WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.399 Welcome to Gateway Churches Podcast. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:06.959 Wherever you're tuning in from, we hope you're encouraged by today's message. 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:09.519 Hey church family. 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:10.960 I hope you're having a wonderful summer. 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.039 I'm so excited about this weekend. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:21.760 Not only is it 250 years as a nation, I hope you're finding some time to be with family, to celebrate this moment. 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:23.839 And I pray that you'll take a moment to pray. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.039 We pray for God's continued blessing over our nation. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:36.079 We pray for favor and most of all, we pray for revival, that the Spirit of God would move in a fresh way in and through the people of this great nation. 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:41.520 I'm also excited about this weekend because we're doing something very special that I know you're gonna love. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:44.000 And we're calling it Young Communicators Weekend. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:50.880 You know, in our heart, mine and Tammy's have always been to raise up the next generation of leaders and to give ministry away. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:55.439 We never wanted to stand in the way of what God was doing in the lives of people. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:07.120 And so one of the things that we're launching this weekend is Young Communicators, and here's simply what that means: it means this is that we've taken some of the team who we believe have the gift of communicating God's word. 00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:14.799 We've spent months with them helping them develop the message and develop the outline and hear from the Lord and complete their message. 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:20.799 And now this weekend, at every campus, we have different communicators sharing the word of God. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:26.239 And so let me just tell you, for some of them, very first time, they're standing on the platforms they're standing on. 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:42.560 And I told them, I said, our church family is gonna love you, they're gonna cheer you on, they're gonna clap, they're gonna amen more than they normally do to encourage the gift and encourage the step of faith that these communicators are taking as we see God develop a fresh gift on the inside of them. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:43.680 So here's what I want you to do. 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:44.799 I want you to lean in. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:49.840 I believe God's gonna speak to you today, and I want you to be encouraging, I want you to amen. 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:55.120 I want you to open your heart for what God may want to say to you today through his word and through his people. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:02:03.920 So at every location, here's what I want you to do: get up on your feet and put your hands together and welcome to the stage the one who will be communicating God's word today. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:05.760 Come on, celebrate with me. 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:10.800 Good morning, church. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:14.400 Good morning, good morning. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:16.560 Good morning, church. 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:18.639 What an incredible day to be in the house of God. 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:19.439 Amen. 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:20.400 Amen. 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:22.879 Guys, I'm I'm kind of still a mess from worship. 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:26.080 It was hard to not just cry my eyes out down there. 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:32.080 Um, but first and foremost, I want to thank our leaders, Pastor Daniel and Pastor Tammy, for this opportunity. 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:39.520 I think it's absolutely amazing that all across of our campuses right now, there are young communicators getting to practice their gifts. 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:44.319 And we're a church that doesn't just believe in the next generation, but we equip them and we empower them. 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:45.360 Isn't that incredible? 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:47.680 Yeah, that's amazing. 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:49.360 That is amazing. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:51.599 And so thank you so much for being here with us today. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:55.039 If it's your first time, I want to welcome you to Gateway Church. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:56.960 We're so glad you're here with us today. 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:04.639 And if you're joining us online, whether at our gateway gatherings, at our prison campuses, or on demand later in the week, thank you so much. 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:07.520 We're so glad you're here with us today. 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:08.879 Guys, I'm excited. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:10.719 Happy 4th of July weekend. 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:12.319 Y'all, I love the church. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:13.840 I grew up in the church. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.319 I'm a pastor's kid from Miami. 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:18.479 So 305 till I die. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:24.240 I know there might not be a lot of Miami people in here, but I absolutely love it. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:31.280 And I know Pastor Daniel has kind of joked about how here in the South, y'all would do like Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:33.199 Like that was like a like a hefty thing. 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:34.479 Like you were in the church. 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:36.000 And let me tell y'all something. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:40.879 Us Hispanics, we took that and we said, we're gonna put it on steroids. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:48.639 We are gonna go Tuesday night discipleship, Wednesday night prayer, Thursday night worship rehearsal, Friday night youth nights, and Saturdays. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:04:00.479 We almost always ended up there for no reason, probably, but normally for either a Christmas rehearsal or an Easter thing or giving back to our local community, whatever we could do, we would be in church. 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:02.639 And by we, I mean me. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:04.719 I was there all the time. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:06.000 You can ask my parents. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:09.759 I literally was at church more than at home sometimes. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.000 You're also gonna hear me say literally a lot. 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.039 That's a Miami accent thing, so enjoy it. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:23.600 And so I was at church so much that being there actually caused me to be at a really significant crossroads when I was about 16 years old. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.319 I remember that my parents approached me and they said, Cammy, we're moving to Dallas. 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.920 And I said, We, I don't think so. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:41.759 But they said, You can pray about it and you can either finish high school, which I had a year and a half left, or you can stay with your siblings under their guardianship. 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:44.560 My sister's 11 years older than I am, she's here today. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:52.399 My brother's five years older than I am, he's watching online, and I was like, ch-ching, I'm staying with my family, like my siblings. 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:53.439 This is gonna be so fun. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:57.920 No parents during senior year, prom is gonna go crazy, like this is gonna be amazing. 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:01.680 And so, yeah, I had no good ideas and no good intentions in that. 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:05.839 And so I was like, all right, I'm cool, I'm gonna stay here. 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.720 But as any normal Christian saint would, I was like, let me pray about it. 00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:12.319 Like, I should probably pray about this. 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:17.360 And so I was praying about it, and I just started having like panic attacks and anxiety attacks. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:20.079 And guys, I had a panic attack in English class. 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:26.160 And if you ever run out of a classroom and take 20 minutes in the bathroom, you know they don't think you're having a panic attack. 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:28.879 They think you had bad Mexican food at lunch. 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.600 And so I was like, this is not okay. 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:33.360 I need peace. 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:34.959 Like, I don't know what's happening. 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:40.720 And one day my mom picked me up from school and we parked at a CVS I más. 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:44.399 I más means and more in Spanish. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:49.360 And so for all of y'all that aren't from Miami, Spanglish is our national language. 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:50.639 Everyone speaks it. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.120 We don't speak enough English and we don't speak enough Spanish. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:56.240 So we just mesh them together and we're like, I hope this works. 00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:57.759 And it actually does. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:10.319 And so we were outside this CVS I más, which basically means it's a normal CVS that y'all have, but then everything you could find at your abuela's house that you need because you live in the States now, so you're not back home. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:18.560 So we're parked outside there, and I don't know why my mom just turns over and she was like, Kami, I'm gonna save y'all from the Spanish. 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:22.959 She was like, Cami, I can't leave all my three children behind. 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.639 Can you please, please think about moving with us? 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.879 And guys, I had so many excuses to not do it. 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:34.319 I was the captain of the varsity soccer team at school. 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:43.839 I was in choir, I was in a really rigorous academic program, I was on the worship team at church, I was involved in absolutely anything and everything you could possibly think of. 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:44.959 I was there. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:46.879 And so I was like, I'm not doing this. 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:51.199 Like I could have thought of so many reasons why not to do it. 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:56.720 And before I could even think of reasons, like they were there, trust me, I had been repeating them for weeks. 00:06:56.879 --> 00:07:05.279 Before I could think of those, I felt the strongest impression I've ever had in my life of God speak to me and say, You've been praying for peace. 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:07.120 Dallas is your peace. 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:17.759 And I want to pause there for a moment and acknowledge that I know that peace is not confined to a location, it's not confined to a building, it's not about a specific place, it's only found in Jesus. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:19.920 But he knew my prayers. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:25.439 He knew that I was like, Miami, Dallas, Miami, Dallas, give me peace, Miami, Dallas. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:27.439 And he spoke to me how he knew best. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:28.560 And isn't that the best? 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:33.040 That God knows exactly how to give us a word right when we need it, right, church? 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:33.600 Right? 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:40.079 And so I tell you this story because I was at a really significant crossroads when I was about 16 years old. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:45.439 I was a young high school girl, and it's not lost on me that in this room, there's so many stories. 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:49.279 There's so many of us that find ourselves at those crossroads. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:55.360 It might not be moving states, but it could be stepping into that relationship, stepping out of that relationship. 00:07:55.839 --> 00:07:58.800 It could be making that business investment or not making it. 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:05.199 It could be reaching out to that friend that there's been some tension and you're not sure what's going on and you're kind of putting it off. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:10.879 It could be as big as moving states, it could be should we have kids right now or should we not? 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:14.399 We all find ourselves in these crossroads. 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:20.480 And it's in moments like these that I personally look to scripture to see what God has taught us. 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:28.959 What is the blueprint of what to do when we're faced with these questions and doubts and situations that feel like they're a little bit too big for our own humanity? 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:34.639 And so, someone I think of in scripture that lived this out perfectly is Rahab. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:42.240 And so a few fun facts about Rahab is her story is written in Joshua chapter two. 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:46.559 And what's going on here is I'm just gonna give you a synopsis because it's a pretty long chapter. 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:54.639 And what's happening is Moses died while they were going to the promised land, and the leadership of Israel was left over to Joshua. 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:59.360 And so Joshua heard from the Lord that the next city they had to conquer was Jericho. 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:07.919 And so he sent two spies over to the city, you know, to scout the land, to see their weaknesses, their strengths, what their yeah, what what their whole setup is like. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:12.080 I I wasn't back there in war, but it they needed to know the setup just like we know now. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:16.879 And so they send the spies, and these spies run into a woman named Rahab. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:25.519 So, fun facts about Rahab is that she is a pagan, she's a Canaanite, she lives in the border of the city. 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:29.440 Jericho's a fortified city, so it was kind of like a whole cylinder like this. 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:41.519 She lives in the border of the city, and if there weren't any more reasons as to why she's the least expected person that God would partner with in this story, on top of that, Rahab was a prostitute. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.960 And so we don't expect much from this story. 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:51.679 But these men arrive at Rahab, Rahab's house, and the government comes to look for them, and Rahab has a decision to make. 00:09:51.840 --> 00:10:01.200 But she says, in exchange of me hiding you, I ask that when you come and take over this city, that you spare me and my family's lives. 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:03.039 So let's stop right there for a second. 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:05.840 Imagine yourself as Rahab. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:10.720 She's in a city that God is about to judge, and this isn't a fun thing. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:14.879 But I wonder what kind of questions cross her mind because she said yes to these spies. 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:17.919 I wonder if she asked, is this the right decision? 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:19.600 Is this not the right decision? 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:20.720 Do I let them stay? 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:21.519 Do I not? 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:24.000 What's gonna happen to my life if I do? 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:25.919 And what's gonna happen if I don't? 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:32.000 There was so much uncertainty on the other side of that, and she had no idea, and yet she still did it. 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:35.360 And I think that a lot of us are in that same place. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:36.559 Do I do it? 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:37.440 Do I not? 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:38.399 Do I go? 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:39.440 Do I stay? 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:42.159 Maybe like me at 16-year-old, do I move? 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:43.600 Do I stay in the comfortable? 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:45.120 What do I do? 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:50.480 What Rahab shows us is that she stepped out in faith without knowing what was on the other side of it. 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:57.360 And so today, if you're taking notes, the sermon title is What's on the other side of your faith? 00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:58.960 So, Father, we thank you. 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:12.000 We thank you for your word that is perfect and true, and we ask that, Holy Spirit, you would illuminate our eyes to see Jesus, that you would help us understand, and that at the end of the day, you would give us courage to step out in faith. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.720 In Jesus' name I pray. 00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:15.759 Amen. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:17.039 Amen, church. 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:23.679 So when I think of Rahab, the first thing that comes to my mind in her story is that her faith came first. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:28.000 So if you have your Bibles with you, with you, whoa, fun little new thing. 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:32.159 If you have your Bibles with you, can you open them up to Joshua chapter 2? 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:34.240 I also accept digital Bibles. 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:34.960 It's all right. 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:35.519 We're good. 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:36.720 I have mine right here. 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:39.200 Um, Joshua chapter 2, verse 8. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:54.639 It says, Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and she said to them, I know that the Lord has given you this land, and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:57.200 We have heard, can y'all say, We have heard? 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.919 Y'all are the eleven o'clock, a little louder. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:00.799 We have heard. 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:02.480 Let's go. 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:14.879 Uh we have heard the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:20.240 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear, and everyone's courage failed because of you. 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:25.600 For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:30.080 God is heaven above and on earth below. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:34.240 I find it really interesting that Rahab, out of all people, said this. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:42.399 Because if you don't have I didn't have much before studying all of this, that the cultural context and the historical context is that this is a pagan city. 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:46.639 They do not serve the God of Israel, they do not know the God of Israel. 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:49.919 She had no context to know of this God before this. 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:55.840 She didn't have, like, we had Sunday school, she didn't have like they had a temple, a synagogue, the law. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:01.519 She didn't have any of that to make this confession, and yet that was her confession. 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:07.200 The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:17.120 And it was this confession that when the spies told her to put up a scarlet cord over her window, and that would be the identifier that they wouldn't attack her home, that she did it. 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:30.799 She took that step first because she says, The Lord your God, not all the other gods I've served all my life, not all other pagan gods that my city has tried to offer me, that is not God. 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:33.840 Those are not the gods that I know is real. 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:36.799 The God of Israel, he seems to be the God. 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:38.559 He seems to be the one. 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:49.120 And I know that in this room, we might not all have those pagan gods that Rahab had, but if we're honest with ourselves, we all have our own gods. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:14:05.279 We all have our own idols in our hearts, the things that we put first before Jesus, our financial status, our education, the things we look for, safety and comfort, the things we run to when we need satisfaction. 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:08.480 We make gods of things that aren't Him. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:15.120 But it's interesting that Rahab, she said this before even Romans 10, 17 says. 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:20.080 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.000 And so a lot of us, that's our first step today. 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:25.279 Faith comes first. 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:29.440 Our first step is saying, He is who he says he is. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.360 Right, church, he is who he says he is, right? 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:39.759 And what Rahab did was she responded to what she heard. 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:50.559 She hadn't yet seen the other side of what would happen if she said yes, of what would happen if she harbored these size, of what would happen on the other side. 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:58.480 Because I think she teaches us that faith is not believing God after you see the outcome, it's trusting Him before you see it. 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.919 And a lot of us have a lot of trouble with that. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:04.080 Let me tell you, I'm the first one. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:12.720 Because she knew that she had the danger right in front of us, but with a lot of us, that's not the story. 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:17.279 But faith is something that God invites us to step into. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:28.720 The Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11:1, saying, Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:35.840 You see, Rahab, she had confidence in what she hoped for, and she had assurance about what she had not yet seen. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:37.840 She hadn't seen the end of the story. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:48.960 If you read later in Joshua, you read the end of the story that the city does get taken over, that it does become complete destruction, not distraction, destruction, and complete and utter mishap. 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:50.960 She doesn't know that yet. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:56.879 But she knew that she had come face to face with two people that represented that God. 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:01.679 She represented the God that was powerful, the God that was mighty. 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:06.320 And she was confident even though she couldn't see it. 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:11.600 Because I think that we forget that real faith is actually supposed to provoke action. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:14.639 You know, Pastor Mark Job talked about that last week in his sermon. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:18.720 He said, when we are called, our job is to go. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:23.679 Because responding to God's prompting isn't blind faith, it's biblical faith. 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:28.720 It's not just I'm walking in the dark, I'm going in a direction I don't know of. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:29.360 No. 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:33.840 It's walking in the light, it's seeing that he's prompting us in a certain direction. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:40.559 But you see, a lot of us in this room, we have a lot of reasons as to why we delay those steps of faith. 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:43.840 One of those reasons is we think we need more certainty. 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:50.960 You can tell yourself, like, no, I need to be 100% sure before I make this decision. 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:56.080 But let me tell you, if you had complete certainty, it wouldn't be faith in the first place. 00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:01.679 And I tell you with a smile on my face, because I know that that's hard for us in the room. 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:17.200 You know, if we're honest with ourselves, if we were in Rahab's position and these spies come to our home, we would be like, let me think about it, let me let me pray about it, let me tell my support group, I'm gonna submit it to my elders. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:28.079 I'm going to ask everyone, I'm gonna pray again, and then after I pray, I'm gonna ask ChatGPT what chat thinks about the decision, and then go ahead and make a decision based off of that. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.640 And then once I'm sure about that, then I'll do it, right? 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:31.680 Am I the only one? 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:32.400 Just me? 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:34.000 Okay, amazing, amazing. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:36.880 It reminds me really of my three-year-old niece Abby. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.720 She's learning how to swim, and it is genuinely the cutest thing in the world. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:42.720 Like she is just a bubble of joy. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.359 And so I wonder what would happen, right? 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:46.400 She's swimming. 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:51.279 What if one day she came up to me and she was like, Tia, I want to swim? 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:52.880 And I'm like, amazing. 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:54.240 Let's jump in the water. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:55.759 Like, let's get in, let's do it. 00:17:55.920 --> 00:18:02.240 And she goes, No, no, no, I'm not gonna get into the water until I'm 100% certain I know how to swim. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:08.799 For all the swimmers in the room, we know you have to get in the water in order to swim, right? 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:09.519 Right? 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:11.759 And what would you think if someone told you that? 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.200 You'd be like, it's kind of silly. 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:16.400 Like, you need to get in, you need to get in the water to swim. 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:18.400 But that's the same with faith. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:22.960 You need to jump, you need to take that step. 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:26.640 Faith is not idle, faith is in action. 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:31.680 It's an action, it's not a thought, it's not an opinion, faith is an action. 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:38.000 But I wonder how many of us do that. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:39.519 I'll be honest, I do it. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:42.720 God show me a lightning bolt from heaven right now. 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:44.960 If it's you, start a storm. 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:46.559 And it's like, he's not gonna do it. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.279 Like it's a sunny day out, like he's not gonna do that. 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:55.920 Or tell a stranger on the street to come and tell me that my shoes are cute and then I know it's you. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:59.359 And it's like, odds are in South, like someone might do it. 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:02.240 Honestly, someone's gonna come up to you and probably do that. 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:06.720 But the thing is, that's not what God's asking us to do. 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.839 He's not asking us to go make sure if everything's certain. 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:16.720 He's not asking us to go check every box, he's asking us to simply respond. 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:20.079 He's asking us to simply jump. 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:23.119 He's asking us to simply trust. 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:31.359 And you see, there may be others in the room whose response to this is not the need for certainty, but it's actually a lot of fear. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:33.599 And I can relate with that. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:39.200 I can understand being in a position where you say, and you freeze. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.079 Literally like that. 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:40.799 Like you freeze. 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:46.079 It panics you, and you a bunch of questions come to your mind, like, I I'm this is too much for me. 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:47.279 Like, what am I supposed to do? 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:48.640 What happens if I make the right decision? 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:50.240 What happens if I make the wrong decision? 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:51.839 What are people gonna think of me? 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.240 Like, there's so many things that go through our minds. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:20:08.000 And maybe fear isn't the thing you struggle with, but maybe it's doubt, maybe it's cynicism, maybe it's doubting that God would even support you, that God is even there for you, that maybe he doesn't even hear your prayers anymore. 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:13.359 And there's a lot of us in those in this room that could come up with a lot of excuses. 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:17.920 We can come up with what ifs, negative what-ifs, honestly. 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:20.240 We never really think of the positive ones, right? 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:22.480 It's that we're just like, what if I die? 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:24.480 And it's like, well, what if you have the best day of your life? 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:27.039 Like, there's just so many opportunities, you know, right? 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:29.279 Yeah, we had a celebration back there. 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:30.559 Yeah. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:37.359 And I think it's because we don't see the ending, and we might not even know every single step. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:43.920 The word says that in Psalms that God's word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.920 And Pastor Mark mentioned this last week too. 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:48.799 A lamp does not go too far, guys. 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:56.000 It doesn't go too far, but it gives us right where we need, it gives us light exactly where we need. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.000 Every step we take, every step we take, there's a light to our feet. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:03.039 There's a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:12.000 And we have to understand that we're at when we're at a crossroads, we have to remind ourselves that the God we serve, we can have confidence in him. 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.440 Rahab knew that, and she didn't even know him yet. 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.359 She had just heard of him. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:26.720 So, how much more us that we have infinite exposure to the Bible, to the stories, to the people's testimonies. 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:33.359 We can have confidence and assurance that we can trust our God because he will not put us to shame. 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:34.079 Amen. 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.720 Come on, I said he will not put us to shame. 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:39.039 God will not put us to shame. 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.240 Because if he said it, he will do it. 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:45.039 Amen. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.240 Can y'all repeat after me? 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:50.079 If God said it, I believe it. 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:51.440 Come on, one more time. 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:55.440 If God said it, I believe it. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.599 You see in that moment, Rahab didn't know her outcome. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:02.160 And many of you might not know your outcome. 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:04.480 She didn't need more convincing. 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:07.599 She didn't need the lightning bolt from heaven that we often ask for. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:12.559 She was just asked to act, to jump, to do it. 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:17.920 And let me tell you something that Rahab had a lot to lose. 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:20.079 A lot to lose. 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:25.599 If y'all can turn your Bibles to verse 2 through 7 of Joshua, Joshua chapter 2, where we're at. 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:30.880 It says the king of Jericho was told, look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.680 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:41.599 Not bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.799 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:46.559 And she said, Yes, the men came to me. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:48.319 But I don't know where they had come from. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.519 And at dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:54.880 I don't know which way they went, so go after them quickly. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.160 You might catch up with them. 00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:03.680 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:08.640 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:13.599 And as soon as soon as his pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:20.000 You see, what Rahab did right there is what us in modern times would call treason. 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:31.599 And if she were to be caught historically, she would have been imprisoned, she could have been tortured, and eventually it could have led to the death of both her and her entire family. 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:34.480 Why did she say yes? 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:37.599 Why did she act? 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:43.440 Because the decision she just made put her in a risk that was not theoretical. 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:46.720 It was a literal danger on her life. 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:48.079 You know what? 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:49.440 She does it anyway. 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:55.440 She's spending her entire life and her entire family's life on this God of Israel. 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:59.920 And she might not have complete certainty, but she trusted him. 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:03.920 Because would you put your entire family on the line? 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:07.680 Every family member at the stake. 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:09.119 Would you do that? 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:13.200 She wasn't trusting God from a position of safety. 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:18.000 She was trusting God when it could have cost her everything. 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:19.440 Everything. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:22.880 Can you imagine her thought process? 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:26.480 How do you even make that decision? 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:30.240 I think we I tend to forget that this is a real person here. 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.279 This isn't a tale or a fable from a long time ago. 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:34.799 This is a real person. 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:36.960 I had to make a real decision. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:44.000 And maybe in this room, the crossroads you're at isn't a life or death decision. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:45.759 I can understand that. 00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:48.319 Even though there are people that to this day, there is. 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:49.359 There are. 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:51.759 It might not be a life and death decision. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:57.119 But what we can learn from her, from Rahab, is that she was willing to risk it all. 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:58.720 She was willing. 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:03.039 I know at a young 16-year-old I felt like I was willing. 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:03.599 Kind of. 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:04.400 Not really. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:06.720 I felt like I was risking a lot. 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:08.960 You know, like for a 16-year-old, it felt like a lot. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:16.160 I was risking my support system, my circle, my community, my activities. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:28.799 And maybe for you, the risk of that next step of faith is what your family might think of you, what your friends might think of you, what your schoolmates might think of you, what the people in the boardroom might think of you. 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:31.279 Maybe that's your risk. 00:25:31.599 --> 00:25:33.359 Maybe it'll cost you some friendships. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:35.599 And maybe it'll cost you some connections. 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:38.000 And maybe it'll cost you a social status. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:40.880 But are you willing to risk it? 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:46.079 Because I I honestly wonder if we're all honest with ourselves. 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:50.880 If we're really just a little too comfortable with where God has us. 00:25:52.400 --> 00:26:00.480 I think we know that a change would require us to change our preferences and our opinions and what we value and what we want. 00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:04.960 And if I'm honest, I don't like to do that. 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:09.440 And I think if you're honest, you don't like it either. 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:12.000 I'm with you, I promise. 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:17.759 I think that we cling to what brings us the most safety and the most security. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:20.079 And they can look different for all of us. 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:25.359 But what we can learn from Rahab issue risk it at all. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:34.559 Charles Spurgeon says that faith is believing Christ is who he says he is and acting upon that belief regardless of the consequences. 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:38.880 It doesn't matter what the consequences are, I believe him, I'm doing it. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:41.200 I believe him, I'm doing it. 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:46.960 You see, God isn't asking us to do the comfortable thing, he's asking us to do the courageous thing. 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:52.880 If we were all comfortable, and historically, if everyone stayed comfortable, we wouldn't have a faith to begin with. 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:55.920 All the apostles died of cruel, awful death. 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:57.920 I don't think that was comfortable. 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:00.960 I don't think being crucified was comfortable. 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:10.720 And hey, that next that next decision you're taking might not be as extreme as that, but it might feel like God's just asking a little too much from you. 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:13.359 He's asking for the thing you cherish most. 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:20.160 But I want to tell you today that the reward is far, far, far greater than the risk. 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:33.359 And you might be that next decision, even though it feels like it's too much, God, what he can do in return with that is bigger than anything we could plan ourselves, invest ourselves, build ourselves, logically make ourselves. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:35.519 It's almost always bigger. 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:41.279 There's nothing that he will take from us that we will not get something in return that's bigger and better than we asked for. 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:43.759 And it doesn't always look like what we thought it looked like. 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:51.680 You know, it reminds me of this hymn. 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:55.039 It says, Take the world, but give me Jesus. 00:27:55.680 --> 00:28:01.039 All its joys are but a name, but his love abides forever, though eternal years the same. 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:09.680 Oh, the height and the depth of mercy, oh the length and breadth of love, oh the fullness of redemption, pledge of life, and less above. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:14.079 Take the world, but give me Jesus, sweetest comfort of my soul. 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:17.680 With the Savior watching over me, I can sing the thunder's roll. 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:31.680 Take the world, and I will add, take my comfort, take my preferences, take my opinion, take my political party, take my economic status, take my friend group, take my degree, take anything you want from me, but give me Jesus. 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:35.279 In his cross, my trust shall be. 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:40.400 So with clearer, brighter vision, face to face, the Lord I see. 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:48.720 It rings in my ears, Philippians 3:7, that says, But whatever were gains to me now, I consider a loss for the sake of Christ. 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:58.079 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:02.799