Nick Ferreiro | Victory is in the Name

Hey, for those that don't know, my name is Nick. I'm one of the pastors here, and allow me to welcome you back to week number two of a series we just started, all about getting started, called Day One. And the heart behind the series is actually quite simple. No longer are we going to put off that thing or that dream that you know you should be pursuing, but because tomorrow is not promised, and because God woke you up today, let's attack today with everything we've got, putting our best foot forward, chasing everything that the Lord has destined for us with passion and hunger and tenacity. Man, it's good to see old friends in the building today. It's good to see you guys. Anyway, it's got to be a church by the Glades. You guys are here. Because the truth of the matter is we launched this series because so many of us have a one day, don't we? One day I'll start, one day I'll finally take my health seriously, one day I'll go back to school, one day I'll finally pick up the pen and write the book, one day I'll finally release the dream that I believe the Lord has birthed inside of me, but what if I were to tell you that the difference between your one day and the life that the Lord has called you to is simply deciding that today is Day Number One. So that's our goal in this series. It's to help you see using major corporations with, of course, the Word of God as our foundation and our guide how taking that first step and then trusting the Lord every step

of the way is actually the way to the life that you have been dreaming about stepping into one day. And by now you've likely gathered that our company of study is none other than the global sportswear powerhouse that is Nike. Nike, Nike is as far as sportswear is concerned, leads the market by a considerable margin with a value of over 60 billion dollars. They hold roughly 25% of the global athletic footwear and apparel market share, which just to put this into perspective for you, the next largest sportswear company, Adidas, is valued at nearly half of what Nike is valued at. So there really is no question of Nike's dominance in this industry. And when you think of Nike, maybe you tend to think of your favorite Nike-sponsored athlete like Cristiano Ronaldo, or I don't know, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Caitlyn Clark, or maybe even LeBron James. Yeah, yeah, one sad LeBron James fan. Okay, but maybe less than thinking of your favorite Nike-sponsored athlete. Maybe what you tend to think of more when you think of Nike is their shoes. And really you can actually pinpoint when in history the Nike shoe game completely took off. You see, back in 1984, Nike signed this little rookie basketball player by the name of Michael Jordan. I knew this service was my people. In 1985, Jordan, he then debuted the Nike Air Jordan number one on the court despite converse being the leading basketball shoe at the time. And because of Jordan's on court success and because of his cultural impact off the court, these shoes exploded. I mean, they were only expecting three million dollars of revenue from these shoes, but they gained over 100 million dollars of revenue because of these shoes. So because of its success, I mean, not just in basketball, by the way, but in fashion, like celebrity started wearing them and TV shows started using them because of how much success these shoes garnered, they actually ended up spinning off this brand

into its own dedicated subsidiary of Nike called the Jordan brand, which is valued today at roughly $4.3 billion. And LeBron James is your goats. I mean, just really quick before I continue with this sermon, if you ever worn or owned a pair of Jordan shoes, would you raise your hand? All the people with swag in the church. I see you. Okay. Now, just really quickly, if you ever owned or worn a pair of LeBron shoes, would you raise your hand? Case in point. All right. Anyways, so Nike has become such a household name that is hard to imagine a world in which that swoosh is not ever present on our clothing, on our shoes, and even on our sportswear equipment. I mean, the company quite literally epitomizes success and victory. I mean, it's in their name. I don't know if you know this, but the company is named after Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, who personified triumph in war and athletic competition. When they named this company, it was a prophetic naming, because they named the company back in 1971 well before they ever saw success in the industry. So watch this. Long before they ever saw victory, they were already carrying its name. I don't know how you walked in here feeling today, but my goal is to help you to increase your belief, because I need you to know God has called you to victory. He's called you to victory in your marriage. He's called you to victory in your finances, victory in your business, victory in your education, victory over your addiction, victory over your anxiety, victory over the powers that sin have had on you all because of the one who reigns victorious over all of it already.

What does the Scripture say? It says that we will face trial and tribulations, but that we can take heart because He has already overcome the world. It says that we can give thanks in all circumstances to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It says that if you are in Christ, you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you. What I'm trying to say is that victory is not simply something God has called us to, but that victory is something He's already given us access to, that you may not be able to see the full evidence of in your life yet, which is to say victory is not something you've got to strive for, but victory is something you already have that you've got to call on because your victory will not always be found in your conquest. Your victory may be found in your ability to call in a name, and that name is the name of every other name, the name of Jesus Christ. Somebody say victory is in the name. You're taking notes today, that's the title of my sermon. Victory is in the name because if you have not yet seen the victory you've been hoping for in your life, I need you to know it's important to know that you have access to it, even from where you find yourself today. And as you survey the scope of Scripture, you will learn that oftentimes God declares victory for His people well before they experience it for themselves. One of my favorite narratives in all of the Bible actually exemplifies this pretty perfectly, it's found in the book of Judges, specifically in chapter number six, which surveyed the life and work of a man named Gideon. Now, you may recognize Gideon as the man that God famously used to lead

300 soldiers to defeat this massive Midianite army of 130 plus thousand people. But before this supernatural victory occurred, and before Gideon became the hero that rose to the occasion, he was actually well known as somebody of weak faith and great fear. He was insecure and fearful and doubtful and he had so many questions. So what I want to do is I actually want to read his story today and use it as the launching point for the remainder of our conversation to see what we can learn from his life. So if you've got a Bible with you, I encourage you to open up to Judges chapter six. That's where we'll be in the Scriptures, starting in verse number 11. This is the reading of the word of the Lord. In verse number 11, the angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak and ophra that belonged to Joash, the abyserite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." Pardon me, my Lord, but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all of his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian. The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" Pardon me, my Lord, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family and the Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites." That's a good place to put your hands together for the Word of God. The mighty man that Gideon becomes was not the mighty man that we were introduced to in the beginning of his story. You see, he was insecure, he was fearful, he was doubtful, he was weak, and so much of what we view or declare as great today did not start out that way.

Today, Nike is a global powerhouse in the sportswear industry valued at $60 billion, but back in 1971 and 1970s, that's not who they were. They were the small fledgling company led by visionary and businessman Phil Knights and his co-founder and former track coach that they were actually running business operations and storing inventory out of their garage. And they didn't have these brick and mortar stores like they have today to sell product directly to consumers, no, so what they did was they took their running shoes, put 'em in the trunk of their car and went directly to the track meets where these athletes were running and sold shoes out of their car to athletes. So the Nike we understand and know today is not the Nike that began all those years ago. And this is not just true of these global companies and massive well-known companies, by the way. This is true of even very many local businesses that you may know and love today. As a matter of fact, knowing this, Pastor David went around and interviewed some of the business leaders of our church to show us that though they have built something great from humble beginnings that there is a real power found in simply starting with what you have. So on social media and YouTube, we're gonna put out all the links and videos to these interviews that Pastor David has done, I encourage you to watch them 'cause I do believe it can stir your faith to get you started with the things

that you currently have in your hands 'cause it's powerful when you just start. But I do not wanna trivialize this principle by minimizing the challenges you may be facing today. So using Gideon's story, I actually wanna unpack some of the reasons we may have a one day mentality that keep us from making today day one. The first of which being the conditions aren't right. Maybe that's why you haven't started yet because the conditions to start are not optimal in your opinion. If you go back to 1971, a few years into their company, Nike actually started facing some issues. The shoes that they were selling to their athletes were not as technologically advanced as the tracks that were being built and installed in the surrounding area. So the athletes that used their sneakers were actually getting injured on these tracks because they did not have the proper traction or grip. And remember, they were a small company, not a lot of fun. So they did not have a well established or functioning research and development department or R&D department. So they could not simply just figure out how to make a new soul. But one morning, in his kitchen while he was having breakfast, co-founder and innovator, Bill Bowerman, took a look at his wife's waffle iron. And it was like, hmm, I wonder if a shoe that had a sole

with a raised waffle grid style pattern on it would provide runners with the necessary traction and grip they needed in order to succeed on the track. But remember, they did not have an R&D department to test this theory out effectively or functionally. So Bill Bowerman did what most of us would never think to do for ourselves. He commandeered his wife's waffle iron and completely destroyed it by pouring this rubber-like substance called urethane into it. And what resulted was this springy, flexible and lightweight rubber-like sole material that had a raised, gridded pattern on it that provided a tremendous amount of traction and grip. Upon perfecting this design, it actually became the sole of one of Nike's most iconic running shoes ever produced, the Nike waffle trainer that debuted in 1974. Which, by the way, is the base model and design of the shoes that I am wearing today. Look at that waffle on the bottom. You're kidding me? 50 years later, they're still relevant. But do you know how easy it would have been for Bill Bowerman to say, well, one day. One day when the funding's right. One day when I've got the right investments. One day when I've got a functioning department of this company then and only then

will I be able to test this theory out to see if it works. That's not what he did. What did he do? He simply innovated and used what he had right in front of him to develop what would one become the most iconic running silhouette that Nike has ever produced. You see, despite all of his fear and insecurity and doubts, I actually think Gideon possesses this same unwillingness to wait for the right conditions. If you know the context of the scripture, you know that then by Judges chapter number six, the Israelites have been overpowered and overthrown and oppressed by the Midianites for seven years already. And verse number three of Judges chapter six actually gives us a bit of insight into what this oppression looked like. It tells us that when the Israelites would go to plant crops and establish their land with food for them to live off of. And the Midianites caught wind of this, whether it was by smelling the chaff that was producing crops, they would actually raid the land and completely devour and steal whatever harvest produce was there and livestock they had to take. So they were left empty handed oftentimes by these Midianite people with nothing left to show for all their hard work. And knowing this, knowing what they were up against actually provides a bit of helpful context for verse number 11, because if you go to Judges 6 verse 11 it says, "The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak and ophra that belonged to Joash the abysorite

where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press to keep it from the Midianites." Everyone gets on poor Gideon for being so fearful of his enemies that he was threshing wheat, not out in the open on a threshing floor like he should have been, but for threshing wheat in an area and location where wheat was never meant to be threshed in, a wine press that was hidden. And so many of us read this text and use it as a means to speak out against cowardice and fear, which by the way is a great interpretation of the text. I am not here to rebuke or challenge or combat that interpretation of the text. What I am simply suggesting is that could it also be possible that under these extreme circumstances this was also Gideon innovating the best that he could to still provide food for his family. I mean, think about it. Is it possible that instead of just accepting this oppression by the Midianites and simply idly waiting by for the right conditions to do something, that he just found an alternate location to threshed wheat in so that he could do so without getting caught by the Midianites and still provide for his people? I mean, was he in that wine press because he was scared? Yes, but could it be possible that he was also in that wine press because of strategy? Was he acting in fear? Certainly. But the point that I am trying to make is at least he was acting, at least he was doing something, at least he was actually putting his hands to the plow. You see, I don't think that this story is simply a story of the insecurity of one man. I think this story is also about the innovation of one man who refused to stay idle. Gideon did not allow his fear to stop him from doing what the Lord had asked him to do to provide for his family. This tells me that fear and faith can coexist in the same heart, that you can be nervous and anxious and worried about a future outcome, but that you can still have enough faith to move forward in action anyways. You see, fear is not the problem.

But where fear becomes an issue is where you allow fear to stop you from being obedient to the Lord and stop you from actually stepping forward in faith like he has asked you to do, is the fear of failure, the fear of criticism, the fear of being judged by other people, the fear of the unknown, they stop so many of us from stepping into the victory and purpose that the Lord has set apart for us. But I love, I love what great theologian Matthew Henry commentated and noted on Gideon's actions here. Yes, we put ourselves in the way of divine visits when we employ ourselves in honest business, which is to say, if you want God to show up, you've got to get up and get to work. Look at the scriptures, it's clear. God called Moses and David while they were out in the field tending to sheepish shepherds. God called Elisha while he was out in the field plowing. God called Samuel while he was in the temple serving under Eli. God called the disciples while they were out on the water fishing and God showed up and called Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a wine press, fearful and all, worried and all, insecure and all. So you want God to show up, you want a purpose from heaven, starts, get to work, do something. I don't have clarity. God didn't give me the details, he didn't show me how. He didn't tell me what to do. God, I'm glad he didn't because if he did, you'd be too scared to do it anyways. I mean, let's just imagine for a moment, because remember, Gideon asked how. How can I save Israel though I'm the weakest in the least? Oh, you're gonna do it by taking 300 men into battle. Okay, cool. How many of them are there? (congregation laughing) Uh, like 130,000? I can only imagine getting to be like, "Yeah, I'm out, no way, I'm not doing that."

Like, there's no way he would have signed himself up for that. That's a death wish. Which, by the way, that's actually one of the reasons that so many of us maintain this one day mentality. It's the belief that I don't have enough. Wow. I have 300 men, God, that's not enough. That's not enough for an army of 130,000. I don't have enough weaponry. I don't have enough resources. I don't have enough soldiers. I don't have enough battle plans. I don't have enough to accomplish the mission that you have given me. There's no way I can do this. I can't do this. 'Cause I don't have enough. But I love that one, the Lord doesn't tell him how. 'Cause clarity is often your enemy, by the way. I love that the Lord doesn't tell him how. But when he asks how, I love what the Lord responds, he says, "I will be with you." He doesn't give him a plan. He doesn't give him a process. He says, "I will be with you." Because oftentimes your victory's not found in a battle plan. It's found in a person. And that person is the presence of God. And it's Jesus Christ himself. We've got to start adopting the words of Moses

from Exodus 33, 15 for ourselves. And let God know if your presence doesn't go with me, I don't want to go there. Don't send me there. Don't tell me to go if your presence is not going to come. I need your presence. The power is found in his presence. Maybe that's why you've not been seeing victory in this endeavor. Maybe it's because his presence is not with you. Because where you currently are, he did not send you. Oh, true victory is found in the presence of God. It is his presence with us that ensures the victory. So stop asking for clarity of process. Stop asking for clarity in the house. Stop asking God for clarity of process because the truth of the matter is, your desire for clarity is actually just a desire for control in disguise. God never promised us clarity. Oh, but God did promise us clarity of outcome. He doesn't promise us clarity of process, but he promises us clarity of outcome. You will see a victory. You will overcome. You are a conqueror. How God, I don't know, but he's with you. So just trust him and follow him every step of the way, even if it means you go into battle with 300 men. Because guess what?

Not enough is God's specialty. Back in the '70s again, I've already mentioned this, but Nike was a struggling company. At this point, they had cash flow issues and banking issues and manufacturing issues. They had lawsuits, all the stuff that was going on against them, and they did not have a lot of money. I mean, the initial investment by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman was collectively $1,000. Talk about a small star. They only gave 500 bucks each. And that's how they started this company. So they did not have a lot of funds. So when time came to rebrand the company from what they were once known as, which is Blue Ribbon Sports, to now known as Nike, they did not have the money to hire this like fully funded marketing firm, a fancy firm that could design a logo for them, and then just rebrand their whole thing going on. They didn't have the money for that. So what did they do? With the little resources they had, the not enough that they had, they went to a local university and hired a graphic design student. Come on, students, you never know what your education will open up for you. You never know what doors can come from simply pursuing education.

Stefano, that's just for him. Not for you guys, that's a friend. All right, but they hired a graphic design student. Her name was Carolyn Davidson, and she went on to design. One of the most iconic logos of all time, the Swoosh, for watch this, $35. Come on, God can take what you don't think is enough and turn it into something that is worthy of bringing him glory. He can take $35 and make an iconic logo. He can take five loaves and two fish and feed thousands. He can take a shepherd boy and slay a giant. He can take a small staff and split a sea. He can take 300 men to defeat 130,000 soldiers and he can take what you don't think is enough and turn it into something far greater than you could have ever asked of, dreamed, or imagined, but you have to have enough trust in the Lord to start. reason you haven't started is not because you don't have enough. It's not because the conditions aren't right. It's not because you don't have a work ethic. It's not because you can't work hard. It's not even because you can't discipline yourself. No, you can discipline yourself. But maybe the reason you haven't started yet is because of how you define yourself. Well, I'm not strong enough to do that. I'm not smart enough to do that. I'm not talented enough. I'm not capable enough. I'm not influential or famous enough. I'm not charismatic enough. I'm not educated enough because a one-day mentality is often driven by the belief that I'm not enough. I mean that was Gideon's plea with God, wasn't it? Go back to verse 15. Let's just read the words of Gideon for ourselves because in verse 15 he says, "Pardon me Lord, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in

Manasseh and I am the least in my family." See the angel of the Lord then responds by completely ignoring Gideon's objections and simply strengthening him by informing him he won't be alone. That he would be with him to ensure victory and success in every step of the way. But it's not verse number 15 or verse number 16 that reveals to us the remedy for our insecurity. See because knowing the Lord is with us encourages us that we're not alone. Yes knowing the Lord is with us reminds us that we don't have to rely on our own might. That we can rely on the never-ending, insurmountable power of God. That knowing that the Lord is with us it reminds us that even when we're weak he will be there to strengthen us. But a positive perception of God does not necessarily always relieve in us a negative perception of self. You see I don't think Gideon's problem was believing that God was powerful. I think he thought God was powerful but I think Gideon's problem was believing that God could use him. I'm the weakest. I'm the least. How can I save Israel? But I love how the angel of the Lord doesn't even respond to this but he preemptively attacks this issue of insecurity. He doesn't respond in verse 15 or 16 because back in verse 12 he already gave us the answer. If you go back to verse number 12 the angel of the Lord he appears to Gideon. He says when the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon he said the Lord is with you mighty warrior. Now this angel of the Lord is what many theologians would believe to be called a Christophany. A pre-incarnate pre-New Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this encounter Gideon had was quite literally an encounter with God. And in the middle of his fear in the middle of insecurity and doubt in the middle of all his questioning and lack of faith God calls him a mighty warrior. While he is thrushing we in a wine press hiding from his enemies the Lord declares over him you are a mighty warrior. Before he ever stepped foot in the battle. Before he ever led an army to victory he was already named a mighty warrior. I need you to get this today. The Lord sees your victory before you do and he calls you by what you cannot yet see inside of you. God does not consult your behavior to form your identity but he draws back the veil of your appearances and your actions to expose the mighty warrior

hidden deep inside of you that you are not yet acting like. God he does not wait for you to become who he's called you to be in order to name you know he names you and then he calls you to live up to the name and identity that he's given you. This is why what you do does not determine who you are. Because of what you do today determines who you are that when what you do inevitably changes you'll be left questioning who it is that you are. I thought I was an athlete. I thought I was an entrepreneur. I thought I was a businessman. That chapter of my life is close so who even am I today? What you do must always flow out of who you are. Notice the order of events here in Judges chapter 6. Before Gideon ever steps foot on the battlefield while he is still fearful and insecure the Lord gives him an identity. God will Oh, he named Abraham the father of nations before he ever conceived a child. He named Peter the rock upon which I will build my church before he denied Jesus and before he ever led the church. He named Gideon a mighty warrior before he ever stepped foot onto the battlefield, before he led an army to victory while he was threshing wheat in a wine press. He named him a mighty warrior, so I need you to hear me loud and clear today. You are not your biggest mistake. You are not what other people say about you. You are not what you do. You are not what your insecurity says you are. You are not even the lies you've been telling yourself about yourself. You are who God says you are. And it's only when we believe and accept the names that God has given us that we can then step into who he's called us to be and step into the victory he has set apart for us. I've been trying to tell you all service long that victory is in the name. It's in the name of Jesus and the names that he gives us to give identity to us. So really quick, we've only got a little bit of time left, but before we leave, let me remind you who you are in Christ Jesus. You are unconditionally loved.

You are fully forgiven. You're a new creation. You are a royal race, a chosen priesthood, a co-air with Christ, a friend and a child of God. You are redeemed and chosen and called and righteous and born again and adopted and anointed and ambassador and qualified for the mission. You are God's masterpiece made in the very image of God in the image of unlimited and sovereign God in dwelt by his spirit, which means you are victorious and overcomer and given the access to the same power that rose Jesus Christ from the grave, which means that you can do all things through Christ who is your strength. That's who you are. That's who you are. So if you've been living under the lie and label of a name that God did not give you, take yourself to the name above every other name and receive a new identity from him because true victory is only found in his name and the names that he gives us. Victory is in the name. Father, we bless you today. Thank you. Thank you, Lord. Holy Spirit, I ask that you would cut this message up and disperse it a thousand different ways that every person here today would receive exactly what they need. The encouragement they need, the empowerment they need, the strength that they need. Lord, help us not to rely on our own strength today, but remind ourselves that you are with us wherever we go, that we can rest in your power, that we can follow your spirit, that we can do what it is that you've called us to do, not because we're enough, but because you're enough and because you've called us to it and because you've called us to it, you'll be with us every step of the way. We love you, Lord.