WEBVTT 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.820 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.179 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.480 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.399 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:47.979 So today I know exactly why Darren asked me to do the lesson a hundred percent. 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:50.840 And the reason is this. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:53.340 Hey, speak about this guy. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:55.460 That's a great name. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:56.820 I don't know about you guys, that's a great name. 00:00:56.820 --> 00:00:57.479 Joshua? 00:00:57.979 --> 00:00:59.700 That's a strong name right there. 00:01:00.539 --> 00:01:00.899 Right? 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:05.620 I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't like a little happy. 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:06.400 I was like, yes. 00:01:06.540 --> 00:01:07.120 Like, let's go. 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:08.840 I'm so happy I get to speak about this. 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:09.519 Not biased. 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:11.060 Not biased at all. 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:12.640 No, I'm going to talk about my bias. 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:22.060 I don't know if it's just me, but like growing up, like knowing, like I grew up in, you know, biblical based family, like it was, everything was part of my life. 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:26.439 And so knowing who Joshua was, I just felt so connected to the story of Joshua. 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.540 It's the only book I cared to read in the Bible until I met Jesus. 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:31.319 I was like, I don't care about the other stuff. 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:33.040 Joshua, I need to know everything about this man. 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:34.739 Like he's obviously the coolest person. 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.799 Like in my mind, like right, just like vulnerable moment. 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:42.799 I thought Joshua was definitely better than Jesus for like a good part of like my younger years. 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:45.439 I read, I was like, okay, that's not true. 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:46.400 Joshua was human. 00:01:46.579 --> 00:01:47.540 He messed up a ton. 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:49.760 But right, I just felt so connected. 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:55.480 I don't know if anyone out there, you know, if you also have like a biblical name and grew up with that, like it is. 00:01:55.579 --> 00:01:58.099 It's just, you just feel connected to it for some reason. 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.219 But today we're going to look, we're going to continue with Thread. 00:02:03.859 --> 00:02:06.819 We're going to continue with this story with God's land established. 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:14.819 And Joshua is truly one of the most key parts of what it truly took to make God, God's land established. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:24.000 And to establish a nation, a land, a people, one of the most important things that you have to set is currency. 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:30.159 Most common currency is the one that we know is financial. 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:33.659 We think of financial and currency almost like the same thing. 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:35.460 Like we don't, we can't really separate them often. 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:41.419 You know, having a universal system for money and exchange of goods is super important to establishing a nation. 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:42.379 Right? 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:45.979 Frankly, I miss the barter system. 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.199 Was I alive when the barter system was not around? 00:02:49.379 --> 00:02:49.979 Of course not. 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:58.840 But man, something about like if Alec and I, like hey, if Alec had a donkey and I needed that donkey and I had a year's full of, you know, bushel of wheat and we could have that trade? 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:00.099 Simple, right? 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:02.020 That's a set of currency, right? 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:04.060 Like we could figure things out that way. 00:03:04.060 --> 00:03:13.199 You know, the idea of currency is supposed to set a standard for what to expect and to be universally used as a nation and as a people. 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:18.099 Currency isn't just a term, though, for financial standards. 00:03:18.939 --> 00:03:25.819 There are multiple forms of currency that we use on a day-to-day basis that we often don't think about in our day. 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:28.259 Think about a currency of trust. 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:35.479 How many times have you heard or used the term trust is earned, not given? 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:39.139 Think of hope. 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:40.800 Hope is like a currency. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:47.520 We place our hope in things and we hope to not be bankrupted by disappointment. 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:51.060 We hope to not be robbed when we put our hope into something. 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:56.080 We also refer to rest as a currency. 00:03:56.580 --> 00:04:01.740 You know, whether it's going to be tomorrow or Monday or on Friday, it'll probably be Monday for me. 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:04.319 A work week can have you spent. 00:04:05.259 --> 00:04:06.159 It can drain you. 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:10.360 And then when we want those rest days, it's like, I say this, I've earned it, right? 00:04:10.379 --> 00:04:11.599 I've earned this rest day. 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:14.800 I need it, you know, to be given to me because I'm spent from work. 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:18.959 Currency can come in all different forms. 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:28.540 And today we are going to look at a key phrase that became the currency in the book of Joshua that you've probably heard preached many, many times. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:38.259 But before we go into taking a deep dive into that, that word, we're going to dig deeper into the culture of Joshua, but not just Joshua. 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:39.379 What happens after Joshua? 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:40.360 We're looking at Judges. 00:04:40.420 --> 00:04:47.439 We're going to be looking at 1 Samuel, Chronicles, the story of Israel, but it's all set because of the story of Joshua. 00:04:50.040 --> 00:04:54.800 And the word in the set of currency is courage. 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:58.319 Joshua, the currency of courage. 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:00.660 All right. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:02.500 So we're going to be digging into this. 00:05:02.660 --> 00:05:06.980 What does it mean that courage was the currency of this time, right? 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:17.040 You know, these chapters and scriptures described that we're going to look at are describing famous heroes and antiheroes of the Bible. 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:25.319 We're going to be looking at all of these amazing men and women of God that had this leadership for God. 00:05:25.459 --> 00:05:26.939 But what did that come from? 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:28.180 Courage. 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:38.480 We're going to marvel at some of these powerful people like Joshua, Caleb, Deborah, Jale, Gideon, Abimelech, and Samson. 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:40.040 There are going to be some weird words in here. 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:41.079 I'm going to roll through them. 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.620 I think I have them down, but just be like, all right, two thumbs up, right? 00:05:46.100 --> 00:05:47.279 And they're great. 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:51.680 A lot of us, if you grew up religious or you studied it, we know these stories well. 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:56.800 And we also know that their lives weren't perfect, but they started with this key thing. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:05:58.279 That key thing was courage. 00:05:59.660 --> 00:06:05.420 The importance of these people's courage and exploits wasn't just valued in this time. 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:10.660 It was necessary for the survival and the success of the Israelite people. 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:11.180 Wow. 00:06:12.019 --> 00:06:17.759 A commitment to courage makes sense when we think about what Israel was tasked in doing. 00:06:18.740 --> 00:06:25.420 They weren't just going to walk out of the desert and into the promised land and pitch their tents and kick their feet up, right? 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:26.500 We know this. 00:06:26.579 --> 00:06:30.259 We just went through why they had to spend 40 years in the desert. 00:06:30.699 --> 00:06:32.079 It was because of their fear. 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:35.540 It was because of their doubt in God, because there was no courage. 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:35.959 Yeah. 00:06:36.300 --> 00:06:36.500 Right? 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:36.920 Yeah. 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:43.139 This was no longer the time of Abraham, where he could just go in and make it his own. 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:54.600 Going into the land of Canaan, the land that God promised, there were over 31 small kings and warlords that had taken over this land. 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:58.199 And they needed to carve it out for the Lord, for God. 00:06:58.620 --> 00:06:59.800 That's what God had given to them. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:00.339 Okay. 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:10.699 So, without further ado, let us take a look at some of the stories in the Bible that created a culture of courage in reestablishing God's land. 00:07:11.699 --> 00:07:15.399 Now, note, as we go through these verses, there's quite a few, right? 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:21.300 And the stories we'll be going into, we'll be going to at some point, but we're not going to be going into extreme depth. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:32.360 So I want you guys, I encourage you to take notes, to take pictures, to write these things down so that you can go in and dig deeper into some of these stories and what the whole context of the stories look like. 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:32.540 Amen? 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:33.240 Amen. 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:34.019 All right. 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.980 So, examples of a courage culture. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:41.079 We're going to start with one in Judges 4, 9. 00:07:41.459 --> 00:07:42.860 Killing an enemy leader. 00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:43.519 Right? 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:45.759 This is a cool story. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:47.000 I love this story. 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:49.399 This is Deborah. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:53.399 This is when Deborah is trying to take over, right back to the land of Israel. 00:07:54.300 --> 00:07:58.899 And this woman's family, Jael, her family had made a truce with the king of Canaanites. 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:05.680 And instead of complying in fear with this alliance that they had, she said, no. 00:08:06.180 --> 00:08:08.240 I know who the true king is. 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:09.579 I know who God's people are. 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:17.259 And with courage, as this king is hiding in their tent, she takes one of the tent poles and kills the king. 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.220 Also know that most of these stories are a little gruesome. 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:21.519 Right? 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:24.879 We're part of this land that is about a battle. 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:25.639 It's about fighting. 00:08:25.779 --> 00:08:26.399 It's about war. 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:29.060 So just have that in mind as we keep going through this. 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:30.060 Right? 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:34.558 But this woman, this woman who was supposed to be a servant, she was supposed to just say yes. 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:37.620 Go under the rule of the Canaanite king. 00:08:38.658 --> 00:08:39.519 She said no. 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:40.740 She stood up. 00:08:40.779 --> 00:08:41.200 She stood up. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:44.200 She had courage to kill the enemy leader. 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:45.460 Right? 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:46.879 Number two, slaying a beast. 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:50.480 We know this one quite well if you know anything about Samson. 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:51.600 Right? 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:53.740 Samson defeats a lion with his bare hands. 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:55.399 Judges 14, 5 through 6. 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:57.019 It's a famous story. 00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:57.539 Right? 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:01.840 Filled with the spirit of the Lord, Samson rips apart a lion, it says. 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:05.919 Tears him apart as if he was tearing apart a young goat. 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:07.919 I'll be honest. 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:12.220 Many men read this story and were like, that's so cool. 00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:16.340 The fact that you can fight a lion with his own hands. 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:17.639 It's all about that. 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:19.600 Maybe it's just like, oh my goodness, that's so cool. 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:22.419 But yeah, the courage to have that. 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:23.480 To see something. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:25.720 I wish I had that courage. 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:27.419 To be honest, I don't. 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:29.759 I would see that and be like, high ground. 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:31.120 High ground, run away. 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:33.860 We have high end technology. 00:09:33.980 --> 00:09:34.740 Where's my gun? 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:36.200 What can I do to protect myself? 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:41.980 No, Samson, filled with the spirit, took on the lion head first with courage of God. 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:45.179 Looking at David's mighty men. 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:46.720 Like I said, we're spanning. 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:47.659 Not just Joshua. 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:48.399 We're going all the way. 00:09:48.539 --> 00:09:50.899 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, the story of Israel. 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:54.419 David's mighty men were full of courage. 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:55.700 Ben-Aniah. 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:59.940 Ben-Aniah is one of the coolest human beings I've ever read about in the entire Bible. 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:03.879 Ben-Aniah, or David, isn't the only person who slew a giant. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:09.600 Ben-Aniah came across this large Egyptian, it says. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:12.639 It was right around 7'6", 7'7". 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.279 If you know basketball, Yao Ming. 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:16.860 Yao Ming size, and it's like, wow. 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:19.480 You'd be scared. 00:10:20.340 --> 00:10:21.799 No, he wasn't scared. 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:28.620 The Egyptian giant had this massive scepter spear that he was known for slaying all his enemies with. 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:30.240 What did Ben-Aniah do? 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:33.580 He took the spear right out of his hands and slayed him with it. 00:10:34.179 --> 00:10:35.840 He didn't just fight him with some cool weapon. 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:42.320 He took the own weapon that the Egyptian giant was famous for and he took that and slayed him with his own weapon. 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:42.960 There we go. 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:47.919 And then it says, the funniest part about some of the Bible is some of these exploits. 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:48.600 It's like, whoa. 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:50.620 And then on the side it's like, oh yeah, they did this as well. 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:52.399 And you're like, hold on, they did what? 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.240 Ben-Aniah also took down two of Moab's greatest soldiers. 00:10:56.860 --> 00:11:03.740 And Moab was a high-end military kingdom and small nation at that time. 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:06.299 Ben-Aniah took down two of their mightiest warriors. 00:11:06.860 --> 00:11:09.100 And then on the side he kills a lion in the snow. 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:11.279 Whoop-dee-doo. 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:15.600 That's the only sentence we have about that happenstance. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.100 OK, that's pretty cool, Ben-Aniah. 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:23.460 Ben-Aniah is the only one we're going to talk about. 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:25.980 Abishai, De-Shavomim. 00:11:26.500 --> 00:11:27.740 I said that right? 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:30.940 They woke on separate circumstances. 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:32.519 They didn't do this at the same time. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:37.000 Abishai killed over 300 Philistines with a spear. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:44.159 And once again, we live in a world where we don't have a great common sense of how hard that is. 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:45.519 Spears are heavy. 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:47.279 They're long. 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:50.639 I'm doing land surveying as my job. 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:52.919 And a hammer is heavy. 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:58.039 If I'm doing that for more than two hours, I'm like, ow, everything hurts. 00:11:58.059 --> 00:11:59.000 I don't want to do it anymore. 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:01.519 And he's doing this however long. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:04.539 It's not a short time to kill 300 people. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:08.899 This was a very long, painful thing that had to be happening. 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:09.559 And he did it. 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:12.080 They both continued to do this with a spear. 00:12:12.279 --> 00:12:12.879 It took courage. 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:13.440 It took fight. 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:16.480 It took determination to fight the Philistines. 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:21.600 And then we also have one of my favorite stories in all the Bible. 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:23.860 Three of David's mighty chiefs. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:25.299 We look at David's mighty warriors. 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:26.600 There's so many stories about them. 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:29.399 This one is also in 1 Chronicles 11. 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:33.279 Three of David's mighty chiefs. 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:38.440 They heard David saying, I'm so thirsty I could die of the thirst I have. 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:40.100 So what did they do? 00:12:40.899 --> 00:12:45.879 They saw that the Philistines on the other side of the line, that they had water. 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:47.600 So what did they three do? 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:55.679 They single-handedly broke the line of the Philistines, ran into their camp, got water, and brought it back to David just because he was thirsty. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:56.500 Right? 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:57.500 That's wild. 00:12:57.500 --> 00:13:01.039 The courage, just the loyalty to be like, I'm going to do that. 00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:02.820 That's my goal. 00:13:02.940 --> 00:13:04.799 My team is thirsty. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.139 We don't care what's going to be on the front of that line. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:07.860 We're going to break through. 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:08.600 We're going to get them water. 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:12.000 And then the funny part, David's like, I can't drink this water. 00:13:12.100 --> 00:13:12.519 It's tainted. 00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:13.940 And it's like, what? 00:13:14.039 --> 00:13:14.299 No. 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:17.399 We risked our lives to get this water for you. 00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:17.720 What? 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:18.720 But it didn't matter. 00:13:19.019 --> 00:13:21.200 The outcome did not matter. 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:25.259 It's the fact that they went through and they had the courage to break the line just for water. 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:36.799 And then lastly, for David's mighty men here in 2 Samuel 23, 9-10, Eleazar fights alone until his hand froze to the sword. 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:46.759 Once again, your body, if you put your body to limits, you'll know if you've done something and you've held something long enough and it seizes up. 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:50.279 I've had it happen a few times in my life, but probably never this seriously. 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:54.480 And you get it and you're like, how is this happening? 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:58.299 The tenseness that you have from holding something so strong. 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:00.799 Eleazar fought and fought and fought. 00:14:00.860 --> 00:14:06.139 Had the courage to fight so hard for so long that he couldn't get his hand off his sword. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:08.919 The courage to fight through anything. 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:11.580 These were David's mighty men. 00:14:11.659 --> 00:14:13.259 These were men of courage. 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:18.000 And then we got one. 00:14:18.179 --> 00:14:18.679 I love this. 00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:22.240 I love the fact that one is alongside fighting solo, Shamgar. 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:24.440 Judges 3-31. 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:26.220 Once again, one of the coolest stories. 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:28.519 And it's not even a verse. 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:29.500 It's half a verse. 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:38.600 Shamgar gets half a verse in the Bible and just casually states that he killed 600 Philistines with an ox goat. 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:40.899 It was a cattle poker. 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:45.759 Once again, if you don't have that view, it is not a great, stealthy weapon. 00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:46.860 It is not supposed to be. 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:50.259 You are not walking in giving fear with the weapon you have. 00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:53.080 It is not the Egyptian's spear. 00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:54.360 It doesn't strike fear. 00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:56.120 But Shamgar did. 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:00.779 Shamgar himself struck fear because of the courage he had to slay God's enemies. 00:15:02.100 --> 00:15:03.019 And then jump into that. 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:04.259 Use of inferior weapons. 00:15:04.580 --> 00:15:05.559 Think about Jael again. 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:06.580 The tent peg. 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:08.059 Once again, you're not thinking. 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:12.539 She didn't have anything that was readily available as it comes to a sword. 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:14.440 Anything you think of, that's a weapon. 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:19.600 No, she used what was there to protect the people and to strike down God's enemies. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:20.039 Yeah. 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:22.919 Think of Samson with the jawbone of a donkey. 00:15:23.139 --> 00:15:23.840 This is Judges 15. 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:27.019 This is a path line. 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:30.440 Also, his hands are kind of inferior, but Samson's hands were probably not inferior. 00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:32.720 Those were the dangerous hands of the time. 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:34.940 I would not want to have fought those. 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:36.559 But the jawbone of a donkey. 00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:37.659 Once again, you're not thinking. 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:38.820 Dangerous weapon. 00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:39.240 Right? 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:40.779 You're probably like, don't touch that. 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:41.700 That's disgusting. 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:42.240 Diseases. 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:42.740 Whatever. 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:45.179 No, he saw it and he goes, this is my weapon. 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:46.559 I'm going to defend the Lord's people. 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:51.500 I'm going to attack against God's enemies with this weapon. 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:56.840 And then the most famous story that we know about weapons, David. 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:06.340 David rejected the highest end of military warfare in Israel with Saul's armor and his sword. 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:07.580 He said, no. 00:16:08.299 --> 00:16:10.200 I know exactly how to get a lot of it. 00:16:10.500 --> 00:16:15.539 He runs to the battle line with a sling and a rod. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:20.360 Continuing on. 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:24.460 Fighting with lesser numbers of resources. 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:35.440 There's nothing more scary, more nerve wracking, and on the other hand, more courageous than going up against something that you know you are outnumbered in. 00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:38.340 I felt this in sports a lot. 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:41.840 This is like my only connection to the idea of battle. 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:45.620 There's times when, especially in basketball, right? 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:47.340 We all see me. 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:49.360 I'm 6'1", white guy. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:54.919 When it comes to playing good basketball, I am inferior in every way athletically. 00:16:55.320 --> 00:17:02.279 We are going up against 6'5", 6'6", athletic, jumping out of the gym, and I'm like, there's no way we're going to win this game. 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:03.740 We are about to get whooped. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.980 That's my mindset, especially when we're going and it feels so inferior. 00:17:07.838 --> 00:17:09.838 But to do that, you have to be planned. 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:11.358 You have to be well regarded. 00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:12.358 You have to be disciplined. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:13.980 You have to have courage. 00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:16.059 Think about Gideon. 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:17.220 The story of Gideon. 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:24.660 I love the story of Gideon because it shows how much God's power, how God works through our timidness. 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.519 In all honesty, dig into Gideon. 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:28.920 He was not courageous. 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:33.099 Gideon is the farthest thing from courage that we will ever talk about. 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:39.440 But the cool thing, we're talking about courage in Gideon because God used him to be courageous in all the moments that he wasn't. 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:41.319 God takes an army. 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:47.579 The Israeli army was almost around 30,000, a little more, to start to fight against the Midianites. 00:17:48.779 --> 00:17:51.539 And God was like, too many of you here. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:55.500 Tell them, whoever is fearful, run. 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:56.200 Get out. 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:56.900 Just leave. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:58.019 You are not welcome. 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:04.299 And then we go down to the water and we're testing how we're drinking, which is just one of the weirdest stories. 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:07.400 Why does it matter if they drink like a dog or a cub? 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:11.160 Okay, that's a weird way to test loyalty, God. 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:12.880 But also, we are human. 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:14.740 We do not understand your ways. 00:18:15.779 --> 00:18:17.900 And he gets it down to 300. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:25.440 An army that started with tens of thousands, he got down to 300 to then beat the Midianites. 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:26.960 It doesn't make sense. 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:30.960 In our brains, if you take a moment to think about it, it does not make sense. 00:18:31.740 --> 00:18:32.440 But God knew. 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:34.119 God knew what it meant to be courageous. 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:42.579 Then Jonathan and his arm bearer, they're coming in and they want to take over the Philistine army. 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:48.500 And at that point in time in their battle with the Philistine, they didn't have a bunch of swords. 00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:54.099 Like it was, I mean, a lot of these armies were just fighting with whatever they had on them. 00:18:54.599 --> 00:19:00.119 They had arm tools and whatever it was, wood, rocks, whatever it was. 00:19:00.779 --> 00:19:08.400 But Jonathan and his arm bearer in 1 Samuel 13, verse 14, I know it says 13, 14. 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:11.660 1 Samuel chapter 13, verse 14. 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:15.660 And Jonathan's like, we're going to take it over. 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:17.740 And his arm bearer's like, I'm with you. 00:19:17.859 --> 00:19:18.480 Let's just go. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:19.779 Let's go and get that. 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:21.380 Courage. 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:24.640 They were like the mighty men. 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:26.680 There was no reason for them to do that. 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:28.740 There was no smarts in it. 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:31.019 Like we think about it like, yeah, that's not smart. 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:33.200 That was a pretty dumb move. 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:34.740 But with God, it's not. 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:35.920 There's courage in that. 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:46.440 And then lastly here, they were often inspired by God himself to be courageous. 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.640 This goes back to the idea of Gideon. 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:51.339 Gideon was fearful. 00:19:52.619 --> 00:19:55.160 Think about so much of the Israelite. 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:57.319 Our lives were so fearful. 00:19:57.980 --> 00:20:01.420 It's with God that we can do this. 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:03.799 Think of what Caleb says in Joshua 14, 12. 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.680 With God's help, I will drive them out. 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:17.039 Caleb, well known as one of the most bold and courageous men in the Bible, the reason he got to see the promised land, it was because of his courage. 00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:19.660 And he said, it's not me. 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.599 I'm not the reason that I can drive them out. 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:24.900 It's because my God is with me. 00:20:24.980 --> 00:20:26.000 I can drive them out. 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:41.059 Othniel, Jephthah, and Samson were also regarded because of their great acts of courage, not because of anything they did, but because the spirit of the Lord came through them, and then they had courage. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:44.980 The spirit of the Lord came through them, and they had courage. 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:47.259 So we look at this. 00:20:47.339 --> 00:20:50.019 We look at all these really awesome stories. 00:20:50.119 --> 00:20:53.640 Once again, take time, dig into them on your own time this week. 00:20:55.339 --> 00:20:56.359 Courage is awesome. 00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:01.059 But we know a lot of these stories also aren't perfect. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.299 There's a lot of human nature in these. 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:08.059 And you think about it, all right, if courage is the thing that we want to be, well, what's the opposite? 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:11.960 The opposite of courage is panic. 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:15.000 And panic is deadly. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:15.779 Wow. 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:25.339 God aided Israel in causing panic for and against Israel on multiple circumstances. 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:29.240 Joshua 7, 5, Joshua 10, 10, Judges 4, 15. 00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:31.579 Some of these circumstances you think of. 00:21:32.539 --> 00:21:35.119 We'll dig into it, but AI is one of them. 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:39.039 The example of AI is against Israel because they weren't with God. 00:21:39.259 --> 00:21:41.059 They thought they could do it by themselves. 00:21:41.579 --> 00:21:43.480 It goes back to where the courage comes from. 00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:44.660 The courage came from God. 00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:47.579 It didn't come from their own power or their own good. 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:51.880 So God struck fear into the Israelites at that moment. 00:21:56.400 --> 00:22:00.000 Think of panic and confusion. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:06.440 We are, this is so, you know, impactful to today. 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:11.380 You could see in any circumstance, like herd mentality, how we just run from things. 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:15.339 Or if somebody starts doing one thing, we kind of all start doing that same thing. 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:15.720 Amen? 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:17.799 There's something about fear. 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:22.339 There's something about when somebody's rattled or if there's a group of rattled, we all get rattled. 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:23.759 Right? 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:30.140 1 Samuel 5, 9 through 11 is when the Philistines took over the Ark of the Covenant. 00:22:30.660 --> 00:22:30.759 Right? 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:38.960 This was the holiest of holy artifacts that was put in the temple for the time for us to be most reverent towards God. 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:40.420 The Philistines took it. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:44.380 It was the greatest thing that you could take from a nation. 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:45.140 Yeah. 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:50.759 And to tout it around their camps and be like, look, we stole this from the Israelites. 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:53.099 Look, look how great we are. 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:55.200 They bring it to their camp. 00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:57.480 A lot of them start dying. 00:22:58.180 --> 00:22:59.619 A lot of them start getting sick. 00:23:00.579 --> 00:23:00.759 Right? 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:03.200 Could be a coincidence, right? 00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:04.740 No. 00:23:05.619 --> 00:23:06.660 The Philistines knew it. 00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:10.220 The Philistines knew, like, we brought this in. 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:11.839 Here's what's happening. 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:17.079 Created sheer panic throughout the Philistine camp. 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:19.400 They said multiple times, get it out. 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:20.319 Send it back. 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:24.440 How many things would you steal from the enemy and then just give it back out of fear? 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:26.279 No, you'd throw it. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:30.859 Like, you know, warfare, military warfare, like the idea is to put fear on the other side. 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:32.660 If you steal something, you're going to taunt it. 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:36.099 You're going to be like, look what we have and we took from you. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:37.440 They gave it back. 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:41.819 They're like, please, we don't want anything to do with this artifact, with this. 00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:45.259 This is your God and we know it and it scares us. 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:45.819 Wow. 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:48.140 1 Samuel 17, 51. 00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:52.000 This is the story of David and Goliath. 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:59.640 When David killed Goliath, and once again, warfare is a little gruesome, so hang with me. 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:09.559 When he cuts the head of Goliath off and he holds it up and he shows the Philistines, kind of the opposite, right, of what the Philistines were doing with the Ark. 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:12.940 He goes, this is your God. 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:14.279 I have him. 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:15.339 He's defeated. 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:17.799 My God helped me through it. 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:18.839 What did they do? 00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:20.859 They all ran. 00:24:21.380 --> 00:24:21.599 Wow. 00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:22.420 Out of fear. 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:23.720 One guy. 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:24.619 One guy. 00:24:25.339 --> 00:24:26.680 The Philistine army was bigger. 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:33.319 They could have easily just gone in out of anger and attacked Israel, but it had the opposite effect. 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:33.779 Yeah. 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:35.920 Because the Philistines did not have courage. 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:37.980 They had fear. 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:39.039 They had panic. 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:39.660 Yeah. 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:40.279 It was deadly. 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:45.779 And then, we'll get to that in a second. 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:53.859 This last part, sometimes the idea of panic would set in and have that friendly fire. 00:24:53.980 --> 00:24:56.700 The fact that it was so scary that you didn't know what you were doing. 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:59.059 This is the story of Gideon once again. 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:00.660 We talked about how it was 300. 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:02.220 All right, well, 300. 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:03.279 What does that mean? 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:11.859 Those 300 were the greatest soldiers of all time, and it was like every last one of them was the matrix, and they just were able to dodge everything. 00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:12.779 No. 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:15.680 God, in his wisdom, knew how to get it. 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:16.920 They circled the camp. 00:25:17.420 --> 00:25:18.420 They used trumpets. 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:20.799 They blew their trumpets as loud as they could. 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:23.180 And the Midianites panicked. 00:25:23.819 --> 00:25:26.000 In their herd mentality, what'd they do? 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:27.640 They started fighting each other. 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:35.119 They killed each other sword by sword, and the Israelites did not have to do a thing other than have really good lungs to blow some horns. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:35.880 Wow. 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:43.180 Once again, we're looking at war. 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:47.440 To make God's land established, that's what it took. 00:25:49.420 --> 00:25:56.279 And it's something, and we'll get to this, but it's not something that we're well versed in in our time in England. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:56.940 God bless. 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:03.099 A lot of us here have never had to understand the cruelty of war, had to understand what it took. 00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:12.160 But for a land of people where there was no love for God, for it to be God's people, this is what it took. 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:12.859 It took war. 00:26:13.299 --> 00:26:14.819 It took conquering. 00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:22.519 And in Deuteronomy 20, Moses is one of the last things Moses is doing. 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:27.119 He gives what's called the war oracle to the Israelite people. 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:33.000 This is what's going to need for you to take over God's land. 00:26:33.799 --> 00:26:37.460 To make God's land established, this is the fight. 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:39.140 This is what we're going to speak on. 00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:42.259 This is what we're going to preach before we go to war. 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:44.359 So I'm going to read that for you guys here. 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:48.319 I want you guys to think it's Deuteronomy 20 verses 1 through 8. 00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:49.920 I'm going to read it. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.700 I'm going to try to read it as if we are lining up to take over God's land. 00:26:54.740 --> 00:27:12.759 Deuteronomy 20 verse 1, it says, When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and armies greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt will be with you. 00:27:13.680 --> 00:27:19.200 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:21.359 He shall say, hear Israel. 00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:24.319 Today you are going into battle against your enemies. 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:27.259 Do not be fainthearted or afraid. 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:36.859 Do not panic or be terrified by them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:43.200 The officer shall say to the army, has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:47.619 Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. 00:27:47.619 --> 00:27:51.180 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:55.279 Let him go home, or he may die and someone else may enjoy it. 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:59.440 Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? 00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:04.799 Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may marry her. 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:09.900 And the officer shall add, is anyone afraid or fainthearted? 00:28:10.359 --> 00:28:16.259 Let him go home, so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too. 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:17.440 Wow. 00:28:24.359 --> 00:28:39.779 Now that we have talked about the currency that was used to begin Israel's time as a nation and seen examples from this time, we can now see the values that were lived out in this speech. 00:28:42.089 --> 00:28:56.069 God from the beginning was fighting for them, even if they faced enemies that were larger, men that were bigger, weapons that were more advanced, more powerful. 00:28:57.170 --> 00:28:58.910 God was fighting for the Israelites. 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:09.779 And in this oracle, the most important thing, it takes up half of the speech, is that they would not panic or flee. 00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:16.200 And you may think, Nore, why didn't you talk about marriage and a house and your vineyard? 00:29:16.900 --> 00:29:32.539 Because it was better for any of the men that were fighting, that if they had any reservations, if they thought of anything that would hold them back from giving their all to having full on courage for God, it was better for them to stay home and not fight at all. 00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:33.140 Wow. 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:41.359 The dedication to be like, no, God, I need your full, I need everything from God's people if we're going to win. 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:41.799 Yeah. 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:48.720 We couldn't be stuck on, oh man, my girl's at home and I can't do it. 00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:51.740 Well, then you're going to be dead because you're thinking about that in the middle of war. 00:29:53.660 --> 00:30:02.579 It was better for them to not fight at all and be half-hearted and not thinking about giving all to God's courage. 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:03.539 Wow. 00:30:05.970 --> 00:30:10.369 To give into fear was to potentially lose your family, your home. 00:30:11.089 --> 00:30:15.109 To be courageous was the most honorable thing you could do. 00:30:16.509 --> 00:30:24.950 Before entering the promised land, we are given God's oracle to Joshua as Israel is about to cross into the land and face these 31 states. 00:30:25.509 --> 00:30:33.910 Deuteronomy 20, it is Moses' but God also gives Joshua a rousing statement. 00:30:35.309 --> 00:30:36.529 You've heard this one before. 00:30:36.609 --> 00:30:38.890 This is kind of where we get into the idea of Joshua. 00:30:39.390 --> 00:30:43.230 And this is Joshua 1, 1 through 9. 00:30:45.170 --> 00:30:46.990 And we're going to read that as well. 00:30:47.269 --> 00:30:49.269 This is God's call. 00:30:49.390 --> 00:30:50.450 This is God's charge. 00:30:50.549 --> 00:30:52.430 This is God's war oracle to Joshua. 00:30:53.150 --> 00:30:55.509 This is a verse we know quite well. 00:30:55.910 --> 00:30:58.589 To the point I read this quite a lot growing up. 00:30:58.809 --> 00:31:00.150 This is one I was like, I know this one. 00:31:01.650 --> 00:31:05.329 So, Joshua 1, 1 through 9. 00:31:05.329 --> 00:31:06.930 Have the ideas of courage. 00:31:07.269 --> 00:31:09.470 Courage of courage when we read this. 00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:22.240 After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses' aid, Moses, my servant, is dead. 00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:29.960 Now then, you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I'm about to give them to the Israelites. 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:34.700 I will give you every place where you set your foot as I promised Moses. 00:31:34.700 --> 00:31:43.579 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon and from the great river, the Euphrates, all the Hittite country to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:47.859 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. 00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:52.500 As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 00:31:53.180 --> 00:31:55.359 I will never leave you nor forsake you. 00:31:55.960 --> 00:32:05.359 Be strong and courageous because you will need these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:08.740 Be strong and very courageous. 00:32:09.420 --> 00:32:12.900 Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. 00:32:13.220 --> 00:32:18.579 Do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go. 00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:22.440 Keep this book of the law always on your lips. 00:32:22.980 --> 00:32:28.039 Meditate on it day and night that you may be careful to do all that was written in it. 00:32:28.380 --> 00:32:31.420 Then you will be prosperous and successful. 00:32:31.420 --> 00:32:34.420 Have I not commanded you? 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:37.000 Be strong and courageous. 00:32:37.700 --> 00:32:38.740 Do not be afraid. 00:32:39.180 --> 00:32:40.319 Do not be discouraged. 00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:44.700 For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 00:32:50.170 --> 00:32:52.809 Courtesy was courage. 00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:56.259 Nothing mattered more. 00:32:57.140 --> 00:33:05.240 This is God's call for not just Joshua, not for the success of Joshua's conquest. 00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:09.519 This was the call for success when it came to the judges. 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:11.700 When they were sitting, who came out? 00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:13.240 It was the men and the women who were courageous. 00:33:14.440 --> 00:33:20.779 When there was a time when Saul and the king, when we had kings in Israel, Saul was not courageous. 00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:22.200 He was a fool. 00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:24.140 So who did God find? 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:26.200 God found David because David was courageous. 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:31.440 The currency has always been courage for God's people. 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:38.299 There was only one way to make God's name known in a land full of sin and hate and destruction. 00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:40.299 It was to be courageous for the Lord. 00:33:40.839 --> 00:33:45.839 It was not just for one person. 00:33:46.279 --> 00:33:47.480 It was not just for Joshua. 00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:49.579 It was not just for the land of their people. 00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:50.900 It was for them. 00:33:51.299 --> 00:33:54.779 More importantly, as we're going to look at, it is for us in our everyday life. 00:33:58.180 --> 00:33:59.759 The place of courage. 00:34:01.710 --> 00:34:06.769 We live in a very different time and place. 00:34:07.449 --> 00:34:15.269 We do not have to conquer many nations to make Jesus' name known. 00:34:16.190 --> 00:34:17.050 Jesus did that. 00:34:17.150 --> 00:34:18.150 Jesus died on the cross. 00:34:18.269 --> 00:34:19.630 He was the ultimate sacrifice. 00:34:19.869 --> 00:34:23.750 We do not need to shed blood in his name because he did it for us already. 00:34:25.150 --> 00:34:39.909 While there are surely brothers and sisters in this world, especially if we look at the places in the Middle East, look at Ukraine, there are brothers and sisters that are having to understand what war looks like. 00:34:41.550 --> 00:34:46.329 We live, especially in America, in a world where the currency is comfort. 00:34:48.269 --> 00:34:49.949 Courage is a stranger. 00:34:49.949 --> 00:34:50.849 Yeah. 00:34:52.210 --> 00:35:01.210 So what can this theme in Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 2 Chronicles teach us? 00:35:02.349 --> 00:35:07.409 How can we apply God's great command in Joshua 1, 1-9 to be strong and courageous? 00:35:08.829 --> 00:35:10.230 Let us take some time. 00:35:10.329 --> 00:35:17.429 Let us ask ourselves these important questions in light of the brief history lesson that we got this morning. 00:35:18.710 --> 00:35:20.449 Number one, think about this. 00:35:21.550 --> 00:35:25.030 What are honorable or courageous acts in God's eyes today? 00:35:26.070 --> 00:35:28.250 They may not be as different as we think. 00:35:30.699 --> 00:35:32.119 Think about Shamgar. 00:35:33.619 --> 00:35:34.500 He fought alone. 00:35:35.860 --> 00:35:39.860 How many of you have had the chance to share your faith alone? 00:35:40.619 --> 00:35:41.599 You haven't. 00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:42.579 Wow. 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:49.000 How many times, especially I think of our church very much for this next question. 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:52.440 We do not have pansy-like situations. 00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:56.039 We're figuring out live streams five minutes before church is happening. 00:35:56.340 --> 00:36:08.679 We don't have all this money and resources, but are we still trying to find every way to scrap and claw and make an impact for God no matter what has been given to us from a worldly perspective? 00:36:12.400 --> 00:36:19.780 Think about the idea of conquering a giant or a beast in your life with the help of God, with His Word and His Spirit. 00:36:19.780 --> 00:36:23.360 This could be anything for us. 00:36:24.099 --> 00:36:26.199 This could be purity. 00:36:26.699 --> 00:36:28.019 This could be anger. 00:36:28.940 --> 00:36:31.360 This could be your finances as we've been talking about. 00:36:31.460 --> 00:36:38.880 That's a giant that we never talk about often in the Western Christian culture. 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:41.179 It's like, ooh, don't talk about that. 00:36:41.420 --> 00:36:41.920 It's a giant. 00:36:42.019 --> 00:36:42.820 We must face it. 00:36:43.260 --> 00:36:44.840 We get often scared. 00:36:44.980 --> 00:36:46.840 We want to hide in these corners from everything. 00:36:46.840 --> 00:36:50.320 We want to hide in the corners from the hard conversations we need to have. 00:36:50.539 --> 00:36:52.119 Talking about biblical truth. 00:36:52.420 --> 00:36:54.320 Hey, you're not living like a disciple. 00:36:54.719 --> 00:36:55.480 That's a hard thing. 00:36:55.539 --> 00:36:57.400 That's a giant conversation to have. 00:36:58.380 --> 00:36:59.800 You've got to be courageous and have it. 00:37:02.019 --> 00:37:08.260 And the second part, kind of just coming in with that, what do we need courage for today? 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:12.960 Or another way of asking it, what causes us to panic? 00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:14.139 That's a great question. 00:37:15.449 --> 00:37:20.489 We need courage to have those tough talks with the brothers and sisters. 00:37:22.869 --> 00:37:23.590 They're not fun. 00:37:23.949 --> 00:37:27.349 They're not fun for the person who's going to have it and the person receiving it. 00:37:29.150 --> 00:37:32.530 Nobody's sitting there skipping down the yellow brick road for it. 00:37:32.670 --> 00:37:34.610 It's going to be tough when it's needed. 00:37:36.110 --> 00:37:41.630 We need courage to share our faith with people, especially when the Spirit puts it on our hearts. 00:37:42.349 --> 00:37:43.650 I share this often. 00:37:43.710 --> 00:37:44.849 I feel so passionate about it. 00:37:45.170 --> 00:37:46.230 We all have instincts. 00:37:46.230 --> 00:37:48.349 You know who you should be sharing with. 00:37:48.429 --> 00:37:50.349 That person that walks by, you can feel it in your gut. 00:37:50.449 --> 00:37:52.429 You're like, ah, that person. 00:37:52.550 --> 00:37:53.769 I should have been sharing with that person. 00:37:55.469 --> 00:37:55.829 Courageous. 00:37:56.050 --> 00:38:00.610 It takes this weird thing in our minds where we've got to be like, no, I don't care what I think. 00:38:00.670 --> 00:38:04.349 I don't care about all these options of, oh, well, this and that. 00:38:05.210 --> 00:38:06.550 One thought should be through our minds. 00:38:06.610 --> 00:38:07.730 We need to have courage. 00:38:08.210 --> 00:38:09.730 Courage for God, for God's people. 00:38:11.190 --> 00:38:13.429 We need courage to confess and be real when we sin. 00:38:14.829 --> 00:38:17.070 I get right back to those hard conversations. 00:38:17.269 --> 00:38:19.210 No one here loves it. 00:38:19.809 --> 00:38:21.429 I think of what Paul says. 00:38:22.409 --> 00:38:27.530 I don't do the good that I want to do, and the stuff I don't want to do, I do. 00:38:28.969 --> 00:38:29.590 Like, why? 00:38:30.929 --> 00:38:31.650 It's humbling. 00:38:31.949 --> 00:38:34.769 We don't come here being like, oh, yeah, I sin, yada, yada. 00:38:34.989 --> 00:38:36.070 It is what it is. 00:38:36.829 --> 00:38:43.530 It takes courage to sit there and tell someone that you fell short of the glory of God. 00:38:43.929 --> 00:38:45.590 It's a very humbling thing. 00:38:45.989 --> 00:38:47.789 It takes every prideful thing. 00:38:47.869 --> 00:38:48.650 It takes you down. 00:38:48.769 --> 00:38:53.010 It makes you stoop to this point because we just mentally, we want to feel shame. 00:38:53.610 --> 00:38:54.769 That's not what God wants us to feel. 00:38:54.849 --> 00:38:56.670 God wants us to feel lightened. 00:38:57.050 --> 00:38:58.929 He wants us to take this burden off ourselves. 00:38:59.730 --> 00:39:04.829 The only way that we can do that is we must throw up the courage and understanding that we need to share. 00:39:04.829 --> 00:39:05.869 We need to be in the light. 00:39:05.949 --> 00:39:11.849 We need to just be people who are connected to God's word and not to the lies that Satan tells us. 00:39:13.630 --> 00:39:19.510 And perhaps most of all, we need to avoid panic when it seems like the enemy has broken through our lines. 00:39:19.789 --> 00:39:20.050 Yeah. 00:39:20.230 --> 00:39:24.150 Through discouragement, disappointment, and disorientation. 00:39:25.269 --> 00:39:26.090 I think this is important. 00:39:27.849 --> 00:39:30.090 I don't know everyone's story here. 00:39:30.130 --> 00:39:31.590 I don't know what everyone's going through. 00:39:31.849 --> 00:39:33.289 I can't read your minds. 00:39:34.329 --> 00:39:43.510 But I can probably guess at some point if it's now or if it's in the future or if it's in the past, there's things that are going to push us to our breaking limits with our faith with God. 00:39:44.349 --> 00:39:45.550 That's a part of our lives. 00:39:45.690 --> 00:39:48.050 It could be serious stuff, right? 00:39:48.110 --> 00:39:49.429 It could be deaths in families. 00:39:49.809 --> 00:39:50.909 It can be finances. 00:39:51.489 --> 00:39:53.889 It can be just a whole range of things. 00:39:53.989 --> 00:39:54.590 It could be our sin. 00:39:54.690 --> 00:39:56.190 It could be our spouse's sin. 00:39:56.210 --> 00:39:56.929 It could be anything. 00:39:58.130 --> 00:40:00.650 In those moments, we want to panic. 00:40:00.650 --> 00:40:03.690 We want to go to what the world has told us. 00:40:04.070 --> 00:40:04.809 Comfort, right? 00:40:04.849 --> 00:40:05.809 That's the world we live in. 00:40:05.869 --> 00:40:07.010 What's going to comfort me? 00:40:07.590 --> 00:40:09.789 What's going to make me feel comfort in this moment? 00:40:10.250 --> 00:40:11.230 Let me retreat. 00:40:11.929 --> 00:40:16.489 Let me run back behind the line of God's army. 00:40:16.949 --> 00:40:17.690 Let me hide. 00:40:18.690 --> 00:40:19.590 We can't do that. 00:40:19.989 --> 00:40:20.150 Yeah. 00:40:20.289 --> 00:40:20.909 We can't do that. 00:40:20.989 --> 00:40:21.829 We must stand. 00:40:22.449 --> 00:40:27.710 We must stand in the gap of whatever that fear is, whatever that panic is. 00:40:27.710 --> 00:40:30.829 But most importantly, it's not because of our strength, right? 00:40:30.929 --> 00:40:32.909 It's because of God's strength in us. 00:40:35.949 --> 00:40:48.389 And kind of placing an end to this story, an end to this lesson, is this idea coming back to courtesy. 00:40:49.250 --> 00:40:50.409 Courage is great. 00:40:51.030 --> 00:40:53.070 It means nothing if you don't cash it in. 00:40:53.570 --> 00:40:53.929 Wow. 00:40:53.929 --> 00:40:59.789 It means nothing if you don't spend the investment in God to know what it is. 00:41:00.250 --> 00:41:02.349 But then it means nothing if you don't cash it in. 00:41:03.050 --> 00:41:08.469 So as we're going out throughout our days, throughout our weeks, think of the story of Joshua. 00:41:09.050 --> 00:41:12.610 Think of what it took to start a land that God wanted to establish. 00:41:12.730 --> 00:41:13.610 It took courage. 00:41:14.010 --> 00:41:17.230 It took something that a lot of us, we don't want to instinctively have. 00:41:17.610 --> 00:41:23.030 But when it happened, all these stories, all these great men and women of God, they made impacts. 00:41:23.170 --> 00:41:26.250 They fought for God's army, and God was blessed to let us do that. 00:41:26.489 --> 00:41:28.769 With that, I'm going to pray, and then we're going to do this in it. 00:41:28.869 --> 00:41:28.989 Amen? 00:41:29.309 --> 00:41:29.530 Amen. 00:41:30.309 --> 00:41:32.469 Dear God, I'm so thankful. 00:41:32.610 --> 00:41:34.050 I'm so thankful for courage. 00:41:34.650 --> 00:41:39.690 I'm so thankful that it comes from you, and it doesn't come from our own strength. 00:41:40.289 --> 00:41:44.289 Because we know, and we see our lives, and we see the Bible, we see the stories. 00:41:44.710 --> 00:41:47.769 So often when we don't rely on you, God, that's when we fail. 00:41:48.110 --> 00:41:48.909 That's when we panic. 00:41:48.909 --> 00:41:50.949 That's when we lose sense of hope. 00:41:51.909 --> 00:41:58.329 So God, as we go out through our days, let us not just be inspired and think of the cool stories of the Bible. 00:41:58.469 --> 00:42:01.489 Let us make them an impact on what we're doing today. 00:42:01.969 --> 00:42:09.429 Think about how we need to conquer giants, how we can be fighting alone, but honestly, we're not fighting alone because we have you, God. 00:42:09.469 --> 00:42:10.710 We have everything we need. 00:42:11.269 --> 00:42:18.769 And let us just be men and women who stand up and are courageous for you, and we stand against Satan and his army. 00:42:19.329 --> 00:42:20.110 In your name I pray. 00:42:20.369 --> 00:42:20.670 Amen. 00:42:21.309 --> 00:42:21.869 All right. 00:42:22.650 --> 00:42:24.030 Go get your kids. 00:42:24.289 --> 00:42:25.349 That is lesson. 00:42:25.530 --> 00:42:26.530 You guys are dismissed. 00:42:27.309 --> 00:42:31.949 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:42:32.269 --> 00:42:35.630 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:42:35.889 --> 00:42:43.250 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:42:43.250 --> 00:42:45.889 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.