WEBVTT 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:05.360 Welcome to the Celebration Church of Orlando podcast. 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:09.679 We are so glad you joined us, and we hope you are encouraged by today's message. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:14.880 I mean, that was the best setup in the world, Tom Brady and Pastor Keith. 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:15.599 Come on. 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:24.800 He has taken every chance today, by the way, uh, to remind me that Tom Brady is not in the Super Bowl, but Tom Brady's protege is, so go 49ers. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:29.760 Um anyway, well, hey, if it's your first time here at Celebration Church, uh, my name is Josh Ezzel. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:36.320 My wife Callie and I, we have the honor and privilege of serving and leading on the College Park campus of Celebration Church. 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:38.960 And we would love to meet you if we've not had a chance to meet you. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:40.799 Um, we'll be out in the lobby after service. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:42.640 Please come find us or we will find you. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:47.600 I know that sounds creepy, but um we really do want to, we really I don't know how I'm gonna recover from that. 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:52.159 Anyway, um we would love to meet you guys and just connect with you. 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:59.600 But hey, before I jump into today's sermon, there's something really exciting um going on in the life of our church that I want you guys to know about personally for me. 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:03.200 Uh so a couple years ago, we launched Celebration Internship. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:13.760 And what our internship is, it's a hands-on ministry training for anyone who's like feels called to maybe part-time or full-time ministry, or maybe you just want to know more of what that looks like. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:21.680 Um, we're actually starting our spring semester coming up in about a month, but tomorrow night, we're gonna be having an internship is interest night. 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.879 And if you're between the ages of 18 and 30 and you feel like, man, maybe ministry is the next step for my life. 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:28.879 I want to encourage you to be there tomorrow night. 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:31.439 I was an intern once, 18 years old, okay? 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:32.480 I thought I knew it all. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:36.000 Until someone took me under their wing and said, You don't know it all, let me show you. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:42.400 Uh I would not be who I am today or be doing what I'm doing today if I would not have taken that step of faith to do an internship. 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:51.200 So I encourage you guys, if you want to be a part of that, you can actually come tomorrow night to our church offices, or you can just email intern at celebrationorl.org. 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:55.760 But hey, today, how many of you guys are excited that our 21 days of prayer and fasting are over? 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:57.439 Come on, can I get an amen? 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:59.680 If you're not excited, you probably weren't fasting. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:01.599 It's okay, no judgment here. 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:05.200 Um, my family was really excited on Friday morning. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.439 Um, we all fasted different things, but one of the things that we fasted together was sweets. 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:13.919 And so our girls who are six and seven, they woke up on Friday morning, they're like, Yes, the fast is over. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:14.560 Can we have a sweet? 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:16.000 And I'm like, Yep, here's a Pop Tart. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:16.560 Let's go. 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:20.960 I was like dad of the year for five minutes until I told them they had to brush their teeth after that. 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:23.840 But they were super excited about uh the fast being over. 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:25.360 And here's the thing, guys. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:32.800 We really hope that this 21 days of prayer and fasting was something where you not only maybe heard from God in your life, but you saw God move in your life. 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:35.759 So thank you guys for taking a part um in that with us. 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:42.400 And today, one of the things that we're doing together to kind of break the fast all together is we're gonna take communion at the end of service. 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:45.840 So whenever you walked in today, you should have received communion elements if you did it. 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.560 Don't worry, we will get you some at the end of service. 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.719 But after the sermon, we're gonna take communion together. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:56.240 So I want to encourage you guys, um, don't just like get up and leave after the altar call, like some people tend to do. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:59.919 Let's all stay together and let's just have this time together as a community. 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:01.919 We remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:02.400 Amen? 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.080 Oh, come on, y'all can do that. 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:04.719 Come on, amen. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:06.800 All right, we're gonna go ahead and get this out the way. 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:08.879 Listen, a celebration church, you've already heard it twice. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:11.520 We're a church of participators and not spectators. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:13.439 So that means you can say, Amen, say amen. 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:15.039 You can say get it. 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:16.639 You can say, uh-huh. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:18.400 You can say get or done. 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:22.000 Whatever you guys want to say, let's just keep it uh PG rated. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.199 But as Pastor Keith said, we've been in a series about taking ground. 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.159 And simply what taking ground is, is moving forward. 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:34.879 And we believe as followers of Christ that we're not only called to move forward, but we're called not to go back to some of those things where we've been at in life. 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.599 And so we've been focusing on that for the past few weeks. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:42.400 I want to encourage you, if you've missed any of the sermons, to get on the podcast and listen to them. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.639 But today, if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:46.159 Here's the big thought of today. 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:50.639 If you want to take ground in your life, you have to take God with you. 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:54.400 If you want to take ground in your life, you have to take God with you. 00:03:54.479 --> 00:04:02.719 I know that seems so simple, but today we're gonna look at the life of David and kind of a practical story in his life where you can see this happen and we're gonna learn from it. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:06.719 And so if you got your Bibles this morning, you can turn to 1 Chronicles. 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:09.360 We're still in the Old Testament, if you want to know where that's at. 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:11.360 That's somewhere after 2 Kings. 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.479 Uh 1 Chronicles 11, uh, not 11, 13. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.800 We're gonna read verses from 13, chapter 15, and also chapter 16. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:29.279 But don't worry, I'm not gonna read all of it, but I do want to encourage you guys sometime this week to actually get in your Bible to read 1 Chronicles 13, 14, 15, and 16, because there's some great things in there. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:33.519 And so, David, everything that we've looked at so far, he was not yet king. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:39.600 But today what we're looking at, David is now not only the anointed king of Israel, he's actually the appointed king of Israel. 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:42.720 Saul is dead, his sons are dead, and David is now king. 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:50.480 So the first thing that David decides that he's going to go and do is he's gonna bring the Ark of God, the Ark of the Covenant, back to Jerusalem. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:52.319 How many people have heard the Ark of the Covenant before? 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:53.680 Maybe Indiana Jones? 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.040 Has anybody watched conspiracy shows like um The Curse of Oak Island? 00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:57.680 Anybody else? 00:04:57.759 --> 00:04:58.639 Okay, just me. 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:00.480 On this show, they thank you. 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.639 They believe that the uh the Ark of the Covenant is buried on an island off the coast of Canada. 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:06.639 Who'd have thought Jesus was living in Canada? 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:07.199 I don't even know. 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:08.480 It's too cold up there. 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:11.759 But but here's the thing the Ark of the Covenant, it was a real thing. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:24.079 So 400 years prior to David becoming king, we talked about it in our Exodus series, but Moses and the Israelites, they were in a wilderness wandering around, and God gave them parameters to build a tabernacle and to build this ark. 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:32.160 It was made out of gold, it was four foot long, two foot wide, two foot high, and inside of this ark was the Ten Commandments, the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:43.199 And then on top of the ark there were two cherubim, which if you want me to tell you what that is, it's angels on top of the ark, and literally the manifest presence of God lived right there on that ark. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:50.160 And so everywhere that that ark went, everywhere that that ark would go, the people of Israel were blessed. 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:51.759 The people of Israel were provided for. 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:56.319 The people of Israel were literally led and guided by the ark, by the presence of God. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:59.040 And so they would even take this ark into battle with them. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:03.839 And so 40 years before David became king, they were against their arch enemies, the Philistines. 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:06.000 We've talked about them a couple of times during this series. 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:10.560 And whenever they were fighting, the Philistines go, This army, they're not too good. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:12.160 I wonder why they keep winning. 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:15.600 And then they saw the ark, they're like, I wonder if it's because of the ark. 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:18.399 So they said, We're gonna go and capture the ark, we're gonna go and take it. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:23.759 So they took the ark of God and they took it back to their home city, they took it back to where they came from. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:27.120 And here's what they did they put it in the temple with their god Dagon. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.560 And when they went in the temple the next day, they were like, What's going on? 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:33.759 Dagon was face down on the ground, but nothing was wrong with the ark. 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:35.199 And they're like, This is weird. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:41.920 So they took Dagon, they set him back up, and then they went back in the next day, and Dagon was face down, and his arms had broken off, and the ark was fine. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:44.079 And they're like, Man, something is up with this thing. 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:45.199 We gotta get it out of here. 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:52.800 And so they sent it from town to town, from city to city, and everywhere that it went, it caused problems because God was for the people of Israel at that time. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:07:01.360 And so they said, Okay, if this ark is supposed to go back to Israel, then here's what we're gonna do: we're gonna put it on a cart, and we're gonna attach it to some oxen. 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.160 And if it's supposed to go back, they'll figure out where to go. 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:12.720 They put it on the cart and the oxen go, and all of a sudden they go from Philistine to Israel, all by themselves, and it winds up at the house of a man named Abinadad. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:16.319 And that's where we pick up the story today, 1 Chronicles 13, verse 1. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:21.839 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:39.920 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, If it seems good to you, and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasture lands to come and join us. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.720 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:46.639 For we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:51.600 The whole assembly agreed to do this because it seemed right to all the people. 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:56.160 Listen, if you're taking notes, if you got a Bible, I want you to underline that, circle it, whatever you have to do. 00:07:56.319 --> 00:07:58.160 This verse 4, I'm gonna read it again. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:03.040 The whole assembly agreed to do this because it seemed right to all the people. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:04.000 Let's say that together. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.160 It seemed right to all the people. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:08.800 I want you to remember that because here's what David did. 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:12.240 He made a decision to go and get the ark, and he asked everybody, what should I do? 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.879 And they made the decision because it seemed right to all the people. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:16.800 We're gonna jump ahead to verse seven. 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:22.879 It says they moved the ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:25.759 I'm sorry if my redneck grammar messes up any of these words. 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:27.360 Who would name their kid Abinadab? 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:37.440 But anyway, David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals, and trumpets. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:43.600 And when they came to the threshing floor of Kadam, what a threshing floor is, is it's made up of little stones, so it's really slippery. 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:47.919 Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark because the oxen stumbled. 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:54.080 The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark, so he died there before God. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:01.279 And then David was angry because the Lord's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day this place is called Perez Uzzah. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.279 We're going to skip ahead to chapter 15. 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:04.159 And so that happens. 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.559 They fell, David's mad, David's angry at God. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:10.000 He actually leaves the ark at the house of Obed Edom for ninety days. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:12.960 And ninety days later, in chapter 15, this is what it says. 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:20.320 After David had constructed buildings for himself in the city of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:28.879 Then David said, No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever. 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:35.039 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to place to the place he had prepared for it. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:42.639 He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and to save time and not go through all the begats and bagots and say other names that I don't know how to say. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:44.159 We're going to go to verse 25. 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:57.200 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went up to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed Edom with rejoicing, because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant to the Lord. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.919 Seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:09.200 Now David was clothed in the robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing choirs. 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.279 David also wore a linen ephod. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:20.320 So all of Israel brought up the ark, the covenant of the Lord, with shouts, with the sounding of rams, horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps. 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:23.120 So what we see here, the first time David went after the ark, he fell. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:24.799 The second time he succeeded. 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:27.200 And actually, this is the part where David kind of danced around naked. 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:30.639 If you ever heard that story in the Bible, the Bible's interesting, people, I'm telling you. 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:32.159 David danced around naked in front of people. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:32.799 It was awesome. 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:33.679 But don't do that, please. 00:10:33.759 --> 00:10:35.120 I don't want anybody to get in trouble. 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.039 But here's what we see David, he said, Man, I've got to go after God. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:42.639 Because what David knew is everything without God equals nothing. 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:47.759 If you're taking uh notes this morning, the title of this sermon is simply this Don't leave home without it. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:49.360 Don't leave home without it. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:50.159 Come on, let's pray. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:54.080 God, I thank you so much for every person in this room today. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:56.320 And God, we thank you for your son Jesus. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:11:00.799 God, I ask that He would be with us, He would lead us and guide us in all that we do. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.919 God, I ask, Holy Spirit, that you would speak to each of us individually. 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:08.240 God, I ask that you would take my words and you would use them and you would give me words that are not my own. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:17.519 And God, I ask right now that we would leave here changed, God, not because of who we are, or not because of what I say, God, but because of who you are and because of your Son, Jesus. 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:20.080 We say, speak, God, we are listening in Jesus' name. 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.720 And everybody said, Amen. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:25.360 Well, how would you turn your neighbor this morning and say, neighbor? 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:28.159 Oh, come on, y'all can never let come on, say neighbor. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:30.240 Don't leave home without it. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.120 Turn your other neighbor, your second choice. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:37.440 Tell them not to leave home without it as well. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:44.240 Alright, so uh, did anybody grow up and get in trouble in school like me? 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:45.279 Anyone get in trouble? 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:45.840 Come on. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:52.799 All right, listen, you can be, we believe in being what we call hot at this church, honest, open, and transparent in church. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.840 So if you got in trouble in school like me, come on, raise your hand. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:56.639 It's okay. 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:57.600 All right, thank you. 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.080 If you did not raise your hand, we probably would not have been friends. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:01.200 I'm just saying. 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:04.399 Um here's the reason I got in trouble so much. 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:08.240 I was a little bit emotional, a tad bit dramatic, and I like to talk. 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:09.600 Not a lot has changed. 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:15.200 Um, one of my joys as a father is getting to see some of these attributes in my own daughters. 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:20.559 Um, my oldest daughter, Olivia, she is emotional, a tad bit dramatic, and she likes to talk a lot. 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:25.919 And so I have taken it upon me to foster these gifts inside of my daughter. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.559 This has nothing to do with my story, but I'm gonna tell it anyway. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:38.159 On Friday, um, we were leaving our house and walking to school, and we were going to school, we're about to walk out the door, and Olivia looks back at Callie and she goes, Mommy, I'm gonna miss you so much. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:40.639 I'm gonna miss you so much that I'm gonna cry. 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:41.679 And then we walk outside. 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:42.639 She goes, Was that good, Daddy? 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:43.600 I'm like, that was good, girl. 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:44.639 Good job. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.320 Listen, I think it's hilarious. 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:50.799 And Callie goes, You think it's hilarious till she's 16 and doing the same thing to you, you know what I mean? 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:59.679 But I I would get in trouble a lot in school, and one of the places that I would actually get in trouble the most was in Sunday school. 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:08.480 Uh, because my my dad was a pastor at the church we were at, and as the pastor's kid, when everybody else was watching The Simpsons, I was watching Veggie Tales. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:16.240 And so everybody else was like not knowing what was going on in these Bible stories, but I knew even the Bible stories that no one else knew about. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:24.480 And so when it came question and answer time, every single week, I made it my personal like agenda to answer every single question. 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:26.000 But I had a problem. 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:34.080 Um, my Sunday school teacher, her name was Miss Timaeus, and her grandson, little Jesse Timaeus, was in my Sunday school class. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.120 And so I never got called on to answer the questions. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:41.200 And so one Sunday I had had enough, and I decided here's what I'm gonna do. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:45.200 Every single question, as soon as she calls on Jesse, I'm gonna answer it. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:48.960 About six questions in, she looks at me and she goes, Joshua Eazel. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:51.279 She goes, Would Jesus act like you're acting right now? 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:52.960 And I'm like, I don't know, you're an adult, Woody. 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.080 I mean, I'm just trying to I'm talking about the Bible here. 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:57.519 Come on, give me a break. 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:04.240 And so she asks that question, and then she asked me to come up to where she's standing, and she looks at me with serious eyes. 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:07.759 She goes, You need to make sure Jesus is in your heart with the way you're acting. 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:16.399 And she grabs the back of my arm, like only my mom should kind of like twists my arm and goes, Go outside and go in the hallway and think about what you just did. 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:20.480 And me being a tad bit dramatic and emotional, I start crying. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:27.120 I start crying really loud, and I get out in the hallway and I'm sitting there and I'm crying, and all of a sudden, Mama Bear comes around the corner. 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:30.320 And when she comes around the corner, she goes, Joshua Scott Eazel. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.000 She goes, What did you do? 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:33.519 She didn't ask what was wrong. 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:35.200 She thought it was my fault immediately. 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:37.679 I'm like, come on, mom, why is it always my fault? 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.960 And so I told her what I did, but then I told her what was done to me. 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:43.039 And she goes, Oh no, no, no, no, no. 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:45.360 Don't nobody touch my son like that except for me. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.960 And she goes, stand up, put your shoulders back, wipe off your tears. 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:51.120 We're gonna go back in there and we're gonna tell her what's up. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:52.720 So all the kids are leaving. 00:14:52.879 --> 00:15:00.000 We walk back into the Sunday school room, and literally for the next 15 minutes, my mom tells Miss Thomas what's up. 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:07.600 She said words that my five-year-old ears had never heard, and that those Pentecostal church halls I promised you had never heard in those 15 minutes. 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:11.120 And then we walk back out, and she's like, That's how it's done, son. 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:16.240 I go, Mom, I go, why did you take off your earrings and your high heels before we walked into the room? 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:18.080 She goes, because you never know what's gonna happen. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:21.279 I might be Christian on the outside, but I'm hood on the inside. 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:22.879 I'm being serious. 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:23.759 That is my mom. 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:24.879 People think I make it up. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.240 She's crazy. 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:33.840 But but he might like, he might be like, what does that have to do with following God and taking God with you? 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.000 I'm about to tell you, I'm glad you asked. 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:43.519 Here's the thing: when I walked out of that room, I was defeated, and I was sad, I was angry, and yeah, some of it was my own fault. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:50.000 But when I walked back into that room, I walked with my shoulders held high with a confidence and a boldness that I didn't have before. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:53.360 And it wasn't that when I walked into that room, my situation had changed. 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.200 But who was with me when I walked into that room changed. 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:02.960 See, I had a confidence and a boldness that I didn't have before because when I walked into that room, I was not alone. 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:07.600 I had the presence and the authority of Sandra Nell Reims with me. 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:13.519 See, here's the thing, how many times in our life are we sitting in the hallways of our life? 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:22.879 And are we upset and sad and angry and hurt and frustrated and broken and hurting, and we're just like, I don't know if I can do this anymore. 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:26.399 Here's what I think would happen if God walked around the corner. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.000 He wouldn't ask you, What did you do? 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:30.639 But he would come up and he would say, Hey, listen, I know what's happened. 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:32.720 I know what you did, I know what's been done to you. 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:33.840 But here's what you can do. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:43.519 You can stand up and you can stand tall and you can wipe the tears from your eyes, and you can have boldness and you can have confidence because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you over 2,000 years ago. 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:44.960 It is written, it is done. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:55.120 He literally has defeated everything, and so you can walk into every situation knowing that you carry his power and his authority and his presence with you. 00:16:58.879 --> 00:16:59.519 I heard that. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:08.079 I don't know who said that, but we we have to know that everywhere that we go, man, we take God with us. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.160 And that's what David knew. 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:28.079 And see, David, what I think is so important in this story is David had success after success after success, and he was about to transition into being king, but he knew during this transition season, I can't let off the gas, I got to keep going after God. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:41.680 How many times in our life, whenever we get a transition season, maybe we've been praying for a relationship, praying for a marriage, praying for a kid, and all of a sudden we got the relationship, we got the marriage, we got the kid, we got the job, and now we're like, God, I'm good, I got you. 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:44.720 And God's like, You're good? 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:47.920 Like, I got you here, but now you don't need me. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:54.160 See what we see in David's life is that, man, no matter where we go, we're not good. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:18:02.880 We need God in everything that we do in every season, in every transition, at every level, in success, and failure, and everything that we do in life. 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:06.000 We need the power and the presence and the authority of God. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:07.680 So here's what I want to do today. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.680 I I just kind of want to compare and contrast some things in this story. 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:18.640 Uh, just kind of three observations that I believe can help us to take ground in our life and take God with us. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:27.759 So if you're taking notes, uh the first point is this is we have to surrender our way, our direction, and our strength. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:32.079 We have to surrender our way, our direction, and our strength. 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:35.279 And so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna kind of break this down verse by verse. 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:42.799 So, David, we know that he goes to get the ark, and when he went to get the ark, he actually didn't ask God, hey, should I go and get the ark? 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:43.759 He just asked everybody else. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:45.440 They're like, Yeah, it seems right. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:47.039 And so David went after the ark. 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:48.319 He said, Man, I'm gonna go after God. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:49.680 I'm gonna do what seems right. 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:54.400 And so he went after the ark, and when he got there, it says they put the ark on a cart. 00:18:54.720 --> 00:19:04.480 But here's the thing the ark was never supposed to be carried on a cart, the ark was supposed to be carried, which we see in chapter 15, on poles on the shoulders of the Levites. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:10.960 And so when David got there, what he decided to do is, okay, well, the ark was on a cart before, so let's just keep it on a cart now. 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:14.799 And what he did is he tried to do something godly, but he didn't invite God in it. 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:19.359 How many times in our life do we try to do something godly, but we don't even invite God into it? 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.480 How many times do we choose convenience over obedience? 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:24.079 Because that's what David did in this moment. 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:28.160 He's like, Well, there's a cart, there's the ark, it worked before, so let's try it again. 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:30.960 He didn't even ask God, like, hey, like, should I do this? 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:32.559 Like, is this the right way to do it? 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:34.960 How should I how should I go about this? 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:39.440 I can think in my own life how many times I do this as well. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:42.880 How many times I choose convenience over obedience. 00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:44.799 Can I tell you why I do it so many times? 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:48.880 Because I know I got like a Christian scorecard at the end of the day, like, did I read my Bible? 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:49.440 Check. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:50.240 Did I pray? 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:50.720 Check. 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:56.799 And so what I can do is I can read the verse of the day on my Bible app, I can pray a prayer that I recite over and over again. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:09.680 But if I'm not careful, what will happen is those moments when I choose convenience over obedience is that I can actually take something, my relationship with God, and turn it into a religious obligation instead of a spiritual necessity. 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:12.640 And so many times we can do this in our life. 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:15.119 And here's the thing there's nothing wrong with reading the verse of the day. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:15.839 Don't hear me wrong. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:17.440 Yes, please read the verse of the day. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:18.720 Please say your prayers. 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:26.799 Please do these things that we talk about doing as a church, but don't do it out of a religious obligation. 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:28.640 Do it because of a spiritual necessity. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:32.240 And when you do those things, actually invite God into it. 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:35.039 Say, God, what do you want to speak to me? 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.559 What do you want to say to me? 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:38.319 Do you actually want me to do something different? 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.599 Maybe you want me to read not just that verse, but the whole entire chapter. 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:48.079 Here's the thing, and this is one of the areas of my life that I've seen play out because I do this over and over again. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:51.039 I don't like to be inconvenienced, just ask my wife. 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:53.519 I mean, like our kids will get up to go potty in the middle of the night. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.079 I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to wake up to go potty again. 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:56.880 Come on. 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.960 I really don't like to be inconvenienced. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:05.119 And so so many times, if I have the choice between convenient and inconvenient, I'm going convenient all the way. 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:13.440 And so I remember um a couple of years ago, I was really struggling with anxiety, panic, stress, it was like everything. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:19.920 And I remember I had two panic attacks, and at that moment, I finally was like, oh my gosh, I've had enough. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:25.680 And all that I know to do is to go online and to find a devotional for anxiety. 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:26.720 And so I did. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.039 I went online and I found a devotional for anxiety. 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:31.039 It was five days, and your anxiety will go away. 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:31.759 Poof. 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:36.160 And literally, it said, five days to an anxiety-free life. 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:40.400 And I did every single thing that this devotional said. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:46.079 And five days later, my anxiety, my panic, all those things were still there. 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:51.279 And so actually, I think it was even a little bit worse because I was like, God, I tried this for you, and it didn't work. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:56.480 And I remember just finally being like, Okay, God, now that we're five days in, I'm actually gonna invite you into it. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:01.359 And so I remember sitting on the floor, it was in our apartment, we're Callie and I live by the airport. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:02.559 So this is a few years ago. 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:09.279 On Cimarron Boulevard, I remember sitting on the floor and I just go, God, I go, I tried this, it didn't work. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:10.880 I thought it was gonna work. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:15.599 I was pursuing you, which I thought I was pursuing you, but I really I just read and did these things. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:17.440 I'm like, why didn't this work? 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:18.160 What's going on? 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:20.160 And this is literally what I felt like in my heart. 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:27.519 Because I felt like God in that moment was like, Josh, it's because you tried to deal with the symptom, which is anxiety and panic. 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:34.160 If you would have asked me, I would have told you that the reason you have anxiety and the reason you have panic is because of your fear of rejection. 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:40.000 And until we deal with your fear of rejection, then that anxiety and that panic and that stress and that worry is never gonna leave. 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:46.160 See, so many times in life we can even do godly things, but and not not invite God into it. 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:47.759 We can choose to do what's convenient. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:52.160 We can order a book off of Amazon like I did called How to Kickstart Your Walk with God. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:58.640 Instead of actually getting into the presence of God and saying, God, what do you want from me? 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:05.519 And that's what we see here in the story is David, he didn't do that and he went to go and do this thing, and he chose convenience over obedience. 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:07.359 And he did not surrender his way. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:11.039 But if we're going to walk with God and take God with us, we have to surrender our way. 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:15.680 And the second thing we see in this story, it's not going to be point two yet, but it's kind of part of point one. 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:16.559 This is a lot today. 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:19.839 I'm telling you guys, I really felt like God spoke to me this week when it came to this. 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:22.880 I even was trying to figure out how can I not preach as much of this. 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:27.839 But what I figured out is no, like I need to actually walk through this and preach all of it because all of it is important. 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:32.000 And I believe that one of these things today will speak to each and every one of you. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:34.160 And so we see that he didn't surrender his way. 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:36.640 And so they put it on this cart and they start going. 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:44.559 And the next thing you notice in the story, when we were reading it at the beginning, is it said, Uzzah and Ahaya were actually leading the presence of God. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:50.799 So they were going in their own direction, trying to lead God where they wanted to go. 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:54.000 How many times in our life do we do the exact same thing? 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:59.680 How many times do we go into prayer and we are trying to pray God to where we want to go? 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:19.759 How many times do we like go, God, like I want this job at this place, making this much money, doing this kind of thing, instead of when we go into prayer, letting our prayers be guided by God and letting Him guide us to the destination, the expectation, the revelation that He has for our life. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:22.799 But so many times what we'll do is we'll do just like in this story. 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:27.759 We'll try to lead God where we want God to go instead of letting God lead us where He wants us to go. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:34.160 Mind you, the presence of God had led itself from the land of Philistine to the land of Israel all alone. 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:38.559 So for us, if we're going to take God with us, we've got to surrender our way, we've got to surrender our direction. 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:42.960 And the third thing you see right here in this passage is we've got to surrender our strength. 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:48.319 And so, because they put it on the cart, because they were trying to lead it, all of a sudden they get to this threshing floor. 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:49.519 It's super slippery. 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:52.559 And the guy named Uzzah, Uzzah actually means strength in Hebrew. 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:54.000 That's what Uzzah's name means. 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:57.599 He took his hand out and he tried to steady the ark of God. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:59.279 And it cost him his life. 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:03.440 It was the first time in over 400 years that God needed a hand. 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:05.759 It's kind of a joke there, somebody, hopefully you got it. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.880 But here's the thing how many times do we feel like we need to give God a hand? 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:13.119 We feel like God, like I I need this to go faster. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:16.880 God, I I this isn't working the way that I thought it would go. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:19.440 God, I thought that this was gonna be easier. 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:28.720 So no, I'm gonna give you a hand, and I'm gonna start doing it in my own strength because your strength is not getting me there fast enough to the destination that I want to go. 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:34.640 So we see David the first time he tried to do this, he didn't surrender his way, he didn't surrender his direction, he didn't surrender his strength. 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:35.680 And so what did he do? 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:39.119 He wound up angry at God for 90 days. 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:39.920 90 days. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:46.960 He was angry, he was mad, he was upset, and then all of a sudden, 90 days later, he goes, All right, we're gonna try this again, we're gonna try it differently. 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:48.880 And 90 days later, you know what David did? 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:54.799 He surrendered his way, he surrendered his direction, and he surrendered his strength, and he went back to get the ark. 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:55.839 And here's what I love about it. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:26:00.799 When you go back and you read 1 Chronicles 15, it actually takes and combats each one of those things. 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:03.440 So in 1 Chronicles 15, he surrendered his way. 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:07.599 So at the very beginning of 1 Chronicles 15, he goes, Hey, the Levites, you're gonna carry it this time. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:08.880 We're not gonna put it on the ark. 00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:12.240 He surrendered his direction at the end of 1 Chronicles 15. 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:19.599 It says that they praised God because God had brought the ark and the Levites up from the Kidron Valley. 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:28.079 See, the thing that he had to do is realize if I'm going to take God with me, it's not gonna be because of me, it's not gonna be because of my strength, my way, or my direction. 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:33.440 It's gonna be because of God's direction, because of God's way, and because of God's strength in my life. 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:39.039 I love how Jesus, how he echoes this in the New Testament in Matthew 11, 28 through 30. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:40.000 Please write this down. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:45.759 He says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:53.839 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:55.759