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Hey everyone, I'm Kevin Wallace from Redemption to the Nation's Church, and I'm grateful that we are going to have this opportunity to bring this message of hope, healing, and restoration to you and your family today. I want you to stay with me till the end. I'm going to come back and pray. Be blessed by the word of the Lord. Take your Bible. Open it with me, please, to Joshua, the 24th chapter. We thank you, Lord, for your goodness. How many sense the presence of the Lord with us today? Amen.
Joshua 24, verse 14. My subject today is "As for me and my house." As for me and my house, I can't speak for everybody else's house, but I am going to speak. As for me and my house. How many in this place belong to a home or a house? Lift your hand. Lift your hand. Lift your hand. It's my prayer today that what God wants to do would begin in your heart and in your home today. Because how many know God's up to something in the day and hour that we're living in? And I don't want to. Look at somebody, tell them, "You can't afford to miss this." Yeah, there's some. That's some Presbyterian talker. I need you to get Pentecostal. Look at your neighbor and say, "You can't afford to miss this."
[Music] You can't afford to miss what God is doing. And you don't have to miss it. And I have news for you, if you've missed it before, you don't have to miss it this time. God is a God of new beginnings. Can you say amen? And we want God to finish what He started in our life. Amen.
Joshua 24, verse 14. "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river, on the other side of the river, and in Egypt. Serve the Lord." Everybody say, "Serve the Lord." "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in this whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
[Music] Let's say that last part together. "But as for me and my house, we will serve." Come on, get everybody that lives in your house on your mind right now. Just get them in your mind. See them all. I want you right now to say that last line with me one more time. "But as for me and my house, we will serve."
Now, some of you can do that and you don't need any faith because everybody in your house is already serving the Lord. But somebody just saw somebody's face that's away from God, and your testimony just became a prophetic declaration that that child that is away from God is getting ready to come back and serve the Lord. That husband that is away from God is getting ready to turn back and serve the Lord. Let's say it one more time. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Father, thank you for your word and thank you for the privilege of serving you today. Bless the people of God and speak to us in Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen. You can be seated in the presence of the Lord.
For a moment today, we are going to look into this Old Testament book of victory, the book of Joshua. God had commissioned this aged leader, Joshua, here in the Old Testament, to accomplish a two-part assignment. First and foremost, Joshua was assigned to conquer the Canaanites. If you look at Joshua 1 through 12, you will see the conquest. We call this the conquest of the promised land. Joshua is a warrior, you understand that. Moses was chiefly an intercessor and administrator who could take Israel to the edge of the promised land, but he was not the warrior that God chose to lead the people into the conquest of what He wanted to give Israel. So He raises up Joshua. It's interesting to me that Joshua is the Old Testament name for Yeshua. It is Yeshua, the Christ in the New Testament, who is our new covenant. Joshua in the Old Testament, it is Joshua, the son of Nun, that leads the people into conquest. In the New Covenant, it is Yeshua, the Son of God, who is our New Testament Joshua, leading us into the promises of God. How many know that giants may be something we don't know how to deal with, but giants still fall when Yeshua steps into the ring? I'm thankful that we have a High Priest today, a New Testament Joshua, who gives us victory over our enemies, and He assigns us into places that the world says that we, the people of God, cannot inhabit. But if God be for us, who can be against us?
His first part of His mission was to conquer the Canaanites and to take the promised land. And the second part of His mission is found in Joshua 13 through 22. Ten chapters of Joshua settling the Israelite tribes in their particular area. Every tribe had a land, every tribe had a place, every tribe had a partitioned-off blessing that belonged to them, and nobody could take it from them. I'm glad that when God saved us, He didn't just save us to get us out of hell. He saved us and intends on us occupying places even until we cross over into heaven. This life is one of conquests and victory. It's not just about getting to heaven. If it were just about getting to heaven, He would have saved you and killed you and I and taken us on to glory. But there's some things that are happening in our life. There's some faith that is growing. There are some promises being made and some prophecies that God is bringing to pass. There's some generational stuff that God is finishing. There are some assignments on our life that we have yet to see completed. And I just want to declare that God is going to finish what He started in your life. It's not just about Him saving you. That's just the entry place. But I'm thankful today that when God saves us, it's because He has a purpose and a plan for our life. And how many know that what God starts in our life, He's big enough and God enough to finish what He started? He's able. He's the only one able to bring the promise to pass. If you believe it, say amen.
So, this two-part mission of Joshua was to conquer the Canaanites and to settle the Israelite tribes into their particular allotted territories. And I want you to understand that a lot is riding on Joshua's shoulders because he's living in a promise and in a prophecy that is hundreds of years in culmination and development. Please understand that what Joshua is now orchestrating and executing, God made this promise to a man hundreds of years prior named Abraham. Some of the stuff that God has called you and I to do and to finish is not just something that began with us. It's something that began with Grandma. It's something that began with preachers and prayer warriors in a bygone era that were faithful and were Pentecostal and were Spirit-filled and Spirit-empowered and were committed to the truth. Come on today. We got all this nice building and we got a nice screen, but I'm gonna tell you, there was a day when walking with God was not the end thing and the cool thing. And there were a group of people that paid a price and got promises from God, and they died on and they crossed over from this side to the other without seeing it all come to pass. And I want to tell you that you and I have intercepted promises and prophecies that rested on a previous generation. And you may be wondering, will we ever see it come to pass? I believe your eyes are going to see the fulfillment of prophetic promises and prophecies that have been declared. The enemy wanted the church to lose hope, but I declare, if God ever makes a promise, He will do what He said He would do. And I don't care what kind of demon tries to stop Him. If God be for us, who can be against us? God will finish what He started. Can you say amen?
The Bible said His word would never come back void. Think of the people in the Old Testament that died false prophets because they prophesied something coming that they never saw happen in their own life. I tell you, when God says something, He is totally, completely comfortable with speaking it in one generation and fulfilling it in another. And this is the generation. I believe some of you are sitting in a place and standing in a place and you're living in a place where you're going to experience fulfillment of generational promises, fulfillment of generational prophetic words. Come on, somebody in this room got a great-great-great-great-granddaddy that came over on a boat, and God touched his life, and God gave him a word over his family. He never saw that word come to pass, but somebody in here is about to intercept some promises like Joshua intercepted some promises. And what the devil said would never happen is not only going to happen, it's going to happen in a generation that the devil said would never occupy anything. Touch somebody, tell them, "I'm coming for my stuff." "I'm coming for my stuff." Some of you don't act like you got any stuff to come after. I got some prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled. I got some promises that have yet to come to pass. I came today to tell the enemy, "I want my stuff." And it's not by might, and it's not by my power, but it is by my Spirit, saith the Lord.
Joshua's got a lot on his shoulders because he's living in this inter moment, what I call a moment of interception. He's intercepting prophecies and words that God gave Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, even the man Moses couldn't enter into the promised land. And here is this man, Joshua. Lord have mercy. He's already dealt with these crazy heathen people in Israel for 40 years in the wilderness, and he survived the craziness. How many are thankful that you've survived some craziness? Some of y'all act like you've been saved all your life. If anybody in here got a testimony, you came through some seasons where some people you were connected to didn't come through it. Come on, you had some connections, you had some stuff going on in your life, and it looked like it would keep you from the promised land. But can somebody help me thank God that you survived the wilderness, and you lived through the wilderness, and you lived through the mess, and you lived through the hell, and you walked through the bankruptcy, you made it out of the divorce, and you're still here? "I would have fainted had I not believed I would have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Joshua is about to enter in, and that's what this book is about, him entering the promise and intercepting all of these prophetic words that have been spoken previous.
And he comes to this 23rd and 24th chapter. So the first half of the book of Joshua is about the conquest. The second half of Joshua's book is about living in the land. But the last two chapters of Joshua, chapter 23 and chapter 24, you will hear the final sermon being preached of Joshua as he is approaching his deathbed. And you can hear the concern in his heart as he speaks to the leaders and to the people of Israel. And he knows that they're getting ready to go into a new phase of life. They're getting ready to live in a land and occupy promised land and experience the goodness of the promised land. But you can hear the touch of concern that is in his heart. And if you read the 23rd chapter of the book of Joshua, you will see that the question for us to consider is, "Will you separate from the people?" Because we don't talk about or teach the idea or the concept of separation in the church anymore. Growing up in the church, at least three times a month, the preacher preached on separation. See, we got like two people helping me right here. Everybody else was wondering where I'm going. The Bible said, "Come out from among the world and be separate." We don't teach this in the church because we think that the way to win the world is to become as much like the world as we can be and still yet hang on to our salvation. But I'm gonna tell you, the world don't want you to be like them so that they can become what you are. What they want is for us to demonstrate a kingdom life that is altogether different than the cesspool of iniquity that they're stuck in. They're not trying to find a group of people who have a Sunday spiritual religious band-aid and then the rest of the week we live life like we don't know who God is. The world is looking for people who really have a touch of God on their life. They really have the presence of God in their spirit. We don't just visit with Him on Sunday. We're not trying to be as worldly. Oh, here we go. God. Worldly as we can be and still be the people of God. What we're trying to demonstrate is that there is a God who doesn't get our leftovers, He gets our best. There is a kingdom that is not worthy of our scraps, it's worthy of our best. And we want to tell the world, "If you want to enter into kingdom life, come on out from among the darkness. Come on out from among the darkness and live in the light."
I want to tell you this today, church. I'm concerned that that the church is. And unless you think by this that I mean you can't enjoy life, that is not what we're talking about. I'll never forget a brother that came to our church and found out that I watch football. Now, I don't just watch football, I enjoy watching football. We, we, I enjoy it when you beat the 17th ranked team on their own, even if it takes overtime. How many know you enjoy? You just enjoy it when Kentucky beats Floyd. You just enjoy it. I'm not telling you we don't enjoy life. I'm telling you that the joy we have doesn't come from pursuing the things of this world. Jesus, help me preach. The whole 23rd chapter of Joshua is about separating. Separating. It doesn't mean that you can live in another world. We live in the same world as the system of the world that is antagonistic toward the kingdom of God. We don't get to live in another world or go to another community where there is no darkness. We don't get to live in a place where there is no evil, and there is no other gods, and there is no idolatry. No, no, no. We're Christians who are submerged in a culture that is godless and antagonistic toward the things of Jesus Christ. God ain't gonna kill all the heathen so that you can live holy.
[Applause] [Music] Well, I wish God would deal with them. Let Him deal with you. But what He tells Joshua is that even though you're living in the land where the Amorites are dwelling, you don't have to serve their gods. You can separate from the Amorite way and live according to the way of Jehovah. I just want to tell somebody today, don't let the world and the system of this world and the darkness of this world gain influence and impact in your life. Although we are in this world, we are not of this world. We have been born again. I need some help. Like five of y'all. Do something to help me understand. You're catching what I'm saying. We are in this world, we are not of this world. Touch somebody, tell them, "Separate." That's the 23rd chapter.
When you flip from the 23rd chapter to the 24th chapter, the question is not, "Will you separate?" The question in the 24th chapter is, "Who will you serve?" The word "serve" is used 16 times in the 24th chapter of Joshua alone. 24th chapter of Joshua, one chapter, the word "serve" is used 16 times. God is not just interested. This is a beautiful picture of sanctification, if you ever want to see it in the Bible. Because we taught separation from the world and from sin, just like the 23rd chapter of the book of Joshua told us to. But the problem is, if all we do is separate from the world and from sin, but don't serve God, we will eventually go back and be a slave of the world. Come out, separate, disconnect, get holy, look holy, live holy, right. But the problem with that is this: if you don't fall more in love with God, you will go back to what you wanted to live free from. So the question is not just, "Will you live a separated life?" The question is, "Will you serve the Lord?" Because if you walk away from sin, but don't fall deeper in love with Jesus and in serving Him, then you will inevitably get bored with your religion.
[Applause] And you will go back and serve what God has brought you free from. And so when you turn to the 24th chapter of Joshua, 16 times in one chapter, "Who will you serve? Who will you serve? Who will you serve?" And this word "serve" is interesting. It is the Hebrew word *abad*. It is the common Hebrew word used to describe the manner in which someone works, follows, executes, obeys. And five times in the Old Testament, the word of God is translated as the word "worship." It literally means to serve and to work. And in other places, it means to worship. And I think there's a revelation in that for us, because how we work for the Lord is a testimony of our worship to God. I didn't get no help right there, but I want to tell you that what you do when you're in this building and on this property is worship unto God. And let me just say this to you, how you treat people at the cash register at the Piggly Wiggly is also. And who you cussed out and what you flipped off and come on here, somebody. I'm just trying to tell you that it's all connected. You cannot compartmentalize your Christianity and bring your "yeah" and your "thus says the Lord" into this room, and then you walk out and it's every other kind of word coming up out of your. There is something wrong with that kind of living. There is something wrong with that kind of testimony. Come on out from among the world, but dear God, fall in love with Jesus. Worship the Lord with all of your heart. Work for the kingdom of God. Serve the kingdom of the Lord. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Don't just put on some religious thing in here on Sunday, but have enough God in you that when we walk out these doors at the restaurant today, somebody knows you have been with God and God has gotten down into you.
[Applause] And He says, "Who will you serve?" And this is what I want you to see today, and I'm going to expedite this message. He is the leader of the nation, but he recognizes if he's going to have influence over a nation, listen carefully, if he's going to have influence over a nation, he cannot make the choice for the nation. He can only make the choice for his house. I want to relieve some people in this room who want to fix. And I want, I'm part of the people that want to see our nation healed. I need some more people. I need some more people that we're not here just having church services. We are here to see a nation healed, racially, politically, come on, somebody, generationally. I am not preaching my guts out every Sunday just so I can get a few happy people to clap for me and make me feel good. No, I don't care if you clap or not. I came to preach and prophesy, pray and intercede until demons that have sat in historic places are dismantled and dismoved and dislodged from their places of authority and doboshandai, and we see heaven on earth. That's what I came to preach, and that's why we came to pray, and that's why we worship every Sunday. But I want to say this to you, you cannot impact and influence a nation if you don't make choices for your house. Can I tell you that what has become? You don't believe me? Just look at some headlines. What is the god of this generation? You ready for this choice? Oh my God. Is he going to talk about abortion? A whole bunch of other things, because it ain't just abortion that'll give you a choice. You can choose all kinds of things.
[Applause] Choose. Choose. You're going to choose where you go to lunch today. You chose what you're dressed in today. You chose what you drove to church. You chose where you live. You chose. Come on, you get some choices in life. But I'm going to tell you right now, choice ain't all that's cracked up to be. I'm free. If you don't make the right choice, you're bound and don't even know it. There's a lot of people exercising their choice and revealing their bondage while they're exercising their quote unquote choice. I get to choose what. Oh, here we go, Lord. I get to choose what gender I am. No, you don't.
[Applause] [Music] You don't get to choose what gender you are. A fool told you you get to choose what gender you are. But the Bible says He made male and female in God's image. And if you were born with a certain anatomy, you are a man. And if you were born with another piece of anatomy, you are a woman. Stop this choice foolishness.
[Applause] [Music] [Applause] Yeah, you good choices. And the preacher didn't come today to take away your choice. We get the rap all the time, "Oh, y'all just trying to control everything." I'm not trying to control anything. I'm trying to make sure you understand that on the other side of your choice is life or death. If you choose life, you will experience blessing and peace. You will experience abundance. Christianity is not a bunch of rules that keep you out of joy. Christianity is a bunch of freedom that puts you in joy and removes you from the proximity of the sin that will destroy your life. I'm not here to take your choice. I'm here to tell you to make sure you know what you're choosing when you make the choice. You're going to choose.
[Applause] [Music] Why does he talk about this every Sunday about choice? Isn't you? Because we're living in a generation that is glorifying choice and we're telling everybody, "You're free, you're free, you're free." You're not free. You're bound if you're making the wrong choice.
[Applause] [Music] [Applause] And here's what I want to tell you about choosing. In order for you and your house to make the right choice, there's a few things you've got to do. I'm going to give you three "do nots," and then we'll get out your way. Number one, Joshua said, "Do not forget God." Lord have mercy. In the 24th chapter, it is the last recorded words of Joshua. And from verse 2 through verse 12, all he did is talk about the history of God. Touch your neighbor, tell them, "Neighbor, don't forget God." Why does Joshua take 10 verses to tell them stuff they already knew? They knew God brought them out of Egypt. Read it. They knew God delivered them from Balaam, who tried to curse them. But every time he opened his mouth, the Bible said God didn't listen to him. Instead of cursing them, their enemies started opening their mouth and blessing them. How many know if God is on your side, He'll take your enemies' intention to curse you, and the enemy that came to curse you, Lord, I feel my help on me right here. The enemy that came to curse you will wind up cooperating with God's plan to bless you. And the people that tried to stop you will show up to curse you, and at the moment they open their mouth, instead of a curse coming out, God will put a blessing in their mouth. You don't believe me? God doesn't wait till He gets rid of His of your enemies to bless you. He said, "I'm gonna prepare a table before you even in the presence."
[Applause] Some of you haven't gotten into position yet for a blessing because you haven't had a good enemy in a while. But somebody in here is ready for good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. How do I know you're ready? Because everywhere you look for the last three months, there's been an enemy rise up against you. I got an announcement for you. The enemy's presence is not an indication it's over. It's an indication it's about to begin. God is about. God is about to bless your life. Slap somebody, tell them, "Don't forget God."
[Applause] [Music] He goes through a history of hundreds of years of the faithfulness of God. He says, "I'm gonna tell y'all this," Joshua said, "I'm gonna tell y'all this. You know this, but I'm gonna tell you this." And for 10 or 12 verses, he says, "He brought you out of Egypt. He delivered you from Balaam." And then you get down to verse 10 and 11, and "He delivered you from Jericho, and He fought against the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Gergashites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the mosquito bites." He said, "They all rose up against you." But look at verse number 12. He's uh 11. He said, "But I delivered them. I delivered them into your hand." Ah, come on, touch somebody with your hand and say, "Neighbor, God gave victory in that hand right there." I know some of y'all can't handle this on Sunday, but I'm telling you right now, God has put some victory in those hands. He's put some deliverance in those hands. He's put some breakthrough in those hands. Uh, you better go register those hands down at the courthouse. Tell the devil, "I've got two weapons." Oh, I feel like preaching in here on Sunday. Clap your hands, all ye people, and shout unto God with a voice of triumph. The next time you feel like you don't have a weapon, I want you to pick your right hand up and pick your left hand up and begin to clap, and imagine with every clap another principality is being crushed as God arises and His enemies get scattered. So many take a minute and clap your hands. Clap your hands for victory.
[Applause] Clap your hands for healing. Clap your hands for blessing. Clap your hands for your children. Clap your hands for your marriage.
[Music] Clap your hands for your business. Grab your hands for your school. Clap your hands for your church. Clap. He put victory in your hands.
[Applause] David said, "He teaches my hands how to go to war." Somebody get a weapon right now.
[Applause] So God [Music] delivered them into your hands. But watch this, He also said, "He brought you out of their hands." I love it. Thank you, Lord. So He delivered you out of their hands, but He put them into your hands. I got to, I don't have time for that. I got to keep going. Then He said, "He sent hornets." Oh, yes. He sent. How many ever had to deal with some hornets? Yeah, they're stubborn. They're stubborn. You don't fight with hornets, you run from them. You run from them. And so God put a whole ambushment of hornets and drove an entire army out with hornets. Ain't almighty God. I said, "Any almighty God?" Yes. I'm going to keep going here. Watch this, verse 12. He put hornets and drove them out. He gave the two kings of the Amorites, and you won the battle. He said, "Without swinging your sword or using your bow." Why would Joshua on his deathbed take the time to tell them what they already knew? They knew God did all this. I'm gonna tell you why. He told them this. He did not want them to forget. I want to drop by here today and tell you, if you're going to serve the Lord well, you're going to have to remember all He's done for you. Because it is the scheme and the stratagem of the enemy to take out of your thinking and out of your mind the memory of the faithfulness of God. I feel like teaching here. To take the memory out. Some of you have literally, you have forgotten because you have become so focused on what's wrong. You have forgotten that it was God that brought you out of Egypt with ten plagues. It was God that brought you out of Balaam without a curse on your life. You say, "Yeah, but Brother Walkers, I never dealt with the Amorites or the Perizzites or the Jebusites. I never wrestled with the Gergashites or the Hittites or the Hivites." Oh, no. But you had to deal with some sickness, and you had to deal with some pink slips from your employer, and you had to deal with some bad reports from a doctor, and you've had to wrestle through some family problems. You've had to go through some physical issues. There's some stuff that rolls up against you, and it is the enemy's plan to keep you from remembering how faithful God has been. But I stopped by on Sunday morning to stir somebody up and to tell you, if you'll just look back over your life, there is too much evidence, there are too many fingerprints of the faithfulness of God for you to give up on this Sunday. Somebody needs to get the devil out of your mind and put the devil under your feet, and you need to remind yourself of the night, night, when God stepped in, the night when God broke through, the day God made a way where there seems to be no way. I know you want me to calm down, but I'm remembering all of the goodness of the Lord, and my soul gets happy when I think of the faithfulness of God. Touch somebody, tell them, "Don't forget. Don't forget. Don't forget."
[Music] You won't stay faithful in service if you don't remember His faithfulness, because you will inevitably come to a moment that is filled with such adversary and hopelessness, and the enemy will come into your valley and will tell you, "You can't get out of this." But if you can remember that He's done this before, I don't want to be presumptuous, but I am led to assume that if He brought me out of Egypt and He delivered me from Balaam, that He didn't bring me to Jericho to keep me on the outside of my promise. Oh, no. I've got to remember His faithfulness in my past so that I can brace, embrace the promise of my future. Look at somebody and tell your neighbor one more time, "Do not forget God."
Number two, he said, "Not only do not forget God, he said, 'Don't forsake God.'" And the word "forsake" is literally to walk off and leave. And I'm watching some seriously crazy stuff happen in the church. It has become culturally cool to announce your apostasy. Oh, y'all don't want me to talk about this. We got people now that go live on Facebook to tell the world, "I am deconstructing my faith and I am turning away from the Lord." Full.
[Applause] You say, "Pastor, you shouldn't do that." Oh, no. I'm telling you right now, they need to be rebuked soundly because what we're doing is messing around with our future. And we act like we can play with fire and not get burnt. Some of you have been through too many Sunday school classes. You've seen too many miracles. You've seen too many prayers answered. I know there was some stuff that happened in church that hurt your feelings, and some people did some dumb stuff. But God didn't do any dumb stuff, and God never hurts your feelings. And you got to quit acting like God was all them people that hurt you, and you got to stop thinking that all those people that hurt you were God. God was not the person that abused you. God was not the deacon that took advantage of you. God was not the bishop that molested you. God is a good God, and people are crazy. Get your eyes off people and get them back on God.
[Applause] I want to give you something from the bottom of my heart, as sincerely as I can say it today. I want to apologize for every wound inflicted on you, every pain put in your heart from somebody in the church. I want to apologize on behalf of the clergy, on behalf of the people of God, on behalf of the pew and the pulpit. Would you please let it be forgiven and let it go? You cannot turn away from God and forsake God because of the pain inflicted by His people. Your future is too great to allow somebody in your past to cause you to turn away from the Lord.
[Music] It's become cool to announce, "I'm turning away from God." Where are you going to turn? Who's going to put up with you in the middle of the night? Who's going to listen to you when you're on the side of your bed weeping and crying and wrestling, and nobody there to know your pain? Oh, no, no, no. You're turning from what you thought was God, but you need to make up your mind today. "I will not forsake the Lord." Oh, come on in here, somebody. "I will not forsake the Lord." Even though He slay me, yet will I. Come on in here, Job. Preach to this generation. Talk to this generation. This weak, anemic, limp-wristed, milkshake generation that every time they don't get their way, they run out and pout and act like God is their genie in a bottle. The devil is a liar. You better make up your mind. I'm gonna serve the Lord. I'm not gonna forsake God.
[Music] "Well, He didn't heal me. He didn't bless me. He didn't give me the job. He didn't let me get the house. He didn't help me get the car." I'ma tell you right now, I don't know what didn't happen, but I know what is going to happen. If you hold on to the end, God is going to see to it that He blesses your life. If you give up now, you will never know what the end will be. Somebody needs to testify before we leave. "I'm going to hold on to God, and I'm not going to turn from the Lord." Hell, the high water, naked. I came in naked, I go out. Though He slay me, yet will I.
I'm gonna say it at 12:03. With one foot in the church and one foot in the world, you will never serve God well as long as you are contemplating walking away. Sometimes you just got to say, "This is the line." The old saints told me, "It was hell or high water. I cannot walk away from God." And here's what's crazy. Lord have mercy. He tells them, "Don't you forsake God for the gods" (little 'g' gods) "of your fathers, who they worshipped on the other side of the river." How many done got brought over the river? Anybody in here got brought over the river? Stepped in the water. Water was cold, chilled my body, but not my soul. How many have stepped over the river? And when you came through the river, you stepped out of death into life, out of darkness into light, out of the curse into the blessing, out of hell into heaven.
[Music] Why in the world would you come on over into the kingdom and then start thinking about worshipping the god that your fathers worshipped on the other side of the river? And here's what's crazy. They're following God as God gives them the promised land, and they still got little idols in their tent. How do I know that? Because Joshua said, "Bring them gods and their idols out of your." "Get them out here. We're getting rid of them today." Oh, see, see, you always helping me. Still, I started talking about your idolatry, and when somebody calls out your idols, all of a sudden you get into protection mode, and you thought, "Oh, hold on just a minute. I know he ain't picking on my iPhone life."
[Music] [Applause] Sister App got an app for everything. Come on in here. Uh-huh. You can't even have a friend 'cause you have an app called "My Friend." You can't have a prayer life 'cause you have called "My Prayer Life." You can come on in here, somebody. We got an idol. We got idols all over our life. And we come to church on Sunday, and we praise God on Sunday because that's our Sunday God. But what is your Monday God? Who is your Tuesday God? Who is your Wednesday God? Who is your thirsty God? I'm coming for you. Who is your Friday God? And God knows who is your Saturday God. But I came today to say, "To hell with the idols. To hell with idolatry." They got hands that cannot touch, eyes that cannot see, mouths that cannot speak, ears that cannot hear. How are you going to worship a God that can't bring you out of heaven? How are you going to worship a God that can't deliver you from Balaam? If God broke the curse, why would you bow your knee to another idol? Somebody needs to decide today, "I'm not going to have another god. I'm not going to have another god before Him." "What God I live and for God I'll die." Somebody give Him a shovel.
[Applause] I'm through with this.
[Music] He said, "Don't forsake." And then the last one is this, and this is the temptation. The last one is, he said, "Don't fade." Oh, God. "Don't fade." Look at my tongue. "Don't fade." I'll teach you what it means. Watch. Don't forget. Don't forsake. And don't fade out. Watch. God said, "I'm gonna bring you into a place that has vineyards you didn't plant, houses you didn't build, land you didn't develop, harvest fields you didn't even cultivate and plant." You're getting ready to be blessed, and you're ready for this. I'm gonna give it to you. There's somebody telling me, "He's going to give it to you." Oh, come on. I know it's Sunday morning, and some of y'all are just checking us out, but I came to preach about a God who'll bless you with more than you're even able to contain. A God that'll bless you coming in, and a God that'll bless you going out. A God that will bless you at 11 o'clock, a God that'll bless you at 12:08, a God that will bless you when you get back to church tonight, but a God that'll bless you when you walk in it. No matter where you're walking or where you're going, where you're coming, whether you're going, it don't matter. He will bless you. He said, "I'ma bless you with houses you didn't build. I'm gonna give you a vineyard you didn't plant." And all this, "Stay faithful and don't fade." Because if you're not careful, you'll get so blessed that you'll ease into the land and you will fizzle in your passion for God. That's why struggle keeps you on the cutting edge sometimes. I know y'all don't want to hear this. Y'all don't want to hear each other with this. But every now and then, it's a good test that'll get you back in the fight. Because because sometimes we get so blessed because God is so good that we get in fields we didn't plant, living in houses we didn't build, walking on property that we didn't buy, and we experience the blessing. And in all of it, we lose our passion for God. My question to you today is this: Can you experience favor and still stay faithful? Oh, I lost all of you right there. I lost stuffy right there. Because what we want is favor, and we want to hit disconnect buttons. Yes, I'm favored. Now I got some, I got some resources. We got a house. Come on. We got a nice job. We got kids that are all in school. Schools paid for. Got some automobiles. We all right. We're doing well. And we, we hit cruise control. But when you didn't have two dimes to rub together, and you didn't have Uber, you had a bicycle, and you walked the soles off of your shoes, and you worked from sun up to some down, three times a day, two different jobs to keep ends met. And you loved prayer, and you loved the word, and you stayed in faith, and you kept on operating in the power of God, and you had to lean on Jesus, and you had to press into God. Oh, God, get us back to those days. Don't let me get in land that I didn't buy, and live in vineyards that I didn't plant, and walk around in a house I didn't build, and begin to taste your favor, and your favor caused me to lose my faithfulness to you. Oh, God, don't let me fade. Look at somebody, tell them, "Neighbor, don't fade. Don't fade. Don't fizzle and don't fade." When God blesses you, you ought to be more thankful for the blessing than you were when you didn't have it. The blessing is not intended to replace the blesser. God, I feel like preaching today. The blessing was never intended to replace the face of the one who blessed you. When Abraham came out of the Ur of the Chaldees, God told him, "I'm gonna make you great. I'm gonna bless you and make you a nation." And in the 15th chapter, it said that God showed up to Abram after Abram, uh, sacrificed the sacrifice. God walked between the sacrifice. And He told Abraham, "Don't miss this." He said, "I told you I'm gonna bless you, but don't make any mistake about it. I am your exceeding great reward." Touch somebody, tell a neighbor, "Thank God for the money, but the money is not the reward. Thank God for the house, but the house is not the reward. Thank God for the big business, but the big business is not the reward." I feel like preaching about the reward today. The reward is not something. The reward is somebody. It is the face of God. Yes. Yes. I want to see the face of God. I don't just want to be blessed with stuff. If I got money, but I don't have God, I'm still broke. I'm still nothing. I need God. Somebody shout if you want the reward.
[Applause] Somebody stand up and praise God if you, in your house, are gonna serve the Lord.
[Music] Bring me that. I'm done. I'm done. If they left, they're gonna miss this. I didn't tell anybody I was gonna do this, but I felt like God said to me this past week. I knew I was going to preach this message about two weeks ago, a week and a half ago, and I knew I was to talk about the faithfulness of God and the intersection of promises from a previous generation and how we're living in that intersection with what God said He would do in a previous generation. He's actually going to do it in our life. And this past week, many of you know, you saw the message I put out on Facebook. All this time, we've been told we could keep the bell tower of the sanctuary that got burnt down. And our plan was to keep the bell tower and incorporate it into the future and the plans that we're going to have moving forward. And then we were told by the structural engineer recently that it's impossible for the bell tower to be functional, and it's probably impossible for us to save it. But if we can, we'll have to build so much around it and reinforce it so much, it won't even look like the bell tower, and it will be hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands, maybe a million dollars. And I said, "Well, we love it, but not that much." Especially when they tell you, "We don't know if it'll work. We'll take your money to see if it works." And I said, "No, we're going to keep our money because we know something that will work." But they took that bell tower down this week. Some of y'all about to be glad you didn't run to the chicken buffet, because when they took the bell tower down, they saved the cornerstone. And what we did not know is that in that cornerstone, this past week, they found a time capsule from 1909. I feel the Holy Ghost.
[Applause] And I'm driving down the road this past week, and they called me. Mariah called me, Pastor Mariah, children's pastor, called me and said, "Bishop, you're not gonna believe this. They found a time capsule in the cornerstone of the building." And it was some documents from 1909. Some newspaper clippings. And but then they said, they they got these papers that have these families that were a part of the building project of the church they built over there in 1909. And at the top of it, it started in 1909. Here's what's crazy. It didn't get finished till 1920. I'm getting ready to say something here, and I know I'm keeping you longer than normal, but I'm testing your ability to stay connected, because God is about to reveal something and do something for this house. And
I need somebody to get in faith with me right here at the top of this thing. In 1920, they were trying to raise sixty thousand, 000 to build that building. I don't know what that's like with inflation, but I know sixty thousand dollars back in the early nineteen hundreds was a lot of money. And here's what it says: Highland Park Baptist Church, watch us grow.
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Some of y'all missing it. I'm not even gonna try to get you to catch that. I'm telling you, God locked up something 110 years ago, put it in a capsule, saved it from the fire, kept the water off of it long enough, kept the devil out of the cornerstone long enough. Y'all don't hear what I'm telling you. They put it in there 110 years. Whatever that is, I don't even know. They put it in there 110 years ago, and they put them little family names. And some of them gave five dollars, and some of them gave 50, and some of them gave 250. But at the top, they said, "Watch us grow."
Oh, I feel like preaching before I go to my car. Touch three people in your area code right there. Find somebody in your zip code and say, "Neighbor, watch us grow. Watch us grow." I came to announce to a Joshua generation, we will not forget the Lord. We will not forsake the Lord, and we are not going to fade and sizzle. Watch us grow. We get ready. Oh my God, I gotta go because I'm about to have an experience. Some of y'all don't know how to explain, but God is about to open this house up in this season. I feel a divine shift coming. I feel a divine shift coming. God said, "I want you to enlarge your territory. Move your tent pegs. I'm getting ready to bless you. Goodness, press down, shaken together." Touch three people, tell them, "Watch us grow. Watch us grow."
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Hey, they grew back in 1909, and we are intercepting the promise God made them a hundred and a hundred and ten years ago. God said, "My word will not come back." Lord, touch five people, tell them, "Watch us grow."
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Watch us grow. Watch our children grow. Watch our marriages grow. Watch our city grow. Watch our youth group grow. Watch our church grow. Watch our finances grow. Watch our city grow. Somebody holler for 10 seconds.
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Dry seasons are over. I said, dry seasons are over. Dry seasons are over.
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Oh. [Applause] [Music] [Applause]
Somebody look at your neighbors, say, "Neighbor."
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We remember. We won't forget how He took our life from the pit. Ah, we gotta go, but I wish He would look at another neighbor and tell one more neighbor. Say, "Say, we remember. We won't forget how you took our life." He took our lives, rescued our lives from the pit. If you know you've been rescued and you will not forget it, and you believe the best is still yet to come, open up your mouth and give Him praise.
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Let me tell you, I know. But hear me, we're gonna pray before we go. Here's why we're gonna pray because I haven't said this, and Pastor Rich and Ryan and I, we haven't said much about this, but there have been some significant delays. There have been some significant holding back of funds from insurance companies. I ain't mad, I'm just telling you, it's all spiritual to me. And the enemy wants to hinder our progress. But I had a prayer meeting with some brothers this morning, and I felt that thing break in the prayer room. And I'm telling somebody right now, in fact, I'm notifying the devil right now, you held on to our stuff too long. Not only are you going to release it, but you're about to pay interest on what you kept and what you tried to steal. I need you to find a prayer warrior. Grab your neighbor by the hand right now. I need you to open up your mouth and say, "God, we're here for our stuff. We're asking You to release. Divine release. Divine release." Open up your mouth. Picture. We got a job to do. Watch us grow. Watch us grow. Us grow. Watch us grow. God is about to breathe on it. Somebody open up your mouth.
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Hey, Cleveland, watch us grow. Hey, Athens. Hey, Athens, watch us grow. Hey, Chattanooga.
[Applause] [Music] [Applause]
Somebody give them 20 more seconds of this praise.
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Somebody else in China knew that. Somebody holler, "Watch us grow." Shout if you believe it.
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Take your neighbor's hand. We got you. We got to pray here. Watch us grow. And we're not just talking about numbers.
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We're talking about spirit.
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God's not just building a mega church, He's building mega people. God, I feel like preaching here. I said, He's building mega people. He's building some people in this room. When you walk into courtrooms, atmospheres are gonna shift. When you walk into boardrooms, atmospheres are gonna shift. When you walk into school rooms, atmospheres are gonna shift. Somebody believe it with me right now. God is growing you. He's not just growing a church, He's growing a church because He's growing in.
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I declare right now.
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That seeds that have been planted many decades ago, prophetic words that have been sown. Killed my behavior. I call seed forth to bring fruit in this season. And I'm gonna end with this one here. Amos chapter nine, the reaper will overtake the sower. And God said, "I'm gonna do it so fast, it'll make your head spin." Lord, we gotta go, but I feel a spirit of acceleration. You know, I said, I feel a spirit of acceleration. I feel a spirit of acceleration. Somebody think about a 15-second praise.
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Wow.
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Hallelujah. Thank You, Lord. Listen to me. And if you've been here any length of time, you know I don't do what I'm getting ready to do very often. But there comes some Sundays every now and then where the word of the Lord re-releases, and somebody needs a moment to attach their faith to words. It's the word of the Lord. And I'ma tell you what God said to me this week, because there's some stuff forthcoming in the next couple of months. We're gonna be talking to you about as we continue to expand. We have not raised one dime for what God's done. How many know God's just been good? Somebody say amen. But I'm gonna tell you something, as we're growing, some of us are gonna have to put the kingdom first in a campaign. I said, a campaign. And you say, "Pastor, why are you killing this?" I'm not killing this. I'm inviting you into a moment. When I said, "Come grow with us," that's not gonna happen accidentally or without us engaging our faith and even our sacrifice. Somebody say amen. But this morning, if you believe your life is getting ready to grow, and you believe that God is about to release a blessing of increase and growth over your house, I don't care what kind of seed it is. I don't care how big of a seed it is. I just want you to get something that is commensurate with the harvest that you are believing for. If all you got is a dollar, if all you got is a 10, or if you got a hundred thousand dollars, whatever kind of harvest you are believing for, if you believe that God is about to breathe growth on what your hands are on, and you, you're saying today, "God, I'm gonna connect my faith to this moment where You release something, and we're intercepting with the promise that You gave a group of people over a hundred years ago." I don't want to miss this moment and not sow into this word. I'm gonna give you an opportunity right now to give. I'm gonna let you give online, and I'm gonna let you bring it to the altar. I'm not gonna beg you. I'm not gonna promise you what it's gonna look like. I'm just saying, if what I'm preaching is resonating in your spirit, and you know your house is about to step into harvest, if you're watching me online and you've been asking God to grow something, this is a moment to say, "God, I'm believing You for it, and by faith, I'm gonna sow into it right now." If it's a business, if it's a job, if it's a situation with a release over, over a court, you're waiting on a court decision or some sort of settlement, I'm telling you right now, God is about to grow it. I want you to get your hand up, and I want to pray over you right now. Every person that's connected to this moment, every person that's going to step into this season with me, I want you to get a seat and lift your hand right now. I don't do this hardly ever, but this was the morning when I heard the Holy Ghost say, "I'm getting ready to grow you. I'm getting ready to grow your seed, and I'm getting ready to increase your harvest." Somebody shout yes. Somebody said yes.
[Music] [Applause]
Throw your hand up. I want to pray.
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Some of you have never ever sown. Hear me, because I was about to take this, but I'm gonna release this. Some of you have never sown into a word, and you don't even know what I'm saying when I say sow into a word. But there are times when God will speak, and your faith for that is activated, and you activate that faith by putting a seed in that soil and believing that seed is gonna bring forth harvest based on the word you have received. If you've never done it, I'm saying this may be the first Sunday God's ever invited you into an opportunity to watch Him grow something in your life. Lift your hand. That's it. That was the mind last instruction. Lift your hand if you're getting ready to give. I don't care how big it is. Somebody's getting ready to increase their business. Somebody's life is fixing to go to another level. Somebody's stuff, your hands are going, some stuff God is about to breathe on it, and the reaper is going to overtake the sower. I want to give right now. Devil and I are going to give, and I want you to join us in the moment. We, we're not doing this because we're broke and hurting. We're doing this because God has activated a season, and a release is on this house from this moment forward. And I want you to put seed in the ground right here and believe that God is about to increase the seed and increase the harvest. Father, in the name of Jesus, bless every heart, every home, and with this seed, may we serve You. May Your kingdom be advanced. And Father, I pray the growth would come in Jesus' name. Amen. If you're bringing a check, just bring it now. If you're bringing cash, just bring it now. If you're giving online, do it now. If you're giving through the app, do it now. If you're watching Facebook Live, do it now. Friend, I believe God is a miracle-working God, and the greatest miracle that God could ever work in your life is the gift of salvation. And I believe today somebody's watching me who says, "Pastor Kevin, would you pray for me? I want to give my life to God. I want to serve the Lord. I want Jesus to save me." Let's pray this prayer together today. Mean it in your heart. Say, "Dear God, I repent of my sins. I turn to You today, Lord Jesus, believing that You're the Son of God and that You died for my sins. Forgive me, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart and be the Lord of my life. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen." Listen, friend, if you prayed that prayer, I want you to go to kevinwallace.tv, and I just want you to drop us a prayer request and let us know that you gave your heart to Christ. Our team wants to pray for you. We want to make sure that you're in a good, loving, Bible-believing church wherever you're from, and that you continue to grow in your walk with Jesus Christ. The best days of your life are still ahead of you, and we're praying for you today. God bless. I look forward to seeing you next week, right here.
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