WEBVTT 00:00:04.365 --> 00:00:07.766 Thank you Isaac. Good morning, Valley View. 00:00:07.766 --> 00:00:08.766 It's great to have you here today. 00:00:08.766 --> 00:00:10.166 I want to welcome back our kids. 00:00:10.166 --> 00:00:12.333 They've been at camp and they just filtered in. 00:00:12.333 --> 00:00:15.333 They're just coming back. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.565 Thank you all. 00:00:18.565 --> 00:00:21.632 Also, our young adults went whitewater rafting this week wherever... 00:00:21.632 --> 00:00:22.300 Oh, they're not here. 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:23.166 They're at home asleep. 00:00:23.166 --> 00:00:24.565 Probably trying to recover now. 00:00:24.565 --> 00:00:29.033 Some of them are here, but it's been a busy week, so thank you for being here today. 00:00:29.033 --> 00:00:30.533 We have a guest speaker today. 00:00:30.533 --> 00:00:44.432 Before I mention his name, this week we were having breakfast together because he grew up here at Valley View and we were having breakfast with another couple of friends who grew up here as well, and our serving in ministry in other parts of the state. 00:00:44.432 --> 00:00:56.365 And as we were talking, much of our conversation was about how much Valley View had meant to each of us, how much God had used Valley View to shape so much of us. 00:00:56.365 --> 00:01:06.000 I'm deeply grateful for Valley View and what it has meant for me, and I know he is as well, and he's coming out of a deep sense of gratitude to be able to serve you today and speak to you. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:10.033 If so, if you would welcome up Jeff Prosser. Jeff, if you’d come on up. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:24.766 All right. 00:01:24.766 --> 00:01:26.799 Great. This thing on. Here we go. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:28.533 Good morning. 00:01:28.533 --> 00:01:30.365 So good to be here with you guys. 00:01:30.365 --> 00:01:37.200 I can't echo enough with what John said about just gratitude for this place and this church. 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:38.733 And thank you, sir. 00:01:38.733 --> 00:01:44.400 And just for what Valley View has meant to me in my life and the life of my family. 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:51.233 We were singing that song a minute ago about all my life you've been faithful. 00:01:51.799 --> 00:02:05.233 And man, I get, I get kind of choked up when I sing that song because I - My mind was flashing back to this place because all my life, I mean, God was faithful here to us, and and this place has meant so much to me. 00:02:05.233 --> 00:02:14.733 And so I could go around the room and just start looking at folks and just thanking you for the investment that you made in my life, because so many of you in this room have. 00:02:14.733 --> 00:02:18.400 And so if you ever thought, man, is there any, you know, any chance for Jeff? 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:20.233 Well, thank you for pouring into me. 00:02:20.233 --> 00:02:21.099 Okay. 00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:23.966 So thank you for that and with much gratitude. 00:02:23.966 --> 00:02:26.633 And so and you know, my mom's here today. 00:02:26.633 --> 00:02:28.366 I don't know if she was quite the celebrity. 00:02:28.366 --> 00:02:30.432 She's like scooting around on her walker. 00:02:30.432 --> 00:02:33.599 She just had some hip surgery and first time out in a while. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:35.832 So mom, so good to have you here. 00:02:37.432 --> 00:02:40.432 Yeah. 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:43.133 My mom has reached true grandma's status. 00:02:43.133 --> 00:02:44.832 She has a little, little. 00:02:44.832 --> 00:02:46.133 What's that called? 00:02:46.133 --> 00:02:46.900 A walker. 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:49.032 And I told you I got to get some tennis balls for you. 00:02:49.032 --> 00:02:50.133 Some cool tennis balls. 00:02:50.133 --> 00:02:53.599 But a little update if you don't ...one, if I never met you before. 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:55.900 Jeff Prosser, grew up here. 00:02:55.900 --> 00:02:58.699 So an update for those maybe, who do know me and my family. 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:00.233 My wife Holly is right here. 00:03:00.233 --> 00:03:04.133 We got married right here almost 33 years ago. 00:03:04.133 --> 00:03:05.932 Isn't that crazy? And. 00:03:05.932 --> 00:03:06.633 Yeah. 00:03:06.633 --> 00:03:14.233 Yeah. And but we have been in Etown, Kentucky, since April of last year. 00:03:14.233 --> 00:03:18.900 I'm serving on staff at Severns Valley Baptist Church, a wonderful church there. 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:21.532 We have our son, Brian. 00:03:21.532 --> 00:03:23.133 He's 30 years old. 00:03:23.133 --> 00:03:26.199 Do I look like a parent of a 30 year old? 00:03:26.832 --> 00:03:27.599 Yes. 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:29.900 I feel like the parent of a 30 year old. 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:31.733 But man, he lives here in Louisville. 00:03:31.733 --> 00:03:37.532 And our daughter, Ellie, she's, gosh, she's 19, going on 20. 00:03:37.532 --> 00:03:40.900 She just wrapped up her first year at University of Kentucky. 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:44.032 So pray for us because we're big Cardinal fans. 00:03:44.032 --> 00:03:48.566 Louisville Cardinals have our heart, but UK has our money, right? 00:03:48.566 --> 00:03:49.932 And that's okay. 00:03:49.932 --> 00:03:54.099 And because Ellie can care less, she can care less about any of that stuff. 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:55.466 But man, this. 00:03:55.466 --> 00:03:57.599 The Lord's been faithful. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:03:58.932 He's been so faithful. 00:03:58.932 --> 00:04:02.733 And again, I just can't say thank you enough for the people here. 00:04:02.733 --> 00:04:04.300 You have just impacted my life. 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:05.432 You poured into me. 00:04:05.432 --> 00:04:07.366 And so thank you for that. 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:12.233 I love this series that you guys are walking through, literally the Walking by Faith. 00:04:12.233 --> 00:04:16.399 And and if I were to ask 100 people, what does it mean? 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:20.600 Like what does it mean to walk by faith or what faith is? 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.533 We probably hear a hundred different answers. 00:04:23.533 --> 00:04:28.865 We might hear things like, you know, believing everything's going to be okay. 00:04:28.865 --> 00:04:39.665 That's faith or that positive thinking, whatever that is, you know, or or maybe faith is taking a blind leap that that's a sense of faith. 00:04:41.565 --> 00:04:43.333 Different definitions. 00:04:43.333 --> 00:04:47.565 And this morning I want us to unpack a passage here in the book of Hebrews. 00:04:47.565 --> 00:04:52.165 So if you've got a Bible, turn to your word, you open it up or turn it on. 00:04:52.165 --> 00:04:55.932 However you have God's Word, the book of Hebrews. 00:04:55.932 --> 00:05:10.432 And we're going to look at the latter part of this chapter in chapter 11, because we're going to see some things here this morning that might be a little bit like, don't understand that about faith. 00:05:10.432 --> 00:05:18.800 And because we're going to see people because the very first part of this whole letter, you see what we would call the heroes of the faith, you know, being listed. 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:22.899 And it says over and over, by faith, by faith, here's what they did. 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:33.333 But have you ever wondered why God miraculously sometimes rescues some people, but not others? 00:05:33.333 --> 00:05:34.733 Have you ever wondered? 00:05:34.733 --> 00:05:42.766 You know, one family prays and the cancer disappears and another family prays just as fervently. 00:05:42.766 --> 00:05:46.800 And they and they plan a funeral, right? 00:05:47.533 --> 00:05:54.233 Or maybe it's, you know, one missionary is protected and yet another missionary is killed. 00:05:54.333 --> 00:05:59.600 One one Christian, one follower of Jesus, you know, has this miraculous healing in their life. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:04.800 And yet another faithfully follows Christ with years of suffering. 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:09.632 And so sometimes we ask this question, well, where's God in that? 00:06:09.632 --> 00:06:12.432 Where is God in all of this? 00:06:12.432 --> 00:06:16.365 And why doesn't he always rescue his people? 00:06:17.766 --> 00:06:24.899 And so this morning we're going to unpack Hebrews 11 a little bit because this is one this is not new questions for us, man. 00:06:24.932 --> 00:06:27.199 Hebrews answers these questions for us. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:29.600 And he kind of confronts them head on. 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:33.199 And I know a lot of us know Hebrews 11 is what what's it called? 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:37.533 The the Hall of Faith, the Hall of Fame for those who are faithful. 00:06:37.533 --> 00:06:40.565 And we love reading about the victories, right? 00:06:40.565 --> 00:06:50.132 We love reading about, you know, the lion's mouth being shut and kingdoms being conquered and armies being defeated, miracles being performed. 00:06:50.132 --> 00:06:57.300 But as we're going to see here in beginning in verse 35, the tone changes dramatically here. 00:06:57.365 --> 00:06:59.966 It changes real dramatically. 00:06:59.966 --> 00:07:04.365 And so what happens here is the writer, and we don't know really who the writer of Hebrews is. 00:07:04.365 --> 00:07:14.733 We got some speculation out there, but the writer intentionally places two groups of people side by side, and one group experiences victories. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:20.365 And another group they experience unimaginable suffering. 00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:29.565 But the one thing they had in common is this they walked by faith, but they had different outcomes. 00:07:29.565 --> 00:07:34.300 And so what does it mean to walk by faith? 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:36.600 And I know you guys have been talking through that. 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:37.899 What, the entire year, John? 00:07:37.899 --> 00:07:38.766 The whole year. 00:07:38.766 --> 00:07:41.000 Walking by faith. Walking by faith. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:41.766 What is it? 00:07:41.766 --> 00:07:44.300 We sang about it up here this morning. 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:46.333 And what does it mean to walk by faith? 00:07:46.333 --> 00:07:53.699 And I think sometimes one of the biggest mistakes in reading Hebrews 11 as a, as a chapter about spiritual superheroes. 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:56.000 And we love reading about them. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:05.333 But listen, the point is to be like Abraham, the points not being, you know, go, go be like like Isaac. 00:08:05.432 --> 00:08:12.300 But no, it is instead, trust the same God that Abraham and Isaac trusted. 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:13.300 That's the idea. 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:16.000 It's not the one to be like these people, but the the. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:19.833 Put the trust of your trust and faith in those who they put their trust and faith in. 00:08:19.833 --> 00:08:25.500 Because when you look at these heroes, they're pretty flawed. 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:26.165 You think about it. 00:08:26.165 --> 00:08:26.899 Think about Noah. 00:08:26.899 --> 00:08:27.600 What Noah? 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:29.100 Man this miraculous things. 00:08:29.100 --> 00:08:31.966 But we read where Noah got drunk. 00:08:31.966 --> 00:08:34.166 We read where Abraham. 00:08:34.166 --> 00:08:35.832 He lied. 00:08:35.832 --> 00:08:43.166 Sarah laughed when being told you're going to have a baby and you're well beyond the baby making days. 00:08:44.432 --> 00:08:45.166 Jacob. 00:08:45.166 --> 00:08:47.033 He deceived Moses. 00:08:47.033 --> 00:08:48.732 He was a murderer. 00:08:48.732 --> 00:08:51.732 Samson was morally compromised. 00:08:51.765 --> 00:08:55.200 David the man after God's own heart. 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:57.765 He committed adultery. 00:08:57.765 --> 00:09:01.133 And so it's easy sometimes to think about these heroes. 00:09:01.133 --> 00:09:07.000 But, you know, they're just like you and I because we sometimes will elevate people, and we should never, ever elevate. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.932 The only person we should ever elevate is Jesus. 00:09:10.932 --> 00:09:12.500 And that's not a Sunday school answer. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:14.365 That is the answer. Right? 00:09:14.365 --> 00:09:26.500 I mean, that is and the focus as we read Hebrews 11 is not the perfection of the people, but the faithfulness, the faithfulness of God and walking by faith. 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:28.432 It's not wishful thinking. 00:09:28.432 --> 00:09:30.500 It's not positive thinking. 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:34.365 It's not believing hard enough until God answers what you want. 00:09:34.365 --> 00:09:45.399 I think one of the greatest disservice when people say they're praying through something, and maybe it didn't come into to fruition and someone says, well, you didn't have enough faith. 00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:47.500 And I think it's bogus. 00:09:47.500 --> 00:09:48.232 I don't think that's right. 00:09:48.232 --> 00:09:49.600 I don't think that's it at all. 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:55.200 It's not believing hard enough to have enough faith, but walking by faith. 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:57.033 This is the big idea here. 00:09:57.033 --> 00:10:06.133 Walking by faith means trusting God's character more than we trust our circumstances, because the circumstances are what they're going to. 00:10:06.133 --> 00:10:07.899 They're going to change, right? 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:09.500 Our circumstances change. 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:23.399 And if walking by faith means believing in God, even when life is not really all that great, and maybe you're walking through a season of life today and you're thinking, where are you, God? 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:25.365 And we continue to walk by faith. 00:10:25.365 --> 00:10:29.600 Walking by faith means obeying him even when we don't understand him. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:31.232 Ever experienced that before. 00:10:31.232 --> 00:10:35.932 And God calls you to do something and you're like, God, don't understand that. 00:10:35.932 --> 00:10:38.000 That's walking by faith. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:43.700 It means it means believing his promises are greater than our present reality. 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:58.932 And sometimes our present reality may look dim and dire, but when when God makes a promise to us, he sees that promise through and faith will tell us, you know, I don't know what God is doing, but but I sure do know who God is. 00:10:58.932 --> 00:11:04.200 And so let's jump into this passage here and start in verse 32. 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:12.100 And so the writer has, you know, he's walked through all these different names of people by faith, by faith, by faith. 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:16.166 And then verse 32, it's this, it says this, and what more can I say? 00:11:16.166 --> 00:11:43.899 Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barack, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escape the edge of the sword, gained strength and weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.732 Women received their dead raised to life again. 00:11:47.732 --> 00:11:54.966 And while you read that and the writer quickly goes to Israel's history and we see all these names. 00:11:54.966 --> 00:11:55.533 Think about it. 00:11:55.533 --> 00:12:04.966 Think about all the sermons that could come from these names Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, all of them, all of them. 00:12:04.966 --> 00:12:14.332 He described these incredible victories, you know, some conquered kingdoms, some ministered justice, some shut the mouths of lions. 00:12:14.633 --> 00:12:17.432 Someone battles. 00:12:17.432 --> 00:12:21.100 And it just reminds me that God still does miracles. 00:12:21.100 --> 00:12:23.166 Do you believe that today? 00:12:23.166 --> 00:12:25.033 Do you believe that God still does? 00:12:25.033 --> 00:12:27.832 I do, I think he does. 00:12:27.832 --> 00:12:29.932 I think he still heals. 00:12:29.932 --> 00:12:31.932 I believe he still provides. 00:12:31.932 --> 00:12:34.232 I believe he still walks with us. 00:12:34.232 --> 00:12:38.633 And I think we should always pray boldly because God is able. 00:12:39.133 --> 00:12:45.133 And Ephesians tells us he is able to do beyond what we could ever imagine or think. 00:12:45.133 --> 00:12:49.932 And that's pretty remarkable because I can imagine and think some really crazy things. 00:12:49.932 --> 00:12:51.600 But that's what God is able to do. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:13:01.200 But then right here in this passage, everything changes because faith sometimes endures really extraordinary suffering. 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:11.000 And so many times when we walk through suffering and maybe you're going through some suffering today, sometimes our first response is, well, this can't be from God. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:14.533 I'm suffering because this, this can't be from God. 00:13:14.533 --> 00:13:16.000 Where are you, God? 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:17.732 And that's what happens right here. 00:13:17.732 --> 00:13:20.500 You get all these stories, all these stories. 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:37.033 But then starting in verse 36, but others, but others look at verse 36 through 38, but others experience mockings and scourge and scourges, as well as bonds and imprisonment. 00:13:37.033 --> 00:13:38.232 They were stoned. 00:13:38.232 --> 00:13:40.899 They were sawed in two. 00:13:40.899 --> 00:13:42.399 They died by the sword. 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:48.633 They wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, destitute, afflicted and mistreated. 00:13:48.633 --> 00:13:51.200 The world was not worthy of them. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:57.566 They wandered in deserts, in the mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 00:13:57.566 --> 00:13:59.033 And we see this. 00:13:59.033 --> 00:14:04.899 And yet these, these believers had the exact same faith as all the ones that we just read about. 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:11.700 All all the names that we're familiar with, and these are the ones who aren't even named. 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:13.133 I wonder what their names are. 00:14:13.133 --> 00:14:14.566 And one day to know. 00:14:14.566 --> 00:14:18.899 One day to know that we'll get to meet them. 00:14:18.899 --> 00:14:20.932 We'll get to hear that story. 00:14:20.932 --> 00:14:24.232 But we don't know their names, but they had the exact same faith. 00:14:24.232 --> 00:14:28.832 Yet instead of miracles, they experienced suffering. 00:14:28.832 --> 00:14:33.000 And I think here in the Western world, as followers of Jesus. 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:39.732 And listen, I use that term followers of Jesus over saying, I'm a Christian now I know what a Christian is. 00:14:39.732 --> 00:14:46.500 But sometimes in this day and age, you can say the word Christian and there's a thousand different reasons or a different definitions of it. Right? 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:50.700 But if I tell you, I am a follower with Jesus, who am I following? 00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:51.600 Jesus. Right. 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:53.732 Again, that's not the Sunday school answer. 00:14:53.732 --> 00:14:54.966 That is the answer. 00:14:54.966 --> 00:14:56.500 But that's what it is. 00:14:56.500 --> 00:15:01.700 And yet sometimes when we walk through suffering, we're like, Lord, where are you in this? 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:02.432 Where are you? 00:15:02.432 --> 00:15:06.000 Because these folks here have the exact same faith and listen to it again. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:06.732 What happened to them? 00:15:06.732 --> 00:15:12.166 They were tortured, mocked, whipped, imprisoned, stoned, killed by the sword. 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:13.966 Some were homeless. 00:15:13.966 --> 00:15:21.765 Others wandered in deserts and caves, and the world would have looked at them and had assumed man God abandoned them. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.232 They didn't have enough faith. 00:15:24.232 --> 00:15:27.232 My guess is that might be what they would say. 00:15:27.232 --> 00:15:31.365 But God says something completely different. 00:15:31.365 --> 00:15:33.365 He says something completely different. 00:15:33.365 --> 00:15:36.365 He says the world is not worthy of them. 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:44.732 And I want to unpack that for just a second, because their suffering was never, never evidence of God's like absence. 00:15:44.732 --> 00:15:49.533 But it was evidence of his faithfulness that these folks walk through that. 00:15:49.533 --> 00:16:01.100 And, you know, I think one of the greatest pictures of walking by faith has to be it's found in the book of Daniel, and no one illustrates it better than Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:02.432 Now I learned that story. 00:16:02.432 --> 00:16:04.600 Guess what? Right here at Valley View. 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:06.000 Right back over here somewhere. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:08.365 One of those classes, we had a thing called flannel graph. 00:16:08.365 --> 00:16:10.932 Remember flannel graph Phil, remember flannel graph? 00:16:10.932 --> 00:16:12.399 Okay, yeah. 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:14.633 Flannel graph. We got to bring that back. 00:16:14.633 --> 00:16:18.365 If you don't know what that is young people, it's like it's a it's a flannel piece of board. 00:16:18.365 --> 00:16:20.033 And they would put these little characters up. 00:16:20.033 --> 00:16:24.566 And it was kind of some of y'all look at me like strangers, like, what is that, Jeff? 00:16:24.566 --> 00:16:26.765 And some of you are like, yes, but flannel graph. 00:16:26.765 --> 00:16:30.000 That's how I learned the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:36.966 And if you know it, or if you're a Veggie Tales fan, Rack Shack and Benny, right, you've heard of that. Okay. 00:16:36.966 --> 00:16:44.533 But King Nebuchadnezzar says to to he builds this, this idol out of gold and says, when you hear the music play, you were to bow right where you are. 00:16:44.533 --> 00:16:47.566 You bow, you bow to it, you bow to it. 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.732 And these three Hebrew teenagers, they were, I think they were teenagers. 00:16:51.732 --> 00:16:53.732 They were young man. 00:16:53.732 --> 00:16:55.200 They lived differently. 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:57.000 They walked by faith. 00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:59.566 And so when the music played, they didn't bow. 00:16:59.566 --> 00:17:00.365 They got in trouble. 00:17:00.365 --> 00:17:06.333 They get presented to King Nebuchadnezzar, and the king says, if you don't bow, it's going to cost you your life. 00:17:06.333 --> 00:17:08.700 You're going to be thrown into a furnace. 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:10.432 You're going to die for your faith. 00:17:10.432 --> 00:17:12.566 You're going to die for your faith. 00:17:12.566 --> 00:17:14.566 And so and I love the response. 00:17:14.566 --> 00:17:21.232 Matter of fact, if you want to turn back to the book of Daniel Daniel chapter three. 00:17:21.232 --> 00:17:24.232 Listen, man, I love their response. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.200 This is walking by faith. 00:17:28.232 --> 00:17:32.000 After all of that, starting in verse 16. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:40.232 Daniel chapter three, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to give you an answer to this question. 00:17:40.232 --> 00:17:43.732 The question was, hey, who's this God, who's going to rescue you? 00:17:43.732 --> 00:17:45.333 And they say this right here. 00:17:45.333 --> 00:17:55.532 If the God we serve exist, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the King. 00:17:55.700 --> 00:18:06.566 But even if he doesn't rescue us, we want you to know, King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up. 00:18:06.566 --> 00:18:09.500 That is biblical faith right there. 00:18:09.500 --> 00:18:14.799 It wasn't because if it cost them their lives, man, they're like, I don't care if it does. 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:19.133 We're not bowing down because we believe in the one true God. 00:18:19.133 --> 00:18:22.365 And to me, again, that's that's biblical faith. 00:18:22.365 --> 00:18:28.000 Faith is not saying that God's going to rescue me because God doesn't always rescue us, does he? 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:30.965 At least in our eyes, we think he hasn't rescued us. 00:18:32.165 --> 00:18:40.633 But if we believe in the sovereignty of God, that means no matter what you're walking through today, if you're a follower of Jesus, there's a reason for it. 00:18:40.633 --> 00:18:42.932 God's using that for some way. 00:18:42.932 --> 00:18:49.766 And, you know, faith is saying whether he rescues me or not, he is worthy of my worship. 00:18:49.766 --> 00:18:57.099 And so Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they settled their obedience even before they knew the outcome. 00:18:57.099 --> 00:18:58.032 They did that. 00:18:58.032 --> 00:19:01.732 And that's what it means to walk by faith. 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:04.599 Let's make this really practical here this morning. What? 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:07.432 What does walking by faith look like? 00:19:07.432 --> 00:19:09.099 We can say it over and over. 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:10.932 Hey, have more faith. Pray for faith. 00:19:10.932 --> 00:19:12.200 But what does it look like? 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:13.032 A couple of things. 00:19:13.032 --> 00:19:17.099 One, trusting God's character over my circumstances. 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:18.833 And we said that earlier. 00:19:18.833 --> 00:19:22.900 Trusting God's character over my circumstances. 00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:26.799 Circumstances are going to constantly change. 00:19:27.133 --> 00:19:27.932 They're going to that. 00:19:27.932 --> 00:19:30.500 God's God never does. 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:34.365 And the Bible declares he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:19:34.365 --> 00:19:35.633 And I love that. 00:19:35.633 --> 00:19:37.032 I love that about the Word of God. 00:19:37.032 --> 00:19:43.732 This is our final authority, our only authority as followers of Jesus, because it's not going to change. 00:19:43.732 --> 00:19:50.200 The culture may try to change it, but this is not going to change until trust in God's character over your circumstances. 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:51.900 That's walking by faith. 00:19:52.833 --> 00:19:56.732 Another practicality of this is obeying God. 00:19:56.732 --> 00:19:59.732 Even when I don't understand. 00:20:00.133 --> 00:20:05.365 Faith is not having all the answers or even the next answer. 00:20:05.365 --> 00:20:09.932 Faith is taking the next step because God has spoken. 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:15.299 Church God rarely gives us the entire roadmap, right? 00:20:15.333 --> 00:20:18.333 I mean, he he very rarely does that. 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:27.766 And a lot of times, and I love what what Psalms 119 says, it tells us that that he guides our path. 00:20:27.766 --> 00:20:28.633 Right. 00:20:28.633 --> 00:20:32.000 Your word is a light, your lamp unto my path. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:33.965 And think about a lamp. 00:20:33.965 --> 00:20:37.400 And a lamp just gives enough light for just the next step. 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:39.766 But sometimes we want before we even move. 00:20:39.766 --> 00:20:43.333 We're like God, I want it all laid out from A to Z. 00:20:43.932 --> 00:20:46.165 And that's not how God always operates. 00:20:46.165 --> 00:20:48.500 Sometimes he might. 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:54.000 If you would have told me, you know, a year and a half ago that we would be in E-Town, Kentucky, I would thought, you're crazy. 00:20:54.965 --> 00:20:58.299 I'm like, we were happy in Bowling Green, Kentucky, serving at a church. 00:20:58.299 --> 00:21:01.200 They're working with college students and man. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:04.500 And then God, out of the blue, I'm telling you. And it's another story. 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:05.633 It's another sermon. 00:21:05.633 --> 00:21:06.365 Next year maybe. 00:21:06.365 --> 00:21:10.633 Okay, but, man, God just made it clear. 00:21:10.633 --> 00:21:12.932 And I began to ask God. 00:21:12.932 --> 00:21:14.299 Lord, I asked God three questions. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:16.333 And I think it's okay to question God. 00:21:16.333 --> 00:21:19.365 I do, and I ask God three questions. 00:21:19.532 --> 00:21:20.099 And you know what? 00:21:20.099 --> 00:21:21.633 God answered every single one of them. 00:21:21.633 --> 00:21:25.232 And it resulted us moving to E-Town, Kentucky. 00:21:25.232 --> 00:21:28.465 And, you know, again, I didn't understand it at first. 00:21:28.465 --> 00:21:29.766 Holly didn't understand it. At first. 00:21:29.766 --> 00:21:34.500 We were pretty content, had a good place, love what was going on. 00:21:36.032 --> 00:21:37.333 But it's obeying God. 00:21:37.333 --> 00:21:39.165 That's that's what walking by faith is. 00:21:39.165 --> 00:21:42.732 It's obeying God even when it doesn't make sense. 00:21:42.732 --> 00:21:44.799 Even when you don't have all the answers. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:49.566 Remember, His word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:53.532 Another idea of what walking by faith looks like one. 00:21:53.532 --> 00:21:58.965 It's living for eternity instead of comfort. 00:21:58.965 --> 00:22:00.900 I think about this for a second. 00:22:00.900 --> 00:22:02.732 The hero, the heroes. 00:22:02.732 --> 00:22:12.633 In Hebrews 11, they understood something that a lot of us don't as followers of Christ, that this life is not all that there is, you know. 00:22:12.633 --> 00:22:13.432 And then think about that. 00:22:13.432 --> 00:22:15.799 We don't belong here. 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:17.599 We don't mean the Bible even calls us. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:21.099 If you're a follower of Jesus, you're like, you're like, you're an alien. 00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:23.400 You're you're a you're a pilgrim. 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:25.032 You're an exile. 00:22:25.032 --> 00:22:26.599 We don't belong here. 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:26.900 Have you? 00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:33.232 Ever since that, as a follower of Jesus and you're just walking around with life and you're like, man, it just doesn't feel right here. 00:22:33.232 --> 00:22:39.365 Well, good, because this life is not all that there is as a follower of Jesus, this is not it. 00:22:39.365 --> 00:22:42.400 Our citizenship is actually in heaven. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:50.099 And so, you know, when the world tells us to build your kingdom and the world's really good about that culture, build your being. 00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:53.833 Jesus says to seek his kingdom, right? 00:22:53.932 --> 00:23:02.333 And when the world says, pursue comfort, Jesus says, pick up your cross and follow me every day. 00:23:02.333 --> 00:23:07.799 And picking up that cross means what it means dying to yourself every single day. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:15.633 When the world and the culture says to protect your life, Jesus says, lose your life for my sake. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:17.566 That's what it means. 00:23:17.566 --> 00:23:24.766 Sometimes we have this mindset that that eternity we're going to we're living for eternity instead of comfort. 00:23:24.766 --> 00:23:26.299 That's what it means to walk by faith. 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:31.700 But sometimes we put we put the now this is where it's all at, you know? And listen. 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:33.932 There are some hindrances to walking by faith. 00:23:33.932 --> 00:23:36.032 And one of those is comfort. 00:23:36.032 --> 00:23:37.165 It's comfort. 00:23:37.165 --> 00:23:39.732 And I think perhaps the greatest enemy of faith. 00:23:39.732 --> 00:23:42.732 It isn't persecution, it's comfort. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.700 It's comfort. 00:23:44.700 --> 00:23:49.365 Comfort whispers hey, don't risk anything for the Lord. 00:23:49.799 --> 00:23:51.032 And think about this. 00:23:51.032 --> 00:23:55.532 When's the last time you did something risky for the Lord? 00:23:55.566 --> 00:23:59.633 Something maybe that this didn't make a whole lot of sense. 00:23:59.766 --> 00:24:03.599 That sometimes we like this life of of comfort. 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:18.400 And I think if we get into a life of comfort and thinking this is all that there is, and I'm just going to, you know, one of these days I'll, you know, they were missing out because I think as long as you have breath, you have purpose. 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:19.032 You do. 00:24:19.032 --> 00:24:24.200 If you're a follower of Jesus, as long as you have breath, you've got a purpose, comfort as a hindrance. 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:27.200 Another hindrance is fear and fear. 00:24:27.365 --> 00:24:30.365 It constantly says, what if? 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:33.799 What if it's always if God calls you to do? 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:38.432 And then fear says, well, what if this or that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. 00:24:38.432 --> 00:24:43.299 That doesn't sound like really, you know, a real financial sound decision. 00:24:43.532 --> 00:24:48.965 But if God's called listen, when we remove him, we were moving. 00:24:48.965 --> 00:24:51.833 We had to buy new house. Okay? 00:24:51.833 --> 00:24:56.133 We had a sweet deal of percentage. 00:24:56.133 --> 00:24:58.532 What's it called? Holly. 00:24:58.532 --> 00:24:59.200 Thank you. 00:24:59.200 --> 00:24:59.599 Man. 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:01.299 Interest rate had a sweet interest rate. 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:02.099 And God's like. 00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:02.732 Good move. 00:25:02.732 --> 00:25:03.932 I'm like, God, you don't understand. 00:25:03.932 --> 00:25:08.633 The interest rates are this high and the houses are a whole lot more in Hardin County. 00:25:08.633 --> 00:25:10.766 I'm like, are you kidding me? 00:25:10.766 --> 00:25:11.633 And I do. 00:25:11.633 --> 00:25:15.165 I remember God, I just not out loud, but I think even louder. 00:25:15.165 --> 00:25:19.133 Just just saying I don't care about interest rates, Jeff. 00:25:20.965 --> 00:25:22.532 Okay. 00:25:22.532 --> 00:25:26.500 You know, fear constantly says what if? 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:29.232 And that's a hindrance to walking by faith. 00:25:29.232 --> 00:25:37.133 Another hindrance is just living by sight, because we naturally evaluate life by what we see, right. 00:25:37.133 --> 00:25:44.133 And faith chooses to believe God's promises ever when the circumstances seem dire. 00:25:44.932 --> 00:25:48.000 So sometimes the things that we see were like, God, that doesn't make sense to me. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:49.766 Or why would you put me in this situation? 00:25:49.766 --> 00:25:52.633 Or why would you be putting this on me? 00:25:52.633 --> 00:26:04.099 And listen, I think one of the greatest non scripture verses in the Bible is that God won't allow you to, you know, give you more than you can handle. 00:26:04.099 --> 00:26:08.400 First of all, it's nowhere in the Bible, right? It's nowhere in the Bible. 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:12.333 No matter of fact, God will put more on you than you can handle. 00:26:12.333 --> 00:26:14.200 So you're more dependent on him. 00:26:15.232 --> 00:26:20.333 You know, we get that confused with the verse that God's going to always provide a way out of temptation. 00:26:20.333 --> 00:26:29.766 Yes, but when we live, we're living by this, by by the by sight, by what we see, man, that could be a hindrance. 00:26:29.766 --> 00:26:32.165 And then again, another, another hindrance is this. 00:26:32.165 --> 00:26:33.099 And I've already said it once. 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:34.766 It's forgetting eternity again. 00:26:34.766 --> 00:26:38.232 We're thinking that this life is all that it is. 00:26:38.232 --> 00:26:43.333 And I think the book of Hebrews reminds us that this life is temporary. 00:26:43.333 --> 00:26:44.900 It's temporary. 00:26:44.900 --> 00:26:48.732 And so when we read verses 36 and 38, let's just read it again. 00:26:48.732 --> 00:26:49.799 Others. But others. 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:56.766 Maybe your translation says others experience mocking and scourging as well as bonds and imprisonment. 00:26:56.766 --> 00:26:58.500 They were stoned. They were sawed in two. 00:26:58.500 --> 00:26:59.599 They died by the sword. 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:04.766 They wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, destitute, afflicted and mistreated. 00:27:04.766 --> 00:27:09.932 And sometimes we might naturally ask, you know, where was God? 00:27:09.932 --> 00:27:11.165 Where was God? Where? 00:27:11.165 --> 00:27:13.200 Where was he when his people are being tortured? 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:15.766 Where was he when his people are being mocked? 00:27:15.766 --> 00:27:18.200 Where was he when his people are being killed? 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:23.333 And the answer is he's in the same place he was when he watched his son die on the cross. 00:27:24.365 --> 00:27:26.766 That's where he is. 00:27:26.766 --> 00:27:29.799 God has never promised us as his people. 00:27:29.833 --> 00:27:38.833 He's never promised us freedom from suffering, but he has promised us his presence while we walk through that suffering. 00:27:38.833 --> 00:27:40.032 That's what he does. 00:27:40.032 --> 00:27:47.032 Sometimes God delivers us from the fire and sometimes he doesn't. 00:27:47.232 --> 00:27:51.400 And a lot of times people will say, well, man, this, this following Jesus thing didn't work. 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:56.500 You know, I'm just going to try something else because we think it's about comfort and it's not about comfort. 00:27:56.500 --> 00:28:01.299 Matter of fact, Jesus said, if you're going to follow me, you are going to be persecuted. 00:28:01.299 --> 00:28:06.333 Life's going to be more difficult if your life's not even more. 00:28:06.333 --> 00:28:11.232 I don't know if you feel some pressure more difficult than are you really following Jesus? 00:28:11.232 --> 00:28:13.833 Because that's what Jesus said to expect. 00:28:13.833 --> 00:28:16.732 That's what he said to expect. 00:28:16.732 --> 00:28:19.532 Then you look at verses 39 through 40. 00:28:19.532 --> 00:28:24.700 I love this right here because faith lives for what cannot yet see. 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:26.133 Look at what it says. It may. 00:28:26.133 --> 00:28:27.200 It kind of sounds like. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:28.200 All right, don't understand that. 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:29.833 But let's unpack it here. 00:28:29.833 --> 00:28:34.400 Verse 39, all these were approved through their faith. 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:47.299 All of these, all those things we just mentioned, all those were approved of their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us so that they would not be made perfect without us. 00:28:47.299 --> 00:28:57.000 And we read that in this chapter ends with this, this surprise, because none of these believers received the fullness of what had been promised and would have been promised. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:00.000 The promise is the Messiah. 00:29:00.032 --> 00:29:01.299 That's it. 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:06.799 And it's not because God failed, but but because his promises were bigger than the earthly lives. 00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:10.900 And the people here, you know, the people here, here are walking by faith. 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:12.200 You know why they're walking by faith? 00:29:12.200 --> 00:29:14.032 Because of what they have heard. 00:29:14.032 --> 00:29:16.766 They've heard that the Messiah is coming. 00:29:16.766 --> 00:29:18.232 Messiah is coming. 00:29:18.232 --> 00:29:19.700 And that's all they've heard. You look. 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:30.333 And the scriptures in the first five books of the Bible, the the Torah, it's pointing to to a messiah. It's pointing to, to Jesus. 00:29:30.333 --> 00:29:37.365 And that's what, you know, they they didn't get the promise, but they live by faith for that promise to come. 00:29:37.365 --> 00:29:39.432 And here's the thing. 00:29:39.432 --> 00:29:50.232 Today we live on on the other side of that, we get to enjoy what they anticipated because what they faithfully endure with only a promise. 00:29:50.232 --> 00:29:52.133 We have a greater reason. 00:29:52.133 --> 00:29:55.099 Because the promise one has come. 00:29:56.165 --> 00:30:00.133 You know, the people of the Old Testament, they're putting their faith into who? 00:30:00.133 --> 00:30:01.400 Jesus, the one that's coming. 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:06.633 They put their faith in the one, and we put our faith into Jesus and what he has done. Right. 00:30:06.633 --> 00:30:10.333 And so all the more that we've seen this promise me back here, man. 00:30:10.333 --> 00:30:14.032 They're like, man, we we're reading about this promise. 00:30:14.032 --> 00:30:17.833 We read about this Messiah, but we're on the other side of that. 00:30:17.833 --> 00:30:21.133 And if you're a follower of Jesus, you know, we know the promise. 00:30:21.133 --> 00:30:22.700 And again, his name is Jesus. 00:30:22.700 --> 00:30:24.566 We know that. 00:30:24.566 --> 00:30:32.432 And, you know, Hebrews kind of wraps I want to wrap it up because one chapter breaks in the Bible. 00:30:32.432 --> 00:30:34.766 Some are really terrible, right? 00:30:34.766 --> 00:30:38.566 Because we know when the Bible is written, chapters and verses weren't weren't added. 00:30:38.566 --> 00:30:40.566 That was added later on to help us find things. 00:30:40.566 --> 00:30:43.299 But sometimes chapter breaks are really bad, right? 00:30:43.299 --> 00:30:44.900 And to me, this is one of them. 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:56.365 And Colby preached a few weeks ago on this, but I want you to see how how this kind of flows, because this chapter break kind of messes up the flow of this passage, if you ask me. 00:30:56.365 --> 00:31:00.200 So the writer goes through all these things that these folks are walking through. 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:03.165 He says the world's not worthy of them. 00:31:03.165 --> 00:31:09.932 And then he says, therefore, and whenever you see are therefore, what do you say, there you go. 00:31:09.932 --> 00:31:12.299 You know, what's it there for? 00:31:12.299 --> 00:31:14.365 Of all that we just looked at and read? 00:31:14.365 --> 00:31:22.900 Therefore, since we all since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses as chapter 11, all those witnesses, right? 00:31:22.900 --> 00:31:30.633 Since we have a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. 00:31:30.633 --> 00:31:34.232 Let us run with endurance the race that lasts before us. 00:31:34.232 --> 00:31:35.165 And here's the key. 00:31:35.165 --> 00:31:38.165 Keeping our eyes on Jesus. 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:39.732 That's it. 00:31:39.732 --> 00:31:45.700 Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith. 00:31:45.700 --> 00:31:52.566 And so the culmination of Hebrews 11 is not look at these people, and what they've done know it's it's look to Jesus. 00:31:52.566 --> 00:31:58.232 This entire chapter prepares us to look at who Jesus is, who this Christ is. 00:31:59.833 --> 00:32:10.200 Now listen, if, if, if we believe that this world is not our home, why do we spend so much energy living as though it is? 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:12.599 Why do we do that? 00:32:12.599 --> 00:32:18.299 Do you realize that every person that we come in contact with is headed towards eternity? 00:32:18.299 --> 00:32:19.766 They are. 00:32:19.766 --> 00:32:22.599 They're headed towards eternity. 00:32:22.599 --> 00:32:31.833 That means your coworkers, your neighbors, your classmates, family members, they're all headed for some sort of eternity. 00:32:31.932 --> 00:32:36.700 And the last time I checked 100% of the people on this planet die. 00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:40.299 They do. 00:32:41.099 --> 00:32:42.732 Eternity. 00:32:42.732 --> 00:32:45.732 Everybody is headed towards eternity. 00:32:46.932 --> 00:32:50.000 So what are we doing with the Gospel of Jesus? 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:56.500 If you're a follower of Jesus and you're walking by faith, you're walking him each and every day. 00:32:56.500 --> 00:33:00.833 I think walking by faith means you rearrange your life. 00:33:01.232 --> 00:33:03.766 You rearrange it to help others know him. 00:33:03.766 --> 00:33:12.766 Because if we truly believe that there is a heaven or a hell, and those are the only two eternities that we see in Scripture, there's heaven and there's hell. 00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:18.000 If we truly believe that. 00:33:18.333 --> 00:33:20.566 Why don't we share it? 00:33:20.566 --> 00:33:24.833 Or do we kind of think, hey, it's up to Pastor John and the other pastors here. 00:33:24.833 --> 00:33:25.833 That's what they do. 00:33:25.833 --> 00:33:27.299 Or come to church. 00:33:27.299 --> 00:33:30.299 What are we doing with the gospel? 00:33:30.566 --> 00:33:32.500 Let me close with this. 00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:33.900 Maybe you've seen this video. 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:35.700 I came across this YouTube video. 00:33:35.700 --> 00:33:39.732 Have you heard of the the magician duo Penn and Teller? 00:33:40.133 --> 00:33:40.965 You've heard of them before? 00:33:40.965 --> 00:33:42.799 Okay, there's a video and you can look. 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:47.566 Don't look it up now, but look it up later on, and it's Penn Gillette. 00:33:48.165 --> 00:33:48.566 All right. 00:33:48.566 --> 00:33:52.333 And he's he's doing a video of himself, and he's just he talks about it. 00:33:52.333 --> 00:33:54.833 And it's really it's really captivating when you see it. 00:33:54.833 --> 00:33:55.799 So check it out later on. 00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:58.766 But but basically he was sharing an experience. 00:33:58.766 --> 00:34:00.766 He said we were at a doing. 00:34:00.766 --> 00:34:06.099 Wrapped up a show, and he was out there shaking hands with people and doing autographs and things like that. 00:34:06.099 --> 00:34:07.000 Which they always do. 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:15.733 And he said, this man walked up to me and, and he gave me a Bible, one of those little New Testaments, those Gideon Bibles. 00:34:15.733 --> 00:34:17.800 So thank you, Gideons. All right. 00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:24.365 You give me one of these Bibles and Penn Gillette said, you know, this man and by the way, Penn Gillette is an atheist. 00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:32.432 He'll tell you he does not believe that he doesn't believe, doesn't believe in any sort of eternity of heaven or hell. 00:34:33.565 --> 00:34:37.632 But he gets his Bible and he says in the video, and he was so it was so compelling. 00:34:37.632 --> 00:34:39.000 I mean, he was like, man, this man. 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:40.565 I looked at him. He looked at me. 00:34:40.565 --> 00:34:42.166 He didn't like, preach at me. 00:34:42.166 --> 00:34:44.233 He didn't thump me on the on the head with the Bible. 00:34:44.233 --> 00:34:46.432 He just said, hey, I want you to have this. 00:34:46.432 --> 00:34:47.865 I want you to read this. 00:34:47.865 --> 00:34:53.932 And he said, something about this man just captured my eyes and it made me think. 00:34:53.932 --> 00:34:59.233 It made him think so much that he stopped the next day and he made a video of himself talking about his experience. 00:34:59.233 --> 00:35:04.632 And then he said, one of the most haunting, daunting statements I've ever heard. 00:35:04.699 --> 00:35:07.599 And it's a lesson that we can learn from an atheist. 00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:09.766 And here's what he said. 00:35:09.766 --> 00:35:24.166 He said, you know, if you really believe this whole Jesus thing and who this Jesus was, and you believe that there's a heaven or a hell, how much do you have to hate somebody not to tell him? 00:35:24.233 --> 00:35:36.000 That's coming from an atheist! An atheist said, how much you have to hate somebody not to tell them the good news of who Jesus is, which is the gospel. 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:43.333 And so this morning, as we're walking by faith and part of walking by faith, it is trusting and believing. 00:35:43.333 --> 00:35:45.333 Lord, okay, you have me here for a reason. 00:35:45.333 --> 00:35:49.000 I said it earlier, as long as you have breath, you have purpose. 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:51.932 You got a purpose in life. 00:35:51.932 --> 00:35:57.500 And you know our purpose in life, if you're a follower of Jesus, is to is to have fellowship with him vertically. 00:35:57.500 --> 00:36:01.032 Man, we're having this relationship with the Lord through His Son Jesus. 00:36:01.032 --> 00:36:05.099 And then it is to live differently horizontally and share the gospel. 00:36:06.532 --> 00:36:09.932 And when people approach Jesus and said, what are the two greatest commandments? 00:36:09.932 --> 00:36:13.565 And he said, he took all those commandments, right? 00:36:13.565 --> 00:36:18.333 Took all those commandments, and put them down to two commandments, and we still can't follow them, right? 00:36:18.333 --> 00:36:22.865 But two he says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength. 00:36:22.865 --> 00:36:23.833 That's vertical. 00:36:23.833 --> 00:36:26.632 And then he said, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:36:26.632 --> 00:36:28.400 That's horizontal. 00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:31.632 And loving your neighbor as yourself is. 00:36:31.766 --> 00:36:36.532 Why in the world would you keep the good news and keep that from somebody else? 00:36:36.532 --> 00:36:38.432 Knowing that? And I get it. 00:36:38.432 --> 00:36:42.532 Sometimes we don't share the gospel because out of fear or we don't know what to say. 00:36:42.532 --> 00:36:44.833 Well, learn what to say. 00:36:44.833 --> 00:36:49.233 There's resources out there today, that and people you can watch and learn from. 00:36:49.233 --> 00:36:50.865 And just just do it. 00:36:50.865 --> 00:36:53.132 And trust, trust what God will do. 00:36:53.132 --> 00:36:55.965 Trust the Holy Spirit that resides in you. 00:36:55.965 --> 00:36:57.333 That's walking by faith. 00:36:57.333 --> 00:36:58.865 It's trusting. 00:36:58.865 --> 00:37:03.766 All right. Lord, you've you know, we are in a new neighborhood. 00:37:03.766 --> 00:37:06.632 And, man, Holly and I look at that. 00:37:06.632 --> 00:37:09.500 Okay, we have a new we have a new mission field. 00:37:09.500 --> 00:37:16.099 And so we're trying to get in the contact with our neighbors and, and hanging out with them a little bit and learning about them. 00:37:16.099 --> 00:37:20.199 And the other night, one of our neighbors up the street and, and we started talking. 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:22.166 And I've been praying for him. 00:37:22.166 --> 00:37:23.800 He's what I call in our church. 00:37:23.800 --> 00:37:26.132 We call we have a thing called Hoosier One. 00:37:26.132 --> 00:37:28.500 Who's that one person in your life that far? 00:37:28.500 --> 00:37:29.965 It's near to you, but far from God. 00:37:29.965 --> 00:37:32.233 Well, this neighbor is near to me, literally. 00:37:32.233 --> 00:37:34.099 But I don't know if he knew the new the Lord or not. 00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:36.199 So I started talking to him and he started saying some things. 00:37:36.199 --> 00:37:39.132 And man, we wound up in a gospel conversation. 00:37:39.132 --> 00:37:44.000 Come to find out, he's a believer, but he's got some church hurt. 00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:51.365 I said, dude, there was no perfect church and if you find one, you better run from it because you'll screw it up, right? 00:37:53.333 --> 00:37:54.865 It's not. 00:37:54.865 --> 00:38:03.166 And so God has given us, he's equipped us to be the walk by faith and take the gospel to the ends of the earth. 00:38:03.166 --> 00:38:05.132 And that's what he's called us to do. 00:38:05.132 --> 00:38:09.233 And a lot of you in this room, I told you earlier, man, you, you you've been faithful. 00:38:09.233 --> 00:38:09.965 You've been faithful. 00:38:09.965 --> 00:38:21.333 You're thinking, man, it's this teaching, this Sunday school lesson really impacting these young people is doing, you know, Kiddo Camp and Children's Church or whatever it might be, you know, is that really impacting people? 00:38:21.333 --> 00:38:22.932 Answer yes. 00:38:22.932 --> 00:38:24.733 Yes. You got a couple us right here, man. 00:38:24.733 --> 00:38:26.932 You impacted our lives. 00:38:26.932 --> 00:38:29.500 So keep on, keep on. 00:38:29.500 --> 00:38:34.965 And if you're not serving somewhere in this church then why? Don't be a consumer. 00:38:35.532 --> 00:38:36.733 Don't be a consumer. 00:38:37.766 --> 00:38:41.432 First of all, is there a room for one more one more person in this place? 00:38:41.432 --> 00:38:42.766 There is. 00:38:42.766 --> 00:38:44.932 And we ask it every Sunday morning in our church. 00:38:44.932 --> 00:38:47.032 Man, do we have room for one more? Yes. 00:38:47.032 --> 00:38:48.565 So what are we doing with the gospel? 00:38:48.565 --> 00:38:50.500 Let's walk by faith. 00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:52.565 Walk by faith and listen. 00:38:52.565 --> 00:38:54.800 It may not always turn out peachy keen. 00:38:54.800 --> 00:39:03.632 And. And you're going to suffer because Jesus said so, but I think it's worth it. 00:39:03.632 --> 00:39:05.300 I think it's so worth it. 00:39:05.300 --> 00:39:09.432 And so this morning, I don't know where you are in your walk with the Lord. 00:39:09.432 --> 00:39:14.932 I don't know if you have that, and if you have never surrendered your life to him. 00:39:14.932 --> 00:39:16.032 That's that's what it is. 00:39:16.032 --> 00:39:18.833 You surrender and you give it all up to him. 00:39:18.833 --> 00:39:20.965 And this morning you can do that. 00:39:20.965 --> 00:39:25.733 I think in a little while we'll have an invitation, and you can come talk to one of the pastors. 00:39:25.733 --> 00:39:30.300 You can come talk with me or whoever you know and just say, man, I, I need Jesus. 00:39:31.532 --> 00:39:33.599 There's no need to clean yourself up to come. 00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:37.565 It's just, I, I need Jesus, I want to walk by faith. 00:39:37.565 --> 00:39:44.199 And maybe you're here this morning and you are walking by faith, and you're a follower of Jesus and you're just trying to you. 00:39:44.199 --> 00:39:48.333 Maybe God put somebody on your heart that you that doesn't know the Lord. 00:39:48.333 --> 00:39:53.900 And so I pray, Lord, give me the ability, give me the boldness this week. 00:39:53.900 --> 00:39:55.565 Or maybe you're walking through some suffering. 00:39:55.565 --> 00:39:58.000 You're walking through some difficulty and you're wondering, man, God. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:39:59.632 Where are you? 00:39:59.632 --> 00:40:08.965 Well, gather a few people together and come down to this altar here and just pray together, Lord, and watch your faith be be strengthened because of that. 00:40:09.166 --> 00:40:14.233 I don't know where you might be this morning, but the invitation is just to be obedient. 00:40:14.233 --> 00:40:15.800 Be obedient to the father. 00:40:16.900 --> 00:40:17.699 You'll be into the father. 00:40:17.699 --> 00:40:21.166 We're going to pray together and then Pastor John’s going to come back up and and lead us. 00:40:21.166 --> 00:40:21.965 But let's pray together. 00:40:21.965 --> 00:40:25.632 Lord, I thank you, God. 00:40:25.632 --> 00:40:33.766 I can't say enough how much I just love this church and these people in this church, and so blessed by their faithfulness. 00:40:34.300 --> 00:40:36.432 And Lord, I know you have. 00:40:36.432 --> 00:40:41.532 You have so many more years left here at Valley View Church. 00:40:41.532 --> 00:40:46.965 And Lord, you have called these people here for this time and this season. 00:40:47.766 --> 00:40:49.500 For a reason. 00:40:49.500 --> 00:40:56.800 And so, Lord, I pray that as they continue to walk through this series, Lord, that you would just strengthen your faith. 00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:01.365 Your word tells us that our faith is strengthened by the hearing of your word. 00:41:01.365 --> 00:41:04.632 And so may we be people of your Word each and every day. 00:41:04.632 --> 00:41:11.032 And God, we would trust you more and more every day, and even even through the things that just don't make sense. 00:41:11.032 --> 00:41:17.099 God, that we would just trust you because you are God and you are good. 00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:21.699 And father, I pray this morning for someone here who doesn't know you, they have never surrendered their life. 00:41:21.699 --> 00:41:27.733 I pray that they know that you demonstrated how much you loved them by the giving of your son, Jesus Christ. 00:41:27.733 --> 00:41:37.132 And when Jesus says, I'm the way, the truth, and the life and nobody comes to me, comes to my father except through me, what an exclusive statement that is. 00:41:37.132 --> 00:41:43.333 And and either Jesus was a mad man or he was a liar, or he is Lord. 00:41:45.300 --> 00:41:53.000 So, God, I pray this morning that people would put their faith and trust in you and call you Lord God, thank you for how you love us. 00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:54.865 I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.