Title: Pastors: Lead the Church in Faith! Meta: The faith of Scripture is not doing something based upon mathematical probability, which says that it will works out most of the time. Rather God calls us to a faith like Abraham's, of trusting in that which was impossible and had no probability of happening. It is hoping in God for that which seems hopeless. Tags: church plant,ordination,Titus 1:5,faith,believing,Matthew 13:58 1 00:00:00,660 --> 00:00:08,220 Well let me go back a few years. 2 00:00:08,225 --> 00:00:11,585 I know this is a really special day for Jeremy. 3 00:00:11,885 --> 00:00:16,031 I feel the specialness. 4 00:00:19,611 --> 00:00:22,281 Michael Mireles 5 00:00:22,296 --> 00:00:24,788 What year was it when you got your job? 6 00:00:24,788 --> 00:00:27,540 Or you got transferred down here? 7 00:00:27,540 --> 00:00:29,243 When was that? 8 00:00:31,343 --> 00:00:33,342 Six years this past December, 9 00:00:33,342 --> 00:00:35,891 so it's six plus years. 10 00:00:35,891 --> 00:00:42,088 Michael and Debbie were very dear 11 00:00:42,088 --> 00:00:45,670 brethren/members of our church there in San Antonio. 12 00:00:46,690 --> 00:00:49,052 God brought them to our church 13 00:00:49,052 --> 00:00:50,723 in the very early days 14 00:00:50,723 --> 00:00:52,568 when we were still 15 00:00:52,568 --> 00:00:54,288 meeting at Hackberry. 16 00:00:56,518 --> 00:00:59,678 They very quickly became core members 17 00:00:59,678 --> 00:01:01,320 of the church there. 18 00:01:02,700 --> 00:01:04,750 And what happened was, 19 00:01:04,750 --> 00:01:07,075 the days after we left Hackberry, 20 00:01:07,075 --> 00:01:10,728 we were meeting at Mark's restaurant, 21 00:01:13,048 --> 00:01:15,300 Michael got transferred 22 00:01:15,300 --> 00:01:17,630 working for AT&T. 23 00:01:17,630 --> 00:01:20,611 And he came to me and he said, 24 00:01:20,611 --> 00:01:23,111 he was asking what I thought, 25 00:01:23,111 --> 00:01:25,221 "Should I take the transfer 26 00:01:25,221 --> 00:01:26,761 or should I quit 27 00:01:26,761 --> 00:01:29,049 my job and find another one?" 28 00:01:31,239 --> 00:01:34,819 Well to me it seemed like this might be 29 00:01:34,819 --> 00:01:37,191 the perfect opportunity 30 00:01:37,191 --> 00:01:38,551 for us to think seriously 31 00:01:38,551 --> 00:01:41,045 about a church plant in Laredo. 32 00:01:41,805 --> 00:01:43,093 Typically 33 00:01:43,093 --> 00:01:46,263 as I've prayed about starting new churches 34 00:01:46,263 --> 00:01:50,821 I have not wanted to move forward unless 35 00:01:50,821 --> 00:01:53,501 mutliple families 36 00:01:55,191 --> 00:01:57,335 were being brought to us by the Lord 37 00:01:57,335 --> 00:01:58,954 for the new church plant. 38 00:01:58,954 --> 00:02:00,294 At that point in time 39 00:02:00,294 --> 00:02:01,718 it was only the Mireles. 40 00:02:01,718 --> 00:02:03,557 And so for how long brother 41 00:02:03,557 --> 00:02:05,326 you guys drove back and forth 42 00:02:05,326 --> 00:02:07,744 from Laredo to San Antonio to come to church? 43 00:02:07,744 --> 00:02:09,553 How long was that? 44 00:02:09,553 --> 00:02:12,495 One year It was a long time. 45 00:02:12,495 --> 00:02:14,769 That's a long drive to church. 46 00:02:14,769 --> 00:02:18,273 And you guys would typically be early. 47 00:02:18,273 --> 00:02:19,222 That was good. 48 00:02:19,222 --> 00:02:21,127 That's devotedness. 49 00:02:21,127 --> 00:02:21,777 And 50 00:02:22,687 --> 00:02:25,657 what happened was after a year 51 00:02:25,657 --> 00:02:27,886 two families, two more families 52 00:02:27,886 --> 00:02:30,526 from our church 53 00:02:30,526 --> 00:02:33,626 determined to move down to Laredo. 54 00:02:33,626 --> 00:02:37,480 So now we had three families and 55 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,030 that was it, let's go. 56 00:02:40,030 --> 00:02:43,393 The Barrientes were one of those families. 57 00:02:43,393 --> 00:02:46,604 They're here. 58 00:02:46,604 --> 00:02:49,278 We had a single young man Daniel Alcala. 59 00:02:49,278 --> 00:02:51,083 He moved down from San Antonio. 60 00:02:51,083 --> 00:02:52,675 Down to the church down here. 61 00:02:52,675 --> 00:02:54,390 To our church plant. 62 00:02:54,390 --> 00:02:59,445 What happened was the Mireles actually bought an old real estate 63 00:02:59,445 --> 00:03:01,997 building that had a house in the back. 64 00:03:01,997 --> 00:03:03,976 And so they lived in the house in the back 65 00:03:03,976 --> 00:03:07,283 and they were able to have the church meet 66 00:03:07,283 --> 00:03:10,733 up in the old real estate building 67 00:03:10,733 --> 00:03:12,234 in front. 68 00:03:13,484 --> 00:03:16,578 And God began to bring some people 69 00:03:16,578 --> 00:03:18,527 some of those folks are here today. 70 00:03:18,527 --> 00:03:20,670 And the church grew. 71 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:27,436 And we had we had individuals 72 00:03:27,436 --> 00:03:31,291 that made up this church plant 73 00:03:31,291 --> 00:03:33,206 do the preaching. 74 00:03:33,206 --> 00:03:37,040 We sent preachers down from San Antonio for awhile 75 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:38,180 but we also were 76 00:03:38,180 --> 00:03:40,190 intermixing that with some of the 77 00:03:40,190 --> 00:03:43,882 folks down here doing some of the preaching 78 00:03:43,882 --> 00:03:46,764 and some of the Sunday School teaching. 79 00:03:49,394 --> 00:03:54,088 And that went on for awhile. 80 00:03:55,428 --> 00:03:58,776 We began to have some problems down here. 81 00:03:58,776 --> 00:04:03,802 This, this work has been the longest 82 00:04:03,802 --> 00:04:07,902 church plant that we've been involved with 83 00:04:08,407 --> 00:04:15,207 from the time we started until actually 84 00:04:15,327 --> 00:04:17,812 putting the first church officer in place. 85 00:04:17,812 --> 00:04:20,332 Setting the church free. 86 00:04:20,332 --> 00:04:23,092 Independent. 87 00:04:24,735 --> 00:04:27,595 We had difficulties. 88 00:04:27,595 --> 00:04:30,446 We had a split. 89 00:04:30,446 --> 00:04:33,502 And what happened was we 90 00:04:35,472 --> 00:04:38,092 brought 91 00:04:38,127 --> 00:04:41,307 our brother Ves down here. 92 00:04:41,307 --> 00:04:45,747 We put him a position of leadership. 93 00:04:45,879 --> 00:04:50,808 Ves was at the helm in by far the hardest 94 00:04:50,808 --> 00:04:54,578 months of this church plant. 95 00:04:54,578 --> 00:04:56,353 I know that he and I spent 96 00:04:56,353 --> 00:04:58,773 literally hours on the phone. 97 00:04:58,773 --> 00:05:00,658 He was having to deal with 98 00:05:00,658 --> 00:05:04,238 so many difficulties. 99 00:05:05,538 --> 00:05:09,869 And we by the Grace of God we came through 100 00:05:09,869 --> 00:05:11,899 that season. 101 00:05:11,899 --> 00:05:16,352 Ves felt like his time here was at an end. 102 00:05:16,352 --> 00:05:19,126 He came back to San Antonio. 103 00:05:19,126 --> 00:05:20,541 At that point in time 104 00:05:20,541 --> 00:05:23,638 even the Mireles were speaking about, 105 00:05:23,638 --> 00:05:26,763 Michael would talk to me about the possibility 106 00:05:26,763 --> 00:05:28,633 of moving back to San Antonio. 107 00:05:28,633 --> 00:05:31,626 We recognized that this thing, 108 00:05:31,626 --> 00:05:34,027 humanly speaking, 109 00:05:34,027 --> 00:05:37,081 was being held on to by a thread. 110 00:05:39,221 --> 00:05:41,633 We presented the idea before the elders 111 00:05:41,633 --> 00:05:43,222 about the possibility 112 00:05:43,222 --> 00:05:45,912 of sending Zeek and Jeremy down here. 113 00:05:45,912 --> 00:05:50,341 They had both been involved in doing some.. . 114 00:05:50,341 --> 00:05:52,267 well they were very active in a number of ways 115 00:05:52,267 --> 00:05:54,976 but they were doing some East Side evangelism. 116 00:05:54,976 --> 00:05:56,862 They were going out together. 117 00:05:56,862 --> 00:05:58,032 They seemed like they'd be 118 00:05:58,032 --> 00:06:02,625 perhaps a good duo to send down here. 119 00:06:02,625 --> 00:06:05,593 And through various providences 120 00:06:05,593 --> 00:06:10,656 Zeek has gone back to San Antonio for the time. 121 00:06:10,656 --> 00:06:14,305 Jeremy it seemed, God really knit him here. 122 00:06:14,305 --> 00:06:16,030 It became very evident 123 00:06:16,030 --> 00:06:19,220 that he had a heart for the work 124 00:06:19,220 --> 00:06:26,416 that God was moving to give him and stir up 125 00:06:26,416 --> 00:06:28,509 and develop more and more 126 00:06:28,509 --> 00:06:30,206 a pastoral giftedness. 127 00:06:32,916 --> 00:06:34,287 And that's where we find ourselves now 128 00:06:34,287 --> 00:06:38,457 and I am extremely grateful to the Lord. 129 00:06:38,457 --> 00:06:39,527 We were ready, 130 00:06:39,527 --> 00:06:41,993 we were ready to let this work go. 131 00:06:41,993 --> 00:06:44,760 I can tell you something. 132 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:46,762 That in the fifteen years since 133 00:06:46,762 --> 00:06:48,735 since we were a church plant, 134 00:06:48,735 --> 00:06:52,130 Grace Community there in San Antonio, 135 00:06:52,130 --> 00:06:57,404 in those fifteen years the greatest 136 00:06:57,404 --> 00:07:01,656 spiritual battles that I have experienced 137 00:07:01,656 --> 00:07:07,515 subjectively have come when we have sought 138 00:07:07,515 --> 00:07:10,085 to start a church. 139 00:07:10,085 --> 00:07:13,077 To start church plants. 140 00:07:13,077 --> 00:07:15,446 The devil resists this like crazy. 141 00:07:17,266 --> 00:07:19,378 The spiritual battles that were fought, 142 00:07:19,378 --> 00:07:20,818 were many. 143 00:07:20,818 --> 00:07:23,108 And I know they're not done. 144 00:07:23,108 --> 00:07:26,447 I mean we're hitting a milestone here 145 00:07:26,447 --> 00:07:29,237 and I just I want to take 146 00:07:29,237 --> 00:07:31,307 a bit of time right now and just 147 00:07:31,307 --> 00:07:34,097 thank the Lord 148 00:07:34,097 --> 00:07:39,597 that we have come to such an hour as this. 149 00:07:39,607 --> 00:07:43,347 Father 150 00:07:44,721 --> 00:07:46,981 thank You. 151 00:07:48,451 --> 00:07:52,095 Lord You know the desire. 152 00:07:52,095 --> 00:07:53,355 You know what we prayed for. 153 00:07:53,355 --> 00:07:59,395 I remember those prayers years ago. 154 00:07:59,405 --> 00:08:02,782 Praying that there would be a church here. 155 00:08:02,782 --> 00:08:04,027 Praying that the day would come 156 00:08:04,027 --> 00:08:06,140 when that pedestrian bridge 157 00:08:06,140 --> 00:08:10,398 would have foot soldiers from this church 158 00:08:10,398 --> 00:08:13,371 going back and forth to take the gospel 159 00:08:13,371 --> 00:08:15,951 to Nuevo Laredo, 160 00:08:17,021 --> 00:08:21,153 to this Northern tier of Mexico. 161 00:08:21,153 --> 00:08:24,418 We recognize that this was a stragtegic place 162 00:08:24,418 --> 00:08:27,218 for a church plant. 163 00:08:29,118 --> 00:08:32,322 Lord You know well the difficulties, 164 00:08:32,322 --> 00:08:33,322 the struggles, 165 00:08:33,322 --> 00:08:35,111 the discouragements, 166 00:08:35,111 --> 00:08:37,237 the times that humanly speaking 167 00:08:37,237 --> 00:08:39,995 we didn't think the work could make it. 168 00:08:39,995 --> 00:08:43,112 But Lord it seems that You've provided. 169 00:08:43,112 --> 00:08:45,136 You provided the families in the beginning. 170 00:08:45,136 --> 00:08:48,474 You provided with, with Ves to come 171 00:08:48,474 --> 00:08:50,181 and with Zeek and Jeremy to come. 172 00:08:50,181 --> 00:08:52,922 You've provided families to come. 173 00:08:52,922 --> 00:08:56,448 You've added families from here in Laredo 174 00:08:56,448 --> 00:08:58,614 for which we are very grateful. 175 00:08:58,614 --> 00:09:03,154 Lord we've seen people converted here. 176 00:09:04,933 --> 00:09:07,543 Lord I pray, 177 00:09:07,543 --> 00:09:10,667 I pray that the years forward with this church, 178 00:09:10,667 --> 00:09:14,571 just as Mack desires to see fruit Lord, 179 00:09:14,571 --> 00:09:16,849 may there be fruit. 180 00:09:16,849 --> 00:09:18,785 The kind of fruit that you approve of. 181 00:09:18,785 --> 00:09:22,055 The kind of fruit that glorifies Jesus Christ. 182 00:09:22,055 --> 00:09:23,868 Lord thank You. 183 00:09:23,868 --> 00:09:25,059 Thank You that, 184 00:09:25,059 --> 00:09:28,989 that You've brought this body together. 185 00:09:28,989 --> 00:09:32,858 I thank You for everyone of the Christians that make up this little body, 186 00:09:32,858 --> 00:09:36,368 and I thank You Lord for raising up Jeremy 187 00:09:36,368 --> 00:09:37,879 to this very hour. 188 00:09:37,879 --> 00:09:38,879 We thank You that we are at a day 189 00:09:38,879 --> 00:09:43,222 when this church will finally and formally 190 00:09:43,222 --> 00:09:45,405 be set free to run 191 00:09:45,405 --> 00:09:48,957 no longer as a church plant of Grace 192 00:09:48,957 --> 00:09:51,230 but an independent work with their own Pastor. 193 00:09:51,230 --> 00:09:52,724 And I pray that in the days ahead 194 00:09:52,724 --> 00:09:56,306 you would add more pastors and deacons and 195 00:09:56,306 --> 00:09:59,261 Lord may may Your hand be upon them 196 00:09:59,261 --> 00:10:01,671 in a way that is very real. 197 00:10:01,671 --> 00:10:05,573 That speaks about Your ownership of this church 198 00:10:05,573 --> 00:10:09,232 Father bless them in a way that only You can bless them. 199 00:10:09,232 --> 00:10:10,654 We thank You. 200 00:10:10,654 --> 00:10:13,629 Thank you for the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. 201 00:10:13,629 --> 00:10:16,323 And I pray that that salvation would be trumpeted 202 00:10:16,323 --> 00:10:17,475 from this church 203 00:10:17,475 --> 00:10:19,923 that they would be a light. 204 00:10:19,923 --> 00:10:22,303 A burning and shining light 205 00:10:22,303 --> 00:10:25,054 in a very dark city in our country. 206 00:10:26,024 --> 00:10:28,924 Lord I pray that you would do such things with this church as 207 00:10:28,924 --> 00:10:32,540 have not even entered into our minds yet. 208 00:10:35,550 --> 00:10:40,370 I pray in Christ's name, Amen. 209 00:10:50,286 --> 00:10:54,930 I would just say here at the beginning that 210 00:10:54,930 --> 00:10:57,130 we want to remember 211 00:10:57,130 --> 00:11:01,197 there is a recognition today of our setting 212 00:11:01,197 --> 00:11:03,677 free of this church. 213 00:11:03,677 --> 00:11:07,640 There is a recognition today of Jeremy. 214 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,366 There's an ordination. 215 00:11:11,366 --> 00:11:14,050 But we don't want to forget 216 00:11:14,050 --> 00:11:17,110 that this is not just 217 00:11:17,110 --> 00:11:20,699 some sort of human ceremony. 218 00:11:20,699 --> 00:11:25,407 I find reason in scripture to have hope 219 00:11:25,407 --> 00:11:28,850 that something supernatural 220 00:11:28,850 --> 00:11:31,520 might happen when we come together like this, 221 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:36,239 the church of God, to lay hands on a man. 222 00:11:38,009 --> 00:11:38,988 Don't turn here. 223 00:11:38,988 --> 00:11:41,408 I'm going to have you turn to another text in just a second. 224 00:11:41,408 --> 00:11:42,499 But listen to this. 225 00:11:42,499 --> 00:11:46,210 First Timothy chapter 4 verse 14. 226 00:11:46,210 --> 00:11:48,498 These are Paul's words to Timothy. 227 00:11:48,498 --> 00:11:51,389 "Do not neglect the gift you have." 228 00:11:51,389 --> 00:11:53,206 Now listen to this. 229 00:11:53,206 --> 00:11:55,102 Timothy had a gift. 230 00:11:55,102 --> 00:11:57,233 What gift? 231 00:11:57,233 --> 00:11:58,912 I don't know. 232 00:11:58,912 --> 00:12:00,703 I mean it doesn't say specifically. 233 00:12:00,703 --> 00:12:02,520 But probably the gift 234 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:04,860 to do what Timothy did. 235 00:12:04,860 --> 00:12:07,364 He doesn't say gifts plural. 236 00:12:07,364 --> 00:12:08,458 It's gift. 237 00:12:08,458 --> 00:12:11,850 So it probably represents all of what 238 00:12:11,850 --> 00:12:17,113 was bestowed on Timothy that day. 239 00:12:17,113 --> 00:12:21,193 Some sort of giftedness. 240 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:25,570 You notice this, "which was given you". 241 00:12:25,570 --> 00:12:28,366 Not just when you were converted. 242 00:12:28,366 --> 00:12:30,811 Not just at some point along the way. 243 00:12:30,811 --> 00:12:34,415 But it was given you "by prophecy 244 00:12:34,415 --> 00:12:36,555 when the counsel of elders 245 00:12:36,555 --> 00:12:41,055 laid their hands on you." 246 00:12:41,065 --> 00:12:43,139 Something supernatural 247 00:12:43,139 --> 00:12:45,359 may very well take place here today. 248 00:12:45,359 --> 00:12:49,604 My desire would be that that would happen. 249 00:12:49,604 --> 00:12:51,903 Whether somebody is going to prophesy in the way 250 00:12:51,903 --> 00:12:53,289 that is meant here. 251 00:12:53,289 --> 00:12:55,704 Whether prophesying should be taken 252 00:12:55,704 --> 00:13:00,196 in a broader sense, I don't know. 253 00:13:00,196 --> 00:13:02,990 But I know this. 254 00:13:02,990 --> 00:13:06,446 That when a group 255 00:13:06,446 --> 00:13:08,896 of the presbytery, the presbuteros, 256 00:13:08,896 --> 00:13:10,516 the elders there. 257 00:13:10,516 --> 00:13:14,240 When a group of those men laid hands on Timothy 258 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:17,017 something happened. 259 00:13:17,017 --> 00:13:20,038 And my desire is as gifted 260 00:13:20,038 --> 00:13:22,394 as Jeremy may be now 261 00:13:22,394 --> 00:13:24,760 that has lead him to this hour 262 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:26,736 that has caused us to see in him 263 00:13:26,736 --> 00:13:28,102 certain qualities 264 00:13:28,102 --> 00:13:29,873 as much as that may be true. 265 00:13:29,873 --> 00:13:32,183 My desire is that something would happen here 266 00:13:32,183 --> 00:13:36,858 this day that would propel him forward 267 00:13:36,858 --> 00:13:39,620 with a power of God in his life that he has 268 00:13:39,620 --> 00:13:43,350 not yet heretofore seen. 269 00:13:43,350 --> 00:13:45,895 The text I would like to have you turn to is this, 270 00:13:45,895 --> 00:13:49,221 Matthew chapter 13 verse 58. 271 00:13:49,221 --> 00:13:53,820 Matthew 13:58. 272 00:13:56,930 --> 00:14:01,748 Jeremy this 273 00:14:01,748 --> 00:14:07,643 this is my charge to you today. 274 00:14:07,643 --> 00:14:12,863 I know that there's many things that could be said. 275 00:14:12,867 --> 00:14:14,720 And I know Mack has said many things. 276 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:16,804 And even more then that I know your Dad 277 00:14:16,804 --> 00:14:19,058 has said many things. 278 00:14:19,058 --> 00:14:22,381 If anybody has sought 279 00:14:22,381 --> 00:14:24,690 to pour themselves into you your Dad has 280 00:14:24,690 --> 00:14:26,280 and I thought.. . 281 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:27,888 I really thought 282 00:14:27,888 --> 00:14:30,178 it's unlikely I'm going to be able to come up here 283 00:14:30,178 --> 00:14:31,519 and say anything to you 284 00:14:31,519 --> 00:14:33,221 that he hasn't said. 285 00:14:33,221 --> 00:14:37,638 But the thing that I feel burdened today 286 00:14:37,638 --> 00:14:40,786 to say to you is this. 287 00:14:40,786 --> 00:14:45,860 Matthew 13:58. 288 00:14:45,860 --> 00:14:49,999 It's actually somewhat of a negative verse. 289 00:14:49,999 --> 00:14:56,479 But I want to pull the positive from it. 290 00:14:56,486 --> 00:15:02,457 Jesus Christ did not do many mighty works 291 00:15:02,457 --> 00:15:05,037 there. 292 00:15:05,037 --> 00:15:08,937 It really doesn't matter where "there" is. 293 00:15:08,937 --> 00:15:13,915 What really matters is why He didn't. 294 00:15:13,915 --> 00:15:16,385 The reason He didn't 295 00:15:16,385 --> 00:15:19,077 is because of their unbelief. 296 00:15:20,747 --> 00:15:23,500 Jeremy this is what I want to stress to you. 297 00:15:25,770 --> 00:15:28,660 Lead this church in faith. 298 00:15:28,660 --> 00:15:31,028 And I don't mean just lead this church 299 00:15:31,028 --> 00:15:33,168 as a believer. 300 00:15:33,168 --> 00:15:34,908 Lead this church 301 00:15:35,968 --> 00:15:37,297 trusting God. 302 00:15:40,527 --> 00:15:43,133 You may remember this account. 303 00:15:43,133 --> 00:15:46,530 Right after Jesus Christ, 304 00:15:46,530 --> 00:15:48,483 some of His disciples 305 00:15:48,483 --> 00:15:52,009 came down from the mount of transfiguration 306 00:15:52,009 --> 00:15:54,608 you remember the event? 307 00:15:54,608 --> 00:15:58,223 Man with a demon possessed son. 308 00:15:59,853 --> 00:16:05,913 Think about that account Jeremy. 309 00:16:05,928 --> 00:16:10,616 His disciples were down there. 310 00:16:10,616 --> 00:16:11,814 James, John, Peter 311 00:16:11,814 --> 00:16:13,684 they went up on the Mount with Him. 312 00:16:13,684 --> 00:16:15,923 But there were the rest of the disciples. 313 00:16:15,923 --> 00:16:18,710 We don't know if it was if it was all 314 00:16:18,710 --> 00:16:21,297 the final nine. 315 00:16:21,297 --> 00:16:23,726 We don't need to count Judas. 316 00:16:23,726 --> 00:16:25,368 I don't know if the eight 317 00:16:25,368 --> 00:16:27,238 who were genuinely God's people 318 00:16:27,238 --> 00:16:28,551 who hadn't been up there 319 00:16:28,551 --> 00:16:30,303 but some of them were there. 320 00:16:30,303 --> 00:16:32,856 We're not told exactly who they are by name 321 00:16:32,856 --> 00:16:34,680 but some of them are there. 322 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:35,783 And I'll tell you this 323 00:16:35,783 --> 00:16:38,261 Jesus comes down off that Mount 324 00:16:38,261 --> 00:16:41,175 and as He sees this whole thing playing out 325 00:16:41,175 --> 00:16:41,969 and He comes up 326 00:16:41,969 --> 00:16:44,858 the father comes to Him and says, 327 00:16:44,858 --> 00:16:51,718 "I brought my son to your disciples 328 00:16:51,721 --> 00:16:54,440 and they weren't able..." 329 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,420 They weren't able. 330 00:16:56,420 --> 00:16:58,072 You see it's another time 331 00:16:58,072 --> 00:17:03,188 when a mighty work wasn't done. 332 00:17:03,188 --> 00:17:04,897 And you remember what Jesus said. 333 00:17:04,897 --> 00:17:07,485 Do you remember His words? 334 00:17:07,485 --> 00:17:10,769 Jesus answered. 335 00:17:10,769 --> 00:17:13,301 Jesus says... 336 00:17:13,301 --> 00:17:14,958 Now think about this. 337 00:17:14,958 --> 00:17:18,669 I want you to think about Jesus' eyes. 338 00:17:18,669 --> 00:17:20,468 When He came down off that Mount 339 00:17:20,468 --> 00:17:25,966 and He's confronted by the inability 340 00:17:25,966 --> 00:17:28,445 of His disciples to cast out that demon. 341 00:17:28,445 --> 00:17:31,437 He's about to say something 342 00:17:31,437 --> 00:17:36,072 and I want you to think about where His eyes went. 343 00:17:36,072 --> 00:17:37,918 Well I know it's like when I talk to you, 344 00:17:37,918 --> 00:17:43,658 my eyes are moving all over the place. 345 00:17:43,658 --> 00:17:46,325 But the very moment He started, 346 00:17:46,325 --> 00:17:48,941 the very moment He began to say, 347 00:17:48,941 --> 00:17:53,625 "O faithless and twisted generation" 348 00:17:53,625 --> 00:17:55,468 or "perverse". 349 00:17:55,468 --> 00:17:58,139 Where do you think His eyes were? 350 00:17:58,139 --> 00:18:03,342 Or at least where they darted to? 351 00:18:03,342 --> 00:18:05,478 Who was faithless? 352 00:18:05,478 --> 00:18:07,171 Brethren when He gets to the end 353 00:18:07,171 --> 00:18:11,644 of this account it's His disciples who say 354 00:18:11,644 --> 00:18:15,134 "Lord why weren't we able to cast 355 00:18:15,134 --> 00:18:17,024 that demon out?" 356 00:18:17,024 --> 00:18:21,303 You remember His answer? 357 00:18:21,303 --> 00:18:22,887 Not because of the father's unbelief. 358 00:18:22,887 --> 00:18:24,431 Not because of the son's unbelief. 359 00:18:24,431 --> 00:18:27,031 Not because of the crowd's unbelief. 360 00:18:27,031 --> 00:18:28,972 Because you as Christians 361 00:18:28,972 --> 00:18:34,812 did not have the faith! 362 00:18:34,822 --> 00:18:38,297 God does not do many mighty works 363 00:18:38,297 --> 00:18:42,657 where there is no faith. 364 00:18:42,662 --> 00:18:44,521 Remember that brother. 365 00:18:44,521 --> 00:18:45,889 Remember that! 366 00:18:45,889 --> 00:18:51,305 Lead the church by faith! 367 00:18:51,305 --> 00:18:53,641 Because you and I know it. 368 00:18:53,641 --> 00:18:56,725 You know the circles that we are acquainted with, 369 00:18:56,725 --> 00:19:00,941 there's a massive amount of unbelief. 370 00:19:00,941 --> 00:19:03,592 It's cloaked. 371 00:19:03,592 --> 00:19:06,839 It's cloaked as though it's presumption. 372 00:19:06,839 --> 00:19:08,511 But it's not. 373 00:19:08,511 --> 00:19:10,248 It's cloaked as though it would be presumption 374 00:19:10,248 --> 00:19:12,479 to do otherwise then what's being done. 375 00:19:12,479 --> 00:19:13,973 But that's not the case. 376 00:19:13,973 --> 00:19:16,493 It's unbelief. 377 00:19:16,509 --> 00:19:20,707 When we don't take God at the fullness of His promises. 378 00:19:20,707 --> 00:19:25,187 And live like the early church lived. 379 00:19:25,188 --> 00:19:27,634 Unbelief. 380 00:19:27,634 --> 00:19:29,543 Avoid it like the plague. 381 00:19:29,543 --> 00:19:32,868 We need to walk by faith. 382 00:19:32,868 --> 00:19:37,488 These guys were believers! 383 00:19:37,488 --> 00:19:40,196 They weren't the lost crowd! 384 00:19:40,196 --> 00:19:43,298 But clearly it takes more then just simply 385 00:19:43,298 --> 00:19:46,671 being a believer then to escape the realm 386 00:19:46,671 --> 00:19:55,211 of this impotent faithless perverse crowd. 387 00:19:55,230 --> 00:19:57,424 We don't want to be impotent. 388 00:19:57,424 --> 00:19:59,564 Jeremy, 389 00:20:01,489 --> 00:20:05,578 unbelief is a path of impotency in scripture. 390 00:20:05,578 --> 00:20:07,801 Again and again and again. 391 00:20:07,801 --> 00:20:09,392 That is the case. 392 00:20:09,392 --> 00:20:12,379 Jeremy what I am saying to you is this. 393 00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:14,518 Intentionally take this church. 394 00:20:14,518 --> 00:20:16,737 I mean with forethought. 395 00:20:16,737 --> 00:20:17,886 With prayer. 396 00:20:17,886 --> 00:20:20,490 Not running into things presumptiously 397 00:20:20,490 --> 00:20:22,913 but prayerfully. 398 00:20:22,913 --> 00:20:24,040 Prayerfully. 399 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,032 Take this church. 400 00:20:27,032 --> 00:20:29,066 Cause they're going to look to you. 401 00:20:29,066 --> 00:20:30,266 And you know this. 402 00:20:30,266 --> 00:20:33,769 This is no just simple cliche saying. 403 00:20:33,769 --> 00:20:36,290 Churches do not rise above their leaders 404 00:20:36,290 --> 00:20:38,228 hardly ever. 405 00:20:38,228 --> 00:20:39,698 Rarely ever. 406 00:20:39,698 --> 00:20:41,520 They don't. 407 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:42,613 And you know what 408 00:20:42,613 --> 00:20:44,884 typically they will follow you into places 409 00:20:44,884 --> 00:20:45,905 that they themselves 410 00:20:45,905 --> 00:20:48,260 may never have believed that they could have even gone. 411 00:20:48,260 --> 00:20:49,810 But if you lead will them there 412 00:20:49,810 --> 00:20:51,607 they will follow you there. 413 00:20:51,607 --> 00:20:55,847 Lead this church into places 414 00:20:55,847 --> 00:20:57,847 and it takes faith. 415 00:20:57,847 --> 00:21:00,066 to go. 416 00:21:00,066 --> 00:21:01,053 Brother! 417 00:21:01,053 --> 00:21:06,037 Beyond, beyond what your spiritual gifts 418 00:21:06,037 --> 00:21:11,377 might say is safe to go. 419 00:21:11,387 --> 00:21:13,240 Beyond what the size of the church 420 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:17,578 may indicate that it's it's safe to go. 421 00:21:17,578 --> 00:21:19,208 Beyond that. 422 00:21:19,208 --> 00:21:21,422 Take the church down paths that demand 423 00:21:21,422 --> 00:21:23,237 that you trust Him. 424 00:21:23,237 --> 00:21:26,268 And do that over and over and over again. 425 00:21:26,268 --> 00:21:28,158 That text in Malachi. 426 00:21:28,158 --> 00:21:29,370 You may remember. 427 00:21:29,370 --> 00:21:31,314 I'm not here to preach about tithing. 428 00:21:31,314 --> 00:21:38,034 But you know in an Old Testament context. 429 00:21:38,049 --> 00:21:39,718 Bring in your tithe. 430 00:21:39,718 --> 00:21:40,938 And you know what God said. 431 00:21:40,938 --> 00:21:42,091 "Put me to the test." 432 00:21:42,091 --> 00:21:44,448 Now I know there is a presumptious 433 00:21:44,448 --> 00:21:46,114 putting of God to the test 434 00:21:46,114 --> 00:21:47,760 that you don't want to do. 435 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:48,968 But listen. 436 00:21:48,968 --> 00:21:51,920 That's only when you expect God to do 437 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:53,391 what He never promised to do. 438 00:21:53,391 --> 00:21:56,579 But what God did promise to do is be .. 439 00:21:56,579 --> 00:21:58,049 He sent His son into this world 440 00:21:58,049 --> 00:21:59,335 to be with His church 441 00:21:59,335 --> 00:22:02,407 to the end of this age to carry out 442 00:22:02,407 --> 00:22:05,117 the Great Commission. 443 00:22:05,117 --> 00:22:09,572 That promise "I will be with you" 444 00:22:09,572 --> 00:22:11,515 is a promise that ought to embolden you 445 00:22:11,515 --> 00:22:14,247 to do many things. 446 00:22:14,247 --> 00:22:18,629 Do many things in faith in that promise. 447 00:22:18,629 --> 00:22:20,643 Put God to the test. 448 00:22:20,643 --> 00:22:22,646 Over and over. 449 00:22:22,646 --> 00:22:25,337 Because He wants to be put to the test in this fashion. 450 00:22:25,337 --> 00:22:26,648 He wants that. 451 00:22:26,648 --> 00:22:27,676 Do that. 452 00:22:27,676 --> 00:22:28,348 Brother. 453 00:22:28,348 --> 00:22:31,170 Attempt the impossible! 454 00:22:31,170 --> 00:22:32,402 Why? 455 00:22:32,402 --> 00:22:35,671 Because you have a God who says 456 00:22:35,671 --> 00:22:37,659 that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly 457 00:22:37,659 --> 00:22:39,379 beyond what you ask or think. 458 00:22:39,379 --> 00:22:40,595 Do the impossible! 459 00:22:40,595 --> 00:22:41,033 Why? 460 00:22:41,033 --> 00:22:43,526 Because you have a God of the impossible! 461 00:22:43,526 --> 00:22:46,683 That's why! 462 00:22:46,683 --> 00:22:49,279 The things that they sought to do in the book of Acts. 463 00:22:49,279 --> 00:22:50,178 Crazy! 464 00:22:50,178 --> 00:22:50,845 Crazy! 465 00:22:50,845 --> 00:22:52,532 Oh really a hundred and twenty people 466 00:22:52,532 --> 00:22:53,668 are going to go down from that upper room 467 00:22:53,668 --> 00:22:55,833 and they're going to take on the Roman Empire? 468 00:22:55,833 --> 00:22:59,116 They're going to take on the whole Jewish 469 00:22:59,116 --> 00:23:00,773 religious system? 470 00:23:00,773 --> 00:23:02,285 And they did it! 471 00:23:02,285 --> 00:23:06,370 And the church has survived for two thousand years. 472 00:23:06,370 --> 00:23:07,988 Walk in that faith. 473 00:23:07,988 --> 00:23:10,243 That's the faith. 474 00:23:10,243 --> 00:23:12,015 Don't ever be quick to say.. . 475 00:23:12,015 --> 00:23:14,018 Don't ever be quick to say, 476 00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:16,388 "We can't do that." 477 00:23:16,388 --> 00:23:18,458 Ever. 478 00:23:18,458 --> 00:23:20,487 Be quick to say it 479 00:23:20,487 --> 00:23:21,909 if it's something somebody 480 00:23:21,909 --> 00:23:24,324 suggests that may dishonor God. 481 00:23:24,324 --> 00:23:25,988 Be very quick to say it then. 482 00:23:26,938 --> 00:23:29,271 But don't ever be quick to say it 483 00:23:29,271 --> 00:23:30,631 because you feel like 484 00:23:30,631 --> 00:23:33,664 the church is too small, or you lack gift, 485 00:23:33,664 --> 00:23:35,485 or you lack the resources. 486 00:23:35,485 --> 00:23:38,547 Don't ever be quick to say, 487 00:23:38,547 --> 00:23:39,390 "we can't do that" 488 00:23:39,390 --> 00:23:41,550 when it comes to that which seems.. . 489 00:23:41,550 --> 00:23:42,152 What? 490 00:23:42,152 --> 00:23:44,344 What is it?! 491 00:23:44,344 --> 00:23:46,780 What are the things that tend to cause us 492 00:23:46,780 --> 00:23:48,142 to stop in our tracks? 493 00:23:48,142 --> 00:23:49,318 To hesitate? 494 00:23:49,318 --> 00:23:50,260 Brother. 495 00:23:50,260 --> 00:23:52,459 Don't be quick to say, "we can't do that" 496 00:23:52,459 --> 00:23:54,281 just because it seems too big, 497 00:23:54,281 --> 00:23:57,170 too outrageous, too much, too far, 498 00:23:57,170 --> 00:24:01,213 too expensive, too overall impossible. 499 00:24:01,213 --> 00:24:04,347 I want to remind you of the faith 500 00:24:04,347 --> 00:24:05,445 of Abraham. 501 00:24:05,445 --> 00:24:06,508 Now you might want to turn to this. 502 00:24:06,508 --> 00:24:08,464 This is found in Romans chapter 4. 503 00:24:08,464 --> 00:24:10,590 The faith of Abraham 504 00:24:10,590 --> 00:24:13,928 is a great thing for us to remember. 505 00:24:13,928 --> 00:24:15,450 Because you know when Paul 506 00:24:15,450 --> 00:24:18,190 unwraps this faith for us, 507 00:24:19,850 --> 00:24:26,308 he shows us Abraham at a very old age; 508 00:24:27,978 --> 00:24:31,537 Sarah at a very old age! 509 00:24:31,537 --> 00:24:33,987 When the thing that God has promised is, 510 00:24:33,987 --> 00:24:36,692 humanly speaking, impossible. 511 00:24:36,692 --> 00:24:37,986 Let's read the account. 512 00:24:37,986 --> 00:24:39,580 Romans chapter 4. 513 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,049 Of Abraham Paul says, 514 00:24:44,049 --> 00:24:48,008 (Romans chapter 4 verse 18.) 515 00:24:48,008 --> 00:24:54,815 "In hope he believed against hope 516 00:24:54,815 --> 00:24:59,002 that he should become the father of many nations 517 00:24:59,002 --> 00:25:00,853 and as he had been told, 518 00:25:00,853 --> 00:25:03,657 'so shall your offspring be' 519 00:25:03,657 --> 00:25:05,524 he did not weaken in faith when" 520 00:25:05,524 --> 00:25:07,863 now notice this, 521 00:25:07,863 --> 00:25:11,659 "when he considered his own body." 522 00:25:11,659 --> 00:25:14,484 Because you see that's, that's what we do. 523 00:25:14,484 --> 00:25:17,943 We consider us. 524 00:25:17,943 --> 00:25:20,304 We consider our resources. 525 00:25:20,304 --> 00:25:23,203 We consider what we have. 526 00:25:23,203 --> 00:25:25,164 Or what we don't have. 527 00:25:25,164 --> 00:25:26,981 We consider 528 00:25:28,471 --> 00:25:31,021 the human possibilities. 529 00:25:31,021 --> 00:25:31,810 Right? 530 00:25:32,490 --> 00:25:34,430 He did. 531 00:25:34,430 --> 00:25:36,568 "When he considered his own body" 532 00:25:36,568 --> 00:25:38,538 and he certainly did consider it, 533 00:25:38,538 --> 00:25:45,798 "which was as good as dead 534 00:25:45,798 --> 00:25:48,612 since he was about a hundred years old. 535 00:25:48,612 --> 00:25:50,435 And when he considered the barreness 536 00:25:50,435 --> 00:25:52,910 of Sarah's womb." 537 00:25:52,910 --> 00:25:54,187 I mean what's the consideration? 538 00:25:54,187 --> 00:25:55,541 Well the consideration is this, 539 00:25:55,541 --> 00:25:56,378 Hundred year old men 540 00:25:56,378 --> 00:25:57,598 with ninety year old wives 541 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,498 don't have babies. 542 00:26:00,518 --> 00:26:04,133 That doesn't happen. 543 00:26:04,133 --> 00:26:05,313 But notice this. 544 00:26:05,313 --> 00:26:07,295 "No unbelief" 545 00:26:07,295 --> 00:26:09,280 made him waiver 546 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:11,767 concerning the promise of God. 547 00:26:13,027 --> 00:26:15,517 But he grew strong in his faith" 548 00:26:15,517 --> 00:26:19,529 and you want to take special attention to these words, 549 00:26:19,529 --> 00:26:24,792 "as he gave glory to God fully convinced 550 00:26:24,792 --> 00:26:26,212 that God was able to do 551 00:26:26,212 --> 00:26:27,534 what He had promised." 552 00:26:27,534 --> 00:26:30,099 Brother I'm not talking about any small thing here. 553 00:26:30,099 --> 00:26:31,796 I'm talking about the glory of God 554 00:26:31,796 --> 00:26:35,933 is at stake in whether you trust Him 555 00:26:35,933 --> 00:26:37,661 and how you lead this church. 556 00:26:37,661 --> 00:26:42,276 The glory of God is at stake. 557 00:26:42,276 --> 00:26:45,359 God loves to be trusted. 558 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:46,931 He loves to have 559 00:26:46,931 --> 00:26:48,783 His people do what Abraham did! 560 00:26:48,783 --> 00:26:52,256 To hope and believe against hope! 561 00:26:55,116 --> 00:26:57,347 Because I'll tell you. 562 00:26:57,347 --> 00:26:59,579 We are outclassed. 563 00:26:59,579 --> 00:27:01,618 Just humanly speaking. 564 00:27:03,508 --> 00:27:04,770 As Tozer said, 565 00:27:04,770 --> 00:27:08,497 "We are hopelessly outclassed." 566 00:27:08,497 --> 00:27:09,413 By what? 567 00:27:09,413 --> 00:27:12,686 We're fighting angels. 568 00:27:12,686 --> 00:27:13,531 Do you think 569 00:27:13,531 --> 00:27:16,821 we have the strength to do that? 570 00:27:18,131 --> 00:27:21,531 The world has smarter people, 571 00:27:23,221 --> 00:27:27,387 higher IQ's, more money. 572 00:27:30,697 --> 00:27:34,509 What we're faced, what we're up against, 573 00:27:36,769 --> 00:27:39,038 if it's not for God coming to our help 574 00:27:39,038 --> 00:27:42,014 we are in a hopeless situation. 575 00:27:42,014 --> 00:27:45,101 Which is exactly where Abraham was. 576 00:27:45,101 --> 00:27:46,641 "I'm a hundred years old!" 577 00:27:46,641 --> 00:27:48,125 "If God doesn't come through 578 00:27:48,125 --> 00:27:51,736 in some kind of mighty fashion, 579 00:27:51,736 --> 00:27:54,123 this isn't happening." 580 00:27:54,123 --> 00:27:55,609 But I'll tell you 581 00:27:55,609 --> 00:28:00,519 brought great Glory to God 582 00:28:00,519 --> 00:28:03,739 to be trusted 583 00:28:03,748 --> 00:28:06,357 in that situation. 584 00:28:06,357 --> 00:28:08,588 Martin Lloyd-Jones has some very 585 00:28:08,588 --> 00:28:10,098 helpful words concerning this. 586 00:28:10,098 --> 00:28:11,966 Listen to what he says. 587 00:28:11,966 --> 00:28:18,122 He says, "People often put faith 588 00:28:18,122 --> 00:28:20,128 like this to us. 589 00:28:20,128 --> 00:28:21,588 Now he's going to tell you 590 00:28:21,588 --> 00:28:23,803 what other people say faith is like, 591 00:28:23,803 --> 00:28:26,751 not what he believes it's like. 592 00:28:26,751 --> 00:28:33,171 What he says other people believe it's like. 593 00:28:33,188 --> 00:28:34,478 He says this like this, 594 00:28:34,478 --> 00:28:37,736 'You go by train from London to Brighton 595 00:28:37,736 --> 00:28:39,576 and immediately they say, 596 00:28:39,576 --> 00:28:43,172 'you're excercising faith. 597 00:28:43,172 --> 00:28:44,878 Faith in the engine. 598 00:28:44,878 --> 00:28:46,412 Faith in the engine driver. 599 00:28:46,412 --> 00:28:48,522 Faith in the rails. 600 00:28:48,522 --> 00:28:50,137 Faith in the sleepers, 601 00:28:50,137 --> 00:28:52,857 the bolts and nuts and so on.' 602 00:28:52,859 --> 00:28:55,491 Or they say, 'A man goes on an airplane, 603 00:28:55,491 --> 00:28:59,152 well he's exercising faith.'' 604 00:28:59,152 --> 00:29:03,267 Lloyd-Jones says, "I entirely dissent 605 00:29:03,267 --> 00:29:04,951 from that argument. 606 00:29:04,951 --> 00:29:07,973 And I think its very important that we should disagree with it." 607 00:29:07,973 --> 00:29:09,015 Now I would just break from here. 608 00:29:09,015 --> 00:29:10,818 You hear people say, 609 00:29:10,818 --> 00:29:13,584 "Well it's just like sitting in that chair. 610 00:29:13,584 --> 00:29:15,212 You know you have to put your faith in that chair. 611 00:29:15,212 --> 00:29:19,192 You have to put your faith in the four legs." 612 00:29:19,192 --> 00:29:23,639 But listen to Lloyd-Jones, "To start with, 613 00:29:23,639 --> 00:29:26,922 I do not call that faith at all. 614 00:29:26,922 --> 00:29:28,735 Because to sit in that train 615 00:29:28,735 --> 00:29:30,850 and go from London to Brighton 616 00:29:30,850 --> 00:29:33,142 is not an exercise of faith. 617 00:29:33,142 --> 00:29:34,142 We're just doing something 618 00:29:34,142 --> 00:29:35,231 based upon the law 619 00:29:35,231 --> 00:29:37,974 of mathematical probability. 620 00:29:37,974 --> 00:29:40,399 That is a vital distinction. 621 00:29:40,399 --> 00:29:42,715 What we are saying to ourselves, 622 00:29:42,715 --> 00:29:45,467 either consciously or unconsciously is this, 623 00:29:45,467 --> 00:29:47,534 'The chances are that this train 624 00:29:47,534 --> 00:29:50,348 will go from here to Brighton without an accident.' 625 00:29:50,348 --> 00:29:53,040 I know that that there are occasional railway accidents 626 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:54,498 but they do not happen everyday. 627 00:29:54,498 --> 00:29:56,200 The law of mathematical probability 628 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:57,790 tells me that probably 629 00:29:57,790 --> 00:29:59,064 this train will take me 630 00:29:59,064 --> 00:30:01,579 without an accident to Brighton. 631 00:30:01,579 --> 00:30:04,115 Now that is not faith at all." 632 00:30:04,115 --> 00:30:06,035 "Or to put it another way" he says, 633 00:30:06,035 --> 00:30:07,008 "as we sit in the train, 634 00:30:07,008 --> 00:30:09,129 we're acting on the ground of experience 635 00:30:09,129 --> 00:30:10,999 of men and women who travel in trains. 636 00:30:10,999 --> 00:30:13,102 We see others doing the same thing. 637 00:30:13,102 --> 00:30:14,761 We know that they do it every day. 638 00:30:14,761 --> 00:30:16,417 Experience teaches us that on the whole 639 00:30:16,417 --> 00:30:18,460 it's safe to go on a journey in a train. 640 00:30:18,460 --> 00:30:19,460 You could say 641 00:30:19,460 --> 00:30:20,906 that we are acting upon an argument 642 00:30:20,906 --> 00:30:22,637 which is based upon 643 00:30:22,637 --> 00:30:25,718 the general observation of certain facts." 644 00:30:25,718 --> 00:30:26,718 But Jeremy, 645 00:30:26,718 --> 00:30:28,000 here's a thing I want you to think about. 646 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:29,344 He finds fault with that. 647 00:30:29,344 --> 00:30:30,868 We should find fault with that. 648 00:30:30,868 --> 00:30:32,064 Because what he says, 649 00:30:32,064 --> 00:30:37,584 if you go and look at Abraham 650 00:30:37,636 --> 00:30:42,488 Brother, you've been on a lot of planes. 651 00:30:42,488 --> 00:30:43,886 You ever climb on that plane 652 00:30:43,886 --> 00:30:46,823 and say, "this is hope without hope. 653 00:30:46,823 --> 00:30:48,474 I mean humanly speaking 654 00:30:48,474 --> 00:30:49,876 this thing is going down 655 00:30:49,876 --> 00:30:52,684 unless God comes through." 656 00:30:52,684 --> 00:30:53,605 You don't. 657 00:30:53,605 --> 00:30:55,342 He's right. 658 00:30:55,342 --> 00:30:57,516 No! You get on there and you think, 659 00:30:57,516 --> 00:31:02,208 "Well there are airplane crashes. 660 00:31:02,208 --> 00:31:03,315 Some don't make it. 661 00:31:03,315 --> 00:31:06,286 But the mathematical probability here is 662 00:31:06,286 --> 00:31:10,846 that it probably is going to." 663 00:31:10,919 --> 00:31:13,409 You see the faith of scripture is different. 664 00:31:13,409 --> 00:31:14,526 We don't work on the basis 665 00:31:14,526 --> 00:31:16,445 of mathematical probability or statistics 666 00:31:16,445 --> 00:31:18,262 or human observation. 667 00:31:18,262 --> 00:31:20,181 That isn't the faith that God calls us to. 668 00:31:20,181 --> 00:31:21,717 And that's important. 669 00:31:21,717 --> 00:31:23,695 Because there's going to be a temptation 670 00:31:23,695 --> 00:31:26,456 and there will be many others to come along side you 671 00:31:26,456 --> 00:31:27,456 and get you 672 00:31:27,456 --> 00:31:29,898 to go in this direction of temptation, 673 00:31:29,898 --> 00:31:30,962 that look 674 00:31:30,962 --> 00:31:33,962 probability says this won't work out. 675 00:31:33,962 --> 00:31:37,209 You know business statistically 676 00:31:37,209 --> 00:31:38,291 in the business world 677 00:31:38,291 --> 00:31:40,855 you would never do something like this. 678 00:31:40,855 --> 00:31:42,285 Beware brother! 679 00:31:42,285 --> 00:31:44,280 Beware! 680 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,004 I mean you can have all manner of business men in the church 681 00:31:47,004 --> 00:31:49,439 but if they want to come in the church and operate the church 682 00:31:49,439 --> 00:31:50,887 by business tactics. 683 00:31:50,887 --> 00:31:52,112 I remember one time, 684 00:31:52,112 --> 00:31:54,807 we were looking at the possibility of needing a new building. 685 00:31:54,807 --> 00:31:55,825 And I said to the church 686 00:31:55,825 --> 00:31:59,355 we are not going to lead this church into debt. 687 00:31:59,355 --> 00:32:01,582 And some wise business man said, 688 00:32:01,582 --> 00:32:02,703 "Well in the business world, 689 00:32:02,703 --> 00:32:04,981 when you buy a new piece of property 690 00:32:04,981 --> 00:32:08,613 you go out and you get a mortgage." 691 00:32:08,613 --> 00:32:09,613 Well you know what 692 00:32:09,613 --> 00:32:12,299 I don't want to lead the church into that. 693 00:32:12,299 --> 00:32:13,408 And if God says 694 00:32:13,408 --> 00:32:15,118 He's going to apply all our need 695 00:32:15,118 --> 00:32:16,793 can we not trust Him? 696 00:32:16,793 --> 00:32:17,406 We saw 697 00:32:17,406 --> 00:32:19,348 hundreds of thousands of dollars in three weeks 698 00:32:19,348 --> 00:32:21,180 come into our church offering box 699 00:32:21,180 --> 00:32:23,103 for the sake of our new building. 700 00:32:23,103 --> 00:32:25,001 Did we have to go into debt? 701 00:32:25,001 --> 00:32:25,391 No! 702 00:32:25,391 --> 00:32:26,654 And you don't either. 703 00:32:26,654 --> 00:32:29,293 You do not have to walk through this world 704 00:32:29,293 --> 00:32:32,401 the way that the world walks through this world. 705 00:32:32,401 --> 00:32:35,374 And to get on an airplane and simply say, 706 00:32:35,374 --> 00:32:38,806 "Well I hope because of some statistical probability 707 00:32:38,806 --> 00:32:40,852 that I'm going to make it to Brighton." 708 00:32:40,852 --> 00:32:42,756 That is not the faith of scripture. 709 00:32:42,756 --> 00:32:45,702 The faith of scripture is Abraham saying, 710 00:32:45,702 --> 00:32:46,520 "Wow! 711 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,397 I'm a hundred years old, my wife is ninety, 712 00:32:49,397 --> 00:32:51,894 but we've got the promises of God 713 00:32:51,894 --> 00:32:53,736 and so we're going to hope for something 714 00:32:53,736 --> 00:32:56,294 against hope, at least humanly speaking. 715 00:32:56,294 --> 00:32:57,294 We're going to believe God 716 00:32:57,294 --> 00:32:58,351 that these things 717 00:32:58,351 --> 00:33:00,195 are going to come to pass." 718 00:33:00,195 --> 00:33:03,393 Take the church in that direction. 719 00:33:03,393 --> 00:33:05,702 God is not pleased by simple 720 00:33:05,702 --> 00:33:07,562 mathematical probability. 721 00:33:07,562 --> 00:33:09,577 God is pleased when we cling to Him 722 00:33:09,577 --> 00:33:11,003 and we embrace Him. 723 00:33:11,003 --> 00:33:12,368 And we trust Him. 724 00:33:12,368 --> 00:33:13,844 Even though humanly speaking 725 00:33:13,844 --> 00:33:16,316 it looks impossible! 726 00:33:16,316 --> 00:33:17,898 But because we're clinging to Him 727 00:33:17,898 --> 00:33:20,960 and to His promises. 728 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,027 You see brother. 729 00:33:23,027 --> 00:33:24,677 Going to be lots of temptation 730 00:33:24,677 --> 00:33:26,878 to trust the checkbook. 731 00:33:26,878 --> 00:33:29,765 You see it really is mathematical probability 732 00:33:29,765 --> 00:33:31,213 if you say, you know, 733 00:33:31,213 --> 00:33:34,818 you're considering supporting a missionary 734 00:33:34,818 --> 00:33:35,808 for a hundred dollars a month 735 00:33:35,808 --> 00:33:36,899 and you go to Michael 736 00:33:36,899 --> 00:33:38,109 and you say, "Hey Michael 737 00:33:38,109 --> 00:33:39,802 have we had an extra hundred dollars a month 738 00:33:39,802 --> 00:33:40,717 come in for.." 739 00:33:40,717 --> 00:33:42,112 "Yeah. Yeah we have. 740 00:33:42,112 --> 00:33:43,717 Last sixteen months, 741 00:33:43,717 --> 00:33:46,323 an extra hundred dollars has come in above all the bills we paid." 742 00:33:46,323 --> 00:33:49,874 You say, "Oh well then we can give that to this missionary." 743 00:33:49,874 --> 00:33:52,561 Now I'm not saying necessarily that that would be wrong. 744 00:33:52,561 --> 00:33:55,202 But you recognize that's within the realm 745 00:33:55,202 --> 00:33:57,307 of mathematical probability. 746 00:33:57,307 --> 00:34:00,623 That well that's happened for sixteen months. 747 00:34:00,623 --> 00:34:01,914 Brother you know the story. 748 00:34:01,914 --> 00:34:03,050 I've told them to you. 749 00:34:03,050 --> 00:34:04,308 I mean there was a time 750 00:34:04,308 --> 00:34:05,635 when our church made increases 751 00:34:05,635 --> 00:34:07,564 and I went to Carlos and I said, 752 00:34:07,564 --> 00:34:10,043 "Carlos how many months out of our existence?" 753 00:34:10,043 --> 00:34:12,302 He said, "Well like in the 84 months we've been a church, 754 00:34:12,302 --> 00:34:14,318 4 months we've met that amount." 755 00:34:14,318 --> 00:34:16,938 For 12 straight months God, after that, 756 00:34:16,938 --> 00:34:19,539 God brought us everything that we needed. 757 00:34:19,539 --> 00:34:20,950 God can be trusted. 758 00:34:20,950 --> 00:34:22,343 Put Him to the test. 759 00:34:22,343 --> 00:34:24,670 He wants to be put to the test. 760 00:34:24,670 --> 00:34:27,938 Don't live in the safe realm 761 00:34:27,938 --> 00:34:31,398 of statistics and mathematical probability. 762 00:34:31,398 --> 00:34:34,381 Consistently lead this church to do something 763 00:34:34,381 --> 00:34:34,951 that 764 00:34:36,981 --> 00:34:37,878 if God doesn't come through 765 00:34:37,878 --> 00:34:40,642 you're going to fall flat on your face. 766 00:34:40,642 --> 00:34:41,824 Do that brother. 767 00:34:41,824 --> 00:34:42,376 Do it! 768 00:34:42,376 --> 00:34:46,119 Over and over and over again. 769 00:34:46,119 --> 00:34:49,151 Lead this church in faith. 770 00:34:49,151 --> 00:34:50,104 Trust God. 771 00:34:50,104 --> 00:34:51,020 Trust God! 772 00:34:51,020 --> 00:34:53,001 Not experience. 773 00:34:53,001 --> 00:34:53,787 Beware! 774 00:34:53,787 --> 00:34:55,734 I tell you, beware! 775 00:34:55,734 --> 00:34:56,734 You remember Jonathan 776 00:34:56,734 --> 00:34:57,887 going up that mountain. 777 00:34:57,887 --> 00:34:59,505 He has his armor bearer. 778 00:34:59,505 --> 00:35:01,035 We're going up there. 779 00:35:01,035 --> 00:35:02,180 The Philistines are up there. 780 00:35:02,180 --> 00:35:04,218 Brother there will be ten thousand people 781 00:35:04,218 --> 00:35:07,048 telling you not to go up that mountain. 782 00:35:07,048 --> 00:35:08,965 It's not wise. 783 00:35:09,345 --> 00:35:10,345 For one 784 00:35:10,345 --> 00:35:12,108 there's a hoard of those guys up there! 785 00:35:12,108 --> 00:35:14,311 You're only two. 786 00:35:14,311 --> 00:35:15,098 You read it. 787 00:35:15,098 --> 00:35:17,256 They got to crawling. 788 00:35:17,256 --> 00:35:19,437 You do not want to go up there. 789 00:35:19,437 --> 00:35:21,705 You do not want to crawl up a mountainside 790 00:35:21,705 --> 00:35:23,791 to your enemies. 791 00:35:23,791 --> 00:35:26,982 You're going to be wasted out of breathe, 792 00:35:26,982 --> 00:35:29,400 out of strength, exhausted. 793 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:31,248 They can throw rocks down on your head 794 00:35:31,248 --> 00:35:33,063 as you're coming up. 795 00:35:33,063 --> 00:35:34,350 Don't do it brother! 796 00:35:34,350 --> 00:35:36,527 Don't go up there. 797 00:35:36,527 --> 00:35:38,001 It's not wise. 798 00:35:38,001 --> 00:35:39,332 It's not convenient. 799 00:35:41,192 --> 00:35:44,442 It's presumption! 800 00:35:44,442 --> 00:35:46,707 And there will be all manner of whisperers in your ear 801 00:35:46,707 --> 00:35:48,038 telling you that 802 00:35:48,038 --> 00:35:50,039 when you're confronted by something. 803 00:35:50,039 --> 00:35:52,329 Everytime you walk by faith 804 00:35:52,329 --> 00:35:54,285 it will be going against the grain. 805 00:35:58,135 --> 00:35:59,593 They'll be telling you. 806 00:35:59,593 --> 00:36:02,834 We're going to have two funerals tonight. 807 00:36:02,834 --> 00:36:06,823 Jonathan says "It's God" 808 00:36:06,823 --> 00:36:09,151 It's just like David going out there to Goliath. 809 00:36:09,151 --> 00:36:11,356 Humanly speaking. 810 00:36:11,356 --> 00:36:14,834 I mean they were, they were counting on, 811 00:36:14,834 --> 00:36:16,876 you know, feeding his body 812 00:36:16,876 --> 00:36:17,858 to the birds on one side 813 00:36:17,858 --> 00:36:21,325 and they were counting on a funeral on the other side. 814 00:36:21,325 --> 00:36:24,191 It was pretty much a hopeless situation. 815 00:36:24,191 --> 00:36:25,398 But you know in both cases, 816 00:36:25,398 --> 00:36:26,346 Jonathan and David, 817 00:36:26,346 --> 00:36:27,938 their trust was not in themselves. 818 00:36:27,938 --> 00:36:29,564 Their trust was in the Lord. 819 00:36:29,564 --> 00:36:32,030 Of course it's ridiculous to climb up the side of a mountain 820 00:36:32,030 --> 00:36:33,878 and confront your enemies that way. 821 00:36:33,878 --> 00:36:35,158 But when you look at the outcome 822 00:36:35,158 --> 00:36:36,460 nobody would say it was ridiculous. 823 00:36:36,460 --> 00:36:37,586 But you know what? 824 00:36:37,586 --> 00:36:39,553 The thing is when you go into the thing, 825 00:36:39,553 --> 00:36:40,879 you don't know the outcome. 826 00:36:40,879 --> 00:36:42,253 That's the problem! 827 00:36:42,253 --> 00:36:44,235 Abraham See we can look back at Abraham 828 00:36:44,235 --> 00:36:45,043 and we know the outcome. 829 00:36:45,043 --> 00:36:45,719 We look back at Jonathan 830 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:46,688 we know the outcome. 831 00:36:46,688 --> 00:36:48,720 We look back at David we know the outcome! 832 00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:50,411 The problem is when you go into it 833 00:36:50,411 --> 00:36:53,137 you don't know the outcome! 834 00:36:55,737 --> 00:36:59,308 And your own heart will waiver at times. 835 00:36:59,308 --> 00:37:00,384 It will. 836 00:37:00,384 --> 00:37:01,646 Brother be the man. 837 00:37:01,646 --> 00:37:02,908 Be the man. 838 00:37:02,908 --> 00:37:03,981 Play the man. 839 00:37:03,981 --> 00:37:06,900 Be the man that says, 840 00:37:06,900 --> 00:37:08,912 "There is a God in Israel 841 00:37:08,912 --> 00:37:11,310 and we're going to trust Him 842 00:37:11,310 --> 00:37:13,251 so we're moving forward." 843 00:37:13,251 --> 00:37:14,781 It's God that gives the victory. 844 00:37:14,781 --> 00:37:16,170 And He can give it to many. 845 00:37:16,170 --> 00:37:18,378 He can give it to few. 846 00:37:18,378 --> 00:37:20,935 You know those those wise people 847 00:37:20,935 --> 00:37:22,853 that came along to John G Paton. 848 00:37:22,853 --> 00:37:23,867 "You don't want to go over there. 849 00:37:23,867 --> 00:37:25,545 You're going to be eaten by the Cannibals." 850 00:37:25,545 --> 00:37:27,327 They came along to William Carey. 851 00:37:27,327 --> 00:37:30,094 "We see no possibility of success." 852 00:37:30,094 --> 00:37:32,422 And they'll come along to you too. 853 00:37:32,422 --> 00:37:35,200 Anybody that's ever wanted to step out trusting God. 854 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,181 Brother attempt great things for God. 855 00:37:38,181 --> 00:37:39,585 As was once said 856 00:37:39,585 --> 00:37:42,868 and you watch what God will do. 857 00:37:42,868 --> 00:37:44,483 Because what I have found 858 00:37:44,483 --> 00:37:47,235 is in leading our church 859 00:37:47,235 --> 00:37:49,481 I've probably waivered 860 00:37:49,481 --> 00:37:52,108 and not led us into some of the places that we should. 861 00:37:52,108 --> 00:37:52,934 But I can tell you this 862 00:37:52,934 --> 00:37:54,301 everytime that I have lead 863 00:37:54,301 --> 00:37:56,717 the church were humanly speaking it was going to fail 864 00:37:56,717 --> 00:37:57,514 unless God came through. 865 00:37:57,514 --> 00:38:00,354 God has come through every single time. 866 00:38:00,354 --> 00:38:02,011 He has never left me hanging my head. 867 00:38:02,011 --> 00:38:03,980 We have a God in the scripture that says 868 00:38:03,980 --> 00:38:06,279 "He is a lifter of our heads." 869 00:38:06,279 --> 00:38:07,279 He will not leave His people 870 00:38:07,279 --> 00:38:09,363 who trust in Him ashamed. 871 00:38:09,363 --> 00:38:11,450 He will not! 872 00:38:11,450 --> 00:38:12,948 Brother as you go forward. 873 00:38:12,948 --> 00:38:14,565 Beware! 874 00:38:14,565 --> 00:38:16,249 Beware! 875 00:38:16,249 --> 00:38:19,766 Of faith killing Calvinism. 876 00:38:19,766 --> 00:38:20,766 I'm not telling you 877 00:38:20,766 --> 00:38:23,143 to abandon the Doctrines of Grace. 878 00:38:23,143 --> 00:38:24,689 I'm not telling you that. 879 00:38:24,689 --> 00:38:25,608 You embrace those. 880 00:38:25,608 --> 00:38:27,628 You be willing to die for those. 881 00:38:27,628 --> 00:38:31,476 But I'm talking about that form 882 00:38:32,486 --> 00:38:34,401 of Reformed Theology out there 883 00:38:34,401 --> 00:38:36,320 those movements out there. 884 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:38,873 That tend to kill faith! 885 00:38:38,873 --> 00:38:40,925 Not encourage it. 886 00:38:42,265 --> 00:38:43,107 Well God is sovereign 887 00:38:43,107 --> 00:38:44,093 and if He's going to do it 888 00:38:44,093 --> 00:38:45,361 He's going to do it. 889 00:38:45,361 --> 00:38:47,491 That is not what we find in scripture. 890 00:38:47,491 --> 00:38:49,243 That is not. 891 00:38:49,243 --> 00:38:50,448 Think big. 892 00:38:50,448 --> 00:38:51,480 Pray big. 893 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:52,857 Why? 894 00:38:52,857 --> 00:38:55,012 Your God is big. 895 00:38:57,612 --> 00:38:59,918 Brother. 896 00:38:59,918 --> 00:39:04,287 When church leadership digs in for safety 897 00:39:04,287 --> 00:39:08,718 it will be the demise of your church. 898 00:39:08,718 --> 00:39:11,037 Don't do it. 899 00:39:11,037 --> 00:39:13,017 Don't do that. 900 00:39:14,377 --> 00:39:16,900 Listen none have never trusted God too much. 901 00:39:16,900 --> 00:39:18,000 Trust Him. 902 00:39:18,010 --> 00:39:18,697 Trust Him. 903 00:39:18,697 --> 00:39:19,689 Trust Him. 904 00:39:19,689 --> 00:39:22,664 To step out into that unknown. 905 00:39:22,664 --> 00:39:23,786 Where you can't, 906 00:39:23,786 --> 00:39:24,858 I mean you get to the edge, 907 00:39:24,858 --> 00:39:27,721 and you can't see. 908 00:39:27,721 --> 00:39:31,742 And you're having to step. 909 00:39:31,742 --> 00:39:32,980 For Christ. 910 00:39:32,980 --> 00:39:35,369 For His Kingdom. 911 00:39:35,369 --> 00:39:36,508 Step. 912 00:39:36,508 --> 00:39:41,931 Trust the Lord and step venture 913 00:39:41,931 --> 00:39:45,081 into that realm brother 914 00:39:45,081 --> 00:39:47,651 where you know.. . 915 00:39:47,651 --> 00:39:49,014 where you have to.. . 916 00:39:49,014 --> 00:39:52,252 when you're in prayer where, 917 00:39:52,252 --> 00:39:56,701 and I've been there, Lord, 918 00:39:56,701 --> 00:40:01,741 I'm leading the church to go in this direction. 919 00:40:01,786 --> 00:40:05,708 Because you'll find yourself in the position of Moses, 920 00:40:05,708 --> 00:40:08,158 where you feel like 921 00:40:08,158 --> 00:40:10,230 God wants us to go in this direction 922 00:40:10,230 --> 00:40:12,026 and the people are saying, "Well 923 00:40:12,026 --> 00:40:14,713 he hasn't told us that. 924 00:40:14,713 --> 00:40:15,713 And you know you coming in here 925 00:40:15,713 --> 00:40:16,849 and doing what you've done 926 00:40:16,849 --> 00:40:18,035 and going and talking to Pharaoh 927 00:40:18,035 --> 00:40:19,792 that has not worked for our good. 928 00:40:19,792 --> 00:40:21,552 In fact, ever since you put us 929 00:40:21,552 --> 00:40:26,389 on this venture it's gotten worse for us!" 930 00:40:26,389 --> 00:40:28,515 Because God will test you. 931 00:40:28,515 --> 00:40:31,817 He will test your faith. 932 00:40:31,817 --> 00:40:34,588 I just watched a video of Ryan Fullerton. 933 00:40:34,588 --> 00:40:35,408 You know Ryan Fullerton 934 00:40:35,408 --> 00:40:37,218 was leading his church to trust the Lord 935 00:40:37,218 --> 00:40:38,210 in some big endeavor. 936 00:40:38,210 --> 00:40:39,910 And he said that the prayer meeting 937 00:40:39,910 --> 00:40:41,111 that they were going to have, 938 00:40:41,111 --> 00:40:42,791 where he was going to really try 939 00:40:42,791 --> 00:40:44,710 to stir up everybody's faith in this, 940 00:40:44,710 --> 00:40:46,257 he said 941 00:40:46,257 --> 00:40:47,484 like it was one of the least attended 942 00:40:47,484 --> 00:40:49,038 prayer meetings that they had. 943 00:40:49,038 --> 00:40:51,991 And it's like just... You know, 944 00:40:51,991 --> 00:40:55,315 God will test you as you seek to trust Him. 945 00:40:55,315 --> 00:40:57,165 He will test you. 946 00:40:57,165 --> 00:40:58,885 Attempt. 947 00:40:58,885 --> 00:41:00,948 Attempt. 948 00:41:00,948 --> 00:41:02,453 Don't. 949 00:41:02,453 --> 00:41:06,353 Don't let that faith diminish brother. 950 00:41:06,353 --> 00:41:08,520 Safety. 951 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:10,613 When you make decisions 952 00:41:10,613 --> 00:41:15,077 because something is safe. 953 00:41:15,077 --> 00:41:17,070 Ugh. 954 00:41:17,070 --> 00:41:19,278 And you just dig in. 955 00:41:19,278 --> 00:41:20,965 You're satisfied. 956 00:41:20,965 --> 00:41:23,097 Don't live on past victories either. 957 00:41:23,097 --> 00:41:26,509 It is not enough to trust God today 958 00:41:26,509 --> 00:41:29,350 and then to quit doing it tomorrow. 959 00:41:29,350 --> 00:41:30,858 But you can get to the place where 960 00:41:30,858 --> 00:41:32,390 well you know we did this in the past. 961 00:41:32,390 --> 00:41:34,474 "Ah! We planted a church down in Laredo 962 00:41:34,474 --> 00:41:35,288 and before that we did this 963 00:41:35,288 --> 00:41:36,350 and this and this.. ." 964 00:41:36,350 --> 00:41:37,580 And you get to the place where you go, 965 00:41:37,580 --> 00:41:38,531 "Ah now we can kick up our feet 966 00:41:38,531 --> 00:41:39,882 and we can coast." 967 00:41:39,882 --> 00:41:40,713 You know what, you got to fight 968 00:41:40,713 --> 00:41:41,834 the good fight of faith 969 00:41:41,834 --> 00:41:43,010 all the way to the end. 970 00:41:43,010 --> 00:41:45,174 All the way to the end. 971 00:41:45,174 --> 00:41:46,990 All the way. 972 00:41:46,990 --> 00:41:48,145 When it's protection and safety 973 00:41:48,145 --> 00:41:50,245 that we seek, oh brethren, 974 00:41:50,245 --> 00:41:51,387 it is our undoing. 975 00:41:51,387 --> 00:41:53,639 Jeremy it will be your undoing. 976 00:41:53,639 --> 00:41:54,861 Don't go there. 977 00:41:54,861 --> 00:41:56,238 Don't do it. 978 00:41:56,238 --> 00:41:57,983 When it's safety, when it's peace, 979 00:41:57,983 --> 00:41:58,794 when it's serenity, 980 00:41:58,794 --> 00:42:00,839 when it's comfort we seek 981 00:42:00,839 --> 00:42:02,875 and no faith is required 982 00:42:02,875 --> 00:42:06,417 the people you pastor, I said this already 983 00:42:06,417 --> 00:42:07,458 but I'll say it again, 984 00:42:07,458 --> 00:42:09,709 the people here that you pastor 985 00:42:09,709 --> 00:42:12,993 will follow you into that. 986 00:42:13,643 --> 00:42:14,875 It will be your undoing. 987 00:42:14,875 --> 00:42:17,105 It will be a slow death. 988 00:42:17,105 --> 00:42:18,345 The men in this book 989 00:42:18,345 --> 00:42:20,962 who have turned the world upside down, 990 00:42:20,962 --> 00:42:24,647 brethren you know what kind they were. 991 00:42:24,647 --> 00:42:26,913 They're the kind always all along the way, 992 00:42:26,913 --> 00:42:28,227 what did they do? 993 00:42:28,227 --> 00:42:29,281 They exchanged the safety 994 00:42:29,281 --> 00:42:31,564 for something else for hazardous life. 995 00:42:31,564 --> 00:42:33,316 But the safety, unbelief. 996 00:42:33,316 --> 00:42:36,450 Hazardous living, the kind that takes risk, 997 00:42:36,450 --> 00:42:38,325 there's faith there. 998 00:42:38,325 --> 00:42:39,190 There's faith. 999 00:42:39,190 --> 00:42:41,043 Safety and unbelief go together. 1000 00:42:41,043 --> 00:42:43,367 They exchange those kinds of things. 1001 00:42:43,367 --> 00:42:46,340 That inactivity for what? 1002 00:42:46,340 --> 00:42:51,444 For this, the hazards of God trusting, God 1003 00:42:51,444 --> 00:42:53,445 believing progress. 1004 00:42:53,445 --> 00:42:55,376 That is how the church has been. 1005 00:42:55,376 --> 00:42:56,854 All you have to do is look through history. 1006 00:42:56,854 --> 00:42:59,612 All you have to do is look through history 1007 00:42:59,612 --> 00:43:01,771 at every single time there has been 1008 00:43:01,771 --> 00:43:04,344 any sort of major missionary advance 1009 00:43:04,344 --> 00:43:06,106 any sort of church 1010 00:43:06,106 --> 00:43:08,578 that has really been a light in this world 1011 00:43:08,578 --> 00:43:11,078 every time there is some great evangelistic 1012 00:43:11,078 --> 00:43:13,978 outreach in this world all through history! 1013 00:43:13,978 --> 00:43:17,049 Every time there has been a real upheaval! 1014 00:43:17,049 --> 00:43:18,421 Guaranteed! 1015 00:43:18,421 --> 00:43:18,992 Look! 1016 00:43:18,992 --> 00:43:20,367 Open up your history books! 1017 00:43:20,367 --> 00:43:22,980 Open up the Christian history and read! 1018 00:43:22,980 --> 00:43:25,290 Somebody was raised up by God 1019 00:43:25,290 --> 00:43:26,917 who had faith. 1020 00:43:26,917 --> 00:43:27,879 Always! 1021 00:43:27,879 --> 00:43:28,814 Always! 1022 00:43:28,814 --> 00:43:31,038 Always trusting God! 1023 00:43:32,628 --> 00:43:34,357 Trust God. 1024 00:43:34,357 --> 00:43:36,958 And Brother I'll tell you this. 1025 00:43:38,498 --> 00:43:41,640 Trusting God might get you killed. 1026 00:43:43,190 --> 00:43:46,232 Or it might get somebody in your church killed. 1027 00:43:47,662 --> 00:43:50,706 And Jesus never said it wouldn't. 1028 00:43:50,706 --> 00:43:53,104 He never said that. 1029 00:43:56,084 --> 00:43:58,263 We want to protect our people. 1030 00:43:59,163 --> 00:44:02,646 But our people are expendable 1031 00:44:02,646 --> 00:44:05,158 for the Glory of God. 1032 00:44:05,158 --> 00:44:06,523 And when I say expendable 1033 00:44:06,523 --> 00:44:09,016 I'm not talking about throwing them away. 1034 00:44:09,016 --> 00:44:09,691 I'm talking about 1035 00:44:09,691 --> 00:44:12,536 what more glorious death would they ever die 1036 00:44:12,536 --> 00:44:15,368 then to die for Christ. 1037 00:44:15,368 --> 00:44:16,427 It might get you killed. 1038 00:44:16,427 --> 00:44:17,313 It might! 1039 00:44:17,313 --> 00:44:19,485 Jesus never said it wouldn't. 1040 00:44:19,485 --> 00:44:24,297 But brother would it not be better to die 1041 00:44:24,297 --> 00:44:26,029 trusting, 1042 00:44:27,939 --> 00:44:30,014 trusting God? 1043 00:44:30,014 --> 00:44:33,921 Then to be caged up safe and secure 1044 00:44:33,921 --> 00:44:36,189 within your calvinistic walls of a church 1045 00:44:36,189 --> 00:44:39,073 who won't put their trust in a sovereign God 1046 00:44:39,073 --> 00:44:40,011 of scripture! 1047 00:44:40,011 --> 00:44:41,782 Brother that's far better! 1048 00:44:41,782 --> 00:44:44,074 Far better! 1049 00:44:44,074 --> 00:44:48,074 Far better. 1050 00:44:48,087 --> 00:44:50,124 Brother play the man. 1051 00:44:50,124 --> 00:44:53,429 As you pastor this church. 1052 00:44:53,429 --> 00:44:55,070 You have a big God. 1053 00:44:55,070 --> 00:44:56,701 Don't ever forget it. 1054 00:44:56,701 --> 00:44:58,042 You have a big God. 1055 00:44:58,042 --> 00:45:02,606 And this book is full of His promises. 1056 00:45:02,606 --> 00:45:04,448 You latch on to those promises. 1057 00:45:04,448 --> 00:45:06,203 Because the John G Patons 1058 00:45:06,203 --> 00:45:08,887 and the William Careys despite 1059 00:45:08,887 --> 00:45:11,607 what the crowd had to say, 1060 00:45:11,607 --> 00:45:13,334 they latched onto the promises. 1061 00:45:13,334 --> 00:45:15,639 The Hudson Taylors. 1062 00:45:15,639 --> 00:45:16,269 The men and the women 1063 00:45:16,269 --> 00:45:17,891 that have turned this world upside down. 1064 00:45:17,891 --> 00:45:23,481 They laid hold on those promises, 1065 00:45:23,481 --> 00:45:29,721 and they found they had a big God. 1066 00:45:29,774 --> 00:45:34,334 It cost many of them their lives. 1067 00:45:34,348 --> 00:45:35,812 But though it cost you your life 1068 00:45:35,812 --> 00:45:39,569 that doesn't diminish the greatness of God. 1069 00:45:39,569 --> 00:45:44,060 Infact, when you'll choose to trust God even to the death 1070 00:45:44,092 --> 00:45:45,377 there's no better way 1071 00:45:45,377 --> 00:45:49,117 to glorify Him then to give Him all. 1072 00:45:49,117 --> 00:45:52,040 Brother that's my charge to you. 1073 00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:57,036 Lead the church in faith.