Celebrating Baptisms and Transformation

Speaker 1 0:00

Church . What a day already it's been . Come on , what a day to be in God's house , huh , I mean , I'm just saying that's pretty special to have that kind of response in terms of baptisms and people making this decision to follow Jesus . I mean , I was thinking like I'm over . I'm just overjoyed , I'm so thankful Prayers are being answered in this house and I just wanna just lean in just before I preach , like , if you , we'll have , we just got brand new invite cards that we brought in just for you , because I think what's happening here is too good to keep to ourself and so , just as a way of extending an opportunity , you can bring it to the coffee shop , into the marketplace at your office , the water cooler , while you're walking on the street . Just have some cards with you to invite people in , because man , god is moving and we don't want to be an interruption to what's happening . We want to be just the catalyst and the ambassador to what the Holy Spirit is doing in this house . So , come on , just lean in and get people here with you that need Jesus close to you but far from God . Right , and we're gonna see those experiences .

Speaker 1 1:33

And , man , I was shedding a tear , which would be a surprise to some of you Shedding a tear this morning watching people be baptized , because I've heard their stories , I've seen them invest their lives in small groups and just to see the transformation in their lives , in their families . Hey , listen , we're on our way to our best year yet , right Four months down and , man , I want to just say God , show me how good it can get , show me how good it can get . God , listen , I'm ready to preach God's word . Are you ready to receive it ? Today ? The year was 2024 , and it was a Sunday . I know this for a fact because a little thing in the fall was October 2024 , and it was a Sunday evening . Because on Sunday evenings there's a little thing called Sunday night football . Sunday evenings there's a little thing called Sunday Night Football , and I think the game , if I remember correctly , it was the Dallas Cowboys versus Pittsburgh Steelers . So an iconic matchup .

Speaker 1 2:32

And you know I'm a fan of sport , of all kind of sport . I love sports , I love watching sports , and it's nothing to have a game on in the background of whatever else is going on and me kind of like dual multitasking . Whatever else is going on and me kind of like dual multitasking . I think we had some people in the house and we're watching the game and it cut to a commercial which I thought might be . I'm a marketing major and so it might be one of my favorite commercials . I've seen Nike's had some good commercials , apple has had some good commercials , but this was a Honda commercial and it was so powerful as I watched it because the narrator did something powerful . He said a script and then he flipped the script and it really changed words that seem like defeating words into words of powerful victory . In fact , we have it right now for you

Honda Commercial: Flipping the Script

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to watch it .

Speaker 2 3:39

So hey , check it out my dreams the more I seem to learn , the more I seem to lose . I want to carry on , but not today . This is the point . I give up , but not today . I want to carry on . The more I seem to lose , the more I seem to learn . My dreams will destroy my doubts . You will see me at the top . This is the last time you won't remember my name .

Speaker 1 4:25

Amen , amen , powerful , powerful when the script will get flipped . And what I know is this is that is the year that I was reminded that if I'm still living , god's not done , and what might seem like words of defeat around my life , god can actually flip it for his glory and for my good . Hey , why don't you just lean over to your neighbor and just say hey , don't call it a comeback , and the one you've been ignoring all service , bump them and say God's about to flip the script . Jesus , stop the script . Jesus , stop the clock , stop the clock . That's why we only have one service , because we can just carry on for a little extra . Some of you have been asking when we're going to two services , and we are . It will be September 7th , coming out of the summer birthday weekend . We're going to turn 13 , 12, . No 12 , 2012 to 2025 is 13 . It's going to be our 13th birthday . Into the teen years , everybody and teenagers do things twice as nice , and so we're going to go to two services .

Speaker 1 5:50

Here we are in week two of our series Don't Call it A Comeback , and last week we leaned in on the idea that we don't call it a comeback , it's a calling back . It's a calling Because it's not about how many times we fall . It's what we do when we fall and when we get back up and we get going again . That is the space of right standing for our life Not that we fall , but that we get back up . Do you see this ? Look at in the key verse , proverbs 24 and 16, . It says for though the righteous fall seven times , they rise again . What makes us righteous ? The blood of Jesus , the work he accomplished on the cross and our willingness to stand back up when we fall . It's not being perfect . It doesn't take perfection to be righteous , it just takes a heart that says I'm not going to stay down . Rejoice , not against me , o my enemies . When I fall , I shall arise . All right , I'm going to try not to get too excited today . Hey , we all fall down , but we get back up , we get back up . Tell your neighbor , we get back up .

Speaker 1 7:14

So this week , here's my thought for this week the setback is not a death sentence , it's a divine setup . The setback

From Setback to Divine Setup

Speaker 1 7:25

is not a death sentence , it's a divine setup . The setback is not a death sentence , it's a divine setup . God doesn't write tragedies without flipping the final chapter into triumph . And I'm going to tell you today you're not here by accident in this house , but also you're not where you're at in your life by accident , and don't discount the fact that God knows exactly where you are . He knows where you are . In fact , my spiritual father used to say does it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurs to God ? It's not a surprise where you're at and God's just waiting for the right moment . He doesn't deal in drama , he deals in deliverance , he deals in reformation , he deals in restoration and he is flipping the script in your life for what seemed like defeat will be victory . You're being positioned for purpose .

Speaker 1 8:29

So how do we go from a setback to a setup ? Because the Bible declares that God can make all things beautiful in its time . So even the ugly spots of our life can become beautiful in God's hands . But I'm gonna tell you we have a part to play . Sometimes y'all go so quiet . It's like I'm waiting for like a kickback and then you're like just you're gonna say you gotta give , give me better , preach , better preach , better PC . So check this out . Here's , here's our spot in turning a setback into a setup , because we can all agree that the promises of God are yes and amen , through Jesus , that he's never failed , that he's always faithful , that he provides a way when there is no way . He is the miracle worker , the promise keeper , the way maker , and even when we can't see it , he's working in our life . We can all agree about that . So , if that's true , that means God will do what he said he will do .

Speaker 1 9:44

But there's something I have to do to turn us back to a setup . Are you ready ? The first thing is this you must recognize what you've neglected . So this is one of those . The vacuum's coming into the room . It's going to like get on our feet a little bit . We might feel like I'm stepping on your toes , but it's because we need to keep moving forward and we need to make sure everybody goes with us .

Speaker 1 10:08

So you need to recognize what you've been , what you've neglected . You might say it like this we need to be mindful . Before God can rebuild something , you must recognize what's been ignored , overlooked and left unchecked . You cannot fight . Well , let me just say this what are the things that we overlook and neglect in our life ? Some of us ? We neglect our prayer life . We neglect the purity commitment that we've made . We've neglected passion .

Speaker 1 10:35

And I'm going to tell you you cannot fight a public battle with a private prayer life on pause . Some of you wonder why the battle is so tough . It's because the time you should be spending in private prayer you're investing and neglecting . You're investing in something else . You're neglecting your own private prayer . And we're going to agree with you . We're going to stand with you , we're going to pray with you , we're going to believe with you and believe for you . But there is a part you play . You can't neglect the private prayer time because life is going to hit you . Sometimes life hits us like a freight train and sometimes life hits us like a quiet whisper and what seemed like it wouldn't be that big of a deal hits us harder than we thought .

Speaker 1 11:26

But here's the truth . Jesus never promised a painless life . He promised his presence , filled within the pain . It's going to be painful at times , but that doesn't mean God's not there . He actually is close to the broken . He's close to the ones that are down and out . He's even closer when we mention his name .

Speaker 1 11:51

So he says this in John 16 , 33 , the world will have its problems and setbacks , but take heart , because I've overcome the world . So he's already accomplished victory for us . We know there's gonna be difficult days . We know that we're gonna face pain . But don't count pain as the miss , that God's missing in the environment . Just because we're having pain doesn't mean God's not there . So we've all had these setbacks dreams that have been deferred , relationships that have crumbled , ministry moments that have fallen flat . God , I'm the chief . I live in those moments . I'm like if you knew how many Sundays I want to keep driving until I ran out of gas and start over . But thank God , it's not all on me and it's not all on you . We just gotta get back up and keep going , because God is listen .

Speaker 1 12:53

The setbacks in your life don't define you unless you hand them the pen . Amen , amen , amen , amen . But God says let me rewrite the story . He's not intimidated by your failure . He's intent to finish the work .

Speaker 1 13:14

Look at Hebrews 12 and 2 . It says this looking unto Jesus , the author and the finisher of our faith , for who the joy that was set before him endured the cross , despising the shame , and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God . Looking to Jesus , the author and the finisher , god is going to write the story . In fact , in Psalms 139 , verses 15 through 18 , my favorite passage of scripture . It actually says that God has written down every day of our life before we've lived one of them . So don't give the setback the pen to write the story . Let the pen stay in the hand of the author and the finisher of your life , because he knows how to turn it for your good . He knows . Tell your neighbor , he knows .

Speaker 1 14:00

So setbacks are just divine disguises for setups , because God is about to flip the script in your life . So you have to recognize what's

Recognizing What You've Neglected

Speaker 1 14:10

been neglected . The second thing you have to do is you have to repent of what you've hidden . You might say you need to . If the first step is to be mindful , the next step is to be intentional . That repentance is not just confessing , it's confronting what's been buried . You can't conquer what you cover . You can't conquer what you cover . You can't heal what you hide . And you can't walk in power while walking in pretense . Or you might say it like this God can't fix what you won't face face .

Speaker 1 15:00

Let me take you to the battle of AI . That's not artificial intelligence . It's actually a city in the Bible . It's a small city , but I want to tell you , if you overlook the small things in your life , they will have devastating consequences . Joshua has just seen the walls of Jericho fall down , not by lifting a sword , but by lifting a shout . And they walk the walls , they shout , the walls fall down , the city's in chaos and God had commanded because this was the first battle on this side of the promised land , all their work until getting to the Jordan River had been on the other side , on the promises coming side of the promise , like it's not here yet . But on this side of Jericho we're in the promised land and God sets up for Jericho to be the first city to fall , as God allows his people to start inhabiting the place that he's promised them Uniquely . Let me tell you this not in your notes that God did not move the people out in advance of his people moving in , because he said if he moved the people out too early , the wilderness would overtake it and it would be too hard for God's people to get in there and set up camp . Isn't that interesting that God will keep your enemy in the place where you think you belong until you're ready to conquer it ? That might be a whole nother series . So they conquer Jericho .

Speaker 1 16:45

And everything God said and again , this is principle . Remember the Bible is principle . Concepts and promises , patterns that have repeated themselves from Old Testament to New Testament . The pattern really stays the same , even though Jesus Christ once and for all made the sacrifice for our sins . It was the same pattern of the Old Testament . But this is what happens .

Speaker 1 17:12

God says this is the first city in the promised land . And what do we do with first ? We give it to God , the tithe , the first 10% . We don't just give 10% of our income , we give the first 10% of our income because the first belongs to God . So God says give me the entire city . Destroy the city . Don't take the gold , don't take the spoils of war , don't take any of it . Destroy it all .

Speaker 1 17:38

Save one family , rahab's family , because she saved the spies back in the day . So that was the only family that survived Jericho . By the way , rahab found herself in the lineage of Jesus . So there's another whole sermon series that might be Mother's Day . And Mama said knock you out . So we're on this side of Jericho . God says destroy everything . They didn't even raise a sword , they only lifted their voices . Victory was fresh , confidence was high . And look at Joshua 6 and 27 . So the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread out through , spread throughout all

The Battle of AI and Hidden Sin

Speaker 1 18:32

the country . It's that last line , this is the last time . You won't remember my name , not for my name's sake , but for his name . Don't remember me for me , remember me for the audience of one making Jesus famous .

Speaker 1 18:54

But that next territory to take was Ai . It's pronounced Ai , and it's interesting to me that it was a small town , a simple battle , but it became a bitter defeat . But it became a bitter defeat . They sent some guys to check out the land and they were like , hey , it's such a small town , we don't need to send the entire army , let's just send 3,000 people to fight this battle . I mean , there's millions of Israelites at this time , there's 30,000 , 300,000 . You name how many warriors you want and they're there , but we're just gonna send 3,000 , 300,000, . You name how many warriors you want and they're there , but we're just gonna send 3,000 , because , man , we took Jericho just by screaming .

Speaker 1 19:39

So it became bitter defeat . Why was that ? Was it a lack of strategy ? No . Was it a lack of strength ? Nope , it was because of hidden sin . You see , in Jericho , when Joshua passed on God's command to destroy and to just burn it all up , no one gets out , except Rahab and her family , don't take anything . Achan saw something . He saw something , he wanted something , he took something and he hid something . He saw something , he wanted something , he took something and he hid something . Joshua 7 , 4 , 6, .

Speaker 1 20:18

After the battle at Ai , it says , the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water because they couldn't understand how did we have such a great victory , such a public victory , and then such a humiliating defeat ? It's because something was hidden . Let me just tell you this Sin that is hidden is sin that destroys . Jesus died on a cross and shed his blood one time to cover our past sins , our present sins and our future sins . But you know what ? It will be hard for the blood of Jesus to find the sin that's hidden .

Speaker 1 21:27

Joshua tried to strategize his way around what only surrender could solve . He leaned on strength when he should have leaned into the spirit , because yesterday's oil will not win today's war . And I know we love the God of comfort . We love the God . He is the God of comfort . The Holy Spirit is our comforter and we can be comforted , but we cannot miss the importance of the God who commands . And when God's comforting , that's great , but when God commands , we better pay attention and not conceal anything around us .

Speaker 1 22:06

Joshua 7 , 10, . God says to Joshua he says stand up , because Joshua's on his face crying about the loss , about the defeat . And God says , hey , stand up , get off your face , get back up and go conquer the land . We're going to do it the right way . We're going to do it the right way . Get off your face , get into position , confront what's been concealed , because if you won't confront it , you'll never conquer it .

Speaker 1 22:36

So he had to go find what the problem was in the camp and the Holy Spirit revealed who the problem was . And this is where we need to be sensitive , because I'm going to tell you , not one person in this room has the capacity , the space or the authority to point a finger at anybody else , but only to look in the mirror at ourself and say Lord , create a clean heart in me and renew a right spirit in me , and if there is anything hidden in my heart , let it be revealed in front of you , the God that can fix it . We go to God for salvation , we go to one another for healing , but listen , we're not here to point our fingers at one person because , listen , I hate sin and I hate that there might be sin in your life , but I've got too much sin in my life to be pointing my finger at you . Thank you Akin's confession . I'm gonna tell you .

Speaker 1 23:47

When Akin finally confessed he actually God opened up and just the entire Achan's entire tent and surrounding area was gone . You say that's mean . Well , there was a command and somebody neglected the command and concealed the sin . Listen , we're going to sin . The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God . And I know it's not popular to preach about sin . So I'm sorry , not sorry Because I think I'm here on a mandate today that God's about to do in you what you've only dreamed about and only asked for and imagined . And I'm just going to tell you this he can't do it if you're concealing something . So listen , there's no shame in coming to an altar and repenting , because if we don't repent of it , we can't be relieved of it . Achan's confession was brutal but necessary . Achan's confession was brutal but necessary . You've got to dig up what you've buried before God will build it . So you have to recognize what you've neglected , you have to repent for what you've hidden . And I'm just going to tell you there's no one in this room my mom's watching online , so my mom does not have to worry about this statement but all the rest of us ? We have to be honest about what's been hidden in our life . So recognize what you've neglected , repent of what has been concealed . And the third one rise up with what you've learned , because God never puts us to a spot without the capacity to build us back

Rise Up with What You've Learned

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up . God never lets you stay down unless you decide you're going to stay down . The right standing comes by getting back up and moving forward with what you learned . You might say be encouraged , be mindful . There are things I need to pay attention to Be . What was the second one ? I was so good I forgot it . Be intentional , because there's going to be things that you might be hiding , that you didn't really mean to hide in your life , but you just got so good at covering it up you forgot it . But be encouraged , because where you are now , you don't have to stay . This is where God can flip the script , because God doesn't waste pain , he uses it . Amen . You can rise up with wisdom and authority and the fire of God in your life , because the ground that broke you can now become the ground you own . God told Joshua get back up and go conquer . Ai it's yours . It's yours , now that you've cleaned out what needed to be cleaned out , go forward and conquer . And that's what I'm declaring to you . If you'll be mindful , if you'll be intentional , you can be encouraged , because the victory in your life is coming and the ground that , once buried you is going to be the ground that you own . What tripped you up will be where you trample man . We used to sing a song when I was a kid . I went to the enemy's camp and I took back what he stole from me and we'd say it again I took back what he stole from me and we'd say it one more time I took back what he stole from me and we'd get to a spot because the enemy is under my feet . If you'll be mindful and be intentional , you can stand on top of what used to just really take you out . The devil is under your feet because you're not going back to where you were . You're getting ready to step into where you were born to be . After repentance , after exposure , comes restoration . Joshua 8.1 , don't be afraid and do not be discouraged . I have delivered them into your hands . I've delivered the king of AI into your hands . The same battlefield that shamed you will be the soil where your breakthrough springs up . Did you hear that ? Let me say that , for clarity's sake the same battlefield that shamed you will be the soil where your breakthrough springs up . This is what God's saying to you today . I said we wouldn't have a comeback . I think I'm lying . Your calling is not canceled . Tell your neighbor , your calling's not canceled . Your purpose is not paused . Your future is not finished . God's about to flip the script . Hey , let me ask you what's your AI ? Not your chat GPT . What's knocked the breath out of you this week , this month ? Remember those declarations we made to start the year . What's trying to take that out of you ? Maybe it's betrayal , rejection , hidden failure . No one saw , but you'll never forget . Maybe it's betrayal , rejection , hidden failure . No one saw , but you'll never forget . See that , see how that works . No one knows it , no one saw it , but you can't forget it until you face it . God says I'm not done . You know what he told Joshua . He told Joshua lift up the javelin , lift up , lift up that weapon , and as long as you hold that up , your army will defeat the enemy . God's saying listen , I'm not done . The javelin's in your hand . Victory is in your hand . Deliverance

Your Calling Is Not Canceled

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in your hand , healing in your hand . Deliverance in your hand , healing in your hand , forgiveness , forgiveness , joshua 8 , 18 . Hold it out toward Ai , the javelin that is in your hand , for into your hand I will deliver this city . The difference between the first time they went to Ai and the second time , god's presence was leading the way . So how do you get from setback to set up to a spirit-filled and spirit-led victory ? You recognize what you've neglected , you repent of what you've hidden . You rise with what you've learned because , hey , we don't call it a comeback , we call it revival . We call it revival . Bitterness may bury you , but faith will raise you . You're not done , you're not too far gone , you're not too broken . Your setback is just a comma because God's not finished writing . So be encouraged , because God turns graves into gardens , defeats into destinies and setbacks into setups . Don't wait , don't settle , don't stay down , stand back up , face it , let God fix it . Don't call it a comeback . Don't stay down , stand back up , face it , let God fix it . Don't call it a comeback , because the champion in you has been there all the time , just waiting to be released . Can you receive that word today ? Amen .