WEBVTT 00:00:15.842 --> 00:00:17.753 Come on, man don't stop giving him praise. 00:00:17.753 --> 00:00:20.827 Come on if you believe that it's good to be alive. 00:00:20.827 --> 00:00:23.591 Somebody ought to give God a Shabbat praise this morning. 00:00:23.591 --> 00:00:24.764 Come on 8 am. 00:00:24.783 --> 00:00:28.355 I'm going to give you about 30 seconds to give God a Mary Death praise. 00:00:28.355 --> 00:00:34.628 If you know it's good to be alive, hallelujah, open up your mouth and give God some praise. 00:00:34.628 --> 00:00:37.453 Give him praise like it's good to be here. 00:00:37.453 --> 00:00:41.323 Give him praise like he's good to be here. 00:00:41.323 --> 00:00:43.445 Give him praise like he's brought you through something. 00:00:43.445 --> 00:00:48.170 Give him praise like he's walking you up this morning, part of you on your way. 00:00:48.211 --> 00:00:50.374 Hallelujah, it's good to be alive. 00:00:50.374 --> 00:00:51.115 Come on, come on. 00:00:51.115 --> 00:00:52.256 I can't even tell about three more. 00:00:52.256 --> 00:00:52.837 Three more people. 00:00:52.837 --> 00:00:54.999 It's good to be alive. 00:00:54.999 --> 00:00:56.353 It's good to be alive. 00:00:56.353 --> 00:00:57.923 Hallelujah, hallelujah. 00:00:57.923 --> 00:00:59.695 Oh, they ain't talking to you. 00:00:59.695 --> 00:01:02.830 Sign three more and tell them what is best to me. 00:01:02.830 --> 00:01:04.358 Sign three more and tell them it's best to me. 00:01:04.358 --> 00:01:08.614 Hallelujah, he came down to have life. 00:01:08.614 --> 00:01:12.390 I'm wondering this Hallelujah, come on. 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:17.938 I wish you'd tell somebody Hallelujah, it's good to be alive, but it's best to me. 00:01:17.938 --> 00:01:19.584 Hallelujah. 00:01:19.584 --> 00:01:24.640 Long gone are the days where I'm struggling, trying to figure out how you ain't going to meet. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.319 They're going to meet because he's already made them meet. 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:32.525 It's good to be alive, but it's best to live. 00:01:32.525 --> 00:01:38.373 Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. 00:01:38.433 --> 00:01:40.076 Glory to God. 00:01:40.076 --> 00:01:41.346 Come on, it don't stop just because the music stopped. 00:01:41.346 --> 00:01:42.501 Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to God. 00:01:42.501 --> 00:01:42.763 Come on, it don't stop just because the music stopped. 00:01:42.763 --> 00:01:48.212 Hallelujah, if you really believe that this morning, that it's best to live. 00:01:48.212 --> 00:01:54.329 Hallelujah With all that God has done, with all that God is. 00:01:54.329 --> 00:02:11.158 It's good to be in the land of the living, it's good to be in the land of the living, but what good is it to be in the land of the living if we refuse to live? 00:02:11.158 --> 00:02:11.419 Hallelujah? 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:12.762 I know it's early, 8 am. 00:02:12.762 --> 00:02:14.969 Let that sit on you like some good grits. 00:02:14.969 --> 00:02:21.725 It's good to be in the land of the living, but what good is the land of the living if you refuse to live? 00:02:21.725 --> 00:02:25.612 Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to God. 00:02:25.612 --> 00:02:26.995 Glory to God. 00:02:26.995 --> 00:02:31.431 We give honor to our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. 00:02:31.431 --> 00:02:32.102 Once again. 00:02:32.102 --> 00:02:36.253 Can we give God a hand of praise just for being God this morning? 00:02:36.253 --> 00:02:38.379 Hallelujah. 00:02:38.621 --> 00:02:42.251 And while we're clapping, can we praise God for our pastor? 00:02:42.251 --> 00:02:44.262 Hallelujah, in his absence today. 00:02:44.262 --> 00:02:50.467 Come on, let's make some noise for our visionary, for our leader, hallelujah. 00:02:50.467 --> 00:02:53.366 And oh, what a special day it is. 00:02:53.366 --> 00:03:01.444 Hallelujah for him, uh, as this is the day that he celebrates another turn around the sun. 00:03:01.444 --> 00:03:06.621 Amen, y'all know how we do you know? 00:03:06.621 --> 00:03:10.451 It's just like us, on your birthday, not to show up for work. 00:03:10.451 --> 00:03:18.350 Pray for him, lord God, hallelujah, come on, let's celebrate our pastor. 00:03:18.350 --> 00:03:20.824 Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to God, glory to God. 00:03:20.824 --> 00:03:22.350 Come on, let's celebrate our pastor, hallelujah. 00:03:22.350 --> 00:03:27.812 Glory to god, glory to god, and we're thankful for him and for each and every one of you, the lord's people. 00:03:28.653 --> 00:03:45.586 Uh, we're grateful for all of those leaders that have gone and seen something new in this past week in baltimore, maryland, and we're excited for what god is about to do in this new season and I would be remiss if I did not. 00:03:45.586 --> 00:03:47.972 Don't take this moment to say thank you to my bride. 00:03:47.972 --> 00:03:50.983 Hallelujah, glory to God. 00:03:50.983 --> 00:03:59.014 I was trying to find something right to say, but the Spirit blocked my tongue so I wouldn't go too far. 00:03:59.014 --> 00:04:02.241 Chris, hallelujah, you know, the Lord is a keeper. 00:04:02.241 --> 00:04:03.586 Yes, he is. 00:04:03.586 --> 00:04:04.805 Somebody say, yes, he is. 00:04:04.805 --> 00:04:09.968 But I'm grateful for my wife, amen, for all of her prayers, love and support. 00:04:09.968 --> 00:04:12.951 I encouraged her to go home and rest. 00:04:12.951 --> 00:04:19.346 She's been working for the past 14, 16 hours, but she was determined to be here today. 00:04:19.346 --> 00:04:24.853 So I'm grateful for that and I love you, amen. 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:26.644 Come on, let's turn in our Bibles. 00:04:26.644 --> 00:04:28.469 This morning, 8 am. 00:04:28.469 --> 00:04:31.649 We don't have much time, but we're going to have a good time. 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:38.271 Turn in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 13. 00:04:38.271 --> 00:04:41.562 Numbers, chapter 13. 00:04:41.562 --> 00:04:43.463 Elder Sherry, I was a little. 00:04:43.463 --> 00:05:18.504 My nerves have been all over the place for the past few weeks, simply because the Lord had dropped this message in my spirit not long after Pastor had asked me to preach, and this was a few months ago and it seemed like there were countless times. 00:05:18.504 --> 00:05:25.213 Either he or any of our guest preachers have touched on this chapter in some way, form or another, and as a preacher, that's sometimes the scariest place to be in when somebody doesn't preach your message. 00:05:25.213 --> 00:05:32.304 But I believe that there's a word from the Lord today Numbers, chapter 13. 00:05:32.304 --> 00:05:36.692 And I want to read verses 27 through 33. 00:05:36.692 --> 00:05:42.940 And you're hearing, if it ain't Jesus, tell him you'll call him back. 00:05:42.940 --> 00:05:47.863 Numbers, chapter 13, verse 27 through 33. 00:05:47.863 --> 00:05:52.167 As is our custom, we stand for the reading of God's word. 00:05:52.167 --> 00:05:54.307 We're going to read it together. 00:05:54.307 --> 00:05:55.908 Let us read. 00:05:56.970 --> 00:05:58.911 This was their report to Moses. 00:05:58.911 --> 00:06:09.838 We entered the land you sent us to explore and it is indeed a bountiful country, a land flowing with milk and honey. 00:06:09.838 --> 00:06:13.901 Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 00:06:13.901 --> 00:06:15.461 But the people were living. 00:06:15.461 --> 00:06:19.923 They are powerful and their towns are large and fortified. 00:06:19.923 --> 00:06:22.264 We even saw giants there. 00:06:22.264 --> 00:06:33.208 The descendants of Anak, the Amalekites live in the Negev and the Hittites and Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country. 00:06:33.208 --> 00:06:40.071 The Canaanites live also live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley. 00:06:41.391 --> 00:06:45.093 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. 00:06:45.093 --> 00:06:48.853 Let us go at once to take the land, he said. 00:06:48.853 --> 00:06:51.035 We can certainly conquer it. 00:06:51.035 --> 00:06:56.658 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. 00:06:56.658 --> 00:06:58.937 We can't go up against them. 00:06:58.937 --> 00:07:04.961 They are stronger than we are. 00:07:04.961 --> 00:07:07.610 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites. 00:07:07.610 --> 00:07:13.543 The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. 00:07:13.543 --> 00:07:17.189 All the people we saw were huge Verse 33,. 00:07:17.189 --> 00:07:24.141 We even saw giants there huge Verse 33,. 00:07:24.141 --> 00:07:26.528 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak Next to them. 00:07:26.528 --> 00:07:28.334 We felt like grasshoppers and that's what they thought too. 00:07:28.334 --> 00:07:29.437 Go back to verse 32 for me, please. 00:07:29.437 --> 00:07:31.821 It says so. 00:07:31.821 --> 00:07:36.586 They spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites. 00:07:36.586 --> 00:07:43.396 The land we travel through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. 00:07:43.396 --> 00:07:47.687 All the people we saw were huge. 00:07:48.588 --> 00:07:58.874 If you don't mind, on your way to your seat, I want you to nudge somebody next to you and tell them the good news is, the bad news was wrong. 00:07:58.874 --> 00:08:07.302 The bad news was wrong. 00:08:07.302 --> 00:08:10.069 Look at somebody else and tell them the good news is, the bad news was wrong. 00:08:10.069 --> 00:08:26.230 Hallelujah, you may take your seats in the presence of god of God, aaron, can y'all do something for me real quick? 00:08:26.230 --> 00:08:27.819 I'm going to give a shout out to our media team. 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:29.831 I ain't going to bother them too much this morning. 00:08:29.831 --> 00:08:36.980 I want to do this and go and get it out of the way, because you know, sometimes short folk, they want to see what the points are and then that tell them how long service is going to be. 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:38.425 So I want to get that out of the way. 00:08:38.425 --> 00:08:39.589 Can I do that real quick? 00:08:39.589 --> 00:08:50.058 The first point is going to be to get to greater, we must denounce doubt. 00:08:50.058 --> 00:08:57.341 To get to greater, we must denounce doubt. 00:08:57.341 --> 00:09:02.208 The second point is doubt makes us deaf to hearing, dumb in doing and blind to belief. 00:09:02.208 --> 00:09:10.423 Doubt makes us deaf to hearing, dumb in doing and blind to belief. 00:09:10.423 --> 00:09:15.881 And the third point is the good news is the bad news was wrong. 00:09:15.881 --> 00:09:18.309 Somebody clap your hands and give God some praise All right. 00:09:18.309 --> 00:09:24.119 Wrong. 00:09:24.119 --> 00:09:25.803 Somebody clap your hands and give God some praise, All right. 00:09:25.823 --> 00:09:40.163 I start there because it seems that no matter what we hear, no matter what we go through in this journey of life that's filled with its ups and downs, all of us love to hear some good news. 00:09:40.163 --> 00:09:54.072 But the reality is, as much as we love to hear good news, the truth of, sometimes, our circumstance is the bad news seems to be what we gravitate to the most. 00:09:54.072 --> 00:09:59.215 I've heard it said that good news travels fast. 00:09:59.215 --> 00:10:14.682 You've heard that before, but when, in my research, I realized that good news does indeed travel fast, but not faster than bad news. 00:10:14.682 --> 00:10:29.573 The term bad news travels fast is first found in print in the English author's Thomas Kydes play the Spanish Tragedy, and this was written sometime between listen to this 1582 and 1592. 00:10:29.573 --> 00:10:37.011 And it includes these lines If he lived, the news would soon be here. 00:10:37.011 --> 00:10:41.450 Nay evil news travels faster than good. 00:10:43.175 --> 00:11:00.268 There's something about our human consciousness that causes us to gravitate to like a moth to a flame, to negative or bad news, no matter how good or positive the news may be. 00:11:00.268 --> 00:11:03.734 Some of us would rather focus on the bad. 00:11:03.734 --> 00:11:26.605 Now, although Israel is a highlight of our scriptural reference today, what I find oftentimes is that when we look at moments in the Bible in the Bible, we find ourselves turning up our nose and saying how dare they? 00:11:26.605 --> 00:11:29.412 How dare they turn their back on a God that's done everything for them? 00:11:29.412 --> 00:11:38.972 We look down our noses at the experiences that we find in scripture simply because we already know what the end is going to be. 00:11:38.972 --> 00:11:45.482 We already know what the end is going to be. 00:11:45.482 --> 00:11:48.812 We find ourselves being very judgmental when it comes to the life experiences that we see illustrated in scripture. 00:11:48.812 --> 00:12:00.413 But can I remind you a little bit this morning that we are no different than the children of Israel, many of us today, especially those that are living in this social media age. 00:12:00.794 --> 00:12:12.771 Uh, if you made a post, uh, and and, and you, uh, uh, uh, you, you look every day, you look every minute, every hour to see how many people have liked it and and, god forbid, uh, it's, it's a birthday picture. 00:12:12.771 --> 00:12:15.790 Come on, put that up, pastor walt, so we can like it and we can share it. 00:12:15.790 --> 00:12:23.173 Uh, but, but god forbid, you put something up that you think would get a, a good, that you would get a good response from. 00:12:23.173 --> 00:12:35.930 And what we find ourselves doing is scrolling through all of the good responses and we somehow seem to focus in on that one hater. 00:12:35.930 --> 00:12:42.408 We find ourselves focusing in on that one bad comment. 00:12:42.408 --> 00:12:56.246 It could be thousands of people that said, oh, you look good, oh, you did good with your cooking, or you look good in your outfit, but we find the one person that said I can't believe you put that on. 00:12:56.246 --> 00:12:58.329 That don't match, that, don't go together. 00:12:59.951 --> 00:13:00.992 I'm so glad. 00:13:00.992 --> 00:13:01.914 I'm so glad. 00:13:01.914 --> 00:13:08.697 I'm so glad to be amongst those mature folks because I don't see many of you nodding your head. 00:13:08.697 --> 00:13:15.802 I'm so glad to be among the mature folk that aren't bothered by the naysayers, that aren't bothered by the negativity. 00:13:15.802 --> 00:13:17.650 You just find your way to press on. 00:13:17.650 --> 00:13:28.353 But I do believe that there's some other folks that get stuck every once in a while because you get stuck between what's good and what's bad. 00:13:28.353 --> 00:13:37.029 You get stuck somewhere in between the good report and the bad report. 00:13:38.291 --> 00:13:52.943 No matter how much promise or potential we see in someone else, oftentimes we struggle because the good that we see in others. 00:13:52.943 --> 00:14:01.290 Sometimes, if you're not in a good place yourself, you find that negativity rubbing off. 00:14:01.290 --> 00:14:09.992 I hope I'm not talking to anybody in here, but I've been around some folk that they can't see your good news because they're stuck in their bed. 00:14:09.992 --> 00:14:18.833 They can't muster up a word of encouragement because they themselves are struggling in their own self-defeat. 00:14:18.833 --> 00:14:21.802 Am I talking to anybody in here this morning? 00:14:21.802 --> 00:14:24.384 We can't help ourselves Because they themselves are struggling in their own self-defeat. 00:14:24.384 --> 00:14:25.586 Am I talking to anybody in here this morning? 00:14:25.586 --> 00:14:26.226 We can't help ourselves. 00:14:26.246 --> 00:14:35.435 Unfortunately, we find moments and situations where we unfortunately give the best response to the worst situations. 00:14:35.435 --> 00:14:37.840 I know that don't make sense. 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:43.492 Sometimes we give the best response to the worst situation. 00:14:43.492 --> 00:14:48.603 Here's what I mean Many of us. 00:14:48.603 --> 00:15:07.823 If you done found your boo thing and you want the world to know, and you want the world to know and not many people would celebrate because they themselves ain't found theirs yet. 00:15:07.823 --> 00:15:19.459 But you mess around and show everybody, tell everybody about your good news, and they don't respond in kind. 00:15:20.099 --> 00:15:25.432 But it's typically that one friend you got that you was waiting to give you the good response. 00:15:25.432 --> 00:15:34.807 It's that one that was your ride or die, that don't say much or nothing and it leaves you to wonder are you really happy for me? 00:15:34.807 --> 00:15:42.710 When you say that you're happy for me, but in the good situation you'll give me a bad response. 00:15:42.710 --> 00:15:43.412 But watch this. 00:15:43.412 --> 00:15:49.852 Wait until something go wrong in your booing and relationship. 00:15:49.852 --> 00:15:54.508 Wait till something goes bad, wait till something goes down. 00:15:54.508 --> 00:16:02.216 It's that same friend that you ain't hear nothing from will be the same one that say let's pull up on him, girl, let's go key his car, girl, let's go put some sugar in it. 00:16:02.216 --> 00:16:02.532 I ain't hear nothing from. 00:16:02.532 --> 00:16:03.503 Will be the same one that say let's pull up on him, girl, let's go key his car. 00:16:03.503 --> 00:16:04.105 Girl, let's go put some sugar in. 00:16:04.105 --> 00:16:10.764 I ain't hear from you when things were going good, but time when things go worse, you give me your best response. 00:16:11.366 --> 00:16:16.806 I needed that support when things were good, not just when it's going bad. 00:16:16.806 --> 00:16:21.489 I needed that energy, match that energy when everything looks good, not when it's going bad. 00:16:21.489 --> 00:16:24.243 I needed that energy, match that energy when everything looks good, not when it goes bad. 00:16:24.243 --> 00:16:40.984 But I realized that one of the reasons and we're quickly going to get to our points here One of the reasons that we find this contradiction between good news and bad news oftentimes believers, is because of our perspective. 00:16:42.891 --> 00:16:59.207 It's it's it's caused because of the way that we see things, and oftentimes I struggle, mother Fennell, oftentimes I struggle is because we want others to see what we see and respond the way we respond. 00:16:59.207 --> 00:17:14.557 We want others to see the good, we want others to see the great, but when they don't see it the way we see it and when they don't respond the way we respond, there's an issue that we have, but it's all because of perspective. 00:17:14.557 --> 00:17:18.065 When I looked that word up, here's what I got back. 00:17:18.065 --> 00:17:33.563 The definition for the word perspective says a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something, a point of view, the state of one's ideas, watch this and the facts known and having a meaning interrelationship. 00:17:33.563 --> 00:17:43.787 And then, thirdly, the faculty of seeing all relevant data in a meaningful relationship. 00:17:43.807 --> 00:17:56.320 And I dug a little further and I found that, in context, here's where perspective really makes a difference, and I pray that it will make a difference in our lives from this day going forward. 00:17:56.320 --> 00:18:01.609 You see, there are three phases of perspective that we have to take account. 00:18:01.609 --> 00:18:11.164 One, when things are in perspective, meaning we show a right relationship between how things are interconnected. 00:18:11.164 --> 00:18:18.721 But when things are out of perspective, there is a wrong or an incorrect view of those very same objects. 00:18:18.721 --> 00:18:23.880 But here's the third we have to be willing to put them in perspective. 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:46.825 You sometimes, despite the things that you hear, despite the things that you know, despite the things that you go through, you can literally make the difference between your coming and your going, your winning and your losing, your getting and your not getting, all simply because of how you put it in perspective. 00:18:46.825 --> 00:18:52.139 Do we see things the way that we're supposed to see them? 00:18:52.139 --> 00:18:58.076 Do we see things the way we're supposed to see them? 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:07.378 Bishop Jenrite was here with us a few weeks ago and I loved as he concluded 8 am. 00:19:07.378 --> 00:19:09.442 I think he did it for the 8 am and not the others. 00:19:09.442 --> 00:19:14.092 As he concluded 8 am, I think he did it for the 8 am and not the others. 00:19:14.092 --> 00:19:14.653 As he concluded 8 am. 00:19:14.653 --> 00:19:20.823 In his message he began to quote from the book of Robert Kelly, a song by the name of. 00:19:20.823 --> 00:19:33.613 I believe I can fly, but what was interesting is as he began to preach the lyrics of the song, something stood out to me, the very first part of the bridge of the song. 00:19:33.633 --> 00:19:40.440 He says if I can see it, then I can do it. 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:46.686 He said if I just believe it, there's nothing to it. 00:19:46.686 --> 00:19:47.971 Let me do that again. 00:19:47.971 --> 00:19:52.962 If I can see it, then I can do it. 00:19:52.962 --> 00:19:58.721 If I just believe it, there's nothing to it. 00:19:58.721 --> 00:20:00.654 Do you see it yet? 00:20:00.654 --> 00:20:09.322 See, what this suggests is that the importance of proper perspective allows us to be able to see the impossible. 00:20:09.322 --> 00:20:20.715 But what I also realize is that there's a correlation between us doing and us seeing. 00:20:20.715 --> 00:20:25.625 Yeah, yeah, there's a connection between what we see and what we do. 00:20:25.625 --> 00:20:27.792 Do we agree? 00:20:27.792 --> 00:20:33.003 But if we agree on that, there's a connection between what we see and what we do. 00:20:33.730 --> 00:20:37.437 I submit this argument this morning before I get ready to take my seat. 00:20:37.437 --> 00:20:49.884 The argument is simply this If we do based on what we see, then there's a disconnect between what we see and what we do. 00:20:49.884 --> 00:20:59.043 But even greater between the seeing and the doing is the divide. 00:20:59.043 --> 00:21:03.198 There's a divide between what we do or don't do. 00:21:03.198 --> 00:21:06.195 Watch this Because of what we believe. 00:21:06.195 --> 00:21:08.253 Because of what we believe. 00:21:08.253 --> 00:21:13.582 Do you understand that there's a connection between what you see and what you do? 00:21:13.582 --> 00:21:18.292 It's all based on what you believe. 00:21:18.312 --> 00:21:33.052 We can talk about, possess the land and we can even visualize it based on the words that Pastor Walt gives us, but oftentimes we won't get to moving forward. 00:21:33.052 --> 00:21:36.541 We won't get to the doing, because many of us are still struggling with whether we believe it. 00:21:36.541 --> 00:21:53.413 And here's the challenge when it's hard for us to see it in the church that we serve, in the church that we love in the church that we love in the church that we minister and work together. 00:21:53.413 --> 00:21:57.120 If it's hard for you to see it here, guess where else? 00:21:57.120 --> 00:21:58.604 It's hard for you to see it. 00:21:58.604 --> 00:21:59.050 At home. 00:21:59.050 --> 00:22:06.730 It's hard for you to see it when God says it's time for you to step out on this new business idea. 00:22:06.730 --> 00:22:13.716 It's hard for you to see it when the doctor comes back and gives you a bad report, but God says you will live. 00:22:13.716 --> 00:22:20.282 It's hard for you to see it when you don't believe it. 00:22:20.282 --> 00:22:26.101 And here's where we find the children of Israel today. 00:22:26.101 --> 00:22:30.294 Here's where we find our issue. 00:22:30.294 --> 00:22:41.239 I submit that our issue is not necessarily with the bad news, but our issue, rather, is whether or not we believe it to be true. 00:22:41.239 --> 00:22:48.374 If bad news travels fast oh, I got to say this one. 00:22:48.374 --> 00:22:55.554 I usually don't preach according to my notes, but this one was a good one If bad news travels fast, watch this. 00:22:55.554 --> 00:23:00.303 It's spread by others who think just like you. 00:23:00.303 --> 00:23:10.779 We find ourselves here, numbers 13. 00:23:13.773 --> 00:23:52.184 If you've followed this story, israel has been delivered from Egypt and as God has delivered them from this place of bondage and slavery them from this place of bondage and slavery God has literally performed miracle after miracle after miracle, so much so that one of the greatest miracles that I could imagine a human being could ever witness would be to stand at the threshold of a sea and God lift the waters. 00:23:52.184 --> 00:23:57.881 The Bible says that he did it in such a manner that they were able to cross. 00:23:57.881 --> 00:24:00.818 Watch this on dry ground. 00:24:00.818 --> 00:24:06.801 I need for you to understand just how powerful your God is. 00:24:06.801 --> 00:24:24.763 But not only did he perform this miracle, but even as they came through this channel, even as they arrived to the other side, moses now their leader is going before God to get some more instructions about what to do next. 00:24:24.763 --> 00:24:31.602 And it's in these instructions that God tells him I've got something special planned for you. 00:24:31.602 --> 00:24:40.403 I've got a place that I've set out just for you, and here's some. 00:24:40.403 --> 00:24:52.473 Here's some guidelines, some requirements that I'm going to give to you, to give to them, so that you can make your way to this place that I've designed for you to be when I've designed you to be there. 00:24:52.654 --> 00:25:02.961 Now you've got to get this part, because oftentimes, when we think about the things and the promises of God, we want what God has described. 00:25:02.961 --> 00:25:13.993 We want the things that God has set up for us to get, we want all the best that God has for us, but the problem is, we want God's promises but not his requirements. 00:25:13.993 --> 00:25:22.875 God says I'm going to give you the best of the land, but you've got to be willing to obey my commands. 00:25:22.875 --> 00:25:38.929 The Bible says that, as they progressed and they sojourned through this wilderness, that with each and every moment, each and every day, they grew weary. 00:25:38.929 --> 00:25:50.442 They grew weary because God has taken too long for you to bring this promise to be, taken too long for you to bring this promise to be. 00:25:50.442 --> 00:25:56.850 God has taken too long for you to do what you said you were going to do. 00:25:56.850 --> 00:26:13.741 And with each and every day, with each and every step that they began to sojourn through this wilderness became a day that they uh uh, became each day that they continued to complain because God hadn't come through fast enough. 00:26:14.750 --> 00:26:18.100 Can I bring a sense of reality to this perspective for just a moment? 00:26:18.100 --> 00:26:29.177 How dare you, israel, how dare you chosen city, how dare you, people of God, complain that God's promises aren't coming fast enough? 00:26:29.177 --> 00:26:34.046 When you just spent 400 years in captivity, you weren't complaining then. 00:26:34.046 --> 00:26:37.701 But time God brings you out with each and every step. 00:26:37.701 --> 00:26:44.258 You ought to know that God is the same God that can not only lift the sea but could do what he said he was going to do. 00:26:44.258 --> 00:26:48.161 But yet we complain because it's not happening fast enough. 00:26:48.161 --> 00:26:57.039 I wish about 25 people would be grateful enough to say God, I'm waiting on your promise, I'm waiting patiently for you to come through. 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:00.471 We find here. 00:27:00.471 --> 00:27:12.281 We find here that as we get to around chapters 11 and 12 into 13,. 00:27:12.281 --> 00:27:20.598 God has reminded them time and time again and I'm sick of your complaining. 00:27:20.598 --> 00:27:28.193 I'm sick of you complaining and, I hope, some of you. 00:27:29.296 --> 00:27:45.852 This story was so long, I had to break it up into three segments, so I hope some of y'all I know you got collard greens and some other stuff waiting on you, but I hope some of y'all will stick around at 10, because there was so much I couldn't put it all in one message today, so it's going to be a different message at 10. 00:27:45.852 --> 00:27:49.101 So I want you to come back, alright, but I'm going to give you just a little bit. 00:27:49.101 --> 00:27:51.378 So they complained a whole lot. 00:27:51.378 --> 00:28:08.477 And here God now tells Moses I want you to send 12 representatives from each tribe out to now survey this land. 00:28:08.477 --> 00:28:12.697 I want you to go and bring back some logistics. 00:28:13.219 --> 00:28:25.536 When I realized that number one, god had given them a promise of a new land, that should have been enough to tear the walls down off the church right there. 00:28:25.536 --> 00:28:27.840 You were in bondage for 400 years. 00:28:27.840 --> 00:28:31.318 And now God says I'm about to give you your land of your own. 00:28:31.318 --> 00:28:33.437 I'm about to give you your own 40 acres. 00:28:33.437 --> 00:28:36.929 Don't you worry about the economy, don't you worry about the government. 00:28:36.929 --> 00:28:39.479 I'm about to give you your own land. 00:28:39.479 --> 00:28:44.501 I'm about to do it for you when no president ever could, when no Congress ever could. 00:28:44.501 --> 00:28:47.038 I'm about to show you that I'm God. 00:28:47.038 --> 00:28:48.836 That's good enough right now, god. 00:28:48.836 --> 00:28:57.544 That I'm about to show you that I'm God, that's good enough right now, god, that's good enough to lay me out, to make me thankful that you still have me in mind. 00:28:57.565 --> 00:28:58.529 But he didn't stop there, deacon Jones. 00:28:58.529 --> 00:29:00.192 He didn't stop there. 00:29:00.192 --> 00:29:01.518 He said to Moses send out 12. 00:29:01.518 --> 00:29:06.639 When I thought about it, that too was good news. 00:29:06.639 --> 00:29:09.775 Why was it good news, bro Chris? 00:29:09.775 --> 00:29:24.095 It was good news because God allowed the, the, the, the, the ancestral fathers that made up Israel, these twelve tribes. 00:29:24.095 --> 00:29:33.841 He said, just so you won't think that I'm just making stuff up, I want you to get your kinfolk. 00:29:33.841 --> 00:29:37.038 I want you to get not only your kinfolk. 00:29:37.038 --> 00:29:38.902 I want you to send your best kinfolk. 00:29:38.902 --> 00:29:51.783 I want you to send the best one, that you rely on their insight and their judgment, and I want each one of these representatives to go out and see it for themselves. 00:29:51.783 --> 00:30:07.675 Some of y'all sending the wrong folk we can start there. 00:30:07.675 --> 00:30:15.941 Some of y'all sending the wrong folk, some of you sending the folk that you know ain't nothing but negative dances. 00:30:15.941 --> 00:30:21.461 You know they ain't nothing but doubting Daryls, but you're going to put them up there to send them out anyway. 00:30:21.461 --> 00:30:25.877 They ain't never had nothing good to say about nobody. 00:30:25.877 --> 00:30:30.211 But you're going to go and ask them their opinion and their advice about something to say about nobody. 00:30:30.211 --> 00:30:32.036 But you're going to go and ask them their opinion and their advice about something. 00:30:32.036 --> 00:30:41.682 But it was good news that God says I'm going to allow you to pick your own representative and I want you to go and go and spy this land. 00:30:43.852 --> 00:31:02.317 The Bible says in chapter 13 that begin to name all of the 12 representatives that went out, and of all those 12 representatives, 10 of them came back with a bad report. 00:31:02.317 --> 00:31:15.755 What's crazy about this bad report, paul, is that it came back with the bad report. 00:31:15.755 --> 00:31:23.752 But they had good fruit Y'all. 00:31:23.752 --> 00:31:26.769 Finna play, I'm gonna need some help here in a minute. 00:31:26.769 --> 00:31:28.771 Alright, your boy's struggling up here. 00:31:28.771 --> 00:31:29.071 Listen. 00:31:29.071 --> 00:31:35.818 They came back with a bad report. 00:31:35.818 --> 00:31:37.000 But watch this. 00:31:38.060 --> 00:31:43.646 It said in, I believe, chapter I'm sorry, chapter 13, probably verse 10. 00:31:43.646 --> 00:31:59.624 It said that, as they came back with the logistics and this report of the land, that they were carrying figs and grapes that were so big that one person couldn't carry it for himself. 00:31:59.624 --> 00:32:02.980 They had to put it on a stick, carried by two people. 00:32:02.980 --> 00:32:14.304 The fruit and the result of this place was so huge and so large that one person couldn't contain the blessing all of himself. 00:32:14.304 --> 00:32:17.317 I can't understand it. 00:32:17.317 --> 00:32:25.844 How is it that you can carry something that's bigger than you but still not believe in a God that can deliver it right into your hand? 00:32:25.844 --> 00:32:28.912 Right into your hand? 00:32:28.912 --> 00:32:34.897 How is it that you can carry something that will not only meet your need but help you go into the next, but you not believe God? 00:32:34.897 --> 00:32:41.712 It was carrying the fruit but still had a bad report. 00:32:41.712 --> 00:32:44.461 Help us God. 00:32:44.461 --> 00:32:46.854 Help us God. 00:32:48.117 --> 00:33:09.447 The Bible says that they came and they said the fruit look good, but we got some other problems in the land that I don't think we'll be able to overcome. 00:33:09.447 --> 00:33:20.085 What do you do, david, when your doubt paralyzes you to the blessings of God right in your face? 00:33:20.085 --> 00:33:31.281 What do you do when everything that you are and everything that you've been around is telling you that God is able to do just what he said he could do? 00:33:31.281 --> 00:33:33.719 He's able to fulfill every promise to you? 00:33:33.719 --> 00:33:48.348 Don't give up on God, because he won't give up on you, but you still find a way to doubt it anyway, because of what you see, because perspective was off. 00:33:48.348 --> 00:33:52.428 We see here in 13, y'all can have a seat. 00:33:52.428 --> 00:33:53.825 I'm almost done, I promise. 00:33:58.140 --> 00:34:00.208 Here's a point that I talked about. 00:34:00.208 --> 00:34:07.489 In order for us to get to greater, we must first denounce doubt. 00:34:07.489 --> 00:34:14.402 We must first denounce doubt. 00:34:14.402 --> 00:34:16.686 Can you pull up media team for me? 00:34:16.686 --> 00:34:18.730 Uh, verse thirty. 00:34:18.730 --> 00:34:21.561 I want you to see this. 00:34:21.561 --> 00:34:25.326 This blew me away when I realized it. 00:34:25.326 --> 00:34:31.835 It said they were spreading the bad report. 00:34:31.835 --> 00:34:37.572 Moses, you're sending us to this place, but the fruit. 00:34:37.572 --> 00:34:40.407 But we don't know if we'll be able to do it or not. 00:34:40.407 --> 00:34:50.594 But look at this it says but Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. 00:34:50.833 --> 00:34:59.588 Here's what he said let's go at once to take the land, he said we can certainly conquer it. 00:34:59.588 --> 00:35:06.480 I'm going to read it again, because I had that same response y'all had just now when I read it the first time, and it didn't. 00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:09.284 Because I had that same response y'all had just now when I read it the first time, and it didn't. 00:35:09.284 --> 00:35:14.094 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. 00:35:14.094 --> 00:35:23.010 Let's go at once to take the land, he said we can certainly conquer it. 00:35:23.010 --> 00:35:26.005 Let me read it one more time, one more time, one more time. 00:35:26.005 --> 00:35:35.509 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. 00:35:35.509 --> 00:35:38.952 Let's go at once to take the land, he said. 00:35:38.952 --> 00:35:42.324 We can certainly conquer it. 00:35:42.324 --> 00:35:45.230 Listen, listen. 00:35:45.230 --> 00:35:55.269 You remember when I told you before that you got to be careful about who you seeing as your representative, about who you listen to for advice. 00:35:55.269 --> 00:36:03.226 You remember when I told you that each tribe had to select one person to go to represent them to spy out this land? 00:36:03.226 --> 00:36:10.096 It hit me right between the eyes when I realized what verse 30 was really saying. 00:36:10.860 --> 00:36:23.489 In the midst of all of the bad news that these leaders was trying to spread about going into this new place here, it was Caleb that was trying to quiet their negativity. 00:36:23.489 --> 00:36:30.960 He was trying to quiet their bad report and encourage them. 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:42.364 And here's why this messed me up, why it's because Caleb was from the tribe of Judah. 00:36:42.364 --> 00:36:53.453 Caleb was from the tribe whose name meant to praise god. 00:36:53.453 --> 00:37:04.963 Caleb was from the tribe that god had uh designated to be the one that would sing and shout forth his praise. 00:37:04.963 --> 00:37:16.291 So it wasn't unlike the person that's designed to give God praise, to stand in the midst, in the center of negativity, and shout forth a praise. 00:37:16.592 --> 00:37:18.081 Here's where you got to be careful. 00:37:18.081 --> 00:37:30.713 If you've got any negativity around you, if you've got anything swearing trying to get you to doubt the things of God, you've got to now tap in to the spirit of Caleb. 00:37:30.713 --> 00:37:35.645 You've got to tap in to the spirit of Judah, you've got to tap in. 00:37:35.645 --> 00:37:45.173 Tap in to God's praise, despite the doubt. 00:37:45.173 --> 00:37:50.971 The Bible says that he first quieted them. 00:37:53.581 --> 00:37:55.528 In the midst of any negative report you get. 00:37:55.528 --> 00:38:02.320 The first thing I want you to do, chosen City, is be strong and courageous enough to tell it to shut up Now. 00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:04.387 I ain't tell you to tell them to shut up now. 00:38:04.387 --> 00:38:06.005 Don't do that unless you got them hands. 00:38:06.005 --> 00:38:07.032 But listen, tell it to tell them to shut up now. 00:38:07.032 --> 00:38:08.119 Don't don't do that unless you you got them hands. 00:38:08.119 --> 00:38:13.806 But listen, tell it, tell it, tell it. 00:38:15.028 --> 00:38:23.664 You remember when jesus uh was amongst the crowd and a man said come, oh, my daughter is dying. 00:38:23.664 --> 00:38:29.914 And when he gets to the room he gets in the room but he puts the negativity out the room. 00:38:29.914 --> 00:38:38.282 You've got to be willing in this season of your life as God is trying to show you now what your new next is going to be. 00:38:38.282 --> 00:38:48.494 You've got to not only be careful who you're sharing the report with, but you've got to be mindful not to allow the negativity and the doubt to keep you from moving forward. 00:38:48.494 --> 00:39:08.226 The first thing you need to do is be willing to silence it, and in silencing it he was denouncing their doubt did in realizing this is that doubt. 00:39:08.226 --> 00:39:20.952 Watch this makes us deaf to hearing, dumb in doing and blind to belief. 00:39:20.952 --> 00:39:41.313 The Bible declares that faith comes by hearing. 00:39:41.313 --> 00:39:46.882 Watch this and hearing by the word. 00:39:48.643 --> 00:39:50.505 I'll give a equation again. 00:39:50.505 --> 00:39:55.068 Faith comes by Come on, it's eight o'clock. 00:39:55.068 --> 00:40:01.793 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the. 00:40:01.793 --> 00:40:03.974 Come on, let's do one more time. 00:40:03.974 --> 00:40:09.400 Faith comes by and hearing by the word. 00:40:09.400 --> 00:40:16.594 What happens is doubt comes to make you deaf to the word of God. 00:40:16.594 --> 00:40:36.003 Doubt comes and the enemy uses doubt to make you now numb and desensitive, desensitized to the word of God, no matter how much the choir sings. 00:40:36.003 --> 00:40:42.826 It's good to be alive, but it's best to live If you've got doubts about tomorrow. 00:40:42.826 --> 00:40:48.061 You've now become deaf to the word of God. 00:40:48.061 --> 00:41:05.987 This is why Jesus said to him that has an ear, let him hear, because he realized and knows that the beginning, the genesis of your faith starts with your ability to hear him clearly. 00:41:05.987 --> 00:41:42.621 So if you've now been faced with not being able to mobilize or move forward in the things and the promises of God, I would suggest that the first thing you need to do and as you quiet the noise, as you quiet the negativity, first you've got to be able to ensure that you're hearing him clearly, because the moment you allow the enemy to speak, his speech causes us to be filled with fear and doubt. 00:41:42.621 --> 00:41:59.895 We see this as Caleb is now at his wit's end, because they've allowed what they see to formulate bad thoughts, their belief, and now they're unwilling to go. 00:41:59.895 --> 00:42:10.174 I'll say that again They've allowed what they see to formulate bad thoughts, their belief, and now they're unwilling to go. 00:42:10.174 --> 00:42:21.500 But Judah says we can conquer it when you hear the voice of the Lord that says this is what I've set up for you. 00:42:21.500 --> 00:42:24.447 His word is clear and his promises are true. 00:42:24.447 --> 00:42:27.712 That I brought you to, I can bring you through. 00:42:27.712 --> 00:42:32.447 What I bringing you through, I can absolutely deliver you into. 00:42:35.440 --> 00:42:39.905 Doubt not only makes us deaf to hearing, but it also makes us dumb in our doing. 00:42:39.905 --> 00:42:59.603 It makes us dumb in our doing because what we find here is, with this bad report, that they began to spread and now began to socialize this doubt of whether or not they could actually obtain the things that God said that they could get. 00:42:59.603 --> 00:43:00.585 Watch this. 00:43:00.585 --> 00:43:09.929 They were even so convinced now that it would be better for them to go back to bondage. 00:43:09.929 --> 00:43:25.465 I want to talk to about three or four people in the room that have considered going back to the place that God had delivered you from, simply because the promise that God has spoken seems so far-fetched. 00:43:25.465 --> 00:43:31.192 Don't allow doubt to cause you to be dumb in your doing. 00:43:31.192 --> 00:43:42.291 Don't allow doubt to cause you to be not only so fearful about where you are, but to find a place of comfort, to go back to your place of bondage. 00:43:42.291 --> 00:43:47.371 Don't allow doubt to cause you to be dumb in your doing. 00:43:47.371 --> 00:43:49.581 Don't allow doubt to cause you to be dumb in your doing. 00:43:49.601 --> 00:43:56.208 The bible says that we walk by faith. 00:43:56.208 --> 00:44:02.014 We do by faith and not by sight. 00:44:02.014 --> 00:44:10.773 We, we go based on the word that he's placed in us, not based off of how we see. 00:44:10.773 --> 00:44:16.152 And then, thirdly, doubt causes us to be blind to belief. 00:44:16.152 --> 00:44:34.306