IT'S TIME TO MOVE

See, I never spoke about Jesus cause I didn't think he really cared too much about me seeing how much he was blessing the folks all around me. You look like I never got seen, felt like you overlooked it. This is my fight song. Take back my life song. Prove I'm alright song. My power's charged. I'll be strong. I'll go my fight song. I don't really care who nobody else needs. Cause I still got a lot of fight left in me. I will do my best to be her Tuesday night amen. Amen.... Amen!..Alright. How many of y'all are glad to get to be in gods house tonight? I hope y'all came expecting. I always get excited when pastor David Morgan is preaching cause we know we're going to...we're about to learn something y'all. We're about to learn something. I hope y'all came ready to receive. Hey, if this your first time, we are so glad to that you re here. My name is Cat and I'm a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. Ed is my only friend right over here, right here. So thankful for Ed. I'm a grateful believer in Jesus Christ and I still... and I celebrate recovery from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and I still struggle. I still struggle with anxiety sometimes. But that anxiety ain't mine to claim amen. And so I'm so thankful for Tuesday nights where I get to take off the mask and say you know what? Today I'm not okay and I have wonderful friends who will hold me accountable as well as lift

me up. I don't know if that's... I don't know if that was your job, right, was to hold me accountable and lift me up. How many of y'all are excited to have that job? Yes. All right. Y'all are hired. All right. So really quick, if this is your very first time, we're a 12-step faith-based program. That means we only have one higher power and that would be who? Amen. Man, that's such a beautiful sound. I do want to welcome our online community really quick as well as our brothers and sisters in the correctional facilities. We are so glad that you've chosen to join us tonight. I have no doubt that God's got something for you. So stay tuned. So real quick, again, if this is your very first time, we absolutely respect your confidentiality and anonymity. And so that's a fancy way of saying we know that not everybody wants all their business on Front Street, but here's the deal. We got people that might be taking some pictures. And so if your picture gets took and you don't want it on Front Street, please let us know. We absolutely will respect your privacy. Otherwise, it could end up on social media because we want all of Blount County to know that recovery is possible. Amen. And you all are living proof of that. Do you know that? You are living proof that recovery is possible.

So we're so thankful for that. All right. So tonight we're going to open in prayer in about 2.5 seconds. And then we're going to have some amazing worship. How many of you enjoy our worship? Yes, we have an amazing worship team. And then, again, Pastor David Morgan will be delivering the message tonight. So with that being said, if you would all please rise. Amen. I know some of y'all get triggered every week. Sorry. All right. So together we start with whose father? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For that is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Y'all are welcome to have a seat. Is it just me or did like the mic change? Because I feel like I could like bust out in song right now and sound really good. Anybody agree? Yeah. No. That would actually cause an exodus, really. So with that being said, a couple of announcements. Really quick.

How many of y'all know what Celebration Place is? Anybody? Yes? All right. The three of us. Okay. That scares me. Celebration Place. It's where all our cool kids hang out, and we've got some amazing volunteers back there that actually minister to our children. It is not daycare because we're actually teaching them about who they are in Christ, as well as teaching them some coping skills, because the goal is that they never have to attend a Celebrate Recovery as an adult. Can I get an amen? All right, so here's the deal with that though. We need some help. We need some folks who have a heart for children. And so would you be willing, even if it's once a month, to spend an evening back there with them and just show them the love of Jesus? You don't have to be a great theologian. You don't have to create the lesson. We've got leaders to do that. We just need extra hands to be able to watch our babies. And so if you're interested, Melissa, can you raise your hand? See that lady back there? If you will have a conversation with her, she will get your information and we will get you started. Now, if you're sitting there and you're thinking,

man, I'm gonna have to pray about that. I'm gonna tell you right now, God already said so. So there ain't no point in praying because he knows we need you, so come on. All right, with that being said, media, any of y'all techie and like, no, not a single person. Golly, it's a rough crowd tonight. All right, so really quick, the media team. They are the amazing people. Look at, raise your hands, the media team right here. They're the people that we don't see, but it's because of them we got fancy lights, we have amazing sound, and the most important part is because of the media team that we get to stream into 743 prisons as well as the five local jails. So because of what they're doing, we're saving lives, amen? And so here's the truth, we need more help. And so there's training involved. Miss Katie, can you raise your hands, please? She is, she leads our media team, and she would be more than happy to train you if you're even willing to do it once a month, man. Would you consider helping the team out so that we can continue to save more lives? Yes? Can I get an amen? All right, so that's about 80 people that just said amen, Katie, so you're gonna have a crowd. All right, so with that being said, we have one event, the worship concert.

There it is. It's way in June, so you have plenty of time to put it on your calendar and plan, but they are having a worship concert and we have been invited. I'll be real with you, I don't know who Seth Addison is. Does anybody know who Seth? He's a big deal, I hear. Oh, really? See, I live under a rock, I'm so sorry. But I hear he's a big deal, so please join us. We would love to have you. All right, with that being said, it's time for 12 steps. And so if I could get Katie up here and Tommy up here, and then I need one of y'all to grab the mic. Tommy, if you'd grab that. All right. All right, I am Katie Bryant and I'm actually the director of Bridges Blount County, which is a women's halfway house here in Blount County. So welcome, alcoholic and doing all the things. Happy to be with family tonight, so. I am Tommy Dolan. I am a faithful believer of Jesus Christ and I am from Epperson Ministry. I believe. All right, we'll go ahead and get started. Step one. Okay, we admitted we're powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors

that our lives have become unmanageable. I know that nothing good lives in me. That is my sinful nature, for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7, 18. All right, step two. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2, 13. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Romans 12, one. Step four. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. His ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3, 40. Step five. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.

Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. James 5, 16. All right, step six. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. James 4, 10. All right, step seven. We humbly asked him to remove all of our shortcomings. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1, 9. Step eight. We made a list of all persons we'd harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Therefore, We give to you, Luke 6, 31, the golden rule. Step nine, we may direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar. First go, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5, 23, 24. Step 10, we continue to take personal inventory,

and when we are wrong, promptly admitted it. So if you think you are standing firm, be careful you don't fall. First Corinthians 10, 12. 11, we sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for the knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3, 16. All right, step 12, having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore that person gently, but watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6, 1. Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Thank you, sir. Great job. Come on! Come on! Come on!

Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Make a little service! Stephen, it's you. Oh, oh, sorry. Yeah. What are you doing? Come on! Come on, buddy! I'm really there. I'm really there. I invite you to come over and serve and come on! Whoo! Come on, somebody! Whoo! Nobody's excited about being here tonight? Just me? Whoo! There we go. Come on, now. Now, we got some people coming up here to serve the people. So, listen. Y'all talk about the golden rule, right? It says, do unto others as you would have them do to you. And then, I'm always like, well, at home, I'm trying these other things and, never mind, I'm gonna quit now. I love you, Kathy.

Ha, ha, ha. Somebody got it. It's not. Ha, ha, ha. Amen. Ha, ha, ha. So, y'all got it, didn't ya? So, listen. Yeah, you got it too, didn't ya? Amen. So, anyway, I'm up here supposed to be praying over the offering today and coming up with a little something. Mine is Matthew 6, 33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things. That's right. And what are all these things? Well, if you go up a few verses, you'll find out that he says that he closed the lily of the fields. Well, how much more does he love you? And then, birds of the air, right? He feeds them. They don't have the store for the winter or for the summer or for bad weather and they eat gourmet meals every day. How much more does he love you? That's why me and Kat, we have learned there's a law, kingdom law.

You reap what you sow. We all know that one too. And we also understand about tithing. We know that you cannot give God. Malachi 3, 8 says that we actually rob God. We don't really steal from him. We just rob the blessing that he wants to give us. Amen. So, let's go into offering tonight. Let's go into prayer and ask God to put in. I'm praying that God puts it on your heart to start tithing today, to test him in this area and watch him move in your life, in Jesus' name. Dear Holy Father, we just come boldly to your throne of grace and I thank you for your love and your mercy. I thank you for the men and women that are here. And Lord Father, I thank you for your Holy Spirit just filling this place up, Lord Father. I thank you for laying on these men's hearts and these women's hearts that we reap what we sow. We cannot give you. And as we seek you first in your kingdom, Lord Father, you're taking care of all our needs according to your riches in glory, Lord Father, not ours. Lord, I thank you for the tithe tonight. I thank you for the offering tonight in Jesus' name. Amen. ♪♪♪ ♪ I used to think grace was a ladder ♪ ♪ Every sinner had to climb ♪

♪ If only I could just do better ♪ ♪ I could earn it over time ♪ ♪ I tried to work my way to good ♪ ♪ Trouble is I never could ♪ ♪ But then you showed me just exactly how grace works ♪ ♪ I'm good at always falling down ♪ ♪ You're good at never giving up ♪ ♪ I'm good at getting turned around ♪ ♪ You're good at saying I'm still loved ♪ ♪ And I was wrecked by mercy the day I understood ♪ ♪ I'm not loved because I'm worthy ♪ ♪ I'm loved because you're good ♪ ♪ I think Paul wrote the book of life ♪ Book of Romans for people just like me, for all the beat up and the broken who need to know that grace is free. Why do I do the things I shouldn't and I don't do the things I should? That's just the proof. You're the only part of me that's good. I'm good at always falling down. You're good at never giving up. I'm good at getting turned around. You're good at saying I'm still loved. And I was wrecked by mercy the day I understood. I'm not loved because I'm worthy. I'm loved because you're good. Loved because you're God. I'm loved because you're faithful to me even when I'm not. Oh God, you are so good when there's nothing good in me. And just a grateful sinner saved by you is all I have to be. I'm good at always falling down. You're good at never giving up. I'm good at getting turned around. You're good at saying I'm still loved. And I was wrecked by mercy the day I understood. I'm not loved because I'm worthy. I'm loved because you're good. Loved because you're God. I'm loved because you're faithful to me even when I'm not. Oh God, you are so good when there's nothing good in me. And just a grateful sinner saved by you is all I have to be.

And I was wrecked by mercy the day I understood. I'm not loved because I'm worthy. I'm loved because you're good. I'm loved because you're faithful to me even when I'm not. Good afternoon, church. Will you guys all stand to your feet and worship that tonight? Woo! Come on, somebody! This is the day you have made. So I'll rejoice and be glad in it. This is where I believe that you are more than enough, more than enough for me. You are faithful to your promise. You are strong when I am weak. When I'm standing in your presence, I have everything I need. The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my strength. Oh my soul, let it neigh. All that is within me say, The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my strength. Come what may, you are worthy of all, worthy of all my praise. You are faithful to your promise. You are strong when I am weak. When I'm standing in your presence, I have everything I need. The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my strength. Oh my soul, bless his name. All that is within me say, The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my strength. 🎵Music🎵 🎵Honey, I'm black like the river🎵 🎵Overflowing🎵 🎵Lonely spirit🎵 🎵Let it pour out🎵 🎵With no limits🎵 🎵Overflowing🎵 🎵Lonely spirit🎵 🎵Let it rise up🎵 🎵Like a river🎵 🎵Overflowing🎵 🎵Lonely spirit🎵

🎵Let it pour out🎵 🎵With no limits🎵 🎵Overflowing🎵 🎵Lonely spirit🎵 🎵Oh, oh, oh🎵 🎵The joy of the Lord🎵 🎵The joy of the Lord is my strength🎵 🎵The joy of the Lord🎵 🎵The joy of the Lord is my strength🎵 🎵Oh, my soul, bless His name🎵 🎵All that is within me stays🎵 🎵Oh, my soul, bless His name🎵 🎵All that is within me stays🎵 🎵Oh, my soul, bless His name🎵 🎵All that is within me stays🎵 🎵The joy of the Lord🎵 🎵The joy of the Lord is my strength🎵 🎵Oh, oh, oh🎵 🎵I was buried beneath my shame🎵 🎵Who could carry that kind of weight?🎵 🎵It was my tomb🎵 🎵Till I met you🎵 🎵I was breathing but not alive🎵 🎵All my failures I tried to hide🎵 🎵It was my tomb🎵 🎵Till I met you🎵 🎵You called my name🎵 🎵And I ran out of that grave🎵 🎵Out of the darkness🎵 🎵Into your glorious day🎵

🎵You called my name🎵 🎵And I ran out of that grave🎵 🎵Out of the darkness🎵 🎵Into your glorious day🎵 🎵Now your mercy has saved my soul🎵 🎵Now your freedom is all I know🎵 🎵The old made new🎵 🎵Jesus when I met you🎵 🎵You called my name🎵 🎵And I ran out of that grave🎵 🎵Out of the darkness🎵 🎵Into your glorious day🎵 🎵You called my name🎵 Come on church, let's sing it out. Let's sing it out. Let's sing it out. Let's sing it out. Come on, if he's worthy in this place, just keep on giving him praise. Lord, you are so good. You are so worthy. Thank you. Thank you for rolling away the stone. Jesus, you have always been with me. No matter where I was, you found a way to show up. Jesus, you have always been with me. There's never a season, never a place where I am alone, where you don't show your face. Right here I remember, how could I forget? Your faithfulness has never left me. Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love?

I'm amazed by all you've done. Oh Jesus, where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? Oh, I can't say thank you enough. In all the ways you saved, you pulled me out of the grave. Jesus, you have always been for me. And my life is a proof that you can make anything good. Jesus, you have always been for me. And where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I'm amazed by all you've done. And where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? Oh, I can't say thank you enough. And there's never a season, never a place where I am alone, where you don't show your face. Right here. Here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone and where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone and where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I'm amazed by all you've done Lord Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? Oh, I can't say thank you enough No, I can't say thank you enough No, I'll never say thank you enough No, we'll never thank you enough We'll never thank you enough There's change in this room tonight There's change in this room tonight I don't care what you've been through And I don't care what you've done There's change in this room tonight

And we thank you We thank you You've never left You've never left Thank you, thank you We wanna say thank you, thank you We have to say thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you We wanna say thank you, thank you We can't help but just thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you For who you are Thank you, thank you For who you've been Thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you I wanna say thank you, thank you I can't help but just thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you We wanna say thank you, thank you I can't help but just thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you We wanna say thank you, thank you I can't help but just thank you, thank you For all you have done There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone and where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone and where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I'm amazed by all you've done

We are, we are And where would I be? I'd be without you, where would I be without your love? Oh, I can't say thank you enough No, I can't say thank you enough No, I can't say thank you enough No, we can't say thank you enough No, I'll never say thank you enough We thank you We can't help but just thank you Jesus, we just thank you for what you've done And God, what will be done Lord, the cup that you've given us, God We carry in fullness, Lord You don't have to take our cup, God And we just thank you for the priorities And the opportunities that you've given us And God, whatever is in our way now Whatever stops us from seeing you in your entireness, Lord God, I just pray that any obstacle, any habit that we have, Lord That it would just simply shift out of the way That something tonight would just be different That we would truly be all in That you have our entire yes, Lord Our hearts are yours, our time is yours Every word that we speak, every move that we make, Lord Let it be for your glory, let it be for your honor And Jesus, we just love you And we ask that the words that are spoken tonight Would be nothing but the Holy Spirit

And God, we just love you And we thank you for all that you've done And all that you will do In Jesus' name we pray, amen How's everybody doing tonight? Doing good? Doing good? Alright I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here with you this evening I thank the Lord for his grace How many of you are thankful for Jesus tonight? Amen He is so good beyond anything that we could ever possibly deserve Let's give a good hand to the worship team What an incredible job they did Amen, appreciate them so very, very much Well, four weeks ago, last month When I was here sharing with you lesson number one I was at the hospital at about 6 o'clock the next morning Having surgery on my back And I'm just so thankful that things have gone well And I'm on the mend And getting a little bit better all the time And I'm just so thankful for that And I appreciate your prayers And God is good, amen So tonight is lesson three As we work our way through the twelve steps And the theme for lesson three is hope How many of you know that hope is important? Hope is really, really important

So as I was seeking the Lord And trying to discover what God would have me share with you this evening I just really felt led to Joshua chapter number one And I want to read a couple verses out of Joshua chapter one And I'm titling this message this evening It's time to move It's time to move How many of you know sometimes in our lives it's easy for us to get stuck? Anybody ever been stuck? I believe once in a while God wants to give us a little kick in the behind And get us moving And what I felt like the Lord saying to me over the past few days Is it's time for a move It's time to move It's time to move Joshua chapter one verses ten and eleven So Joshua ordered the officers of the people Go through the camp and tell the people Get your supplies ready And three days from now you will cross the Jordan Here to go in and take possession of the land your God is giving you for your own Now what's happening here? Let me give you just a little bit of background on this Paul the apostle wrote to the church at Corinth In the New Testament And he said that God did the things he did in the Old Testament With the nation of Israel as an example for us How many of you have discovered it's better to learn from somebody else's mistakes Than have to make them yourself? Have any of you learned that?

It doesn't cost you as much If you can learn from somebody else's mistake And not make them yours Well, God used Israel in the Old Testament to teach us some things. There's some incredible examples, and one of the most profound examples of God dealing with Israel is while they were in bondage in Egypt. The children of Israel had been in bondage for 400 years. Generation after generation after generation had been held in captivity. That really reminds me of sin. How many of you know that we've seen family after family after family after family stuck in bondage because they didn't know Jesus Christ? Because they hadn't surrendered their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. So for generations, the children of Israel had been living in bondage, but God moved on Moses and he sent him down to Egypt to deliver the children of Israel. And there's some beautiful examples in this as God delivered Israel from bondage. First of all, they were set free from captivity. How many know it's a good thing to be set free from captivity? We have any free people in the house tonight, amen? How many have been set free? Give God some praise tonight, amen? It's a powerful thing when God sets you free. The children of Israel had been enslaved, they had been held in bondage, and it's really a picture of sin. They lost their freedom, they lost their rights, they lost ownership of any land, they lost ownership of possessions. How many of you know that's what sin will do to you? Sin will rob you from every good thing that God wants to give you. It will hold you in bondage and captivity. So the first thing God did was to liberate them from bondage. I believe that's the first thing he wants to do in every one of our lives.

And I've got some good news for you this evening. If you haven't been set free, God wants to set you free tonight. God wants to do a liberating work in your heart tonight if you haven't already experienced that. So the first thing that happened to the children of Israel, they were delivered from captivity. And then they went through the Red Sea. I've always wished that I had a HD high-definition video of them going through the Red Sea. That would have been something to see, don't you know? It says that the children of Israel, that the water parted, and the children of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry land. Some historians say there might have been as many as a million people that were liberated from Egyptian bondage. And they walked through the middle of the Red Sea on dry land. The water stood up like walls on both sides of them. Now I might have a vivid imagination, but I can imagine walking through there, here are these walls of water on both sides of you. Can't you just see the fish swimming by in the water? I imagine some of the kids reached in there and tried to grab a fish along the way, you know? And God brought them through the Red Sea. That's a beautiful picture of baptism. We had a glorious baptism up at the river just a few days ago. We had like 60 people water baptized a few days. Some of you were baptized up there in that little river. Amen. Praise God for that. Oh, water baptism is a glorious thing. It's a whole lot more than just getting wet. You know, if you study the Word of God, you'll discover that there's a spiritual work that transforms in your heart in the waters of baptism.

It's not just a, it's not, it's a testimony, but it's more than a testimony. It's really God saying amen to that decision that you've made to follow Him. It's a glorious thing, and so they went through the water there in the Red Sea. But you know, the children of Israel weren't that different from us. I mean, you know, that we've experienced great things in our life from God, but it doesn't take long for us to grumble. Come on now. Doesn't take long for us to start criticizing. It doesn't take long for us to go, well, you know, I don't like it like this. How many of you know when we redirected traffic from the front to the sides, somebody, not you, but somebody said, I don't like it like that. When you couldn't get your food out front, you had to go to the back, none of you, but I heard tell that somebody said, I don't like going all the way back there. It's so easy for us to become critical. It only took the children of Israel three days. They had just been delivered from slavery. They had just had this miraculous thing happen to them at the Red Sea. And three days later, they begin to say things like this, we were better off back in Egypt. Had they completely lost their minds? We were better off back in Egypt. You were a slave. You had no freedom, no rights, no liberty. You've been set free. Let me tell you something. One of the things that the devil always wants to do is to get you looking back and remembering the past better than it was. It was not a glorious past. It was a horrible past. It was not a life-giving past.

It was a life-taking past. But the enemy wants you to look back and go, you know, I kind of liked it back there. You were on a path to destruction back there. It is so easy for us to fall into that same trap that they did. They go to Mount Sinai. Moses goes up to the mountain for 40 days. He encounters God. God hand-delivers him the Ten Commandments. And for the 40 days while Moses is up there, what do the children of Israel do? They build a golden calf and start worshipping it. You know, it doesn't take long for us to start worshipping idols. It doesn't take long. Do you know your job can be an idol? Your home can be an idol. Your position can be an idol. You know, when the Lord said, Thou shalt have no other gods before me, He meant it. Our worship, our adoration, our praise all belongs to God. And the children of Israel fell into that trap. They wandered in the wilderness 40 years. How many of you know 40 years is a long time? I'm telling you, 40 years is a long time. I was a young man 40 years ago. It's been a while. Come on, Stephen. Can you say amen to that? 40 years was a while ago.

An entire generation died off because of doubt and disobedience and unbelief. They wandered in the wilderness 40 years. They were stuck in a rut. Do you know what a rut is? How many of you know what a rut is? Let me tell you what I think a rut is. A rut is a grave with both ends knocked out. A rut is a place where you're not making any advancement. A rut is a place where you're not growing. A rut is a place where you're not becoming the person that God wants you to be. And I'm so thankful that the day came when God spoke to Joshua and said to Joshua, Tell my people, it's time to move. You've been in the wilderness long enough. You've been in the desert long enough. You've been stuck in this place long enough. I want to take you into the place that I promised for you. And I got a word for you this evening. It's time for some of you to begin to move. It's time for some of you to begin to grow. Oh, you've been set free. You've been delivered. You've been through the waters. You've seen God work. But you've got comfortable. You've got comfortable. Do you know where we live most of our lives in between? Most of our lives are lived in between. We're not who we used to be. Can you say amen to that?

Let's just raise a hand right now and thank God I'm not who I used to be. Amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus. I am not who I used to be. You've delivered me. You've set me free. You've done a work in my life. But let's pause there for a second. We're not who we used to be, but we're not really who we need to be. Oh, I'm glad I'm not that person anymore. But I need to be on down the road a little bit. And I believe the Holy Spirit's saying it's time to move. Because it's so easy for us to get comfortable. It's so easy for us to get complacent. You know, when the children of Israel finally went into the promised land, they had to defeat some giants. I want to tell you, if you are going to become the man and the woman of God that God wants you to be, you're going to have to defeat some giants in your life. And one of those giants is satisfaction. I'm comfortable here right now. I like it right here right now. Don't rock the boat. Well, I got bad news. God is in the boat rocking business. God is in the boat rocking business, because we get so comfortable and satisfied where we are. Not where I was, but I'm not where I need to be. Where am I? I'm in between. I'm in between.

And in between is not a terrible thing. As long as you're making progress. As long as you're striving forward. The children of Israel. I'm absolutely convinced that somewhere along the way. In that 40 year journey. They lost hope. That they were ever going to see the promised land. They knew the promises they had heard the stories. But year after year after year after year of never seeing it happen. They lost hope. And God had to intervene in their lives and restore hope. I want to tell you something. God wants to stir hope up in us this evening. You know, I look around and I see some shirts. Hope dealer. God wants to stir hope up within us this evening. God wants you to have a confidence. God wants you to have a boldness that he's got a journey for you that you haven't arrived yet. But he wants to take you to become that person that he's called you to be more than just an overcomer of victorious overcomer. A conquering overcomer. That's the will and the purposes of God for your life. And so as I was looking through the lesson in the lesson, it takes that word hope and it breaks it down. H-O-P-E. H is for higher power. How many know there's only one? There's only one. Everybody say there's only one. And his name is? That's right.

His name is? There's only one higher power and his name is Jesus. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the father except through me. Jesus also said, I've come that you, you might have life and have it more abundantly. God did not send his son in the world for you just to get by. He sent his son in the world for you to thrive. It's God's will for you to be victorious in your life. It's God's will for you to be an overcomer in your life. It's God's will for you to not live under but to live over. Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ is our higher power. I was watching a documentary the other day. I never imagined that I'd find myself watching a documentary and I was even more shocked that my wife was watching it with me. It was a documentary about Hulk Hogan. And when it got near the end, actually, it was the last interview he did right before he died. And he said this, he had been married for the third time. And his new wife took him to church. And he said, for the first time in my life, I listened. And the preacher said, these, this is what he said. The preacher said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And he said, in that day, I believed that Jesus Christ died for me. That Jesus Christ would forgive my sins and I could have everlasting life. He grabbed a hold of that higher power. And let me tell you something this evening, if you haven't done that yet, do it tonight. Reach out to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let him be your Savior and your Lord. H is for higher power. O is for openness to change. Do you know, unless you're willing to change, you're never going to change? How many of you have lived out somebody else trying to change you?

Come on now. My wife, she's a wonderful godly woman. I'm so thankful for her. But she has a coffee cup that says, I don't take instructions. I barely take suggestions. And she owns it. She owns it. It's all right. It's all right. But what's my point? Nobody else can change you. Nobody else can fix you. We know families have tried to help us change us. Friends have tried to change us, fix us. But it requires you being willing to allow God to change you from the inside out. It requires an openness on your part. It requires you humbling yourself and truly coming to that place where you say, I can't fix me. I cannot fix me, but I'm open to God working in my life. And that openness can open a door for you that is so transformative, that is so revolutionary. God will intervene in your situation, and you can almost immediately begin to see things happening in your life that you never imagined. You know, we said a little ago, you're not who you used to be, but you're not where you need to be. But some of you never imagined you'd be where you are. Come on now. Some never imagined you'd be where you are. How did you get there? By being open to God working in your life and changing you from the inside out.

P-H-O-P-E. What is P for? Power to change. Where do you get that power? Jesus said it like this. He said to his first followers. How many followers of Jesus do we have in the house tonight? Amen. Do you know what Jesus said to his first followers? And I believe he says it to us. He said, you'll receive power. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Let me tell you something tonight. I'm so thankful for the Holy Spirit. I'm so thankful for the Spirit of God that lives and dwells within us. You know, I grew up in a church when I was a boy growing up. I never heard anybody talk about the Holy Spirit. And then I was probably like 12, 13, 14 years old. I visited this church and they talked about the Holy Ghost. That like scared me to death. The Holy Ghost is in the house. And I had no idea what they were talking about. You know, the only ghost I'd ever heard of was Casper. You know, and he's a good one, as they said, a friendly one. But let me tell you something. When you open your heart to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit took up residence within you. You're not on your own. It's not about your strength. It's not about your experience.

It's not about your ability. It's about God dwelling within you. The power to be victorious, the power to overcome, the power to move and grow in advance in your walk in Jesus doesn't come from you. It comes from the Holy Spirit that dwells within you. May God give us a keen awareness of the spirit of the Lord living within us. You know, one of the things that I had to learn to pray as I began to grow in God is, Lord, give me a sensitivity to your spirit. Give me a sensitivity to your spirit. You see, we don't go to church to visit God. He doesn't dwell in this room. He dwells in here. We go to church to celebrate together. We go to church to receive the word. We go to church to be corrected and to be challenged in our walk with God. We go to church to share the gospel with unbelievers. But we take God with us everywhere we go, and sometimes we forget. You ever taken God somewhere you didn't want to go? Come on. You ever taken God somewhere that was offensive to him, that was hurtful to him? May God give us a sensitivity of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, and may we lean into that. May God give us an ear to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. How many times in our life has the Holy Spirit been saying, stop, stop, stop, stop, and we just didn't listen? Or how many times has the Holy Spirit been saying, go, go, and we didn't go? The power comes from the Spirit of God that dwells within us. H-O-P-E, expect change. I did a...probably 30 years ago, I did a series of sermons that I entitled The Power of Expectation.

There's a power attached to expectation. John chapter 3, there was a blind man at the gate called Beautiful, as Peter and John were walking in to the house of God at the hour of prayer. And the scripture says that that man looked up to them, he heard them, and he looked up to them. He was a lame man. He looked up to them and he said... He said, I need something from you, and I love the phrase there in the Bible. It says, he looked to them expecting, expecting to receive something from them. Well, he got way more than he was expecting. He was expecting a little money. He got a miracle. We need God to release expectation in our hearts. So years ago when I was preaching that sermon, I went to the...we didn't have a whole lot of shops back then that made t-shirts like we have them now. I went to a kiosk at the mall, and I had a shirt made that said, I'm expecting. I got a lot of strange looks when I wore that shirt around. Now, if I'd have wore it...if I wore that shirt today, it'd be a whole different conversation. We're not even going to...we're not even going to go down that road, you know. But I wore that shirt around and people would say, you're expecting, and I say, yes, I am. And they'd say, expecting what? And I would say, expecting God to do amazing things. Expecting God to show up in a mighty way. We need to expect God to move in our lives. So what am I saying to you tonight? It's time to move. It's time to make progress. It's time to begin expecting growth in your walk in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's time to begin to see fruit of the Spirit in your life. It's time to begin to see maturity taking place in your life.

You know, not just at CR, but on Sunday mornings, we got a lot of bottle-fed believers that need to get off the bottle and get on a good stake. They need to grow up. We need to begin expecting God to develop and mature us. What's my word for you this evening? I'm all out of time. The word's hope. And the phrase is, it's time to move. It's time to move. Bow your head and let me pray for us tonight. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this wonderful privilege of sharing your word. I thank you for every man, woman that's here. I thank you for the journey that they're on with you. In my prayer tonight, Lord, is that they will not become complacent, satisfied, or stuck in between. Lord, we are so grateful that we're not where we used to be, but we acknowledge we're not where we need to be. Help us to keep striving forward. Help us to keep gaining ground. Help us to keep pressing into you that you would do in us what you want to do so you can do through us what you desire to do. We give you praise, honor, and glory. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Man, how many of y'all are excited? After hearing that message, we should all be excited, because the reality is if we're all heading in the right direction, God's got greater things for us. Amen? How many of y'all are excited about your next season? Like expecting not just good, but great, and even greater, y'all?

I'm talking when you step out of here, you should be excited about what God's about to do. Like, bring it, God. Bring it. Right? Amen. Amen. All right. So, let's go ahead and close out with our serenity prayer, if y'all are ready for that. Y'all are a quiet bunch. Do they feed you too many carbs tonight? I'm thinking. All right. So, together we start with God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it, trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely forever in the next. Amen. Amen. Thank you all for joining us. I want to talk to our online community again. Thank you. I hope you join us next week, because we still have some great things for you. All right. For all those folks. . . .

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