Holy Spirit help us today. I thank you for this great church, planted Lord and probably the most strategic city in the world.
Lord, I pray God speak to us today. You Help us Father, in Jesus name, amen. I'm going to entitle this message possessing our Promised Land. Of course, the term Promised Land comes out of the Old Testament, where God promised the nation of Israel and land, a land that was impossible for them to ever receive on their own land, a land inhabited by literal giants, great armies, a land when they finally got to the border of it, there was a massive flood the river was a mile wide, and God said cross it. But what does it mean to us the Promised Land is that place that God wants to give us, whether it's our marriage, our family, our life, our career, our health, that without God's help, it is impossible to ever possess. corporately speaking, what might that mean? Like what is the promised land of this church? Right here, whether you've been here decades coming like me, or it's your first Sunday, we feel called to influence the greater Washington DC area. We're planting sites of this church all over the Washington DC area. We also plant churches across the nation. But the mission that burns in our heart is to spread the gospel and the influence of Christ through this area. We also feel called to influence our country and share a common sense, that is God has intervened in American history, time and time again. Some scholars call them religious awakenings, some call them revivals, you see them before the Revolutionary War before the Civil War. You see them at the end of the Civil War. You see them before the two World Wars. You see them in the 60s, time and time again. As America enters a crucible, the Holy Spirit has renewed God's people, touch God's people, and touch the culture. And we find ourselves there again, I'm going to subtitle this message, learning to walk in strength and courage. Why would I say that? Because if we are going to fully possess what God has for our children, if you're married, our lives, our careers, our faith, our country, it will take great strength and great courage. Remember dropping off an amazing young leader and in a country far away? I mean, she said, She's impoverished because there's just no way I can do this job. They're all multiplied to greed. There's no way I can ever rise to leadership. I said, if you could on your own, it's doubtful, it's God. God typically calls you to do something that you can't do on your own, because it's designed to create need in your heart for him. If you just have a human size challenge, I fear for you. He'll bring a god sized challenge into your life to draw you close. It's interesting when young Joshua, well, not young, he was probably 60 By this time, but he was one of the oldest people in his generation left was getting ready to lead them across the flooded Jordan to the Promised Land. Here's what God told him over and over, Be strong and courageous. You causes people to inherit the land, I swear to their fathers, only be strong and courageous. Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous? And oh, by the way, don't be frightened and dismayed, I'm with you. Why would God say that? Because typically, when God is getting ready to move, it's just a scary time. I mean, when Jesus says, the fullness of time, what was that, dominated by the Roman Empire, slaughtered enslavement, crucifixion, decades away from being destroyed, the world rising under the male fist of oppression? What would God say to us today? Let's set some context and go into this message. Like where do we find ourselves?
What is our place? And as those of you know, me know from time to time, God speaks to me about world events and things that are going to happen. Let me just take a moment set some context and dive into this message. If you look back to the end of 2018, at my home church, in Franklin, Tennessee, multi site, multi ethnic, sitting, getting ready to speak, and the Lord showed me this great trial coming to our country and world and saw America shaking people crying out New York crushed economy just torn and rent. I was so afraid because I had kids living in New York, I saw the West Coast going in and people wanting to flee out. I had, I couldn't conceive it. Then I said, Gaza, don't be afraid I'll catch your country. I was introduced by our pastor. I said it to speak. And the next thing I knew I said, in 17 months, God's gonna come to touch the ethnic pain of America again. But it'd be a time of great tension, great pain. People think the country is going to fragment break down, people will be angry, there'll be a polarization like you've never seen, people are going to say America is going to end and anarchy no will end in revival. And 17 months from when I spoke that Mr. Floyd was terribly killed in Minneapolis. God's not taken by surprise. He's never surprised of what we're going to face and what's going to happen. Shortly thereafter, I've almost never shared this publicly. The only ones who would have heard me say it were the key leaders of every nation. Bishop Brett was their pastor Jim Crutcher, June 6, the Lord began to talk to me about where we were, this is 2019 11 different times leading up to our world conference, the Lord met with me. And I saw chaos and death and pain, I could hardly comprehend, like, what it meant, and what the world was coming into. But in the middle of it all, I knew that God was going to meet us and one night, God began to speak to me out of Deuteronomy 213 through 15. And I'll use that to jump into this message. Now rise up and go over the books read. The books read, interestingly enough, means expansion and fruitfulness. When you look at the children of Israel, I've always been there were two bodies of water they had to cross. There was the Red Sea that God parted. There was the Jordan River that God pardoned. But 38 years after the Red Sea, went a whole generation, basically, those above 19 had died in the wilderness other than Joshua and Caleb and their families. 38 years have gone by and God says crossed the Red Brook. So we went over the books to read and the time from our leaving Katie's Barnea and we crossed the Brooks Red was 38 years. 38 years they'd wandered, they came to this little brook, there two years from going across the promised land. And they crossed the Red Brook into an intense period of time, massive leadership transition. younger generation taking over. Moses himself would die massive battles, and a terrifying pandemic which killed 1000s of them. And as the pandemic ended, they now stand at the foot of Jordan. And that night, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and I told her every nation leaders were crossing this red Brook. Whether it's two or three years, I don't know. But this is where we are. This is what's coming. And now they stand at the Jordan River. No way to cross it. And I've been in the Jordan River, both on the Israeli side and the Jordanian side. Because of all the dams now and hydroelectric plants, it's, what 1516 feet wide, maybe Catherine. But when the flood came, it was a mile wide. Man, I tell you, when you're crossing over into your promised land, there's always a flood. There's always an impossibility. The world is always rocking, shaking, they crossed the promised land. And Joshua makes a very interesting decoration. I mean, It's Supernatural. The water rolls up, creates a passage until two and a half million people can walk across. Joshua says, Listen, I want you to go back into that before the water closes. I want you to get 12 big rocks.
One for every tribe. We're going to memorialize this moment. And we're going to leave the stack of rocks here for perpetuity. And I want you to promise me, you'll carry your children. And I want you to promise me you'll carry your grandchildren. And this will be like going to Washington DC to see this pile of rocks. They're going to why you show me this Daddy, why are you showing me this grandma? Because this many years ago, this was where we were. And this was what we learned. This is what God taught us. When we he did the impossible. This was what it was like when the manna fell. This is what it was like when the mountain shook. This is what it was like when the glue worry of God would come in with I can remember, I was only a kid then. And we finally came to the end, a pandemic had killed 1000s of us. Our leaders did not hardly know what to do. And there's this massive flood. I'll never forget that day with the presence of God. Like, with the presence of God the ark in the priests stepped into the water, baby. Are you kidding, grandma? No, I saw your kid. No, no. That big river. I brought you here at flood tide party. In we've been having a lot of 40th anniversary ceremonies. I just had one here at GCC. We had one down at Kings Park. Bishop Breton, many others are there in Midland for the fourth event. I'm about 40,000. But I thought if Caleb and Joshua, the only two men over the age of 19, to make it we're standing here today, what would they tell you? What did they learn? Out of all that trauma, where every peer died? Where every older relative died? Where every friend that one another died? Pandemic catastrophe. What would they say? If they're here today in the USA, like why did you make a Joshua? Like Caleb, why'd you make it? How did you walk into that glory? How did you come into the promised land? Like what would they tell us? I'm not going to tell you 12 things, but I'm gonna I'm gonna shoot to tell you a. You said Joshua, how did you make it? If I had Pastor Brent up here? Who's in his 60s? Oh, it looks like he's in his 40s he and I were up here he looks 40 I look at we're close to the same age. And he's a pastor Jim, how are you? And Kathy still married? Bishop how are you? And Cynthia still married? How do you still love one another? How do you still walk with God? I've been reading my Bible. 60 years, beloved. I've been preaching 50. My wife and I still, how's that possible? I'm going to tell you, I'm going to take a shot to tell you eight we'll see if I make it. Number one, will you spectate or will you participate? This is at the very essence of everything. You can look later in Exodus 33, eight through 11. And this is going to define this is what Joshua would tell you. Moses was quite a leader. You think Bishop red is something and he is Moses different matter. He had to wear a veil when he prayed so you wouldn't be blinded by the glory. He wiped out an empire on his day off. He parted oceans. You whenever you come to church, the heaven would open and you'd be fed and fall down into you know, an ever more anointed than Moses but Jesus. Joshua said he was my pastor. There was none other like him. You know, he said I was a teenager when I started working for him. And Moses had a special tent you say, pitched outside the camp. And you realize what he'd get up for his morning devotions. You can read the passage later. Watch me he had walked toward that tent, and the glory cloud would follow him. It says every one in Israel that wake up, let's watch him. Let's watch the pitch. Let's watch Moses. Oh, let's watch him preach. Let's watch him pastor. Let's just watch.
Two and a half million spectators all watching. Finally, young Josh was kind of a kid. He thought I'm done Washington. Somehow I think I'm not meant just to spectate. Somehow, I can participate in this. Somehow I can have this and he finally said he was like Moses, EA. He said, Moses, he said, Listen, I will mess it up. I won't say a thing. But I finally figured out you're not just looking for spectators. Could I just try one time? Could I just follow you one time. So when when more than they look up? Moses is going through that service. Oh my god, their worship. Did you feel it? Did you did you see Patrick tell us and AJ when they were preaching? And then the bishop came? Oh, did you feel that glory? Who that kid He's creeping behind they begin to notice it per day that kid was there. In the Bible says Moses left, and the clouds stayed. Because Joshua was in the tent. You must choose, will you be a Christian spectator? Or will you get in the game? It really, this is the essence of everything. Do you realize this isn't the game? This is practice. This is the coaching room. The games outside there, that's where you live. It's not enough just to watch it. While we do this every Sunday. So you can do it at home in microcosm, I'm gonna worship. I'm going to hear the word. I'm going to fellowship. I'm going to speak and in the end, it will define your life. If you are reduced to being a tithing spectator, hey, I got my ticket. I love GCC. I've met that's a one. I'm glad. But this, isn't it. This is where you learn. Why do we worship we want God's presence. But you can worship at home too, is different. But you can you can read the Bible at home. You can speak the Bible at home. Will you spectator? Will you participate? It just fundamental. And I Yes, church life serve Grace serves small group all of it. But will you participate at home? are you worshiping at home? Praying at home walking with him at home? That brings my second question. Do you find strength and courage and God's promises to always be with you? And Joshua one, five and six. Joshua is replacing Moses. I think Patrick tell us pastor AJ and some of the great leaders that they're now following in the footsteps of just imagine if it was Moses 10 commandments, ground shook when he spoke, people got a little irritable in church, the ground squalid him, that was just a different deal. He says no man should be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I'll be with you. He said Son, the same way I was with you spiritual dad, I'd be with you to catch his his son problem. And here's the thing that's gonna carry you through. I will never leave you nor forsake.
I'm going to say how the Lord poses to me. The promise I'll never leave you or forsake you. has very little impact. If you've never really gotten to know God.
Okay, God's not going to leave me well. Okay. That's great. That's enough. But what is it really mean to you? To me, it means everything, because I've pursued him with all my heart for over 50 years. And then other words, if someone you don't know is leaving, who really cares? And I don't mean theoretically, no. I mean, if someone you've never taught to spend time with never felt their power, never felt their strength. My gosh, if Kathy was leaving me with break my heart, we've walked together. Like if God left you, would you even know it practically. I'm not talking about whether you're saved or not going to heaven. If you do have any kind of relationship that if his presence drifted off, you'd feel it.
Would you notice a difference if he was there? Not. You'd know if he wasn't at church one Sunday, I guarantee it.
But in your home, does it matter? Here me now? This becomes the fountain from which everything grows. American Christianity has been reduced to a spectator sport. Very few play and a bunch of watch. And this church is far better than most I've been in. But if like, God's presence wasn't around you, how many days would you take for you to know? For me, it take about a minute. It would scare me. It's not because I'm special. Just because I'm so desperate. I gotta hang out with him a lot. That's the promise that shook the world. Jesus said, I'll never leave you or forsake you. You know, it meant something to them. They'd been within three and a half years. We don't have the privilege of being with him physically. Thank God, he's not still around physically, because we'd probably never even meet him. Maybe a zoom call television. But he's come to live in you. And if you'll spend time getting to know him and around him and feel his strength and walk through crisis, that promise then becomes The very essence of your life.
You're with me. You choose with me thirdly will you walk by faith or by sight? Let's build on that. Will you live by what you see? Or will you live by what he says?
When they got to the promised land the first time, and it meant it was the promise that 30 where you realize they wandered all those years because they wouldn't go in the guide to the promised land. It was a land of milk and honey that never seen such fertile fields, amazing agriculture, but it got back and said, it's a land with milk and honey, but forget it. There's giants there, they'll kill us. It's impossible for us. Caleb rises up. This defining moment is life at a different spirit. Caleb rises up, he sees the same thing. They see better different bonds. He'll have quieted him, let us go up at once and occupy it for will well able to overcome it. They saw the same thing. But Caleb heard something different. Caleb heard what Abraham had said. God said, Abraham, I'm gonna give you all this land. Moses stood up and said, what God gave Abraham is for us, we're gonna get it. Caleb saw the same thing, but interpreted differently. And here's why. Then the men who had gone up with him said, we can't go up against the people. They're stronger than we are. Beloved, life is not about your strength. If you could only conquer that which was not stronger than you, you wouldn't conquer much. Life's all about his strength. Were not able to go up against the people. They're stronger. They brought to the people of Israel a bad report, they finally said the land in which we gone is the land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the nipple limbs raised the Giants, the son of a neck, who come from the Nepalese come, and we seemed, in our own eyes like grasshoppers. They saw us the same way. I can never face this. I can't conquer this. Faith sees through the eyes of God. Unbelief sees through your own eye. The doctors told me many years ago you would think the cancer in your wife spread your brain. So sorry, Mr. Griffin. She couldn't even didn't even know who I was. She had a semi stroke trying to treat this cancer. I had four small children at home. I said, you know, go home be with your children. He hadn't been hired for his bedside manner. That was driving down the road in the Deep Fog. Praying for my wife. Jesus said, Don't pray for your wife. I said is it too late? He goes wasting your time. I go You're scaring me. Is it knucklehead? She's fine. You keep praying for its unbelief. Pray for missions. peace of God descended on me here she says
that's not the first sentence of death she had. How do you see the world? You will live by what he says or you live by what you say.
I never deny what I say. Faith never denies reality. I'll never tell you. I'm not sick when I am. I will tell you Christ is my healer. How do you live next are your giants your dread? Or your bread? Psalms 1332 They brought to the people Israel a bad report. The land devours its people. Numbers 14 eight nine Caleb said if the Lord delights in US he'll bring us in the land it flows with milk and honey don't rebel. They're bred for us. Who eats who? Who eats who? If you grew up in my generation How many remember we these were the breakfast of champions. Not anymore now it's like wild grains made with kale in the lot of Bill and Jill with no fertilizer and water brought from the Holy Land and put on it never and made with animal manure not listen. Okay. Okay. That ate my breakfast. That's another matter. I my Wheaties not my whatever that is okay, sorry. But humor aside. Here's the fact of it. Giants are the breakfast of champions. You You say, I've got a diet of trials right now is because trials create need for God and His strength. And every time you turn to Him, you grow. It is reality. Pastor Jim, I'm sick of fighting, you'll be in heaven one day be it pays. That's when the fight will end. Patrick, Jim, I'm injured, I'm hurting. Me, too. I'm traumatized. Me too. And I know there's some painful trauma in this room. I know there is. But there are certain injuries you walk through, and in the kingdom of God, if you follow him, he'll touch you. That's why there's even when you're depressed, even when you're discouraged, even when you're broken, lift up your hands, hang down, strengthen your feeble knees, and make a straight path you'll be permanently disabled. And you'll say this, will your life be different, defined, determined, and defended by God's word to some Bible? I can tell you honestly, I've read it. Since I was eight years old, my parents made me just ask tell us what it's like to live in a house when you have no choice but to read the Bible. My parents were old school that never read about reasoning with your child. My parents truly believe that the Bible and the paddle were God's two things to raise a child, the Bible and a belt, they believe my rear end was hooked to my brain. And if they hit it a lot, I get smarter. And it made me read the Bible. But humor aside, this Bible defines my life. This Bible determines my course. And this Bible defends me, Joshua one, three, and force it every place to put the solar your foot just as I promised Moses I've given you that was their defining thing. The promise to Moses was the promise of God, which became I might add, Abraham, pardon me, in the Pentateuch. This Bible says who I am. I appreciate science. I know this is not a scientific textbook, but I am defined by God's Word, God's Spirit and God's people. It is just a fact. This Bible determines my course. This Bible says, don't walk in the way of the ungodly. This Bible tells you, Jim, how do you live your life, ask my wife right here. This Bible defines me, this Bible determines me. And this Bible defends me. That's why he told Joshua, be really, really strong. Obey this word, every chance you get, and for whatever you do, don't ever let it out of your mouth. The real war is determined not in your mind, but in your mouth. Man, I say that. I know what it is to be depressed. I know it is to want to die. I know it is to be so depressed that I wish I was dead. I've been there hell shattered. I've laid dying. But let me tell you, your mouth, the Bible says is the rudder of your ship. And that's why every morning I speak this word. That's why every night I speak this word. Every I woke up this morning, Lord, right. You say without faith, it is impossible to believe you. And I believe you exist. I believe you reward me. I believe the day your party my red sees you're shutting the mouth of every lion in my life. I believe in today, out of my weakness, you're strong. This word anointed by the Holy Spirit is the greatest power on the earth. Today.
I speak it. I read it. I treasure it. I love it. It'll change you. It will transform you. Probably the probably the most. One of the greatest leaders in the body of Christ in the rain. He's famous beyond comprehension. Then the phone they go they go you know jam. I was praying the other day. You know, get your ADC pretty wait. Lord said stop praying about your weakness and confessing your strength. He reminded me I started confessing who I was not how I feel. And I caught up with who I was meant to be. Will you fight the fight of faith? Joshua 1410 to 12 Caleb's 85 years old. He said I'm just as strong as I was at 40 for battle. Give me the hard place Now Josh? Give me Hebron, which that time was controlled by the most powerful giants of the land. This is my inherited I will not run from the fight. I will not run from the battle. If you run from the fight, you will be running a lot in Christianity. There's always a fight to do right. There's always a fight to become like Christ. I'd rather be canceled on the earth and canceled for eternity. I will follow him. I will walk with him will you face your flooded Jordan and while Jericho alone Christianity is a team sport. It's why I have a family. It's why you have a church. Moses is pretty isolated a lot of the time that big prophetic thing and him Aaron her few close to him, sister, Joshua Reeves we can't do this alone. Because we're going to cross the Red Sea. Follow the praise. We're going to wait to everyone even come across. It was time to take Jericho. Those walls are 60 feet high when you include the berm, no seeds, equipment. Here's what Joshua said, I need all the fighting men, not just one. You won't make it without church life. You've got to have spiritual family. I know some of you are terribly failed. My biological family. Some of you, you hate the holidays that are coming up. I know it's tough. That's why God says I put the lonely in a different family. I love my biological family. I happen to have a very hole when I'm the exception for most. And that is why beloved, God puts you in a local church. It's why he puts you in a family. It's why I have people like Bishop Brett Jim Crutcher and others who define me my wife speak to be encouraged me. You don't have to face this alone. I'm so glad you come on the weekends. We're just honored to have you. But that doesn't fulfill all your needs for fellowship. That's why we serve together, worship together, party together, have fun together. It's the body of Christ. The body of Christ is not just the head floating around. When you were born again, you got lots of uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, God didn't introduce them all to you because you might not have liked him and wouldn't have followed him. But here we are. Look around. This is my last point then I need pastor Cory to come up with me. We go back to Egypt. Exodus 16 Three, they got so mad they got a little hungry, got you know, got sick of it all to go with it. We have died by the hand of the Lord needs. We sat by the meat pots, ate all that bread. Egypt, they're all slaves. They're worked there, boy babies were killed. But it'll have a have a devil can make you think your past was better in your present when a trial comes. If I could just go back. They got to the border of Promised Land saw the Giants. Let's select a new leader and go back to Egypt. Where it was bad there was kind of enslaved there wasn't that good. But he would have to fight giants. At the greatest moments in your life. At the greatest moments, when you're called to step forward, center will come just to pull you back. You know Israel was always running to Egypt throughout the Bible.
Abraham ran down to Egypt that wasn't so good. Every time we had a political favors. At those moments of greatest momentum in your life, there's always a tug to go back. You know what the real tug is? I'm tired of living by faith. I'm just tired of fighting. I'd rather have what I don't have to fight for or have what I can see. Here we stand the world seemingly in a crazy place. People so afraid. Threats of nuclear devices, famine, gas, recession. What do you think it was going to take for a nation to be ripe? And we're sitting here with Bishop Breton some of the team two years ago. I saw the globe look like a two year old and gotten mad and thrown into the ground and broken it back together. Because what do you see? I said, I see a shattered world a battered world. Oh my gosh. I see a fractured world of fissured world the geological term for cracking causes you blind son. He said those aren't fishers. Those are furrows. And if you've so and you'll go my spirit of law Oh, Pastor Cory, join me up here. You just say today pastor Jim, I want to fully possess my Promised Land. Raise your hand right now. Holy Spirit. I thank you for this congregation. I call your blessing on him. Your anointing on him. If Josh was here today, Caitlin here today, they say walk by faith, not by sight. They say don't merely spectate participate. Let the word define you. Walk in my presence. I bless this people. My family
