understanding

650
00:28:43,590 --> 00:28:47,470
of, is I would get up from the
service and leave and think, well,

651
00:28:47,470 --> 00:28:48,070
guess what?

652
00:28:48,070 --> 00:28:51,630
The guy told me to be more
faithful and I'm gonna try harder.

653
00:28:51,630 --> 00:28:52,310
But guess what?

654
00:28:52,310 --> 00:28:53,310
I failed the next day.

655
00:28:53,310 --> 00:28:54,550
Oh, man, I just need to try more.

656
00:28:54,550 --> 00:28:55,309
I need to try more.

657
00:28:55,309 --> 00:28:56,110
I need to try more.

658
00:28:56,110 --> 00:28:58,430
It's not about trying to be
faithful more.

659
00:28:58,510 --> 00:29:00,870
It's clinging to the One who
is faithful.

660
00:29:00,870 --> 00:29:01,790
That's what it says here.

661
00:29:01,870 --> 00:29:04,030
It says, for he is faithful
that promised.

662
00:29:04,110 --> 00:29:04,830
Meaning this.

663
00:29:05,310 --> 00:29:09,670
I don't try to look to myself
for confidence and assurance in my

664
00:29:09,670 --> 00:29:10,030
faith.

665
00:29:10,190 --> 00:29:11,990
I look to him who is faithful.

666
00:29:11,990 --> 00:29:15,150
And that's what brings me an
opportunity to be faithful to Him.

667
00:29:15,630 --> 00:29:17,710
And when I stumble, I turn to Him.

668
00:29:17,790 --> 00:29:19,630
When I sin, I turn to Him.

669
00:29:20,030 --> 00:29:21,550
When I doubt, I turn to Him.

670
00:29:21,550 --> 00:29:24,870
The answer is always to turn
to him and to grow in our understanding

671
00:29:24,870 --> 00:29:27,630
of him so that he can reveal
to us the answer.

672
00:29:27,630 --> 00:29:29,710
And sometimes God is not going
to give us the why.

673
00:29:30,030 --> 00:29:31,070
Some of us know that.

674
00:29:31,450 --> 00:29:33,330
Some of us are living in that
right now.

675
00:29:33,330 --> 00:29:35,050
Lord, I know that you did this.

676
00:29:36,090 --> 00:29:37,450
I know that you are good.

677
00:29:38,650 --> 00:29:40,450
I know that you want what's
best for me.

678
00:29:40,450 --> 00:29:42,650
But I don't understand the why.

679
00:29:43,050 --> 00:29:44,570
And sometimes we don't get the why.

680
00:29:46,010 --> 00:29:47,050
And that's a struggle.

681
00:29:47,289 --> 00:29:48,250
But what do we do?

682
00:29:48,250 --> 00:29:50,650
We don't say, well, God, I
don't love you until you give me

683
00:29:50,650 --> 00:29:51,570
the why, what do we do?

684
00:29:51,570 --> 00:29:55,130
It says it right there to be
trust in the one who is faithful

685
00:29:56,010 --> 00:29:58,130
and know that God is going.

686
00:29:58,130 --> 00:29:59,850
And God does make all things right.

687
00:30:00,690 --> 00:30:02,850
And I believe one day we will
have those answers.

688
00:30:03,730 --> 00:30:07,170
I believe that God is going to
make everything make sense to us

689
00:30:07,170 --> 00:30:07,650
one day.

690
00:30:07,970 --> 00:30:10,770
But until that day, we trust
in the one who is faithful.

691
00:30:12,530 --> 00:30:15,610
Again, in that Hebrews
passage, it speaks of how that looks

692
00:30:15,610 --> 00:30:16,570
within the fellowship.

693
00:30:16,570 --> 00:30:18,770
It says, forsake not the
assembling of ourselves together.

694
00:30:19,730 --> 00:30:22,370
That's always the verse that
you hear preach about church attendance,

695
00:30:22,530 --> 00:30:23,490
which is true.

696
00:30:23,970 --> 00:30:26,970
But again, church attendance
doesn't equate what the Bible says

697
00:30:26,970 --> 00:30:29,290
there in that case, because we
could all attend church.

698
00:30:29,290 --> 00:30:29,930
But what does it say?

699
00:30:29,930 --> 00:30:33,890
It says, and let us consider
what one another, verse 24 to provoke

700
00:30:33,890 --> 00:30:35,810
unto love and to good works.

701
00:30:36,690 --> 00:30:40,890
The reason we assemble is to
provoke one another to love and good

702
00:30:40,890 --> 00:30:43,330
works, to stir up one another
to love and good works.

703
00:30:44,690 --> 00:30:48,050
That's exactly what Joshua is
talking about, to stir up the next

704
00:30:48,050 --> 00:30:49,970
generation to follow God.

705
00:30:50,130 --> 00:30:52,490
And then it goes on to say
that it's not forsaking the assembling

706
00:30:52,490 --> 00:30:55,930
of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is, but exhorting.

707
00:30:55,930 --> 00:30:56,290
That word.

708
00:30:56,290 --> 00:30:57,730
Exhorting is an amazing word.

709
00:30:57,730 --> 00:31:02,130
It's talking about challenging
and encouraging at the same time,

710
00:31:02,210 --> 00:31:05,850
but also walking alongside of
someone in the midst of that challenge

711
00:31:05,850 --> 00:31:09,410
and encouragement, not just to
push them, but to carry them through

712
00:31:09,410 --> 00:31:10,730
and to walk through with them.

713
00:31:10,730 --> 00:31:12,890
And so it says, this is what
we're supposed to do.

714
00:31:12,890 --> 00:31:14,050
But exhorting one another.

715
00:31:14,050 --> 00:31:16,490
And so much the more, as you
see the day approaching, meaning

716
00:31:16,490 --> 00:31:20,890
this, the whole purpose in
being faithful to God is to honor

717
00:31:20,890 --> 00:31:24,890
and glorify him and then to
come together and then stir one another

718
00:31:24,890 --> 00:31:26,130
up to do the same thing.

719
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,720
So the way that the Bible
teaches it is this.

720
00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:33,160
My Christian life should stir
others up to love him more.

721
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:35,400
My love for Christ should be contagious.

722
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:37,880
My service for God should be contagious.

723
00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,040
And not for the simple fact
of, well, I want people to follow

724
00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:41,320
me.

725
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,200
But no, as Paul says, follow
me as I'm following Christ.

726
00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:48,120
So the major point would be this.

727
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:56,510
I want God wants Middletown
Baptist Church to be a church that

728
00:31:56,510 --> 00:32:02,510
is so excited for what God is
doing in remembering what he has

729
00:32:02,510 --> 00:32:07,430
done, trusting in what he will
do and resting in what he's doing

730
00:32:07,430 --> 00:32:10,430
right now, so that the next
generation can say, that's what I

731
00:32:10,430 --> 00:32:10,710
want.

732
00:32:11,350 --> 00:32:14,630
I want the type of faith that Mr.

733
00:32:14,630 --> 00:32:18,230
So and so has, man, he's here
every day and he's in his place.

734
00:32:20,390 --> 00:32:23,270
I've seen that guy serving
there at that place for 30 years.

735
00:32:23,270 --> 00:32:24,270
I want to be Mr.

736
00:32:24,270 --> 00:32:24,950
So and so.

737
00:32:26,870 --> 00:32:30,230
And a lot of times the people
that are in like people behind the

738
00:32:30,230 --> 00:32:31,550
pulpit get a lot of praise.

739
00:32:31,550 --> 00:32:32,870
That's just the reality of things.

740
00:32:33,510 --> 00:32:38,830
But folks, it's the people
that are doing ministry that aren't

741
00:32:38,830 --> 00:32:41,190
always noticed that are going
to make a lasting impact in certain

742
00:32:41,190 --> 00:32:42,070
individuals lives.

743
00:32:42,470 --> 00:32:46,990
Sunday school teachers, your
job, your ministry is so vital.

744
00:32:47,150 --> 00:32:49,790
Children's ministry workers,
your job is so vital.

745
00:32:49,790 --> 00:32:51,630
Nursery workers, your job is
so vital.

746
00:32:51,630 --> 00:32:51,950
Why?

747
00:32:52,110 --> 00:32:53,870
Because those children are
looking at you.

748
00:32:54,990 --> 00:32:57,350
For some, that's the only
Jesus that they're getting in the

749
00:32:57,350 --> 00:32:57,510
week.

750
00:32:57,510 --> 00:32:58,750
They're coming on a Wednesday night.

751
00:32:58,750 --> 00:33:00,750
They don't go to a school that
teaches them about Jesus.

752
00:33:00,750 --> 00:33:02,390
Maybe their home isn't about Jesus.

753
00:33:02,390 --> 00:33:03,150
And they're coming.

754
00:33:03,150 --> 00:33:05,470
And that's the representation
of the love of Jesus.

755
00:33:05,470 --> 00:33:09,950
That's a huge responsibility,
but it's an awesome opportunity to

756
00:33:09,950 --> 00:33:12,800
pass on the next generation
the truths of Jesus Christ.

757
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,080
Are we going to be perfect in this?

758
00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:15,640
Of course not.

759
00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:20,320
But our heart needs to be this
not so to be so intentional, to not

760
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:22,000
allow ourselves to get into that.

761
00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:24,240
What we would call a spiritual rut.

762
00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:25,880
Spiritual apathy.

763
00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,760
It's so easy to go through the motions.

764
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:30,880
That's what the book of Joshua
was warning the Israelites against.

765
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,600
He says, don't get into that
spiritual rut where you forget to

766
00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,890
tell your children what God
did for you, but by getting you through

767
00:33:37,890 --> 00:33:38,970
the Jordan River.

768
00:33:39,450 --> 00:33:42,690
And let us not get into that
spiritual rut where we forget about

769
00:33:42,690 --> 00:33:44,730
telling other people what God
has done for us.

770
00:33:45,770 --> 00:33:51,490
It's easy to be bitter, it's
easy to complain, it's easy just

771
00:33:51,490 --> 00:33:52,730
to kind of go numb.

772
00:33:53,930 --> 00:33:57,690
And I'm guilty of this, and
I'm guilty of stirring this up.

773
00:33:57,930 --> 00:33:58,610
Because you know what?

774
00:33:58,610 --> 00:33:59,410
Sometimes I stir up?

775
00:33:59,410 --> 00:34:01,690
Instead of the love and good
works, I stir up busyness.

776
00:34:02,660 --> 00:34:04,340
Confession time sometimes for me.

777
00:34:04,340 --> 00:34:08,420
I was always taught in
ministry, the busier you are, the

778
00:34:08,420 --> 00:34:10,580
more profitable you are for
the gospel.

779
00:34:12,980 --> 00:34:14,780
But there's a caveat to that.

780
00:34:14,780 --> 00:34:17,340
If you're busy without the
Gospel, if you're busy without the

781
00:34:17,340 --> 00:34:19,300
leading of the Spirit, it's
just busyness.

782
00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:20,420
Anyone can be busy.

783
00:34:21,940 --> 00:34:23,700
And so the reality is this.

784
00:34:23,700 --> 00:34:27,500
I don't want to stir up
busyness and burden and burnout within

785
00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:28,020
the church.

786
00:34:28,419 --> 00:34:33,059
Burnout comes through serving
without a purpose.

787
00:34:33,379 --> 00:34:35,739
Now there's physical burnout
that happens no matter what.

788
00:34:35,739 --> 00:34:40,739
But spiritual burnout Comes
from when we serve without a spiritual,

789
00:34:40,739 --> 00:34:43,059
eternal purpose in our life.

790
00:34:44,098 --> 00:34:49,539
I'm going to tell you, if
you're serving for any reason outside

791
00:34:49,619 --> 00:34:52,819
of the spiritual motivation
that God has given us, there's going

792
00:34:52,819 --> 00:34:54,739
to be a point where we say,
it's not worth it anymore.

793
00:34:55,190 --> 00:34:56,310
I don't need to be doing this.

794
00:34:57,030 --> 00:34:57,590
Tell you what.

795
00:34:57,590 --> 00:34:59,590
I worked in children's
ministry for a long time.

796
00:34:59,670 --> 00:35:02,230
Alicia and I used to on
Wednesday nights.

797
00:35:03,110 --> 00:35:06,790
Remember when we were the game
leaders for Patch Club?

798
00:35:06,790 --> 00:35:07,990
Not Patch Club, what was it?

799
00:35:07,990 --> 00:35:08,950
Truth Trackers.

800
00:35:09,110 --> 00:35:11,189
We were the game people for
Truth Trackers.

801
00:35:11,590 --> 00:35:14,030
And those were some of the
most difficult nights.

802
00:35:14,030 --> 00:35:14,390
Okay.

803
00:35:14,390 --> 00:35:16,030
I'd been working all day, and
I got there.

804
00:35:16,030 --> 00:35:17,110
Some of you guys know this.

805
00:35:17,510 --> 00:35:19,190
And we get the game time right?

806
00:35:19,430 --> 00:35:22,070
Kids are like begging for
games, and there's kids not following

807
00:35:22,070 --> 00:35:22,630
the rules.

808
00:35:23,170 --> 00:35:26,250
And every part of me just
wanted to get them in line and yell

809
00:35:26,250 --> 00:35:29,010
at them and not be the love of
Christ to them.

810
00:35:30,050 --> 00:35:33,410
But the reality is that there
were a lot of opportunities in my

811
00:35:34,290 --> 00:35:39,129
burnout, in my bitterness, in
my apathy that I missed.

812
00:35:39,129 --> 00:35:41,850
Opportunities to be
spiritually investing into the next

813
00:35:41,850 --> 00:35:42,370
generation.

814
00:35:43,410 --> 00:35:45,170
Some of you might have a
ministry within the church.

815
00:35:45,170 --> 00:35:47,170
It might be a children's
ministry, it might not be a children's

816
00:35:47,170 --> 00:35:47,650
ministry.

817
00:35:47,650 --> 00:35:48,930
But what I will say is this.

818
00:35:50,110 --> 00:35:52,470
Understand that everything
that you do for the cause of the

819
00:35:52,470 --> 00:35:55,710
Gospel is an investment into
another person and ultimately investment

820
00:35:55,870 --> 00:35:57,230
into the work of Jesus Christ.

821
00:36:00,830 --> 00:36:03,710
I don't know about you, but
the Bible very clearly teaches that

822
00:36:03,870 --> 00:36:07,790
there's only a limited amount
of time that we have to serve Jesus.

823
00:36:08,110 --> 00:36:09,990
Our children are only going to
be children for so long.

824
00:36:09,990 --> 00:36:10,750
Some of you know this.

825
00:36:11,630 --> 00:36:12,870
I'm preaching to the choir.

826
00:36:12,870 --> 00:36:14,690
Not literally, but figuratively.

827
00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:18,280
Some of you know, and you
could give a better testimony than

828
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:24,160
me that your children are born
and then they're already 18, and

829
00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:25,400
then they're already 30.

830
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,680
They're already having kids,
and then their kids are having kids.

831
00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:31,080
You understand what I mean by this?

832
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:35,160
It goes so fast, and if we're
not careful, we're going to miss

833
00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:36,680
the opportunities.

834
00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:39,040
Same thing goes with our church.

835
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:39,400
Okay?

836
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:40,460
Like I said before, you.

837
00:36:40,610 --> 00:36:43,450
You might not have your
biological child here, you might

838
00:36:43,450 --> 00:36:46,250
not have your biological
grandchildren here, but you have

839
00:36:46,250 --> 00:36:49,250
an opportunity by God's grace,
to be an investment.

840
00:36:49,410 --> 00:36:54,690
Whether you're immediately in
the children's ministry or you're

841
00:36:54,690 --> 00:36:55,650
just here at the church.

842
00:36:56,770 --> 00:36:59,450
You know, I'm just gonna speak.

843
00:36:59,450 --> 00:37:02,130
My children know more than
most people think.

844
00:37:02,130 --> 00:37:04,130
And what I think, they see things.

845
00:37:04,130 --> 00:37:04,930
They look around.

846
00:37:05,170 --> 00:37:07,450
They witness people being in
church and not being in church.

847
00:37:07,450 --> 00:37:11,450
And the goal for me as a
believer is that I want other people's

848
00:37:11,450 --> 00:37:14,810
children to see faithfulness
in my life and in my service and

849
00:37:14,810 --> 00:37:17,210
in my marriage and in the way
that I preach and the way that I

850
00:37:17,210 --> 00:37:17,610
serve.

851
00:37:17,610 --> 00:37:18,610
And I think that's all of us.

852
00:37:18,610 --> 00:37:19,770
I think all of us would want that.

853
00:37:19,770 --> 00:37:23,170
But it's the intentional
nature of building the stones, right?

854
00:37:23,410 --> 00:37:24,730
Building those memorial stones.

855
00:37:24,730 --> 00:37:27,370
And so I don't think we
necessarily have to build, like,

856
00:37:27,370 --> 00:37:29,330
a literal memorial stone right
here in the front.

857
00:37:29,970 --> 00:37:33,050
But what I would say is this,
and this is the lasting challenge

858
00:37:33,050 --> 00:37:37,690
that I'm going to leave us
with is what is or what are our memorial

859
00:37:37,690 --> 00:37:40,210
stones that we are
individually setting up in our lives

860
00:37:40,210 --> 00:37:42,490
for the next generation and
what we're corporately doing within

861
00:37:42,490 --> 00:37:42,970
the church?

862
00:37:44,890 --> 00:37:45,690
You say, what?

863
00:37:45,850 --> 00:37:46,570
So what do you mean?

864
00:37:46,570 --> 00:37:48,010
We're supposed to be building monuments?

865
00:37:48,010 --> 00:37:50,930
I don't think it necessarily
means a physical monument as much

866
00:37:50,930 --> 00:37:52,330
as that might be helpful, actually.

867
00:37:53,210 --> 00:37:55,370
Like, I think it's a good
thing to put up Bible verses on a

868
00:37:55,370 --> 00:37:57,930
wall so that your children,
every morning, they walk by, they

869
00:37:57,930 --> 00:38:00,890
see a Bible verse, they leave
the house with it, they come in with

870
00:38:00,890 --> 00:38:01,130
it.

871
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:02,520
That's good.

872
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,280
Okay, so there's certain
things we can do physically that

873
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:07,240
can be tangible memorial
stones for our people.

874
00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:08,600
That's why we put a cross up there.

875
00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:10,200
Hopefully you understand why we.

876
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:11,320
It's not a fashion statement.

877
00:38:11,720 --> 00:38:14,200
We put a cross up there so
that we remember what Jesus did for

878
00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:14,920
us on the cross.

879
00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,080
And so there's good to that.

880
00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:20,840
But then I think it's a deeper
thing, like, what type of spiritual

881
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,280
memorial stones are we putting
up in our life by the way that we

882
00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:27,120
live, by the way that we
recall things, by the way that we

883
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:28,360
proclaim things to other people.

884
00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:31,800
What kind of legacy are we
leaving for the next generation?

885
00:38:32,410 --> 00:38:34,090
And let's take, like, children
out of this.

886
00:38:34,330 --> 00:38:35,970
Let's take it from the bigger perspective.

887
00:38:35,970 --> 00:38:40,330
Let's say God tarries, and
there's 100, 200 years, and Middletown

888
00:38:40,330 --> 00:38:41,610
Baptist Church is still a thing.

889
00:38:43,690 --> 00:38:45,050
What's the next generation?

890
00:38:45,130 --> 00:38:48,250
What are people in 50 years
gonna say about this church?

891
00:38:48,810 --> 00:38:51,530
What are people in a hundred
years gonna say about this church?

892
00:38:52,570 --> 00:38:53,410
Well, I don't know.

893
00:38:53,410 --> 00:38:54,730
Maybe they won't remember us.

894
00:38:54,810 --> 00:38:58,730
Let's live in a way that not
will they remember us, but they will

895
00:38:58,730 --> 00:39:00,530
remember the work of God
through us.

896
00:39:01,170 --> 00:39:02,170
So the challenge would be this.

897
00:39:02,170 --> 00:39:03,090
What's our memorial?

898
00:39:03,490 --> 00:39:04,810
What's our memorial stones?

899
00:39:04,810 --> 00:39:06,530
What are we willing to tell
the people about?

900
00:39:07,490 --> 00:39:10,010
You say, well, pastor, I
really can't point to A lot of things

901
00:39:10,010 --> 00:39:11,770
in my life that God's done as
a way of miracle.

902
00:39:11,770 --> 00:39:12,930
Well, there's a big problem there.

903
00:39:13,330 --> 00:39:15,210
Number one, you're not
perceiving the miracle.

904
00:39:15,210 --> 00:39:17,570
Or number two, you're not
relying in faith that he's going

905
00:39:17,570 --> 00:39:18,010
to do that work.

906
00:39:18,010 --> 00:39:19,210
You're trying to do the work
on your own.

907
00:39:19,210 --> 00:39:21,730
And a lot of times what we do
is we get around God and we try to

908
00:39:21,730 --> 00:39:22,530
do our own thing.

909
00:39:24,060 --> 00:39:25,180
We try to do it our own way.

910
00:39:25,420 --> 00:39:28,180
And we don't allow these
miraculous things to happen in the

911
00:39:28,180 --> 00:39:28,860
power of God.

912
00:39:29,340 --> 00:39:33,100
And so we leave off here in
Joshua chapter four, there's these

913
00:39:33,100 --> 00:39:34,140
memorial stones.

914
00:39:34,860 --> 00:39:36,940
It's a reminder of God's great work.

915
00:39:38,380 --> 00:39:41,140
One of the things that I try
to do and I fail on it very often,

916
00:39:41,140 --> 00:39:46,500
is I try to write down
answered prayers so that I can recall

917
00:39:46,500 --> 00:39:47,340
those to my children.

918
00:39:48,380 --> 00:39:52,290
I remember days that when my
wife and I first got married, I was

919
00:39:52,290 --> 00:39:53,450
teaching at a Christian school.

920
00:39:53,450 --> 00:39:56,330
And some of you don't know
what I'm about to say.

921
00:39:56,810 --> 00:39:57,610
Some of you do.

922
00:39:58,890 --> 00:40:01,250
They don't pay Christian
school teachers anything.

923
00:40:01,250 --> 00:40:01,770
Okay?

924
00:40:02,090 --> 00:40:03,530
It's like you can't live on it.

925
00:40:03,690 --> 00:40:04,090
It's.

926
00:40:04,090 --> 00:40:04,810
It's not good.

927
00:40:05,050 --> 00:40:10,090
And I remember times in our
life when God would just miraculously

928
00:40:10,090 --> 00:40:10,410
provide.

929
00:40:11,530 --> 00:40:14,010
And it was like no one could ever.

930
00:40:14,010 --> 00:40:17,220
No one could ever tell me in
those moments that God wasn't real,

931
00:40:17,220 --> 00:40:18,740
that God wasn't keeping his word.

932
00:40:18,900 --> 00:40:20,140
I mean, we're talking about things.

933
00:40:20,140 --> 00:40:21,260
You've heard all the stories.

934
00:40:21,260 --> 00:40:24,020
We were delinquent in this
much money, and that money came through.

935
00:40:24,740 --> 00:40:27,260
I remember a time when I knew
that God was calling me to further

936
00:40:27,260 --> 00:40:27,780
my education.

937
00:40:27,860 --> 00:40:30,900
I said, lord, I don't have the
money for it, but I'm going to do

938
00:40:30,900 --> 00:40:31,540
it anyway.

939
00:40:32,660 --> 00:40:35,300
And money came along just at
that right time in the right way.

940
00:40:35,860 --> 00:40:38,060
And I'm going to tell you,
it's not just about money.

941
00:40:38,060 --> 00:40:40,260
There's times in our spiritual
life, just transparently.

942
00:40:40,260 --> 00:40:44,180
There's times in my spiritual
life where I've been so broken that

943
00:40:44,180 --> 00:40:46,300
I didn't know if I wanted to
take the next step forward.

944
00:40:47,580 --> 00:40:49,100
But that's when God steps in.

945
00:40:49,580 --> 00:40:52,780
That's when God's provisions
are he gives us just what we need

946
00:40:53,340 --> 00:40:56,900
at the right time in the right
way and the right place.

947
00:40:56,900 --> 00:40:57,900
Those are miracles.

948
00:40:58,299 --> 00:41:00,060
Some of you have seen physical healing.

949
00:41:00,060 --> 00:41:01,020
That's a miracle.

950
00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:02,580
Some of us haven't.

951
00:41:02,580 --> 00:41:05,580
That doesn't mean that God
doesn't love us.

952
00:41:05,580 --> 00:41:09,770
It just means in God's timing,
God discerns and decides different

953
00:41:09,770 --> 00:41:11,450
things in different ways for miracles.

954
00:41:11,610 --> 00:41:17,170
But what I will tell you is
this, let us not forget the great

955
00:41:17,170 --> 00:41:22,050
work of God, starting with our
salvation, following along with the

956
00:41:22,050 --> 00:41:24,809
many works that we have, and
pass that on to the next generation.

957
00:41:27,370 --> 00:41:31,970
So we're going to pick up next
week looking at what the result of

958
00:41:31,970 --> 00:41:32,410
that would be.

959
00:41:32,410 --> 00:41:37,540
They pass over Jordan, the
waters of Jordan start flowing, and

960
00:41:37,540 --> 00:41:41,620
of course, they do set up
those stones and there's more to

961
00:41:41,620 --> 00:41:42,580
come, right?

962
00:41:42,660 --> 00:41:45,020
I wish I could tell you that
after this, they all go back to the

963
00:41:45,020 --> 00:41:46,780
memorial stones every time
they go to a battle.

964
00:41:46,780 --> 00:41:47,620
And they always remember.

965
00:41:47,620 --> 00:41:49,780
But some of you know the rest
of the story.

966
00:41:49,859 --> 00:41:51,900
Some of you know that there's
going to be times when they do trust

967
00:41:51,900 --> 00:41:53,900
God in the battles, Battle of Jericho.

968
00:41:53,900 --> 00:41:55,780
There's going to be other
times when they don't trust God.

969
00:41:55,780 --> 00:41:57,780
And there's things that happen
with that.

970
00:41:58,900 --> 00:42:01,260
There's a whole book of the
Bible called the Book of Judges that

971
00:42:01,260 --> 00:42:02,340
some of you are familiar with.

972
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:06,640
They forget what God does, and
they have to be reminded in very

973
00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:07,360
difficult ways.

974
00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:09,400
And we'll talk more about that
as we go along here.

975
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:12,560
But I think the lesson to the
story here this evening is this,

976
00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:13,720
God's going to work miracles.

977
00:42:13,720 --> 00:42:15,080
That's an inevitable thing.

978
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:19,560
Number one, are we going to
recognize those miracles in our life?

979
00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:24,480
Number two, are we going to
recall those miracles, recount those

980
00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:25,800
miracles with those around us?

981
00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:29,790
And are we going to tell the
next generation how much of a blessing

982
00:42:29,790 --> 00:42:31,270
it is to trust in Jesus Christ?

983
00:42:33,190 --> 00:42:36,830
Paul's last words there to
Timothy, if you read 2 Timothy, chapter

984
00:42:36,830 --> 00:42:43,190
4, it's essentially this, stay
faithful, preach the word, be ready

985
00:42:43,190 --> 00:42:43,510
to go.

986
00:42:43,510 --> 00:42:45,230
Like, that's, that's Paul's
last words.

987
00:42:45,230 --> 00:42:47,390
And if anyone knows what it
means to be faithful to the end,

988
00:42:47,390 --> 00:42:47,990
it's Paul.

989
00:42:48,870 --> 00:42:51,510
So my, my encouragement to you
is this, Stay faithful.

990
00:42:52,470 --> 00:42:55,430
But don't forget, in the
process of staying faithful, don't

991
00:42:55,430 --> 00:42:56,630
forget about the next generation.

992
00:42:57,730 --> 00:42:59,770
You know, oftentimes we live
in a defeatist mindset.

993
00:42:59,770 --> 00:43:02,530
We say it this way, maybe you
wouldn't say this out loud, and I'm

994
00:43:02,530 --> 00:43:05,210
not saying any of us would say
this, but culturally speaking, we

995
00:43:05,210 --> 00:43:07,290
say this, well, that's the
next generation.

996
00:43:07,290 --> 00:43:08,130
That's not my problem.

997
00:43:08,290 --> 00:43:09,890
They'll have to figure that
out on their own.

998
00:43:10,370 --> 00:43:11,410
No, it is our problem.

999
00:43:11,810 --> 00:43:12,690
It is our problem.

1000
00:43:13,330 --> 00:43:15,130
That's exactly what
discipleship is.

1001
00:43:15,130 --> 00:43:17,890
And this isn't just about old
people to young people.

1002
00:43:17,970 --> 00:43:19,530
This is talking about, like,
new Christians.

1003
00:43:19,530 --> 00:43:22,690
There could be a person in
here that's not physically young,

1004
00:43:22,690 --> 00:43:25,380
but young in their spiritual walk.

1005
00:43:26,420 --> 00:43:29,260
And there could be people that
are Younger in their years, but mature

1006
00:43:29,260 --> 00:43:30,180
in their spiritual walk.

1007
00:43:30,180 --> 00:43:30,980
So what do we do?

1008
00:43:30,980 --> 00:43:33,980
We look for opportunities, not
just to pass on the gospel to young

1009
00:43:33,980 --> 00:43:37,020
kids, even though that's
vital, but we look to pass on the

1010
00:43:37,020 --> 00:43:38,500
gospel to people who are in need.

1011
00:43:39,940 --> 00:43:45,060
Just babes in Christ, as the
Bible says, give them the milk.

1012
00:43:45,540 --> 00:43:46,660
And so what I want you to do.

1013
00:43:46,660 --> 00:43:49,820
And again, I can never check
you on this, okay?

1014
00:43:49,820 --> 00:43:50,660
Only God can.

1015
00:43:50,850 --> 00:43:53,250
Well, what my challenge for
you would be is this, number one,

1016
00:43:53,250 --> 00:43:55,650
to recognize the miracles in
your life.

1017
00:43:56,130 --> 00:43:59,170
Maybe just, I mean,
practically speaking, sit down with

1018
00:43:59,170 --> 00:44:02,930
a notepad or a phone or an
iPad or something, a laptop, and

1019
00:44:02,930 --> 00:44:06,610
type out the miracles that you
have experienced in your life, answered

1020
00:44:06,610 --> 00:44:10,410
prayer, your salvation,
testimony, maybe physical things

1021
00:44:10,410 --> 00:44:12,890
that God has provided,
material things that God has provided.

1022
00:44:12,890 --> 00:44:17,780
And then look to see how you
can profess that to those around

1023
00:44:17,780 --> 00:44:21,380
you, not in a prideful way,
not in a selfish way, but in a way

1024
00:44:21,380 --> 00:44:23,020
that can invest into the next generation.

1025
00:44:23,820 --> 00:44:25,980
And I would encourage you then
from there to say this.

1026
00:44:26,140 --> 00:44:31,980
Who can I, As Hebrews chapter
10 said, who can I target to provoke

1027
00:44:31,980 --> 00:44:33,140
unto love and good works?

1028
00:44:33,140 --> 00:44:38,060
Who do I want to take under my
wing as an individual, who I can

1029
00:44:38,060 --> 00:44:39,500
sow the truth of God into?

1030
00:44:40,780 --> 00:44:42,060
For some people, it might.

1031
00:44:42,350 --> 00:44:44,910
It might only be one person
you can completely do that with.

1032
00:44:45,150 --> 00:44:48,910
But think about if every
single person that's a believer could

1033
00:44:48,910 --> 00:44:50,510
find someone to do that with.

1034
00:44:51,230 --> 00:44:53,070
That's what's called the law
of multiplication.

1035
00:44:53,070 --> 00:44:54,430
That's eventually going to multiply.

1036
00:44:55,070 --> 00:44:56,590
And that's really what we're
called to do.

1037
00:44:56,910 --> 00:44:59,270
And I know that many of us
have had someone take us under their

1038
00:44:59,270 --> 00:44:59,550
wing.

1039
00:44:59,550 --> 00:45:00,510
That's an awesome thing.

1040
00:45:00,990 --> 00:45:03,950
I look back to some of my
disciplers and I'm so thankful.

1041
00:45:03,950 --> 00:45:07,110
I'm eternally grateful for
some teaching that I received and

1042
00:45:07,110 --> 00:45:08,270
some examples that I received.

1043
00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:11,080
And so I guess the challenge
would be for us is to do that to

1044
00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:11,920
others around us.

1045
00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:15,600
And so as we come to the end
here at the end of the hour, I just

1046
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:19,000
want you to think about that,
contemplate that, apply that to your

1047
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:19,280
life.

1048
00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:21,880
And if you want to know more
about how you can actually do that

1049
00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:24,880
within our church, by the way,
that can happen organically.

1050
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:28,600
Discipleship can and actually
should happen organically, meaning

1051
00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:28,880
this.

1052
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,720
It should just be the natural
outflow of what God is doing in our

1053
00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:32,000
life.

1054
00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:37,470
But at the same time, because
it's not the norm in our culture,

1055
00:45:38,430 --> 00:45:40,870
there are things that we have
tried to set up within the church

1056
00:45:40,870 --> 00:45:44,030
to institute that type of
discipleship for the young generation,

1057
00:45:44,350 --> 00:45:45,230
for adults.

1058
00:45:45,390 --> 00:45:47,630
So if you're interested in
knowing more, you say like, I really,

1059
00:45:47,630 --> 00:45:48,750
I really want to do that.

1060
00:45:48,750 --> 00:45:51,230
I really want to be someone
who is discipling.

1061
00:45:52,110 --> 00:45:53,950
Or maybe you're like, I want
to be discipled.

1062
00:45:53,950 --> 00:45:57,110
No one has ever come alongside
of me and said, hey, I walk through

1063
00:45:57,110 --> 00:45:57,750
with you this.

1064
00:45:57,750 --> 00:45:59,710
I'm going to tell you there
are people in our church, including

1065
00:45:59,710 --> 00:46:03,750
myself, including others that
I know that would love to walk through

1066
00:46:03,750 --> 00:46:08,430
with you certain things of
scripture, over coffee, over a meal.

1067
00:46:09,470 --> 00:46:11,510
And I'm going to tell you that
there's opportunities for you within

1068
00:46:11,510 --> 00:46:11,910
the church.

1069
00:46:11,910 --> 00:46:13,150
And so, hey, you know what?

1070
00:46:13,150 --> 00:46:13,830
I'll leave it there.

1071
00:46:13,830 --> 00:46:14,870
But what I will say is this.

1072
00:46:14,870 --> 00:46:17,189
Discipleship is such an
important part of ministry that gets

1073
00:46:17,189 --> 00:46:17,790
overlooked.

1074
00:46:19,310 --> 00:46:22,670
And discipleship happens in
many different forms.

1075
00:46:22,830 --> 00:46:27,960
Corporately, individually, in
the home, in the workplace, on the

1076
00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:30,200
ball field, in the kitchen.

1077
00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:32,440
Discipleship can happen anywhere.

1078
00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:35,840
So I encourage you to find
your place in that path of building

1079
00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:38,200
those memorial stones for the
next generation.

1080
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,960
Thank you again for listening
to the Middletown Baptist Church

1081
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:42,520
podcast.

1082
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:45,160
I hope that this sermon has
been a blessing for you.

1083
00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:48,080
If you would like to find out
more information about our church

1084
00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:51,560
or this sermon, you can find
us at middletownbaptistchurch.org

1085
00:46:51,800 --> 00:46:54,410
or find us on Facebook or YouTube.

1086
00:46:55,130 --> 00:46:59,730
You can also email me directly
at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch.

1087
00:46:59,730 --> 00:47:00,090
Com.

1088
00:47:00,570 --> 00:47:03,970
If you've enjoyed this
podcast, please subscribe and follow

1089
00:47:03,970 --> 00:47:06,890
along for future podcast and updates.

1090
00:47:07,530 --> 00:47:08,490
Thank you so much.

1091
00:47:08,649 --> 00:47:09,450
God Bless.

1092
00:47:09,690 --> 00:47:10,970
Have a wonderful day.