May 29, 2022 Sunday Worship Service (Steve)

I want to go to that man. Don't you want to go to the go to want to go to that?

Nothing, but love in that last nothing but love and care about nothing, but love nothing, but nothing. But joy, nothing but joy, nothing. But

Nothing, but peace. Nothing. But yeah, I forgot to save your number. Got to save you.

Say Amen. In that land where I'm going to be here at the Lake Road Church of Christ. You all don't know how excited we were to get. I was to get to call about the duck that the invite and it's such a blessing, you all know, as I look out in the audience. I see many, many we remember from way back and we just so impressed brother with you. I am surely man. You you ain't changed a bit. Amen. God's been good to you about your brother, Ron and Don and I will miss some name-calling brother and then I'll Sisters in Christ in and friends and family in and let you know why I really appreciate brother and sister young. A man. They were the minister and and in sister brother was Jung's wife was Minister and, and, and hear it. Lake Road, congregation and invited us to come down through for the bruson. And we were here for eight years at the Lake Road Church of Christ. We had some great time, you are with you all know you all are shaped our life in a major way. Amen. So, so if I mess up or whatever can't blame, you are a man, but it was been, it's been over eight. Awesome years here and you are blessed by lies and it seemed like eternity. Amen, done, really. And truly, we think about you all the time in because you aren't really made an impact on her life. And what we do now for the Lord, in this Kingdom. Where are now in Muskogee. We've been back in Muskogee little over a year. We were down, then have to leave it here. We were down in Poteau for almost 14 years and and God just God saw fit to bring us back closer this way in. So now we here, Hey, man, I have God's been good to you. God has been good to this congregation, brother. Not, you know, I prayed about you know, this is a a blessed kind of the Roy said in and and Don begin explained and all those things this in a 100 years. This day and time is you don't hear that much anymore. So it speaks volumes for you all in who you are and what you doing for the kingdom of God in. And and you know, I thought about this I thought about not prayed about what what do I give a church that has been established for a century and still alive and serving God a man and I prayed the words brother that I share with you today will encourage you to be a light in this community for another Century. A man Lord willing you'll do that. I appreciate all the the dalida ship here and in and I just I just got to tell you influence in my life because brother, you have been consistent. You love the Lord. And you loved the church man. I that's that's that's what I, that's what blessed me to be. It just just to be out of yours, your leadership and in others here. And, and Don is on your fro, is kind of shrunk a little bit, bro, but you're still got it. Amen. Amen, 100 years and you still got it.

Praise God. Praise. God said he man. Sometimes you have to be stubborn for the Lord. Amen. I want to do Church. What I'm going to do. I want you to open your Bibles to the Book of Joshua. Joshua chapter 4, Joshua, chapter 4. Joshua chapter 4, but I don't want to be long but I do want to be strong. I'm going to say something is congregation that will will bless you all as much as his blessed me. And I like, what would I give to a congregation? Joshua chapter four. I want to read the verses 1 through 9 and I want you to church. I want you to pay attention to the details of this story. Okay, because on the surf is a story's as if it's really very simple there y'all. And y'all know, Mark the Harvey son in in in in in a Major Impact in my life. Also you all and still does still does and he's truly blessed mean. What's going on brother? Next to people abuse, you are Crossing into the Promised Land? And they hadn't fought any battles yet, but it's already their shorts because God is promised to give it to them. So they're coming to realize what God is already revealed and he showed it to them for many generations. But now they're coming to that moment brother, where they're they're having to actually believe God believe God, what he spoke in their lives. What God spoke whether they said they hadn't seen come the past yet is is about to happen to them. This is an appropriate scripture brother for where you all are as a church and maybe forward you are as well as individuals Joshua chapter, 1 verses 1 through 9, the Bible Reese and it came to pass when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua Singh. Take for yourself 12 men from the people one man from every tribe and command them saying take for yourselves 12 Stones from here, out of the Mist Of The George from the place, where the priest Street stood firm. You should carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place. Where you lodge tonight them, Joshua call the 12 men. Whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe and Joshua said to them, cross over before the Ark of the Lord, your God Into The Mists of the Jordan and itch. One of you, take up a stone on the shoulder according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel that this may be a sign of a mom. You when your children Ask in time to come saying, what do these Stones mean to you?

Then you shall answer them. That the Waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. When they cross over the Jordan the Waters of the Jordan were cut off at least on what you'll be for Memorial to the children of Israel forever and the children of Israel dead. So just as Joshua commanded and took up 12. Stones from the mist of the Jordan. The Jordan has spoken to Joshua according to the number two tribes of the children of Israel and carry them over with them to the place where they Lodge and lay them down there. Then the Bible read then, Joshua set up, 12 Stones in the mist of the Jordan in the place where the feet of the priest who brought the Ark of the Covenant stood. And they are there. To this day. I want a title that sermon brother in this if you will, is don't stop telling the story, a man Lake Road. Don't stop telling the story. How many you all in here? Have children a man. How many of you have children that have a phone or electronic device with a data plan? Amen. Brother. Let me say that parenting is exhausting. A man of principle Church in Modern Age of stewardship. It's the same principle that God has been trying to teach us all along that it's yours to give and ours to manage a man. The moment brother, you began to understand that about your life and your money, it would take some of the pressure off you to realize shirt. That is God's to give and mine to match. The product has wrote and some in the 119 and verses 24. He says, this is the day, the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. God, brother gave me the day and now it's mine to manage a man. This is the day, the Lord has made, and and this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rejoice And be glad in it. They brother. That's a powerful distinction. Here. There are certain things that God is giving you under your jurisdiction. One of the thing is your joy, a man. I will rejoice and be glad in it regardless brother in if the traffic is crazy, a man. I don't manage to track. My joy is my job. No matter what happens when I get to my job, a man. No one can steal brother my joy, because my jaw is not under any, one else has jurisdiction. Amen. It's mine to manage a man. See Brothers, principal in marriages in the Book of Joshua. What was meant to text. Let me tell you a little bit about this historical incident. It's really amazing Church what God is doing for his people here because the nation. Israel, it's Under New Management. Okay, let's promise that God began making Generations ago. Was now about to come to pass and this land that they're going to possess is going to become theirs, but it's really Gods. But it's there's a man as there's two possessed, but it's but it's God's brother. And Joshua is a person. God is using to bring that to pass y'all with me. Amen. Just smile.

It'd be awesome in the Church of Christ, and we all can smile. Amen, amen. The leader that brought the people out of Egypt where they spent several centuries in and slave to the system of that Nation, if you will. And now they're no longer just wandering around in the wilderness like they did on the Moses for 40 years. They're coming into their own land. They're coming into their own spaces place that coming brother into their own home and they're coming to their own community. That God has been in the process of forming brother. What is going to require a different mindset? A man, the Miracles that God has provided them. God gave them Manor when they were in the wilderness because they didn't have Quail. Like they had an ID that their Mass. There's what we give them to feed them. But now they're coming into their own church in the manner that they used to fall from the sky. And miraculously brethren. How it came down, that's what it did and they would just walk out in their chin in and there would be and they would have enough for the day. But the thing that was about to happen to them. It's just a moment is that they're about to cross over to this land where the manor is going to stop coming.

See brother in and they're going to have to manage in a different way. They're going to have to mature and their mindset church. I guess you can say they're having to manage their Miracle a man. That's a something you don't hear enough in a setting like this church because we often tell you to expect a miracle and to believe for a miracle. But how many no brother know that you are responsible to manage your Miracles, a man and I'll prove that here in just a minute to you from the text because you're looking kind of suspicious this morning about this miracle thing a meant because a miracle is something that God does Hey, man, see, it's something that God deals but the corporation Between Heaven and Humanity brother. That's always been this as Gods to give but it's mine to Matic, right? That's my father's to give but it's mine to manage. So God is bringing his people through the Jordan River. How many of your brother this morning? I've had something that God has brought you through. Hey man, did God bring you through it? Yesterday did Don, didn't do it. Amen, brother. See we all brother had a Jordan that we came through a map. The thing about the Jordan River Church is that it's mention a lot in the scripture for nothing cuz it's a big body of water. All right, it's only like 15 yd wide at its widest point and it's not the deepest body of water. That's not what makes this Jordan River so significant, but what is symbolizes is what gives it is Biblical significance Church, the people of God saw the Jordan River as representing transition. All right, and New Beginnings, you sit a lot brother in the prophetic record, like when Elijah got Elijah's Mantle in the Old Testament. And a cross. The Jordan River, it's not a big river church, but it's symbolic. It's significant. Not because of his size not because of its scope physically and not because it's geographical location, but because of what God did there, Now, they're standing in this place, this body of water and God does something amazing. He doesn't brother, and a very particular way. He tells the priest to stand in the middle of the Jordan, with the Ark of the Covenant. That's where they kept Church. The Ten Commandments. They represented the presence of God. And when the priests put their foot in the water, the water stopped flowing to provide passageway for the people to cross through. God Church did not carry his people across the Jordan. He enabled his people to cross over. All right, brother. Live our lives. We're waiting for God to carry us over something. When he waiting for us to cross. Hello Big Brother In The Water didn't stop flowing until the people started walking. And when they started walking, the water stopped flowing in the people pass through brother and the priest stood in the middle of the Jordan, which must have taken Faith Church the stand in the middle of the Jordan. Not knowing brother. And if it was going to continue and pile up in a heap of, it was going to flood over them, but the leaders had the Faith Church, the stand in the middle of the Jordan. A man isn't that significant brother? That is says, in the mist of the Jordan? Isn't that the hardest thing brother like to do is to manage the middle? Because I understand it's God has made me a promise and then he knows the ending before the beginning but I don't know that from the beginning, right? Jeremiah 29:11, Jeremiah speaks. God speaks through Jeremiah says, I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future. Well brother. I'm glad that God knows the plans. He has for me a mess, but I don't know the plans. It has for me. So the challenge brother isn't believing that. He knows how this is going to be. In my challenge is standing brother, Roy in the middle standing in the middle and believing church and what he spoke is indeed significant, they brother and it's different when you're in the middle, right? It's different brother. It's when you're raising your kids believing that they're receiving, the values that you're trying to impart to them stay running, when you're teaching your kids responsibility. They don't think you write, Amen, brother. And then they don't recognize rather, you be in the voice of wisdom, and encouraging force of good and Alli. It's different shirt when you're in the middle of all of it. And the reason brother that we can, sometimes look at the Little Miracles and experience their brother and celebrate them because we know how it is. All right, brother mad. See brother was different when you in the middle of all of that brother when you're having to stand in the middle of something to say, God. I know that you're faithful and I know that you're good, but I don't feel that your Facebook and I don't feel that you're good right now. The brother, that's called a sacrifice of praise. All right, that's where you have to dig somewhere deeper than your feelings? A man, and I are deeper than your knowledge. Are your uncertainty. Are your circumstances? Are your bank account? Amen? God show me how to manage the middle, Lord. I need to know how to manage the middle C, brother. I have a hard time with that. I don't have a hard time with the beginning and I might have a hard time celebrate the end but this middle Trisomy Lord. How to manage middle a man. I sometimes wonder A brother. I wonder if sometimes the joy stops flowing and the reason brother in that the fake stops growing. The reason and sometimes church. We will lose our perspective about how God is. It's not the end. It's not the beginning but it's middle management. We don't know how to manage the middle brother, who don't know how to deal with Monday. So we Shout good on Sunday, but I need an MMA sermon. Play some Monday morning like Cason sermon.

I'm talking about Sunday school on Sunday. We feel good on Sunday, but keep waking up and Monday arrives, brother. I need something to help me manage this middle brother because I'm not fighting the devil on Sunday morning. I'm fighting on Tuesday at 3:37 p.m.

To the king. To this Joshua says take 12 Stones. Is there any Bible? Take 12 Stones? January February, March, April, May June July, August September, October November, and December a man 12 Stones, 12 months, 12 Stones, 12 tribes, 12 disciples, everybody. In here, say 12. That's what I'm talkin about. Brother. Take 12. Amen. And pile them up a mess in the future. When your children ask you. What's up with these stones?

Lake Road Church of Christ years. What's up with you?

Papa, what's up with these cassettes?

Y'all remember what you tell them, what the Lord has done a math. Tell them brother the stones and tell them we didn't know if we're going to make it through but God did something only he can do. And we made it tell the person next to you brother. You have no idea what we've been through like Road Church of Christ. Tell your neighbor. You have no idea what we've been through, but we made it a man, but we made it. Look them. Look at them right in the eyes of God. Brought me over one more time and I say to him about you ask them brother. Have you been through anyting? Imagine this church, that they come to the Jordan and Anna, God brings them through, and they, they set up Stones. God does a great miracle length, and they go on the fight battles, but they set up the stones to remember. What God did in that moment and then they go forward into the land. They fight brother and many battles, and God gives them many victories, but every once in a while, maybe they come back with your kids. And they show them just because they left the stones in gilgal and they moved on the right. How do you use when somebody is reflecting on something and and and they get all nostalgic in and maybe the parents are telling their children. We didn't know if we're going to make it a man. Joshua brother was a new leader and and that's what they telling their kids and she was our new leader in. I've never been this way before and, and Joshua told us that the priest was stand in the middle of the waters in and it will stand at attention until the people pass through. So we Harry brother and as fast as we could, we got through it and they said, God got us through it. It was amazing because the art was there and it represented the presence of God, and we didn't know, we're going to be able to do it, but God did it. So maybe a few years go by. Maybe they go back brother into the place again, and they look at the stones. The still there. They're not going anywhere, but the story starts to get lost. And maybe a few years later. They're telling their children. Yeah, it's pretty cool. I mean, we got through it. I mean God did it but we were the ones having to walk and then maybe a few more years pass and maybe they make another trip and I'm telling the kids again. They say yeah, Joshua made us. Get them out of the Jordan and we were bad. We were ready to move on but Joshua May displace these Stones here. Listen church. Let me tell you how know the story stop being told. Because when you get to the end of Joshua's alive. You're reading Judges chapter 2 and verse 10. And I want you to think about brother in the space between when Joshua led the people through the Jordan. And when the next Generation a rose. Okay, it says here in judges to 10 when all that generation. Have been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who watch. This, did not know the Lord know. I know the work with you. You're done for Israel.

Is this 2022?

Is the Bible not relevant? Joshua generation Brethren baby boomers.

Baby Boomers generation set up the stone for the Royal, the founding members of the turn up the stones. You hear me brother, you set up the stone and the next-generation didn't even know the story. What happened was somewhere brother along the way between Joshua chapter 4 and Judges. Chapter 2 Church. They stopped telling the story. Something change brother about the story somewhere in that space. They had been telling themselves the wrong story. Now, brother in their face is feeling feeble. And now their worship has been weakened and they're in a cycle of dependence on Forest Gods because they stopped telling the story. The story of Salvation brother is this. I was lost and dead in my sin. I had rather no hope in myself. I could not save myself. I could not help myself brother. I would not have made it if it if it had not brother and reach down God Almighty and with the mighty hands and I'll stretch on Amen. And he died for me. It came into my life brother. He intercepted me at the Port of my seeing and while I was still a sinner Christ died for me. Wrestler story, brother. See I get excited church because I have a story that didn't start with me brother. It started with the mercy of God and the enemy doesn't want you to search. The tell the story. They want you to lose your testimony. They kept the stone. The stones are still there to this day brother. And what they stopped telling the story.

Don't, you know, Church? You can have all the monuments of religion. Volusia relationship with God. So you can have all the stones in the world. You can come to church, you can live a life between the lines, but the truth will be told as a brother. Some of us have stopped telling sorry. A map with lost our testimony that God has done for you. The only he can do brother and nobody else can tell it for you a message and nobody else can tell it like you and it can happen in a generation brother. It can happen within a lifetime. It can happen within three years. You can actually have go do something amazing for you to church and have the stones to prove it. As some of you are sitting next to the woman that you ask, God, to give you. But now you want out of your marriage. The problem brother. Is that your marriage is your management?

Lord Jesus. We need to manage our Miracles. God has been good to us. God has been more than enough. He is our provider. He's Jehovah Jireh brother. He did bring you through. He did bless you. He did make a way. He is El Shaddai, your brother. He is a great team. He's a great father, Touch. Somebody and say, man in America is God's to Gill.

Tomatoes. Hey man, this is what happens to me. I sometimes I stopped telling myself the testimony because of me sometimes brother and it seems small something happened between when they cross the Jordan, I don't know brother what it is, but I think there's evidence to support this hypothesis, but they fought a lot of battles between Joshua for and judges to mines, then the blessings.

I wonder if they started telling themselves the stories, the Senate around their struggles. Rather than God Sovereign hand, the saw them through their struggles. Hey, brother, I wonder if they got in a survival mode to the point that they stop telling the story. I wonder Brethren when they saw God. Do all these other things. I wonder if they didn't go back to the stones. Hey, Brother. They were placed on the bank of the Jordan where they started. And sometimes when you don't go back, where you started right, brother done and you don't go back where you started. And remember what God did when you started your lose perspective, when you get where you're going.

A man, so it's easy Brotherhood me to get caught up and consumed in my own convenience and my own drama in my own insecurities, my own dysfunction in a lot of time brother. I'll be honest with you, to church this morning. I don't share what God is doing in my life because it doesn't seem big. A mess because because I get to comparing it with something else and it seems small like these stones. And where I'm at, you know, how Brennan, at one point in your life. You're really grateful for everything. And some point, it can lose its significance. Right. Does anybody brother have a testimony of what God has done for you lately. See Joshua says, tell him. Tell them what God did for you. Tell them about it shirts. You see you overcome. Tell him, you overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of your testimony. There is power in your personal testimony. A man. You need to tell these stories church and another generation who did not know but the Lord of dumb but it's rough because they stop telling the story. And when you stop preaching, the gospel to yourself and remind yourself that the Son of God, accept it and chose you, and brought you out of Egypt and brought you out of seeing and brought you to the Red Sea, and brought you through the Jordan and broke down the Jericho walls and brought you out of bondage and brought you out of here. So I can get this and brought you out of sheer. Amen. Brother. When you stop telling that story, you lose your strength.

Almost done.

Almost.

The brother who did the children of Israel and I want you to get this like road cuz this is powerful. What you all with God has brought you from the children of Israel went through fifteen cycles of Disobedience to God and I don't even run into they go through fifteen cycles of Disobedience to God through 15 different judges. But they went through 420 years of dependence on God, small G that Brethren could not save them. Because they stop telling the story.

What store have you been telling yourself? What store have you been telling your children? What story brother is your church chilling in this day because I don Summit Aid, some amazing things for the Lake Road Church of Christ. I don't get happy about that. Where we got to work on that, man. For a duck is inviting a new generations. To tell the stories as vital brother that in this moment that the gospel is God story, but it's the Manning brothers telling the world today. What a privilege that is church. We are. Y'all know that this is my story. This is my song praising My Savior. All the day long. This is my story. This is my song, praising My Savior. All the day long. I love that brother. Jordan, brother is their Exodus from the Wilderness and is there an interest? And it can, if it's happening all at the same time? You think you're at the end of something and your ability in a man? That emotion in the middle of it brother. Determines what happens next in your life. Remember this Moses died on Mount Nebo looking at the promised land, Joshua led the people into the land that God had promised Moses brother wasn't what God has promised. God promised Moses and Joshua, the same results. A man, the different Brothers wasn't the promise. The difference was how they manage the miracle in the middle. You'll see it called amos's a miracle, and he parted the Red Sea, but Moses stay stuck. And what brother other people said. Amen, Moses managed according to his fear and not according to his face. Come on, somebody, God gave Joshua brother. The same promise a Joshua said, even in spite of our fear, even in spite of our failures. Even in spite of the fact that there are more out there than there are in here. We're going for in the name of the Lord, with his presence as our better, a math with standings in the middle. And we will stay in the middle of Hotel, everything that God has spoken, come to pass a mint Lake Road, Church of Christ be strong in the middle, a map and take your stuff and declare brother. I will see the goodness of the Lord and my generation and my life. Listen to the Lord is present in this very moment of your life, even in your pain. Hello Church. Say, Amen, brother even in your pain. The Lord is present in their mistakes. The Lord is present. You may be feeling brother for a long time that the Lord is for. From you. But that's not true church. He's near. And if you call on this name, that's a real, It All to Jesus. They come in and sup with you and staying with you.

In the middle.

Lake Road. Don't stop telling the story. Tell folk how good God has been to you. Tell folk with God, is broke this congregation for 100 years Church, telling the story of how you've overcome by the Sea and the grace of God. Is that all right? Mangrove. Manager Mill. Della manager middle guys, are going to great job, brother. Don't stop everybody else.

Tell the story tell folk, you don't have somewhere to worship or we got a place for you. Come on, and that's a well, you know, I don't want to go down there with all them hypocrite. Y'all heard that before but you don't tell them just room for one more.

Praise God. Amen. Amen, in the hospital and sick. But was sick brother dead. My dad was saying, but brother, we still need Jesus. Amen. Brother Lake Road, Church of Christ. Be blessed in the kind of church. You are followed your leadership and courage your leadership. Love God, and love. One. Another, in the world would say they are his disciples. This morning, if you hear you don't know, the Lord is calling you this morning, you're saying, I am your middle. All you labor and heavy laden. Come to me and I'll give you rest. Come to the Lord. If you hear this morning, you don't know, I'm say preacher, how to do it. You come by face. Faith activates God's power. You come by faith. Believe in Jesus Christ, is the Son of God. A man willing to repent of your sins. Be compressed into a man and be willing to be buried in one grave about to walk in the newness of, I want to do it, Matt to walk in the newness of life. I'd rather hear write your name in the Lamb's Book of Life, a man and his friends, the fact you can't even quotes on 2023 if you outside of Christ because the, the Bible says, the Lord is my shepherd for the Lord and everybody shopping. Oh, he's everybody's gone, but he's not. Everybody's father. He's only father to his children. You said, I want to be that you can come this morning. And be baptized into Christ. Remission of sins, got it at you to the church yet. Add you to the church. So you don't join the church of Christ. You don't join the body of Christ. God asks you to the church. Nobody Does that. Because when he asked you to the church, can't nobody kick you out.

Okay, I'm done. I'm done with y'all. I'm done with you all this morning. Thank you Lake Road Church of Christ. God bless you. God keep you. If you hear your child of God, you need prayer church. We need to be the kind of church, is that we would learn how to confess. Our faults. Don't have your folks Confessor before me before your brothers and sisters and not only that church. We need to be the kind of people that will praise God. See if an unbeliever come here. We are to have the biggest Smiles on as we possibly can muster. But, you know, when I walk a lot of times into the Church of Christ as look, like, the people about to pass kidney stones,

Come on, somebody, help me brother. Am I right about it? I know, I know brother. We're trying to give him a call and they looking up they looking up here, it up. Like, oh my goodness. Yeah, don't do that church women. Now, you say you love the Lord Lord's on your side, but I'm looking at your account now and if it ain't doing you no good. How do you spell foot to do me any good?

Paul says, take Joy. James says, take joy. Where I keep on going, brother. I'm done. I'm through with y'all. Come on, man. You want to come?