Stop Blaming the Journey: Recognizing God’s Provision in Hard Seasons | Jonathan Evans

So there would become one that comes later who is the second Adam. And this one is set up on a pole. Yeah. And he is made in the likeness of the first Adam so that you can be saved by one that was made in the likeness of that which bit you.

And so they can only look at the bronze serpent. But today we look at the cross. Today we look at the cross of Jesus Christ. AND YOU BETTER NOT LOOK ANYWHERE ELSE. YOU BETTER not look to Confucious. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO KRISHNA. You better not look to Muhammad.

You better not look to your career. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO YOUR FRIENDS. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO THIS WALL. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO THE CHURCH. Definitely don't look at your pastor. YOU BETTER FIX YOUR EYES on Jesus who's the author and perfector of your faith here.

So we don't give begrudgingly. We give cheerfully. >> And we're praising the Lord this Sunday. Are y'all excited to be in the house? You ready for the word? >> ((applause)) >> Let's go ahead and stand to your feet as we get to the word of God. >> I'm going to bring your attention to Numbers chapter 21.

We're continuing to walk through the wilderness. Numbers chapter 21 starting at verse 4. Amen if you're there. >> Amen. >> All right. Then they set out from Mount by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient because of the journey.

The people spoke against God and Moses. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water. We loathe this miserable food. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people so that many people of Israel died.

So the trying to figure out how that became the churchy moment. I love it, Chris. So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned." I bet you they did because we have spoken against the Lord and you intercede with the Lord and that he may remove the serpents from us.

And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it, he will live." Today I want to talk to you from the title I don't do snakes.

I don't do snakes. It sounds like we're in agreement. >> I don't do snakes. You may be seated in the house. For real. I don't do snakes. Yes, sir. >> I know I'm the protector of my home, but if Kenneka calls out [laughter] and says, "Babe, >> we got a snake."

I'mma be like, "You better call on Jesus." Not sure I can help you with that one. When I was growing up, I used to watch National Geographic. >> And I was good with the insects. I was good with the lions and the gazels and the zebras, but I was never able to come around to the episodes on snakes.

So when I read this passage, I thought to myself, God, you sent snakes. That that is a harsh thing. I was crawling while reading the scriptures because if you could imagine snakes coming all out of rocks and biting the people that just didn't sit well with me. So I had to ask a question for today's sermon.

I JUST WHAT made God send serpents to bite the people? Well, WE'RE GOING TO DISCOVER THAT today because we want to make sure that we don't experience that same venom. >> In verse four, it says, "Then they set out from Mount Tor by way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient with their journey."

Verse four starts with the word then. So, I know that there was something before then that we have to discuss for a moment. Anytime you see the word therefore in scripture, you got to go back up and see what the therefore is there for so you know what it's there for.

And so what happened was in verse 1, 2, and three, the people were in battle against the Canaanites and they were losing. They were being held captive. Verse two says, "And so they were losing the battle against the Canaanites. And so they prayed to God and they said, if you get us out of this, we will utterly destroy them." them.

In other words, they were losing and in a crisis. So, their prayer is they made a vow to God. If you this don't sound like us, I don't know what is. If you want to know what the verse is, go before the Lord with an unveiled face, just find a Christian in a crisis. >> Cuz all of a sudden, we be making vows.

Lord, if you do this for me, I'LL SERVE YOU FOREVER. FOREVER. I couldn't even get you to go to church last week. We get in a financial crisis. LORD, IF YOU GET ME OUT OF THIS FINANCIAL CRISIS AND THE NEXT TIME THEY PASS THE PLATE, I'M GOING TO DO 50%. 50.

I'm just trying to get you to five. WE ARE QUICK TO MAKE VOWS WHEN WE'RE IN A CRISIS. LORD, if you do this, I'll do this. And the people prayed and God came through and handed the Canaanites over to them. SO THEY JUST LEFT OUT OF A battle where they prayed with their mouth and God came through.

Then they set out from Mount by way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient because of the journey. They went from one battle to a hard journey. And this is where we have to be CAREFUL BECAUSE AS YOU NOTICED IN VERSE FIVE, THEY SPOKE against God and Moses. >> They got to A PLACE WHERE THEIR MOUTH GOT AHEAD of themselves. >> But it WAS BECAUSE OF THIS.

WE GOT ONE BATTLE WE JUST came out of and now we're having to walk by way of the Red Sea to go around Edom. And they became impatient with this leg of the journey. I wonder if there's anybody IN HERE WHO'S IMPATIENT WITH HOW THINGS ARE going in your life right now. >> And it's okay to be a little frustrated and have a problem with the problem, but we got to understand that there's a certain line we're not called to cross. >> THEY BECAME IMPATIENT WITH THE JOURNEY.

And I had to figure out why in the world did they have to walk by way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. Let me show you my map so that you know where the people are. If you could put up my map. I want to show the people where they are.

And so remember last week we were at Kadesh with the grasshopper mentality. We going from grasshoppers and snake. This is National Geographic. We were in Kadesh last week. But now you see they were at Mount and then they went by way of the Red Sea downward to go around Edom.

That's backwards. That's the long way. They were already close where you see Canaan, they were already close to the promised land. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AROUND BY the Red Sea in order to go around the land of Edom? That journey doesn't make sense.

And when I looked at it, I said, "Moses," in my mind, I said, "Moses, why didn't you just ask the people in Edom if you could just cut through? >> It's a much better route." And then I FOUND OUT IN NUMBERS 20, HE did ask. He sent the king of Edom a text.

He said, "Hey, bro, can I come through there? I need to come through because it's going to be a lot quicker for me to just cut through Edom to get to where we could cross the Jordan." >> And then Edom sent a text back. >> That thing went through and he SAID, "NO, YOU CANNOT COME THROUGH.

OUR DOOR IS NOT OPEN. YOU HAVE TO GO AROUND ABOUT THE LONG WAY BECAUSE we are not interested in helping you. The reason why this is bad is because Edom is the land of the >> The are the descendants of Esau. >> Israel is the descendants of Jacob. >> Jacob and Esau are brothers. >> So the people that made their journey hard and put a barrier to their destiny was their own family. >> Oh, you don't.

I I'm just wondering if there's anybody IN HERE WHOSE JOURNEY HAS BECOME difficult and it's because of your own family. It's one thing when I make my journey hard. IT'S A WHOLE ANOTHER thing when the people who are supposed to love ME ARE THE ONES that shut ME OUT FROM THE DESTINY THAT GOD has for me.

This was OUT OF THEIR CONTROL WHERE THEIR FAMILY WOULD NOT LET THEM COME THROUGH. AND THERE ARE MANY people who have abandonment issues because of what your family did. SO NOW IT'S MADE THE JOURNEY HARDER. THERE'S many adults in here who were only loved on the opice of their performance.

So now when you're called upon as an adult, IT'S ONLY ANXIETY THAT YOU FEEL. It has made the journey harder. There are those in THERE WHO YOU TRUSTED PEOPLE BUT THEN THEY MOLESTED YOU AND THEY MOLESTED YOU AND NOW YOU HAVE SEXUAL CONFUSION. You have identity issues. NOW YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO IN YOUR MARRIAGE.

YOU GOT ALL OF THESE RELATIONAL ISSUES AND THE JOURNEY HAS BECOME HARDER because you were supposed TO BE ABLE TO TRUST THEM, BUT THEY WOULD NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO LET YOU THROUGH. >> There are individuals in here who have been gaslit to the degree where you can't even believe YOURSELF BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY ACTS LIKE YOUR FEELINGS MEAN NOTHING.

AND SO NOW YOU'RE AN ADULT WONDERING WHAT'S REAL AND WHAT'S FAKE. IT'S BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY BLOCKED you when they were supposed to be loving you. And the journey has become difficult. >> This was out of their control. But very much they had to deal with the repercussions of going the long way.

And this journey, as you can see behind me, was a lot different than the rest of the journey because this journey was rocky. This journey would make your feet bleed. This journey, you would stub your toe. They were in the mountainous cliffs having to go around by the Red Sea.

It was a difficult journey. And there are those under the sound of my voice where the journey has just become difficult. It may not be family. It might just be loss. It may not be loss. It just might be financial crisis. It may be chronic health issues. And the journey OF YOUR LIFE HAS JUST BECOME too hard, too long, and too hot. >> And now you have come to a place where YOU HAVE BECOME IMPATIENT WITH THE JOURNEY.

Impatient means that they were highly discouraged along the way. Or in modern day language, we would just say they were depressed and they got to this place that many of us get to and then they allowed their journey circumstance to make them forget about God's goodness. They allowed what they were going through here to make them speak against God there.

Be careful when we connect our human experience and use that to shove or to repel the goodness of God. >> Here they are going through the wilderness and they had to go the long way and then they do something that crosses the line. >> In verse 5 it says, "The people spoke against God and Moses.

Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water. We loathe this miserable food. Come on now. Wait a minute. We loathe this miserable food. There's no food and no water. We loathe this miserable food. Okay, hold on.

Hold on. Um, so you're going to speak against God and Moses who has a promise for you and has given you the food and the water to sustain you and you're going to now open your It's okay to have a problem with your problem. It's not okay to speak against your provision within your problem ((applause)) to get to a place where you BECOME SO UNGRATEFUL.

THE JOURNEY is so UNH HARD THAT YOU NOW DISHONOR GOD. We have to get to a place where we understand WE HAVE TO WATCH OUR mouths because life will get so hard WHERE YOU'LL SAY, "WELL, JESUS IN THE BIBLE MUST NOT BE REAL. IT'S NOT FACILITATING MY OUTCOMES." >> GOD IS NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS.

BE CAREFUL. I have kids in my house like MANY OF YOU. IT'S OKAY FOR THEM TO FEEL SOMETHING ON the inside. I know that every decision that I make, they not going to like. But once they feel it and they start mumbling under their breath. >> Am I by myself?

What? ((applause)) >> Once you start MUMBLING UNDER YOUR BREATH, NOW YOU'VE CROSSED THE line >> because YOU ARE SPEAKING AGAINST YOUR provider >> within YOUR PROBLEM. AND THE PROBLEM IS THE people asked to be sent out of Egypt >> and NOW YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT WHAT you asked for because the journey has a cross.

There are many of us who asked for the job and now we're complaining about the work. There are many who have begged for children. Now they're complaining about parenting. There are many who have begged and asked for the house and now they're complaining about the upkeep. >> They asked for the marriage, now they're complaining about the compromise.

They asked for the spiritual growth and now they're speaking against God for the because of the trials. They asked to come out here and they didn't realize it had a cross and so they started using their mouth TO COMPLAIN. THEY STARTED WITH A PRAYER. Now they're using their mouth in protest.

THEY'VE MADE A TRANSITION. WATCH. BECAUSE THE JOURNEY HAS BECOME TOO HARD. AND SO NOW they are turning their back on God and Moses. >> They said, "We have no food and we have no water." >> We have no food and we have no water. You mean to tell me I provided water miraculously through your journey from rocks, made bitter water sweet, split red seas, and you going to tell me you have no water? >> And then you're going to say you have no food.

The word food there is mana. I thought for 40 straight years, every single day the mana fell from heaven. SO IT'S NOT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE FOOD and water because IT HAS BEEN PROVIDED to you. It's that you're rejecting that which you have. >> AND MANY PEOPLE GET SO DOWN AND OUT THAT THEY SPEAK AGAINST GOD BY REJECTING WHAT HE HAS PROVIDED AND they act like they don't even have it. >> They are speaking against God and Moses by rejecting the food and the water that they have that has been supplied to them.

HOW MANY OF US ARE REJECTING what has been supplied to us? >> That we're TELLING GOD WE REALLY DON'T EVEN HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN US because we don't like it or loathe it that much. Look at their complaint. It doesn't even make sense. Why have you brought us out of the land of Egypt?

There is no food and no water. We loathe this miserable food. I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY. Now you're saying you loathe what you have, WHICH IS EVIDENCE THAT THEY HAD IT. WATCH. But they were rejecting God's miraculous provision from heaven that he gave them to sustain them to the promise. >> You got to remember this.

They were rejecting the miraculous miracle from God sent from heaven that he gave them in order to sustain them to the promise. One more time. THEY WERE REJECTING. THEY HAD it >> and they rejected the miraculous miracle provision from heaven that God gave them to sustain them to the promise. >> So when they use their mouth to bite God, >> when they used their mouth to spew venom, >> WHEN THEY USED THEIR MOUTH TO BITE GOD, GOD RESPONDED.

AND HE RESPONDED BY SENDING FIERY SERPENTS. He respond Oh, wait a minute. Hold up. Time out. Time out. Time. Wait a minute. I don't do snakes. I don't. Is anybody out there don't do snakes? >> Yeah, we don't. Um, God doesn't either. And unfortunately for God, he was just bitten by two million of them. >> Because you can always determine a snake by how it utilizes its tongue. >> People wonder why God sent serpents into the camp, >> but they miss the fact that he was only sending serpents in to play with the serpents that were already there.

Come on. >> These people use their tongue to speak against God. Which is why Romans 1:18 says, "The wrath of God is revealed to the ungodly and the unrighteous." That even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God and they did not give thanks. But they had feudal speculations in their heart and their heart was totally dark.

He sent serpents in because serpents were already there. He let them experience the venom that he had just experienced. This was a proper reciprocity for what he had received from the people and he let them be bitten by it. And now they're experiencing the venom of their own words.

We don't even realize that there's a lot of people in here because life and death is in the power of the tongue that you're living under the venom of your own speech. And you're wondering why life is hard to breathe. You're wondering why inflammation is setting in. You're wondering why paralysis is a part of your experience where things aren't moving.

Could it be that you're living under the venom of your own ingratitude? This is why we GOT TO TEACH OUR KIDS, DO NOT COMPLAIN. >> WHY? WATCH. Because God doesn't do snakes. YOU THOUGHT WHEN I TITLED THE MESSAGE, I DON'T DO SNAKES, I WAS TALKING ABOUT ME. AND I WAS, but I was talking about God. >> Because from the beginning when Lucifer would protest in his presence, >> God would kick him out of f heaven and Lucifer would show up in history for the first time as a serpent. >> And he would give Adam and Eve that serpent mentality where they wouldn't be grateful for what they had, but they would only look at what they don't.

So therefore they would share in the same consequence as the serpent that gave them the serpent idea and ideology. And many of us are sharing in that ideology as we only can see what we don't have >> that we actually do have >> that we're complaining about because the journey has been hard and then venom comes from our mouth and we're wondering why we're paralyzed. >> The people spoke against the provision of God.

THEY SAID, "WE HAVE NO FOOD. WE HAVE NO WATER. WE HAVE NO MIRACLE. WE LOATHE your miserable miracles." Oh, so God sent serpents into the camp. In verse six, he sent serpents into the camp and the serpents bit the people and so that many of the people of Israel died.

And so, you know what they did? They said, "Wait a minute." In verse seven, they said, "We have sinned." I bet you they did. In verse 7 it says, "So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned." The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned."

The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned." Which means since 1 Corinthians 10:9 says, "Let us not try God as the people did when they were destroyed by serpents," it means to speak against your miraculous provisions that God has given you in your life IS TO THEN SPEAK AGAINST YOUR PROVIDER.

TO SPEAK AGAINST the provision, SPEAK AGAINST THE PROVIDER THAT IS SIN AGAINST GOD. You're trying him. THAT UNGRATING gratitude is venomous for the people of God and they were bitten by it and we DON'T REALIZE WHAT PROJECTS OUT OF OUR MOUTH and what God feels about it because whenever you have a New Testament correlation to a Old Testament story that means that reality continues >> that God does not take it lightly when we use our mouths and our tongues to spew venom at his provisions.

So, some of us are coming for prayer and prayer is not it. >> You're reading your Bible and that's good. Trying to get make things better and that's not it. >> You're talking to your accountability and that's good, but that's not it. You know what? We need good old-fashioned repentance. >> That they recognize that they have sinned in their ingratitude. that they recognize that all their complaining now has been so venomous that NOW THEY'RE FEELING THE BITE of their own speech.

They recognize that complaining against God's provision ACTUALLY IS SOMETHING I MUST REPENT OF BECAUSE COMPLAINING AGAINST GOD IS ACTUALLY USING my words to complain to the provider himself. I speak against God. The journey is hard. There's no problem with having a problem with the problem. It's a problem that only thing I do is spew venom at my creator >> who actually has provided but we are rejecting that provision.

Remember he provided the food and the water miraculously from heaven it fell >> and they said we have none. which means what he provided they had right in front of them and they rejected it. And when they rejected what he provided miraculously by way of miracle from heaven that was right in front of them, the consequence that they would be bitten by the sting of death.

That was the consequence. And the people had to repent for rejecting what he provided and calling it sin and recognizing that I actually need something outside of myself to save me. >> Okay, now let me help you understand. They rejected the food and the water. >> I keep saying it.

Y'all just looking at me like this. Guys, they rejected the food and the water, mana from heaven that God gave them to sustain them to a promise. >> Those were God's people he brought out of Egypt who rejected his provision. So, they were bitten by the sting of death.

Okay. In the New Testament, God's people were provided water and bread. IN JOHN 4, JESUS SAYS, "I am the living water." IN JOHN 6:35, HE SAYS, "I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE." HE TOLD THE DEVIL IN THE WILDERNESS, "MAN SHALL NOT EAT ON BREAD ALONE, BUT FROM every word that proceeds out OF MY MOUTH."

JOHN 1 SAYS, "I AM THE WORD." SO, THEY WERE REJECTING the bread and the water. ((cheering)) IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, they rejected the bread and the water and got bitten by the sting of death. In the New Testament, IF YOU REJECT the bread and the water that was miraculously sent from heaven in order to sustain you to your promise, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO GET BITTEN by the same sting.

It's called death. THE CONSEQUENCE IS THE SAME BECAUSE THE REJECTION WAS the same. They were rejecting Jesus Christ >> AND GOT BIT WITH THE ONLY CONSEQUENCE that's equal or proper restitution for that venom. This is why in Matthew 23 he's speaking to the scribes and the Pharisees and he says, "Your mouth testifies against you."

And then he says, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, your mouth TESTIFIES AGAINST YOU. HOW CAN YOU ESCAPE THE STING OF DEATH AND THE sentence of hell? >> There's no way you CAN ESCAPE IT BECAUSE BY YOUR MOUTH you have spewed the venom that says, "I reject it." >> YOU CAN'T SAY YOU DON'T HAVE IT BECAUSE IT'S STANDING RIGHT in front of your face.

You can't say you haven't heard it because the gospel has been preached to you. >> You can't say you DON'T KNOW IT BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN SITTING IN CHURCH AND YOU'VE BEEN HEARING THAT JESUS IS THE WAY, the truth, AND THE LIFE. HE IS THE LIVING WATER. HE IS THE BREAD OF LIFE.

IF YOU REJECT HIM, THEN WHY WOULDN'T YOU BE BIT BY THE SERPENT? YOU'RE CARRYING THE SAME MENTALITY. >> There were serpents already in the congregation before serpents came in there >> because they were rejecting the food and the water. They were rejecting Jesus Christ. All throughout the New Testament, God's people were rejecting.

And these people said what we need to say practically and spiritually. LORD, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING OR I'VE ACTUALLY REJECTED JESUS CHRIST. I'M NOT EVEN SAY I HAVE SINNED. >> Forgive me, Lord. >> Moses interceded for the people. And then God gave Moses a plan. In verse eight, he says, "Then the Lord said to Moses, make a fiery serpent."

They were bitten by what? Fiery serpents. I want you to make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it he will live. >> In both Old and New Testament you have an infraction.

The infraction is they're rejecting the food and the water. In both Old and New Testament you have a consequence. The consequence is the sting of death. Both Old and New TESTAMENT YOU HAVE A PROVISION. THE PROVISION is what's been set up on the standard. Okay. >> So, Moses makes the fiery serpent and HE SETS THE BRONZE SERPENT ON A STANDARD.

And if you can imagine, the people are down. They are bitten. They are experiencing the venom. And he says, "WHOEVER LOOKS AT THE STANDARD that Moses has made. He will live and will not die." THAT MEANS YOU BETTER not look at a rock. THAT MEANS YOU BETTER NOT LOOK AT YOUR FRIEND OR THE WIND OR THE CLOUDS.

IT MEANS YOU BETTER NOT LOOK AT THE SAND. IT BETTER MEAN YOU YOU BETTER NOT GO TO A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT. IF YOU DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT HAS BEEN SET UP AS THE PROVISION, YOU STILL GOING TO BE DEAD. It don't matter how hard you try, how hard you limp, how hard you walk, IT DON'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO, you will get eaten up by the venomous sting of death if you don't look at the standard that God had set up.

He set up a fiery serpent because they WERE BITTEN BY FIERY SERPENTS. >> OKAY, he's still up. Okay. You say, "What in the world does this have to DO WITH JESUS?" HOW DO YOU COMPARE JESUS TO A FIERY SERPENT? THE REASON WHY GOD TOLD MOSES TO SET UP A fiery serpent is so that he can make something in the likeness of that which bit them.

Yes. >> The reason why HE TOLD MOSES TO SET UP A fiery serpent is because they WOULD BE SAVED BY SOMETHING THAT WAS ON a pole that was made in the likeness of what bit them. ((applause)) >> Okay, y'all. ((cheering)) >> One more time. The reason why he said, "MAKE A FIERY SERPENT AND PUT IT UP ON A post is because I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY SOMETHING THAT WAS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF WHAT BIT THEM." >> God emptied himself.

PHILIPPIANS 2, TAKING ON THE FORM of a bondervant, being made in the likeness of men. IF YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU WERE BITTEN BY THE FIRST ADAM. WHEN HE DECIDED TO SIN AGAINST GOD, THE FIRST ADAM BIT YOU SO THERE WOULD BECOME ONE THAT COMES LATER WHO IS THE SECOND ADAM.

And this one IS SET UP ON A POLE. YEAH. AND HE IS MADE IN THE likeness of the first Adam so that you can be saved by one that WAS MADE IN THE LIKENESS of that which bit you. And so they CAN ONLY LOOK AT THE BRONZE SERPENT.

BUT TODAY WE LOOK AT THE CROSS. Today we look at the cross of Jesus Christ. AND YOU BETTER NOT LOOK ANYWHERE ELSE. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO CONFUCIOUS. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO KRISHNA. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO MUHAMMAD. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO YOUR CAREER. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO YOUR FRIENDS.

YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO THIS WALL. YOU BETTER NOT LOOK TO THE CHURCH. Definitely don't LOOK AT YOUR PASTOR. YOU BETTER FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS who's the author and perfector of your faith who for the joy set before him renewed the cross and despised the shame and was seated at the right hand of the father.

There is no other way. HE SAYS, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, YOU BETTER FIX YOUR EYES ON THE CROSS. There is no other way. For all have sinned and fallen short of the GLORY OF GOD.

BUT GOD BEING RICH IN MERCY BECAUSE OF THE GREAT LOVE THAT HE LOVED US, he put Jesus ON A CROSS, ON A STANDARD, ON A POLE. HE WAS THE FLAG TO WHICH WE PLEDGED OUR ALLEGIANCE. AND UNTIL YOU DO SO, AMEN. >> You will die as a snake. >> And when you see God, he'll say, "Unfortunately, I don't do snakes." >> Our mouths protest against ourselves. >> Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord. you will be saved.

And there is no other name under heaven by which you can be saved other than the name of Jesus Christ. If I were to ask you, how are you going to go to eternity and have life and you point to your works? >> You will die in the venom of your works. >> There is no other way.

At this church, I want you to know we believe in Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God. Him and him alone. ((applause)) And so, as you stand to your feet, I want to do an invitation to those who a need to repent. You know what? I've been living as a complainer.

Didn't even realize I was speaking against the provision of God. >> And now I'm experiencing the venom of my own speech. And there's a group in here that may say, you know what, I have not given my life to Christ. My life and my mouth has protested against me, and I certainly don't want to die as a serpent.

((music playing)) So, I'm going to ask you to come to the front for prayer, whether it's rededication, even in a hard season. The hard season is not ignored. It just can't make us cross the line. Or if you need to accept Christ, you never you don't know that you know that you know that you've ever accepted Jesus Christ.

This moment is for you. >> We don't testify against ourselves. ((music playing)) God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. ((applause)) ((applause)) God bless you. If there's any leaders in the house, just come surround my people that have come forward. Leaders, come forward. If we have leaders in the house, come forward.

Just surround these couples. this young lady, this young lady, this young lady, I know the journey is hard. It's hard. But he did not lie to us. He said, "In this world, you will in fact have trouble. On the other side of your trouble, though, he says, but I have already overcome it."

And so we can look to the hills which cometh our help and we can have gratitude, praise and honor God while being in the midst of waiting for him to come through. Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary. We must wait on him. I want the whole congregation, we know we do this at the Kingdom community, stretch your right hand to the front. Please pray. All the voices lifted. Please pray. If you have come for salvation, I'm going to say a short prayer that I want you to repeat.

The prayer and the words don't save you. It is your personal belief in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of the sins. You are looking at the standard. That is the only way you can be saved. Repeat after me. Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner and I'm in need of a savior.

I'm looking at only you. I believe that you lived a perfect life. >> You died a sinner's death. >> And you rose from the grave. And today I'm asking for your salvation to be washed clean by your blood in Jesus name. For all of those who have come forward for prayer for rededication.

Lord, I just pray for all of those individuals. Pray for the whole kingdom community. I pray for all of us to watch our mouths, watch our hearts, to know, Lord, that you are for us. If it's not good yet, it's not you're not done yet. You said you would work it out for my good.

Help us to believe in your word, rest in your word, trust your word, walk in your word. We give you the glory for who you are. And we pray, Lord, for those who have come and said, "I repent." 1 John 1:9 over them. If if you use your mouth and you say you repent that you are faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We love you and we honor you today and we give you the glory in Jesus name. in the house said, "Amen.