[Music] [Music] e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right good morning everyone good morning Welcome to our 10:30 service and welcome to Centerville Community Church we're so glad that you all are here with us this morning we hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day this past week um it just could not have been more humid I don't think I think it might have been the most humid day that ever happened um but it was such a fun time um getting to celebrate with our with our friends and with our chosen family and just the the time that we can all share together to just celebrate the fact that we live in a world and in a country that um that we are so blessed by the Lord to be able to worship freely that we can gather in a place like this without worry or fear of what might happen to us we gathering in a place like this that's a privilege that our brothers and sisters around the world don't always get to appreciate and so we just thank the Lord for that truth and for that uh goodness here today let's all stand on to our feet as we enter into this time of praise and this time of worship and prayer [Music] together before we start singing I just want to invite you um to pray with me this morning Lord we just thank you for your goodness and for your love Lord we thank you so much for for this space and for this time for this Freedom that we can gather together and that we can make a choice Lord to gather in your name and to worship you and you alone but Lord it is a choice Lord Gathering here is one thing but you're asking us to choose you you are asking us to choose to place our hearts at your feet and to give this praise to you and you alone for Lord you alone are worthy of all of this worship all of this praise for lord your grace your Amazing Grace has stepped beyond the place of sin and darkness that we found ourselves at any given point in our life and Lord because you reached out your hand to us we can now now stand as a people redeemed in the blood of Jesus made whole and complete by his finished work on the cross thank you thank you Lord so it's with all of this in mind Lord that we give you all of these words of Praise that we can muster this morning as an offering of worship let it rise to heaven and be pleasing to you lord it's in your name we pray Jesus amen let's worship together who breaks the power of sin and darkness whose love is mighty and so much stronger the king of glory the king above all Kings who shakes the whole earth with holy Thunder who leaves us breathless in all and wonder the king of glory the king above all Kings this is amazing grace this is UN failing love that you would take my my place that you would bear my cross you will lay down your [Music] life that I would be set [Music] free oh Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me [Music] who brings our chaos back into water who makes the orphan a son and daughter the king of glory the king above all Kings who rules the nations with truth and Justice shines like the sun in all of it Brilliance the king of glory the king above all King there are this is amazing gra this is unfailing love that you would take my place that you would bear my cross you will lay down your life that I would be set free oh Jesus i s for you done for me [Music] slain and Worthy is the king who conquered the grave Worthy is the Lamb who was slain Worthy is the king who conquer the grave then Worthy is the Lamb who was slain then Worthy is the king who conquered the grave then Worthy is the Lamb who was slain worthy worthy worthy of this is amazing grace this is fa that you was take my place that you would be my cross you will lay down your life I would be free oh Jesus I sing for you for [Music] me she for me he [Music] a thousand Generations Falling Down In Worship to sing the song of Ages through the land and all who've gone before us and all who will believe will sing the song of Ages to the L cuz your name is the highest your name is the greatest your name stands above them all all Thrones into all powers and positions your name stands above them all then the Angels Cry Oh only our creation cries ho you are lifted High holy only [Music] forever if you been forgiv if You' been redeemed sing a song forever to and if you walk in Freedom and if you bear his name sing a song Forever we'll sing the song forever and amen and the angels Cy w ho all creation Christ oh you are lifted High holy ho [Applause] [Music] forever you be for ohly to the king of my K ohly you'll always be holy holy [Music] forever oh your name is the highest your name is the greatest your name stands love them all all Thrones and dominions all power and possessions your name stands above them all oh your name is the highest your name is the greatest your name stands above them all of all Thrones into manions all powers and positions your name oh it stands above them all and the Angels Cry Oh all creation Christ [Music] oh you are lifted high oh holy holy [Applause] forever be for S oh to the King of Kings ohly you will always be holy holy [Music] forever you always be [Music] holy holy forever [Music] holy holy holy Lord God almightyy early in the morning Our Song shall eyes to thee holy holy holy merciful and mighty God in three person bless TR holy holy holy though the darkness F though the eye of sinful men thy Glory made un thou one there is none beside the perfect in power in love and [Music] Hallelujah [Music] hallelu [Music] Hallelujah [Music] Jesus holy holy holy Lord God alight all thy Works shall praise thy name in Earth and Sky and sea holy holy holy merciful all and mighty God in [Music] three BL trity [Music] hallelujah hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hallelujah Jesus [Music] PR hallelujah [Music] hallelujah hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jesus let all the Earth of the You Are Holy You Are Holy let all where he is nothing You Are Holy You Are Holy let all the Earth from oh the People You Are Holy You Are Holy let all the heavens worthy isy you are ho You Are Holy [Music] holy holy [Music] holy Lord God Al Mighty God in three person blessed trity [Music] amen Lord we give you this praise for you alone Are Holy Holy Holy for you alone are worthy Lord we pray that all of this time that we have gathered today all this time that we have to spend in your presence to spend in the presence of one another Lord that all of this would be about you Jesus Lord that as we come into this place that we can take our focus and our attention off of ourselves off of the cares the worries the anxieties that we carry with us through our day-to-day lives and Lord that we just lay them all at your feet and we just invite your Holy Spirit to move freely throughout this room for Lord where there is strength needed Holy Spirit provide your strength where there's encouragement needed Lord we pray that you would bring encouragement Lord where there is care needed we pray that you would just come and wrap your arms around those in this room that need it most today but Lord more than anything we want to gather in your presence to be changed by your Living Word to be changed by your Holy Spirit to be more like you Jesus to love the father more and so Lord as as PJ comes and brings us a message this morning Lord I pray that your Holy Spirit would move freely throughout this room to seek out those who are feeling like they are just watching this happening from the outside Lord if they're unsure about all this if it's their first time in church ever whatever it is Lord we pray that you would just come and meet them wherever it is that they are today and Lord that they would not feel a place of of shame that they would not feel like they're in a place of judgment but Lord that in your presence there is freedom and fullness of joy and for those of us who have chosen to walk with Jesus we experience that every day Lord we pray that you would just bring your freedom to those who need it here in this place Lord and that they would make the decision here today to walk with you and be free we love you Jesus come and speak to us today it's in your name we pray amen thank you all so much for being here with us today before you have a seat go ahead and greet four people that you haven't already talked to this morning introduce yourself and say he hello I'm glad to see you [Music] [Music] hey everyone here's what's happening at Centerville Community registrations are now live for the mCP Memorial open the MC PE open is a nine-hole golf scramble where you can golf either as an individual or as a team of four registration is $80 per golfer and lunch will be covered through the cost of registration as well as raising money for care portal through the cost of registration there are limited spots available for the golf open so be sure and register as soon as possible you can also sponsor a whole as part of the golf scramble or you can donate to the event for more information about the MC Peak open just go to the events tab on our website and there you can click MC Peak open and see all of the information that you need to know our 3C student Ministry has their late nighter event coming up this Saturday on July 13th where they're renting out the Washington Township reclex for a night of swimming climbing walls gym games and food have your students invite all of their friends as this is a huge Outreach event drop offs and Pickups will be at the reclex have your students bring swimwear a towel and a change of clothes registration for the event is required so be sure and head over to the events page of our website to find the registration form as well as the reclex waiver form we'll see you there we are having a young adults picnic in the park to kick off the Centerville Community Church young adults Ministry for anyone ages 18 through 35 that will be led by Dan and Nicole Evans they'll be hosting the picnic at the Feldman Pond picnic shelter at Oakgrove Park on Saturday July 20th from 12: to 3:00 p.m. they will be providing pizza for the event so all you need to do is register and bring a yard game a side or a drink and bring your friends we're so excited to launch this new ministry for this ever growing part of our community to register for the event scan the QR code on screen or you can find it on the events page of our website our second annual love week is coming up soon the week of July 21st through the 2 7th and there are so many options this year so that everyone can participate and be involved we'll be writing encouraging cards to the school employees of Magik Middle School we'll be helping some people with Landscaping serving at Target Dayton putting on summer Funday at Chevy CH Apartments we'll be visiting shut ends at Bethany Village and then finishing it all with the big back to school bash at Chevy Chase you can find all the information about love week as well as all the sign up forms for the different events going on on the love week page of our website and as always we want to have a huge turnout to love our community well and as we mentioned the week will all culminate with the big back to school bash at Chevy Chase Apartments and we have a cool opportunity with that as part of the back to school bash each child will get a bunch of different items that they need to start the school year as well as two brand new back to school outfits and we have signed up to support 10 kids to get them their back to school outfits we already have the kids sizes and interest so now we're just looking for someone to go get the outfits to claim a child or to get more information about it please contact Pastor John at John Centerville community.org and if we meet the needs for these 10 kids we can always support more thanks so much for showing up for our community at the end of our time together today we will have an opportunity to give here at CVO Community we view giving as an opportunity for worship and an act of faith Luke 12:28 says that the Lord will give us everything that we need and we take him at his word so out of the abundance that we have been given we too give and walk in the example of Our Lord to see this world reached for the gospel of Christ and for our father's will to be done on Earth as it is in heaven so with that in mind please examine your heart before giving today and if you feel led to give to the mission of Jesus to impact people here in Dayton and around the world you can drop either cash or a check in one of the giving boxes at each of the exits to the room on your way out of service today or you can scan the QR code on screen to go to the giving page of our website also if you're new to cerville community and you've just been visiting for a few weeks or if it's your first time in a long time we would love for you to fill out a connect card you can find one in the seatback in front of you if you're here in the building with us today or by scanning the QR code on screen you can find it pretty much everywhere because we believe it's so important for people to not be anonymous when it comes to The Community of Christ and if you're here in the building with us today you can drop your connect card in the giving box on your way out of service thank you all so much for being here today and that's what's happening center bille community good morning everyone hope you all had a great fourth with your friends and family I spent it inside so I didn't see fireworks I listened indoors because I have three dogs that are terrified of storms anyone else have dogs like that oh a few all right so I didn't get to see the fireworks but I heard them so I hope you had a great time if you don't know who I am I am John Emmons I'm your student Pastor um but also uh you students out there you call me PJ right um which stands for Pastor John and um I I couldn't tell you how many times someone comes up to me and they're like oh you're PJ as if there's like another person around here named PJ and I'm John so I'm connecting the dots I'm PJ I'm Pastor John it's almost like I have two names two identities and I I love it I love it that I've been known as as PJ for uh such a long time it's it's one of my favorite nicknames I've ever been given how many of you have ever received a nickname anyone have a nickname maybe uh you received a nickname as a child because of something that you did that you're ashamed of right uh maybe uh you just you got a nicknam for uh from some friends um but usually nicknames uh describe something about ourselves right even your name means something I've always been fascinated by name specifically the names of God and God has had a lot of nicknames through throughout human history he's been known by many different names I don't know if you you realize that um but God has uh been n been um known by many different names in the Hebrew language and also in the Greek language um and these various names help us to understand who God is these names help us um understand just a little bit more of his character and the things that he has done um names like Elohim which means strong creator Jehovah uh righ which means Jehovah means the self-existent one righ the she the one who Shepherds me Jehova MC the king of all when Christmas rolls around we call him Emanuel which means god with us right uh elai means the god of the mountain I love that one almighty God and Jehovah Rafa means The God Who heals us and this morning I want to look at an obscure name for God a name that you've probably never heard it comes from a story we usually don't talk about you've probably never heard the story um for for some of you um it's uh Jehovah nii Jehovah nii and I know what you're wondering is that a Japanese car come on down for 5.24% financing you can have for yourself a brand new 2024 Jehovah nii um no he uh is not a Japanese car Jehovah nii means the Lord is my banner and it's found in Exodus chapter 17 if you have a physical Bible with you uh this morning turn to Exodus chapter 17 uh the scripture will also be up on the screen we're going to start in verse 8 and the word of God says the amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at refidim Moses said to Joshua choose some of our men and go out to fight the amalekites tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands so Joshua Fought the amalekites as Moses had ordered and Moses Aaron and her uh went to the top of the hill as long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning but whenever he lowered his hands the amikit uh were winning when Moses's hands grew tired they took a stone and they put it under him and he sat on it Aaron and her held up his hands up one one on one side one on the other so that his hands remained steady till sunset so Joshua overcame the amalaki army with the sword then then the Lord said to Moses write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it because I will completely blot out the name of amalec from under Heaven Moses built an altar and he called it the Lord is my banner he said because hands were lifted up against the Throne of the Lord the Lord will be at war against the amalekites from generation to generation so we see here in verse 15 after this battle Moses Builds an altar to the Lord and he calls it Jehovah your Bible may not say Jehovah nii but it it does in the original language Jehovah n see the Lord is my banner so what does that mean what does that mean for us today the Lord is my banner well let me explain it to you like this I'm a little nervous not not not a lot but a little nervous being in front of you and um sharing uh from the word of God and Jehovah nii the Lord is my banner he's helping me through this there are times in my life when um I I experience difficult things I'm struggling um and I feel like giving up I have this temptation to quit whether it's uh struggling with finances or losing weight or being patient sometimes I just want to give up anyone else been there before you just feel like giving up uh maybe it's your marriage maybe it's falling you feel like it's falling apart maybe it's um your relationship with your kids maybe it is your finances maybe you just struggle from week to week maybe it's some kind of sickness that you're struggling with I don't know what your struggle is but in the midst of all those things we have Jehovah nii the Lord is our banner and I think we can look at the scripture this morning I and I believe it can give us hope it can encourage us it can motivate us and Inspire us and it did Jehovah nii the Lord did that for Moses and the Israelites uh here in Exodus chapter 17 but before we kind of dive into Exodus 17 I think it's really important for us to walk through Exodus chapters 1-1 17 um so in about 3 hours you'll be able to go home and eat lunch and I'm just kidding I'll do the cliffnotes version of Exodus 1-1 17 and I'll I'll Breeze through this pretty quickly um but I think it's so important for us to uh look at the first 17 chapters of Exodus to really understand what's going on here so we have a guy named Moses duh right we all know the story uh starts with a guy named Moses he's a Shepherd he's tending to his flocks right um and he's got a staff in his hands a stick like this I know for those of you uh who know this um would say this is not a Shepherd staff I know it's just the stick I had right so but that's basically what it was Moses had a stick all right a staff that he would use to tend to his sheep he would use a staff like this a rod to correct or guide his sheep because he was a Shepherd it's interesting uh most of the people God called in scripture were just lowly Shepherds right Moses was one of them and suddenly God Appears to Moses in a burning bush which is pretty crazy but God shows up to Moses and he says Moses I have something for you to do I have a job that I think I think you're called to do and no one else has the guts to do it and Moses said yeah let's let's go for it no he didn't he he made every excuse Moses uh said I'm not the man for the job I I don't believe in myself I can't speak well I don't know who I'm going to say sent me right so he made all sorts of excuses but God he wanted someone to go into Egypt and liberate his people you see God's people the Israelites an entire nation of people were oppressed and they were enslaved by the Egyptians by uh the king of Egypt PHA and God wanted Moses to go in there and tell Pharaoh I want my people to be free and Pharaoh said right away yeah you you can you can take them right Pharaoh said no way right and uh think about that as if it it was today think try just imagine a nation that is enslaved by a more powerful Nation just imagine that right uh they are under their heel they're they're oppressed they don't have freedom if there was a nation like that who would you send in you would send in some great military right to free those people and to conquer the enemy you would send in the big guns right but God he sent in a dude and a stick that's what God sent in right he didn't send in Elite forces or laser guy of bombs he sent in a man with a stick and Moses said Pharaoh God says Let My People Go and Pharaoh said no I don't think so that's not going to happen and Moses said this is on you Pharaoh this is on your head and God's going to do some pretty terrible things through this stick to both you and your people if you don't let his people go so that's exactly what happened Moses took that stick and they started calling it the staff of God Moses went to pharaoh and he did something like this no he was not a ninja but um he he took the staff and he started to do some pretty amazing Miracles all right we usually don't think the of the plagues of Egypt as being Miracles but they were you can't explain them right and there were uh five specific Miracles that God did through this stick um he turned the Nile River into blood he uh Unleashed millions of frogs on the people of Egypt Vermin gats flies also the staff of God sent down hail from the sky and then Locust that ate all the vegetation and all the the crops in Egypt so God did all these things all these Miracles through Moses and his stick so Pharaoh gives in and he lets God's people go and uh you may not know this but the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years it's a long time 430 years we just celebrated America's birthday how old are we now anyone know 248 years old Israel was enslaved for 430 years that's almost double and uh so it a long long time and um so they flee from Egypt the uh Exodus says that there were 600,000 men 600,000 men and that doesn't count for uh women and children and the elderly so we're talking there's probably about two to three million people here who are fleeing from Egypt and they're out in the wilderness and then they come uh before a large body of water they're here in front of the Red Sea and there are mountains on their right and their left and then Pharaoh wakes up in the morning and he's hungry and he doesn't know how to make breakfast and he says okay well we need to go get those Israelites back so they can cook for us right um so he decides to get all his buddies to go after the Israelites and get them back in Egypt so the Israelites there and they have this sea in front of them mountains on either side and crazy Egyptians behind them that one want to either kill them or enslave them again things don't look great for the Israelites right then God tells Moses stretch your staff over the water Moses does so and you know the story it's an amazing Miracle just think of it like just think of this this is crazy an entire sea a wall of water on Moses's left a wall of water on his right and the Israelites are able to go through on dry land to the other side and then God crashes the water down and he takes out the Egyptian Army what a a crazy thing that God did through a dude and a stick right and then that's not the only Miracle we we read Miracle after Miracle through this stick all right eventually the Israelites they're hungry and they're thirsty and they start complaining that is like a defining characteristic of the people of God they grumbled and complained against Moses and God and God told Moses strike a rock with this staff and I'll provide for my people Moses did so and millions of gallons of water gushed from this rock and God provides for his people once again God Saves his people once again through this stick and they had their their fill so we we read here Miracle after Miracle after Miracle through Moses and the staff just an ordinary stick now you can imagine that this stick um had become somewhat legendary to these people right Moses probably would walk through camp and the people of God would be like oh look it's Moses and his staff look it's the stick it's like us today saying oh look it's Yoda and his lightsaber right strong with the force Moses was strong with the Lord he was um so they started to look at the staff as if like it was a it it was a banner like it almost became like their flag right something that they would look to for inspiration and motivation and strength and hope right think of it like this I'm going to create a picture for you okay there is you a cloth right in the upper leftand corner it's a field of blue with tons of white stars and on the rest of the cloth there are alternating white and red stripes what do you think of the American flag right the American flag is our Banner As Americans it's something that we look to it represents what America represents it represents that this is a land of democracy this is a land of Freedom this is a land of opportunity it's our Banner As Americans well this not this literal stick right but that stick that staff of Moses it had be become their Banner it was the thing that they looked to it was the thing that they put their hope in see a banner stands as a symbol something to inspire it keeps us in the fight and I look around I'm sure there are some some people here who are in a fight you're in some kind of battle right the Israelites they were in this battle with the king of Egypt the most powerful person in the entire world but I'm sure you're fighting some kind of fight maybe you're fighting the the fight of sickness and pain they're fighting the fight for your marriage or for your kids or addiction or you're fighting against sin I don't know what your struggle is but I'm sure every last one of you is fighting against something you have a very real enemy just like the Israelites here and so we come to Exodus 17 and they have another very real enemy and it just happens all of a sudden it doesn't tell us why the amalekites decided to attack the Israelites but all of a sudden they want to kill them right it's unprovoked so the amalekites just come upon the Israelites and they're at war with them now I think it's uh really important for us to stop and and question who are these amalekites where do they come from like where in the world did they did they just like show up on the face of the Earth so uh you need to look into the Old Testament a little bit deeper but I think it's so important for us to stop and consider who these people are right and I think as we do you'll realize and hopefully you'll agree with me that um decisions we make today things that we do in this moment right now affect generations to come what you do personally what we do as a church what you do as a family it impacts future generations and we'll see that is true with the amalekites if you look at Genesis CH 27 verse 41 the Bible says Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him you now you might be thinking why are we talking about Esau right but if you look at that word held a grudge it's it's like it the word me means it's an ongoing Grudge it's a grudge that you hold day after day month after month year after year generation after generation so J or Esau held this grudge against Esau or sorry Esau held the grudge against Jacob and um even though it may seem like they reconciled at the end of their lives the Bible says pretty clearly that he held this Grudge to him and that's sometimes the case blessings in life are past God's blessings that is are passed on from generation to generation and sometimes unfortunately curses are passed down from generation to generation if you look here at Genesis 36:4 it says adah one of Esau's concubines bore elifaz to Esau in verse 12 it says Esau's son alphaz had a concubine named timna who Bor bore him amalec amalec is Esau's grandson okay and and from amalec we get the amalekites right so these people are still holding a grudge against Jacob and his family it's kind of interesting it's like family fighting family here all right they held this Grudge that was passed down from generation to generation which brings me to to the point that what we do now impacts the future what we do now for the next Generation impacts them later on and that's why here at Centerville Community Church one of our pillars is the next Generations that that's why we prioritize kids ministry and student ministry that's why I'm here because we believe the Next Generation matters and what we do now impacts the future generation you see I'm not even talking about the Next Generation I somehow talk about the Next Generation Um so here we are um in Exodus chapter 17 and um this is the very first battle for the is Israelites they they just left Egypt all right and this is their very first battle this is actually the very first mention of Joshua in the Bible and one of the reasons I I chose this passage is because Pastor Kedrick will be preaching from the life of Joshua starting next week so I figured let's talk about the very first mention of Joshua and the very first battle of the Israelites and here is Moses's brilliant strategy he says this is the plan guys I want you to go down this hill and I want you to fight these amalekites that are rising up against us and I'm going to go up on this hill and I'm going to raise the staff and we're going to win great strategy right and the Israelites are like yes let's do that that's a great plan that's exactly what they do they don't even fight them on it and so Joshua and the others they they run into the fight and uh so that's where we find ourselves in this story and I just kind of Imagine Moses um he thought probably that the miracle was going to happen right away you know because every other time he waved this staff around or he he held it up a miracle happened instantly but that wasn't really the case in this situation Moses held up that staff and nothing was happening right away and he was probably thinking God where are you where's the miracle he was probably uh thinking that they were going to drop dead on the spot and that they were just going to be victorious right away but that's not how God worked this time and sometimes that's how we approach life in our relationship with God I'm going through this tough thing God and I'm in a battle so we just rush in we're like God I need a miracle now I need an instant miracle I like to call the microwave Miracles we want instant gratification God fix it now for you students how many of you have ever taken like you have you have a test right and you didn't study for it and you're like God I need to pass this test I need to Miracle right or you're like God I need to ra I need to lose 90 lbs by tomorrow morning right or or God I need I need this fixed right now if you have a lead foot like me you blow by that cop right and you pray to God please let his radar not to be on right please let him just move along all right we want an instant Miracle right we treat God almost like he's a Genie in a Bottle but that's not who God is to to us we should never make God a genie in the bottle and that was kind of what Moses was doing that day he was holding that staff up high in the air and he fully anticipated for God to do something right then and there but he stood there for hours and as his arm became weak and that staff became heavier it lowered and the is Israelites would lose and as he raised up they were winning and eventually Moses and her that kind of be rough being a guy named her right um they help him raise the staff and ultimately they win the battle right um it probably took I mean the Bible says it took all day so it it took hours to win this battle and sometimes that's how it goes in life we want something instantly a microwave Miracle God doesn't work like that all the time sometimes he works miracles like a Crockpot it takes time it's it's a process it takes time and we have to wait and be patient and and Moses learned that that day in Exodus 17:15 it says Moses built an altar there and he called Jehovah nii the Lord is my banner so there's something significant with the fact that Moses called God His Banner because I think up to this point Moses and the people were guilty of looking to the stick they had become enamored with the staff of God they were putting all their hope all their they were getting their motivation and inspiration from this stick the staff of God right but here's the thing about the stick sorry Anson I didn't break anything I promise it's just a stick it is just a stick the thing that they were looking to as their Banner it probably doesn't exist anymore it's probably dust my question to you this morning is what is your stick what Earthly Banner are you looking to for your motivation your inspiration your hope your salvation what is it that you're looking for for purpose strength encouragement what is your stick for the for the Israelites and for Moses it was that literal stick it was just a stick it's dust now and maybe you put all your hope and your your motivation in in your job right or popularity or success or material possessions or maybe even your kids which is a good thing all these things are good things but if it becomes the stick and you lose sight of who Jehovah nii is in your life you're doing it wrong Jehovah nii is the Lord he's the only thing that lasts forever and he needs to be the source of our strength our hope our peace our Salvation our motivation all those things the Lord is our banner last week uh Pastor Kedrick um mentioned uh a passage from Philippians chapter 3 and it's actually one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible it says but whatever were gains to me I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ what is more I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ as my lord for whose sake I have lost all things I consider them garbage that I might gain Christ and that word garbage he told us it means means dung it's it's actually a much stronger word than dung like it's poop right everything is dung garbage compared to knowing Jesus Jesus is our Banner everything else is a stick in the end so my question to you this this morning because you might be thinking well what does does this have to do with my life it has everything to do with your life what are you looking to we talked about the stick is the Lord your banner I believe that the Lord is our Banner today just as much as he was for those ancient people thousands of years ago he is Jehovah nii today and he still fights our battles today he's not a God who just worked in the Old Testament thousand years ago he he works today in 20 24 he is very active he is alive and he fights our enemies let me ask you this who's your enemy who are your amalekites what are your amalekites I do want to point out that that your greatest amalekite your greatest enemy is Satan himself you have a spiritual enemy who wants to steal kill and destroy everything you love he wants to ruin your life he wants to ruin your family he wants to ruin this church that is his goal you have a very real enemy we have spiritual Powers against us and we're no match for for that kind of thing we're mere human beings we're no match against Satan and his demons and the evil Powers thank God that we're not alone right we have Jehovah ni who's our banner and he fights our battle and ultimately guess what just like the battle with the amalekites he always wins Jehovah nii always wins so we have a a a terrible enemy and his name is Satan but you also have other amalekites in your life what is your amalekite what is your what is your greatest battle right now in life if you're taking notes write it down give it a name what is your battle maybe it is sickness maybe the doctors have given you some kind of diagnosis and you're terrified maybe your battle is I know I've mentioned a couple times because I know there's there there are marriages out out there that are struggling maybe your battle is your marriage maybe your battle is for your kids and for them to know Jesus Christ as their lord and savior maybe you struggle from week to week with your finances and you don't know how you're going to pay the rent or pay your bills maybe that is your battle maybe you are at the end of your rope and you just you don't want to live even tomorrow which is incredibly sad Jehovah nii is your banner he can be your banner today don't forget that in the midst of your strongest your your toughest battle it could be sin depression anxiety fear I mentioned all sorts of things Jehovah nii can inspire you inspire you to never give up so if you're out there right now and you feel like you just want to give up and quit remember that Jehovah nii is your banner he doesn't want you to fail you're not alone he empowers you to victory Psalm 60:4 says but you have raised a banner for those who fear you a rallying point in the face of attack there's one Capital o1 we can rally around we as the church the family of God this is a rallying point here on Sunday morning where we get gather around Jehovah nii our banner and he fights our battles you don't have to do a life alone you've got brothers and sisters Moses had Aaron and her help helping them hold that staff up who's holding you up hopefully it is Jehovah nii but hopefully you have brothers and sisters in Christ who are holding you up too we can have victory over these these struggles these battles even Satan because the Lord is our Banner so don't give up don't cave let's find inspiration in Jehovah nii God is your banner God is John's Banner write it down if you're writing it down God is blank Banner jaylen's [Music] Banner God is sorry to point you out Jaylen but God is your banner right up down God wants to be your banner so if you feel beaten down and you're just afraid of Life say with me God is my banner Don't Be Afraid say it God is my banner if your marriage is struggling you don't know where to turn say it God is my banner if you're sick and you need hope you need healing say God is my banner if you need salvation today you need a savior who can literally save you from your sins and you want to have eternal life you say God is my banner if you're struggling from paycheck to paycheck you don't know where you going to get the provision you say God is my banner God is our Banner today praise God let's pray Jesus help us help us to remember who you are your names are so special and Powerful because they remind us of what you're capable of Lord I ask in Jesus name that you bless everyone here that you would help us to face these battles these very real battles and look to you as our Banner as those ancient people did so if you find yourself here today and and if you feel like you're in that place where you just want to give up we're still praying here if you feel like you just want to give up and and throw in the towel I encourage you just as Moses lifted his hands to the Lord if that's you and you feel like you you just want to give up lift your hands to the Lord declare that he is your banner Lord Jesus I pray that those who are really struggling with with those kind of feelings of hopelessness and despair and pain and turmoil Lord just fill them with your spirit help them Lord to look up at the banner which is you if you're here this morning and maybe you have been looking at other Earthly banners for your hope and your peace and maybe even your salvation and now you realize those things can't can't do it you need something bigger something more powerful someone that really can save you if that's you this morning and you want to make Jesus Christ your lord and savior I encourage you to raise your hands and declare the Lord is my banner Lord Jesus we need you if you're out there this morning you want to accept Jesus Christ your as your lord just pray this with me Lord Jesus I believe that you are my Lord and Savior I am a sinner and I need forgiveness I ask that you would come into my life that you would make me new that you would make me clean that you would give me a purpose I want your Holy Spirit I want you in my life and I want to follow you from this day forward amen as we close our service we're going to um reflect on the Lord's Supper it's very interesting um there's another story raise your hand if if you didn't receive the the elements this morning they'll they'll give it to you there's another story um about the Israelites and Moses there's a point in time where uh the Israelites they grumbled against God because like I said that was like one of their defining characteristics they always grumbled and complained against God and against Moses God got pretty mad at them and he Unleashed serpents into their camp and people were getting bit and they were dying from these venomous snakes and then the Lord told Moses to construct this bronze serpent put it up on a pole and raise it up and anyone that would fix their eyes on this bronze serpent they would be saved they wouldn't die here's the thing that was foreshadowing of what God has done for us through Jesus we look to the cross and that's our Banner that's where we find hope that's where we find Ultimate peace and salvation and forgiveness of our sins and salvation so we look to the Cross today as our Banner at the place where we receive salvation so take and and and eat and remember the body of Christ that was broken for you and likewise let's take the juice and remember the blood that was shed for the Forgiveness of sins let's drink Lord Jesus we just love you so much but we can't out love [Music] you thank you so much for for just loving us unconditionally none of us deserve it because we are all sinners and we fall short of God's glory but we thank you that we can look to you we can look to the cross and find Salvation and hope Lord just go with us from this place motivated and inspired to live for Jehovah nii our banner and All God's Children said amen amen well for our response time here at the end of service we're going to be singing a brand new song to our church this morning this is a song um pulled out of Psalm 23 it just goes so well with our scripture passage that we're hearing out of this morning that the Lord has good plans for your life that as we walk through the valley of the sh of death that when we walk with him we need not fear evil his rod and his staff they Comfort us so for this last song as we're learning it together feel free to to sit and to worship to come forward to the Altar for prayer if you need healing to come forward for prayer or to stand and to worship wherever you are um we just invite you to to respond to the Lord during this last song Let's worship together [Music] the Lord is my sheer and he is everything I need so I will not work I will not fear the enemy he said that he loves me he said that he's with me even though I walk through the valley with Shadow and death and still I know he has good plans he has good plans for me so I will take heart in deserts and Gardens he has good plans he has good plans for me if I know my father know my father good [Music] the Lord is my savior so why should I doubt my victory why would I question is right in his that comforts me he quiets the waters he quiets the storm inside of me so what could be better then walking with him when I believe he has good a plans he has good a plans for me so I would take hard in deserts and Gardens he has good plans he has good plans for me if I know my father I know my father he has good plans he has good plans for me so I will take heart in deserts and Gardens if he has good plans he has good plans for me if I know my father I know my father eyes good [Music] and surely you could and mercy will follow after me so fear will not find me cuz I'll be dwelling in the house of God surely you could and mercy will follow after me so fear well not fight me cuz I'll be dwelling in the house of God surely your goodness and mercy will follow after me so fear will now find me cuz I be dwelling in the house of God trly you goodness Mercy will follow after me see not fight me CU I'll be dwelling in the house of God he has good plans he has good plans for me so I will take heart in desert in G he has good plans he has there good PL for me if I know my father I know my father good place good [Music] place good place if I know my father I know my father eyes good friend good friend [Music] good if I know my father I know my father [Music] good [Music] amen yes Father we know know that you have good good plans for your children for those of us who walk with Jesus we do not walk alone when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death for the Lord is our banner and so we look to you Lord for our strength for our hope we look to you and fear will not find us so Lord we just pray that every single person that is represented in this room Lord who has given their life to Jesus would make it their life's goal and Mission to walk outside of this building and to ensure that more and more people could say those words with truth and with confidence that Lord every single person that walks this Earth walks through Dark Times walks through times of Brokenness and sin where they feel lost and confused and hopeless and the only difference between the people represented here and the people out there is that we have chosen to put our faith in Jesus and now we walk with you Jesus every step of the way and so those scary times still come but we know that we do not walk alone the Lord is our banner and Lord it is our prayer that we go beyond the walls of this building and as we interact with people out there in the world that we make it our life's goal and Mission to make sure that they also can say that they will not fear evil for your rod and your staff are a comfort to them because they have chosen to put their faith in Jesus and to walk with him every day so Lord as we have this opportunity to give to close this time together Lord I pray that we would without hesitation give to the mission of Jesus to put money into the hands and feet of gospel workers around the world to ensure PR that more and more people can hear the good news of Jesus that they would choose to walk with him and that surely goodness and mercy will follow them all the days of their lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever so Lord we pray that you would multiply in a supernatural way the gifts that are given today Lord not so that we can just build bigger barns around here but so that we can build bigger tables that heaven would be a little more crowded because of the work that cerville Community Church did to be Jesus to the people that we interacted with so Holy Spirit we pray that you would just give us the strength and the endurance to do so not for our Glory but For Your Glory alone we ask all of this in your name Lord Jesus amen thank you all so much for being here with us today go out and have an amazing rest of your week be Jesus to your communities and we'll see you next [Music] [Music] time for [Music] [Music]