SPEAKER_01: Hello everyone, I'm Dr.
SPEAKER_01: Steve Holt.
SPEAKER_01: I want to welcome you to the Road Church podcast.
SPEAKER_01: Each week we go into God's Word.
SPEAKER_01: We teach chapter by chapter and verse by verse.
SPEAKER_01: And we are here to build the Kingdom of God revolution through empowering people to change the world.
SPEAKER_01: So we pray this will minister to you at your heart level and change your life.
SPEAKER_01: Today, be encouraged by our guest speaker.
SPEAKER_00: Well, this morning we are going to be looking at Romans chapter 8.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to be looking at Romans chapter 8, and then we're also going to be looking and going back into the book of Joshua.
SPEAKER_00: So Romans 8, we're also going to be looking at Joshua chapter 6.
SPEAKER_00: And so I just want to give you a warning and a preface this morning that we are going to be going over a lot of scripture.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to be reading a lot.
SPEAKER_00: And so for those of you who are reading geeks like I am, it's going to be a great day.
SPEAKER_00: For those of you who are like, hey, reading's difficult for me because you went to Sand Creek High School.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just joking, that's not why.
SPEAKER_00: But for those of you who are like, hey, reading's a little difficult for me, that's okay.
SPEAKER_00: Because if you just bear with me, all this will make sense, I promise.
SPEAKER_00: So uh just just bear with me, Deal.
SPEAKER_00: Cool.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
SPEAKER_00: I got one deal.
SPEAKER_00: Let's try that one more time.
SPEAKER_00: Just bear with me, Deal.
SPEAKER_00: Deal.
SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
SPEAKER_00: All right, let's get started.
SPEAKER_00: If you're taking notes, and I hope you are, the title of my message is Before the Fight, there is a Fire.
SPEAKER_00: Before the Fight, there is a Fire.
SPEAKER_00: Romans chapter 8.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna be starting in verse 7.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna read verses 7 through 11.
SPEAKER_00: It says this.
SPEAKER_00: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law.
SPEAKER_00: Indeed, it cannot.
SPEAKER_00: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
SPEAKER_00: You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.
SPEAKER_00: If in fact the spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
SPEAKER_00: But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you.
SPEAKER_00: So what is Paul saying here?
SPEAKER_00: Well, Paul is saying this.
SPEAKER_00: He is saying that without the Spirit of God, our minds, our hearts, and our bodies are naturally resistant to him.
SPEAKER_00: Meaning that without the Spirit of God living within us, we cannot think the way he thinks, we cannot feel the way that he feels, we cannot act the way that he acts.
SPEAKER_00: But when the Spirit of God lives in us, we are no longer bound by fear, we are no longer bound by doubt, and we are no longer bound by anxiety.
SPEAKER_00: When we have the Spirit of God living inside of us, we are no longer prisoners of war and dead in our sins and struggles.
SPEAKER_00: But we have new life as more than conquerors.
SPEAKER_00: Because the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead has now raised us from the dead.
SPEAKER_00: And that very spirit lives inside of us so that we can have victory after victory after victory over every battle in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you, but when I read this word and I read about the stories of the men of old, when I when I read the stories about the men and women of faith, when I read this word, Old and New Testament, I sit back sometimes and I'm humbled and I'm like, man, Lord, I want to love you like that.
SPEAKER_00: God, what what they're doing, Lord, what what Elijah did calling fire down on Mount Horeb, Lord, what Elijah did running faster than a chariot, what Elijah did living in the wilderness of ravens, Lord, what Elijah did being a man, uh a man of you, a mighty man of God, Lord, what David did slaying giants.
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know about you, but when I read this, I'm like, I look at my life and I'm like, what giants have I slayed?
SPEAKER_00: What fire have I called down?
SPEAKER_00: But I take hope because in the book of James it says this it says Elijah was a man just like us.
SPEAKER_00: And so when you read this book, you you should you shouldn't be overwhelmed by it in a negative sense.
SPEAKER_00: You shouldn't look at this and say, Man, I'm not, I'm not doing anything.
SPEAKER_00: There's no way that book is impossible.
SPEAKER_00: No, we should read this book and have hope that this book is a book of possibilities for us as the believer.
SPEAKER_00: I have a question I want to ask.
SPEAKER_00: If what I am saying is true, if what we have read is true, then why is it that so many believers live as if they are still losing?
SPEAKER_00: Why is it that so many believers live as if they are still losing?
SPEAKER_00: Remember this question because we're gonna be coming back to it before we leave today.
SPEAKER_00: But first we're gonna be looking at the blueprint of victory.
SPEAKER_00: So turn with me in your Bibles to Joshua chapter 6.
SPEAKER_00: Joshua chapter 6.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna read 18 verses.
SPEAKER_00: Again, a lot of reading, but just bear with me.
SPEAKER_00: Joshua chapter 6, starting in verse 1, it says this.
SPEAKER_00: Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel.
SPEAKER_00: None went out, and none came in.
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord said to Joshua, see, I have given Jericho into your hand with its king and mighty men of valor.
SPEAKER_00: You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once.
SPEAKER_00: Thus you shall do for six days.
SPEAKER_00: Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark.
SPEAKER_00: On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
SPEAKER_00: And then and when they make a long blast with the ram's horns, then when you hear the sound of the trumpets, and all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.
SPEAKER_00: So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests in the seven and said it called the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let the seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram's before the ark of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And he said to the people, Go forward, march around the city, and let the armed men pass before the Ark of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the Lord went forward blowing the trumpets with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord following them.
SPEAKER_00: The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.
SPEAKER_00: But Joshua commanded the people, You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout.
SPEAKER_00: Then you shall shout.
SPEAKER_00: So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once, and they came back into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
SPEAKER_00: And then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord, and the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually, and the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually.
SPEAKER_00: And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to camp.
SPEAKER_00: So they did for six days.
SPEAKER_00: We're almost there.
SPEAKER_00: On the seventh day they rose early at dawn, at the dawn of the day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times.
SPEAKER_00: It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.
SPEAKER_00: And on the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city, and the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction.
SPEAKER_00: Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she has hid the messengers whom we sent.
SPEAKER_00: Now jump down with me to verse twenty.
SPEAKER_00: So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown.
SPEAKER_00: As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
SPEAKER_00: Now I know we just got out of the book of Joshua, and I know we we've gone over this passage of scripture before, and Pastor Steve preached a fantastic sermon sermon on it.
SPEAKER_00: But for today, for my sake and for the sake of what we're gonna be talking about, can we look at this as if we haven't gone through this chapter yet?
SPEAKER_00: I I know some of us are in here and we're like, we're going through Joshua again.
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's the same word, but it's a different message, so just so just keep that in mind, alright?
SPEAKER_00: But I'm gonna explain it as if we haven't gone through it before.
SPEAKER_00: So the people of Israel have just wandered the wilderness for many, many years.
SPEAKER_00: They have fought in numerous battles, and the generation before had walked the wilderness until they had all died in the wilderness, because they have been forbidden from going into the land God had promised them because of constant rebellion.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the next generation in the same wilderness is about to be given the same promise, about to fight another battle, and we pick up, and this is what we pick up here in Joshua 6.
SPEAKER_00: So the Israelites are facing an immovable object.
SPEAKER_00: They are facing a fortress blocking them from entering the promised land.
SPEAKER_00: Now, this wasn't just any fortress, it was it was Jericho.
SPEAKER_00: You see, Jericho in the ancient world was a well-known place.
SPEAKER_00: It was famous for its high walls that armies couldn't scale.
SPEAKER_00: And it was famous for the walls being so thick that armies couldn't tunnel through.
SPEAKER_00: And if you managed to actually get around these walls, there would still that there was still a battle that had to be fought.
SPEAKER_00: And so to the children of Israel, this seemed like it would be an impossible situation.
SPEAKER_00: This seemed like it would be a helpless situation.
SPEAKER_00: It seemed like the battle that couldn't be won.
SPEAKER_00: And yet, yet this is the very battle that God has called them to.
SPEAKER_00: God has called them to this place that has imbreachable walls.
SPEAKER_00: God has called them to this place that has mighty men of valor waiting behind these walls, waiting for a battle that seemed impossible.
SPEAKER_00: And this is the battle that God had called them to.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not the fact that he called them to it, but it's the way that he called them to win this victory, which I want to, which I want to point out.
SPEAKER_00: Look back with me to verses eight through ten.
SPEAKER_00: It says this And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.
SPEAKER_00: The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after after the ark while the trumpets blew continually.
SPEAKER_00: But Joshua commanded the people, you shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout.
SPEAKER_00: Then you shall shout.
SPEAKER_00: You see, when the people of Israel carried the ark of God, it symbolized them carrying his presence with them.
SPEAKER_00: Whenever you see, wherever the presence of God was, victory for the people of God followed.
SPEAKER_00: So, what does that mean for the Christian today?
SPEAKER_00: Well, as Christians, we carry the Spirit of God inside of us.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit dwells within us, and that means that we should have no fear of any battles that we face, we should have no worry of any trials that we face, we should have no anxiousness about any hardships that may come against us.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because again, where the presence of God is, victory for God's people follows.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the walls of Jericho didn't fall because of their own strength or their own strategy.
SPEAKER_00: They fell because God's presence went before them in obedience and worship.
SPEAKER_00: The walls of Jericho didn't crumble and didn't fall because Joshua had a great strategy that he that he worked out.
SPEAKER_00: The walls of Jericho didn't crumble or fall because Joshua's men looked so tough and so strong.
SPEAKER_00: The walls of Jericho didn't fall because of intimidation or war strategy.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: The walls of Jericho fell because God's presence went before them in obedience and worship.
SPEAKER_00: So the Israelites faced an impossible battle, but God's strategy wasn't to fight first, it was actually to worship first.
SPEAKER_00: That's why it's really funny, and it really caught my eye.
SPEAKER_00: Reading it, they were told not to make a single sound, but the very sound that was happening was the sound of trumpets blowing before them.
SPEAKER_00: The sound that was happening was the sound of trumpets blowing before the ark of God.
SPEAKER_00: So the thing is this God's strategy wasn't to fight first, but it was to worship first.
SPEAKER_00: The priests carried the ark, the people marched in obedience, and they lifted their voices in faith before the walls even moved.
SPEAKER_00: What's the lesson?
SPEAKER_00: Write this down.
SPEAKER_00: Victory didn't come when the walls fell.
SPEAKER_00: Victory came when they obeyed and worshiped.
SPEAKER_00: Victory didn't come when the walls fell.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: Victory came when they obeyed and worshiped.
SPEAKER_00: Victory came when they obeyed and worshiped before anything changed.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the Israelites didn't just wake up on day seven and suddenly believe.
SPEAKER_00: No, no.
SPEAKER_00: They woke up and day after day they were being transformed through the process of worship.
SPEAKER_00: Every lap around Jericho built faith.
SPEAKER_00: Every step in obedience stripped away doubt.
SPEAKER_00: Before God changes your situation, he changes you through worship and his presence.
SPEAKER_00: Well, Marcus, what is what's your proof on that?
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
SPEAKER_00: Well, before God changes your situation, he changes you through worship and his presence.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna be honest with you, and please know I'm I'm saying this from a place of love.
SPEAKER_00: Actually, first and foremost, I love you.
SPEAKER_00: I love you guys too.
SPEAKER_00: Alright, cool.
SPEAKER_00: You guys heard me say I love you.
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
SPEAKER_00: And hopefully you guys know that I love you because I do.
SPEAKER_00: But I say this from a place of love.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us in here, we allow our worship to change because our position has changed.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us in your we've allowed our worship to stifle because our situation seems so loud.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us in your we've allowed our worship to be minuscule because a situation or a trial or a battle in our lives seems as if it's at it's at the maximum peak of everything.
SPEAKER_00: We've allowed our worship to change because our position has changed.
SPEAKER_00: But can I say this?
SPEAKER_00: Worship isn't music, it is the sound of submission.
SPEAKER_00: Let me say that again.
SPEAKER_00: Worship isn't music, it is the sound of submission.
SPEAKER_00: You see, when the ple when the priest blew the trumpets and the people shouted, as it said in Joshua 6.20, it wasn't just a noise, but it was a prophetic declaration that God was king over Jericho.
SPEAKER_00: When the priests were walking around and they were blowing the trumpets and the people shouted, it wasn't just a shout of, ah, okay, that's our warrior crying.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: It was a prophetic declaration saying Jericho, the king of over Jericho is now God Almighty.
SPEAKER_00: The walls are falling because the king has said so.
SPEAKER_00: It is a prophetic declaration.
SPEAKER_00: Worship goes before the victory because worship is an act of war.
SPEAKER_00: It declares God's authority before anything shifts.
SPEAKER_00: And I say this in love.
SPEAKER_00: If worship isn't your first response, then fear, worry, or control probably is.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the Israelites had to carry the ark carefully because God's presence was no small thing.
SPEAKER_00: In 2 Samuel chapter 6, we see the story of David bringing the ark back to Israel.
SPEAKER_00: And in that, instead of having the, instead of having priests carry the ark of God, David had the ark put on a wagon, and as as it was coming in, it was about to fall.
SPEAKER_00: And a man named Uzzah reached his hand out to touch the ark, and he fell down dead.
SPEAKER_00: Now, did he fall down dead because he he touched the ark and God's like, well, I gave you rules, you have to follow it.
SPEAKER_00: No, see, the reason why he fell down dead was because the Lord's presence was represented by the ark, and as it was coming in, David didn't treat it well by having it carried by priests, and a person who is considered to have unclean hands was touching something that was so clean and so holy.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Marcus, what does that have to do with what we're talking about today?
SPEAKER_00: Well, back to the question I asked earlier.
SPEAKER_00: Why is it that so many believers live as if they are still losing?
SPEAKER_00: Well, because today many believers carry the presence of God so casually.
SPEAKER_00: They ignore it, they take it lightly, lightly, that they live like it's not a big deal.
SPEAKER_00: We treat it like David and Uzzah.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to me.
SPEAKER_00: For those of you who are under the sound of my voice, those of you who are watching online, listen, there are going to be battles in your life, whether you are a Christian or not.
SPEAKER_00: There are going to be battles that you face that are unavoidable.
SPEAKER_00: There are going to be battles that you face that are life-changing, and if you are not grounded in Jesus, it can be life-shattering.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not saying this to scare you, I'm saying this to prepare you.
SPEAKER_00: The crazy thing is, so many believers walk around avoiding worship, avoiding praise to God.
SPEAKER_00: They want everything that Christianity has to offer, but they don't want to do the things that Christianity requires.
SPEAKER_00: They lost the fire.
SPEAKER_00: What fire?
SPEAKER_00: Well, the fire before the fight, they lost that.
SPEAKER_00: And that fire before the fight is worship.
SPEAKER_00: The fire before the fight is praising God.
SPEAKER_00: The fire before the fight is trusting that what God said is already done, even when the walls are still standing.
SPEAKER_00: We've subtly taught Christians to expect worship to feel good instead of teaching them to offer that uh to offer something costly.
SPEAKER_00: We live in a society today in Western Christianity where we expect to walk into worship feeling something.
SPEAKER_00: We live in a society today where we walk into worship and we expect to feel good when we walk out.
SPEAKER_00: We live in a society today where it's like, man, you're having a bad day, just go worship and you'll feel better.
SPEAKER_00: But scripture says in Hebrews 13, 5, bring a sacrifice of praise.
SPEAKER_00: A sacrifice of praise.
SPEAKER_00: You see, sacrifice isn't always enjoyable, but sacrifice is always holy.
SPEAKER_00: Some people say, Well, I'm just not emotional.
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm introverted, I'm not expressive, I don't connect with music.
SPEAKER_00: I'm Marcus, I'm more of a thinker than a worshiper.
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, same.
SPEAKER_00: I'm a theology nerd.
SPEAKER_00: I can talk about Puritan history all day long.
SPEAKER_00: I geek out about the Koine Greek meaning of the New Testament.
SPEAKER_00: I geek out about the Aramaic that's used in the gospels.
SPEAKER_00: I geek out about about the ancient and traditional Hebrew that is spoken in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: I geek out about certain theological topics, but I'm gonna be honest with you, here's a news flash.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you don't know this, but I don't geek out over music.
SPEAKER_00: I don't listen to music, I'm like, man, that is so beautiful.
SPEAKER_00: I went to a Bible school where if you weren't part of the drum circle, then you were like talking theology.
SPEAKER_00: That's just the Bible school I went to.
SPEAKER_00: Drum circle people, I apologize.
SPEAKER_00: Change the strings on your acoustic guitar, please.
SPEAKER_00: It's hard to geek out about worship.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because I'm not musically gifted.
SPEAKER_00: But biblically, biblically, that's like saying, I'm not really wired to breathe.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not built for obedience.
SPEAKER_00: I don't feel called to love God.
SPEAKER_00: Worship isn't a personality trait, worship is a command.
SPEAKER_00: Worship is a calling and a creative purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Worship is a command of all believers, not just the outgoing ones, not just the musical ones, not just the emotional ones, not just drum circle ones.
SPEAKER_00: Worship is a command to all believers.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, if you are in this room, if you were listening online, if you can, if you are a believer, if Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of your life, then you are commanded to worship.
SPEAKER_00: Marcus, that seems a little harsh.
SPEAKER_00: Marcus, that seems a little a little legalistic.
SPEAKER_00: That's that I hear you.
SPEAKER_00: I I thought the same thing when someone told me, hey, you have to worship.
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I realized I wasn't arguing with them, and you're not arguing with me.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna just read you scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: Well, in Psalm 156, it says, Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 104, enter his gates with thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise.
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews 13, 5, uh 13, 15, offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
SPEAKER_00: Romans 12, 1, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, which is your spiritual worship.
SPEAKER_00: Notice this, scripture never once says, praise him if you enjoy this song.
SPEAKER_00: Praise him if this is your personality, praise him and engage if this is your style of music.
SPEAKER_00: Scripture never once says that.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the Bible commands us to worship because worship is obedience, not preference.
SPEAKER_00: Yet too many believers decide to not engage based on preference.
SPEAKER_00: Modern Christians are trained consumers.
SPEAKER_00: Barna calls this the preference-based disengagement.
SPEAKER_00: Basically, people worship when they approve of the song rather than because God is worthy.
SPEAKER_00: They've confused entertainment with encounter.
SPEAKER_00: Or people have expectations.
SPEAKER_00: People expect emotional highs.
SPEAKER_00: They expect production quality.
SPEAKER_00: They expect perfect transitions, they expect their favorite song.
SPEAKER_00: Or get this, they expect a special moment.
SPEAKER_00: They expect an emotional encounter.
SPEAKER_00: And when they don't get it, they disengage.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the danger of this.
SPEAKER_00: They're evaluating a holy encounter with the same lens that they use for Spotify.
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_00: Like, we have our phones, we're listening to Spotify, we're in the gym.
SPEAKER_00: Like, oh, that song's really not getting me amped up to work out.
SPEAKER_00: Press next.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, this this song isn't really getting me uh a calm to be a calm mother.
SPEAKER_00: Press next.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sick of the Bluey tune over and over and over again.
SPEAKER_00: Press next.
SPEAKER_00: If Miss Rachel has one more sing along, press next.
SPEAKER_00: But you know what's sad?
SPEAKER_00: And we're laughing, and it is hilarious on that.
SPEAKER_00: But on the other side, it's like, man, I just this worship song doesn't speak to me.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna engage.
SPEAKER_00: This song, it didn't help me get through a battle, so I'm not gonna engage.
SPEAKER_00: And then we start getting into things like this.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I don't like this song.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like the worship leader's voice.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like the tempo.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like the audio mix.
SPEAKER_00: There's so much bass in this song.
SPEAKER_00: This song is too mainstream, it's too hillsungy.
SPEAKER_00: This song's too bestly.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, this song's too old school.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like hymns.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like the volume.
SPEAKER_00: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
SPEAKER_00: Who the heck?
SPEAKER_00: Listen, if you see the name of Jesus on the screen, open your mouth and worship him.
SPEAKER_00: It's not about your preferences, but it's about his glory.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, listen to me very carefully.
SPEAKER_00: There is more at stake than just you and your preferences.
unknown: Thank you.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to see victories over the Jerichos in your life, then we need to open our mouths and worship him.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you have family members that you have been praying to come to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: You have been praying over them for years and years.
SPEAKER_00: That is a Jericho.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you have been seeking healing over an ailment or the ailment of a loved one.
SPEAKER_00: And you've been praying for healing.
SPEAKER_00: That's a Jericho wall.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you maybe are feeling spiritually dry.
SPEAKER_00: You feel as if every prayer you cry out is bouncing off the ceilings and landing on the floor next to you.
SPEAKER_00: And if you could, if you could just get uh just get another touch from God, then you can keep walking.
SPEAKER_00: If you could just get another touch from Christ, then maybe your faith would finally explode.
SPEAKER_00: If you just get another touch from Christ, then maybe those doubts and those fears of falling away would be gone.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, that is a Jericho wall.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not saying that if you sing worship songs, the walls of your Jerichos will fall.
SPEAKER_00: I know this from experience.
SPEAKER_00: You see, I share an office wall with the worship department.
SPEAKER_00: And there are four to five of them in there, and at least one person who helps with worship in that office, too.
SPEAKER_00: And I hear them singing all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Try having a Zoom meeting when revival's happening in the room next door.
SPEAKER_00: It's distracting, it's hard.
SPEAKER_00: And you're trying to talk about something serious.
SPEAKER_00: You're trying to like, like you're talking about like guys who are in prison and they're like, hey, here's what here's what we need to do, here's the strategy.
SPEAKER_00: And you hear, holy, holy, holy.
SPEAKER_00: Are you and you're like, yeah, no, no, no, focus, focus.
SPEAKER_00: It's hard to concentrate.
SPEAKER_00: Worship team, please don't stop.
SPEAKER_00: Like, keep singing.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying stop.
SPEAKER_00: But where's Jenna?
SPEAKER_00: Jen or Emmanuel, if you're in here, you guys know we hear them all the time.
SPEAKER_00: You can't walk down the basement halls without hearing the worship team singing and singing loudly.
SPEAKER_00: They sing and they sing, and I sing along quietly with them because I I can I sing quietly because I can't hold a note.
SPEAKER_00: And let me tell you, I still have some Jericho walls that I'm dealing with.
SPEAKER_00: What I'm saying is this.
SPEAKER_00: I do not know what the battle will look like, but I do know that we are called, I do know how we are called to look like.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what your battle looks like, but I know how we are called to look like in the midst of that battle.
SPEAKER_00: Well, Marcus, what are we supposed to look like?
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's a posture of obedience and a voice singing the praises of the one who will win this battle.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the question What walls are you staring at?
SPEAKER_00: What battle feels impossible?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've been swinging your sword when God is calling you to lift your hands.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've been fighting in your own strength when God is asking you to worship in His.
SPEAKER_00: See, Israel didn't wait for the walls to fall before they worshiped.
SPEAKER_00: They worshiped and then the walls fell.
SPEAKER_00: What if your breakthrough isn't waiting on another fight?
SPEAKER_00: But what if it's what if your breakthrough is just a moment of surrender?
SPEAKER_00: What if that thing you're praying for and you're asking God to give you breakthrough through, what if it's not another fast?
SPEAKER_00: What if it's not, what if it's not another 40, 50, 60 hours of prayer?
SPEAKER_00: What if it's not trying hard and doing more?
SPEAKER_00: What if that that moment of breakthrough you're looking for?
SPEAKER_00: God's saying, I have it, it's for you, but it's in a moment of surrender.
SPEAKER_00: Now none of those other things are bad.
SPEAKER_00: We're called to those other things.
SPEAKER_00: We're called to fast.
SPEAKER_00: We're called to pray.
SPEAKER_00: Please hear my voice on this.
SPEAKER_00: But but we focus so much on fasting and praying and theology and orthodoxy that when it comes to worship, we've allowed our preferences to take us from that place of surrender.
SPEAKER_00: We've allowed our bitterness and our judgment towards another ministry, whether we disagree with them or agree with them, we've allowed that, we've allowed that to take us from this place of surrender with God.
SPEAKER_00: I feel this so deeply in my spirit this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you have been trying to fight battles that were never meant to be one in your own strength.
SPEAKER_00: But they were meant to be one with your surrender.
SPEAKER_00: You've been pushing, you've been striving, and you've been laboring, trying to find out how to get the walls down.
SPEAKER_00: But I believe the Lord is saying, stop swinging your sword and start lifting your voice.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you walked in here with walls so high you can't even see the sun anymore.
SPEAKER_00: You've walked in here with walls of fear, walls of unbelief, walls of exhaustion, walls of loneliness, walls of sin that keep cycling back around.
SPEAKER_00: And you've been begging God to change the situation, but the Holy Spirit has been trying to change you.
SPEAKER_00: We've been asking God, God, would you change the situation?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, would you help the situation?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, would you bless me in the situation?
SPEAKER_00: Lord, would you would you move in the situation?
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord's waiting there and he's saying, Yes, I will, but before I do, I want to change you.
SPEAKER_00: And we've become so deaf to that, we've become so numb to that that it feels like God's not moving in our life, that we feels like he's not speaking.
SPEAKER_00: But the thing is, he's speaking in kindness and grace over you.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, but let me change you.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not gonna be calling for I'm not gonna be calling you to the altar at the end of this for a salvation response.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not calling you to raise your hand and make a decision or pray a prayer.
SPEAKER_00: But I'm gonna be calling you as brothers and sisters, I'm calling as your brother and your fellow traveler in this wilderness to come up here and stand in the presence of God and worship.
SPEAKER_00: Not because you feel it, but because this or and not because the song fits your preference, but because he is worthy, because he is holy, because he is the same God who brought down Jericho, and he is the same God who can bring down the walls in your life.
SPEAKER_00: And I'll be honest, I'm gonna be the first one up here at this altar.
SPEAKER_00: So you're not coming alone.
SPEAKER_00: I'm coming with you, but I'm not coming, I'm not coming up here to perform, I'm not coming up here to be emotional, I'm not coming up here to have a moment, but I'm coming up here because I want to be in a place of surrender.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sick of seeing my Jericho walls loom over my life.
SPEAKER_00: I'm coming for a place of surrender where I can say, Lord, you've brought down walls before.
SPEAKER_00: I'm trusting you to bring down walls again.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to invite you up here for that as well.
SPEAKER_00: Now, some of you, when we leave here and Monday comes around, you might be like, Well, Marcus, like, how do I do this?
SPEAKER_00: What does this look like in my life?
SPEAKER_00: Marcus, when these battles happen, what do I do?
SPEAKER_00: What do I do?
SPEAKER_00: I'll be honest with you.
SPEAKER_00: There's been battles in my life, there's been times in my life where where I know the word of God.
SPEAKER_00: I have I have passages memorized that have helped me get through battles and trials, but there's moments in these battles and trials where the words of these scriptures forget, like I forget them.
SPEAKER_00: They don't come to the forefront of my mind in that moment.
SPEAKER_00: What do I do?
SPEAKER_00: Do I just sit down and defeat until I remember them?
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: See, here's the beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, scripture is our plumb line.
SPEAKER_00: Everything we do should be based on scripture.
SPEAKER_00: But the great thing about scripture is this there is an entire book in here called the book of Psalms, which is a book of worship.
SPEAKER_00: See, worship isn't a worship isn't a bad thing, it's not even a foreign thing.
SPEAKER_00: No, worship is a thing that is supposed to be ingrained in the heart of the believer.
SPEAKER_00: And so when those when those words of scripture don't come to your mind, what is a song you can sing?
SPEAKER_00: What is a song you can sing to the Lord in that moment until he intervenes?
SPEAKER_00: What is a song you can sing over Jericho?
SPEAKER_00: What is the music you will make over Jericho?
SPEAKER_00: I know for me, and again, I can't hold a tune, so bear with me.
SPEAKER_00: But I know for me, there are moments in my life when I feel, when I feel, Lord, I need you to intervene.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I need you to move.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what I'm gonna do right now, God.
SPEAKER_00: I I I need I need help, I need hope.
SPEAKER_00: What do I do if I don't have if I don't have a word?
SPEAKER_00: Well, there's an old song that my parents took me to this really little play, you probably never heard of it.
SPEAKER_00: It's called The Thorn.
SPEAKER_00: And they took me to this play, and there's one song.
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't even saved when I went there, and there's this one song I heard, and I sing it to this day over and over in the midst of those, and it's a simple song.
SPEAKER_00: It's like, my deliverer is coming, my deliverer is standing by, right?
SPEAKER_00: And I sing that over and over until until I can make myself believe my deliverer is coming, my deliverer is coming.
SPEAKER_00: That hope is coming in the midst of this battle, that hope is coming in the midst of this trial, that hope is coming, and I will sing that until those walls shake in fear, because Jesus is coming to crumble those walls.
SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna invite you up here to worship with us, not because the song fits your preference, but because he is worthy, because he is holy, because he is the same God who brought down the walls of Jericho, and he is the same God who could bring down the walls in your life.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm coming down again, not for show, not to perform, not to be emotional, not to have a moment, but I am coming down to to lift a shout before the walls even move.
SPEAKER_00: To bring a sacrifice of praise when it costs something, to worship like the presence of God really is inside of us because it is.
SPEAKER_00: So if you say, Marcus, I want I want the fire back.
SPEAKER_00: Marcus, I want my worship to go before my fight.
SPEAKER_00: Marcus, I want to stand in obedience even when the walls are still standing.
SPEAKER_00: Then come and join me at the altar.
SPEAKER_00: Not for a decision, but for devotion.
SPEAKER_00: Come before the fight, come before the victory, come before you even see one stone move.
SPEAKER_00: Come and worship the God who is still king over Jericho and the God who is still king over every wall in your life.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for listening to the Road Church Podcast.
SPEAKER_02: We pray today's message has empowered you to make a difference in your world.
SPEAKER_02: For more information about the Road Church and to find more content like this, go to theroad.org.
SPEAKER_02: That's theroad.org.