WEBVTT - Instruments Of Victory 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:07.520 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:10.600 Church and this is our podcast. Be sure to subscribe 0:00:10.640 --> 0:00:13.720 so we can get you these new sermons every week. 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:21.880 I hope you're blessed today. Isn't that a good thing 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:26.680 to just know that here today we are in the 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:30.000 rhythm of the spirit of God. You can feel it. 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:33.239 If you have an ear, you can hear it. 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:35.920 And so. 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:42.160 God is just doing miracle after miracle, open door after 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:45.600 open door. It is an amazing time to be alive. 0:00:47.920 --> 0:00:51.680 We're leaving for tour here in a couple days, Elevation 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:57.480 Nights twenty twenty three Spring Tour. Somebody asked me the 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:02.040 other day are you ready? I said, man, I've been. 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:11.280 Ready, because if you stay ready, you don't have to 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:12.440 get ready, that's right. 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:16.040 And somebody said, well, will you take Sunday off before 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:18.480 you go out on tour and let somebody else preach? 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:22.360 I said, no, I want to be one hundred miles 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:30.839 an hour when I hit Austin, Texas. So I haven't 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.800 even thought too much about the tour in the last 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:35.760 few days because I've been thinking about this word I 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:38.200 want to give to you. But we are due to 0:01:38.319 --> 0:01:41.600 show up, and we are going to roll very strong 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:45.399 with all of our worship teams and a word from 0:01:45.400 --> 0:01:48.560 God and an impartation of faith full of the Holy 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:53.360 Spirit to the following cities starting April eighteenth through April 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:57.920 twenty seventh. We will be God willing and NBA and 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:05.000 NHL permitting, we will be in Austin, Texas, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:11.960 Kansas City, Missouri, Denver, Colorado, Saint Louis, Missouri, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:14.240 Y'all got any friends in Fort Wayne, Indiana you can 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:19.840 send out to see me. And Toronto, Ontario. It'll be 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:27.720 amazing elevation nights dot com mm hmm. But today we 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:31.080 bring you greetings e fam all around the world from Charlotte, 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:41.200 North Carolina. Oh yeah, We've got a triple annoying all 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.320 rolled up into one. Today. We've got the worship of 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.400 Almighty God, We've got the Word of Almighty God, and 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:51.079 we've got God's people together. And when you get all 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:54.720 that together, anything can happen. Clap those hands if you 0:02:54.760 --> 0:03:03.480 believe anything can happen in God's presence. Always awkward to 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:07.280 clap holding the mic like that. You hit it too hard. 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:09.000 One time I hit it too hard. The whole mic 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:14.160 just went out. So now I go tap those fingers, 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:20.200 praise the Lord. One more sermon on Gideon, and I 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:24.760 promise I'll leave Gideon alone. Y'all got one more Gideon sermon, 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:30.880 and then open your Bible to Judges chapter seven, or 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:33.639 pretend to open your Bible as you flip through your 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:36.360 phone and get that last round of candy crush so 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:40.960 you can pay attention to me. I want your mind 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:46.560 free and clear today because this message is just so 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:57.360 rich good news. I'm going to read so much scripture 0:03:57.480 --> 0:03:59.200 is going to make up for all the ones you 0:03:59.240 --> 0:03:59.720 didn't read. 0:03:59.760 --> 0:03:59.840 This. 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:03.040 I don't mean to judge you, but I know you've 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:05.160 been busy, so I'm gonna put them all in on 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:13.040 this one. Judges chapter seven, Verse one. How about that 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:19.480 from the English Standard version of the Bible. Then Jerube 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:22.280 bel that is, Gideon and all the people who were 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:26.320 with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harad, 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:28.960 and the camp of Midian was north of them by 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:32.840 the hill of Moreh In the valley. The Lord said 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:36.200 to Gideon, somebody say out loud, speak to me. Lord. 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.800 Don't just talk to Gideon. Just don't leave it back 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:41.680 there in the past. Speak to me, Lord, I need 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:45.320 to hear you too, the Lord said to Gideon. Now 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.479 you asked the Lord to speak. Listen what he said 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:51.839 to Gideon. The people with you are too many for 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:55.799 me to give the Midianites into their hand. That's their enemy, 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.719 the Midianites. The Lord said, I'm gonna give you the victory, 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.440 but the people with you are too many for me 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:05.200 to do it. Lest Israel boast over me, saying my 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:09.000 own hand has saved me. Now therefore proclaim in the 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:13.800 ears of the people, saying, whoever is fearful and trembling, 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:18.560 let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:25.120 Then twenty two thousand of the people return and ten 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:34.800 thousand remains. Yeah, that's backwards going into a battle, But 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:37.159 we'll talk about that in a moment. Let's move on. 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:40.880 Verse four. And the Lord said to Gideon, the people 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:44.160 are still too many. Take them down to the water, 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:47.240 and I will test them for you there. And any 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:49.440 one of whom I say to you this one shall 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.440 go with you, shall go with you. And any one 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:54.800 of whom I say this one shall not go with 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:58.240 you shall not go. Hey it's a good idea to 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:01.120 let God decide who belongs in your life in every season, 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:06.040 just a little seminar breakout session. That's not my sermon. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:10.680 But let God do that recruiting for you and the removal. 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:15.720 He's a good He'll balance it out for you in 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:18.960 the end, all right, verse what vers of mile on 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.600 Tim five? Tim was the last one answer, And he's 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:29.239 the one whose name I call him youth pastors uh five. 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.159 So he brought the people down to the water, and 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.240 the Lord said to gid him. Everyone who lapsed the 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:39.520 water with his tongue as a dog lapse, you shall 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:43.479 set by himself. Likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink. 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:45.719 So put them on two different sides. God's sortain things 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:47.680 out now, getting getting ready for the battle. He's got 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:51.320 a five. And the number of those who lapped, putting 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:55.160 their hands to their mouth like dogs, was three hundred men. 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:57.560 But all the rest of the people knelt down to 0:06:57.640 --> 0:06:59.840 drink water, had their face down in it, couldn't even look. 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:03.240 I'll seef anybody's coming. And so you know, he got 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:05.719 ninety seven hundred of the ten thousand that are left 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.520 on one side, three hundred on the other side, and 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.400 if I'm Giddeon, I'm like so I get the ninety 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:15.920 seven hundred right over here, right And no, no, no, 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:20.400 the Lord said, with the three hundred men, the number 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:22.720 was three hundred men knelt down to drink like a doll. 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.360 And the Lord said to Gideon, with the three hundred 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:27.960 men who lapped, I will save you and give the 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:31.720 Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go. 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:35.160 Every man to his home. So the people took provisions 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:40.360 in their hands and their trumpets, and he sent the 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:43.120 rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:45.720 the three hundred men, and the camp of Midian was 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:49.200 below him in the valley. A few more verses. That 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:53.960 same night, the Lord said to him, arise, go down 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:59.400 against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:05.720 I have given it. Who else but God can speak 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:09.440 in the past tense about a battle that hasn't even 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:14.280 happened yet, who else? What? God? Let me keep reading, y'all, 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:21.600 stop distracting me. Behave. I have given it into your hand. 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:23.760 But if you are afraid to go down, go down 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:26.520 to the camp with Pura, your servant, and you shall 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:30.160 hear what they say. And afterward, your hands shall be 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.240 strengthened to go down against the camp. And then he 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:37.120 went down with Purer, his servant, to the outpost of 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:39.079 the armed men who were in the camp, and the 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:42.120 Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:45.320 east lay along the valley like locusts in abundance. What 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:49.360 a contrast. Gideon's got three hundred dogs, and they got 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.920 so many enemies that it looks like locusts, a lot 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:56.000 of them. And their camels were without number, as the 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:58.400 sand that is on the seashore in abundance. It's a 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:00.600 lot of them. It's a lot of them. Say it's 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:02.360 a lot of them. It's a lot of things I'm 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:04.520 dealing with right now. It's a lot of people getting 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:06.560 on my nerves right now. It's a lot of bills 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:08.560 falling up right now. It's a lot of things I'm 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:11.080 trying to sort out right now. Now, watch this. When 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:15.199 Gideon came verse thirteen, Behold, a man was telling a 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.800 dream to his comrade, and he said, behold, I dreamed 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:23.440 a dream, And behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:26.240 into the camp of Midian and came to the tent 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.520 and struck it so that it fell, and turned it 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:33.800 upside down, so that the tent lay flat. And his 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:38.760 comrade answered, this is no other than the sword of Gideon, 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:43.520 the son of joe Ash, a man of Israel. God 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:48.920 has given into his hand Midian and all the camp. 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:54.360 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream 0:09:54.800 --> 0:10:01.679 and its interpretation, he worshiped, and he returned to the 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:06.520 camp of Israel and said, a rise, for the Lord 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:13.360 has given the host of Midian into your hand. Clap 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:18.600 those hands and celebrate God's word. Clap those hands. Today, 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:22.239 I want to preach to you about a very specific 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.800 subject that the Lord told me to mention today. I 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:31.559 want to talk about instruments of victory. Instruments of victory. 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:34.120 And on your way down to your seat, just say, 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:38.960 I've got what it takes to win. You may be seated. 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:42.800 I've got what it takes to win. High five the 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:45.079 person next to you, say, you've got what it takes 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:52.720 to win this one. You've got what it takes to 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:58.800 win this one. When I say that, do you believe it? 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:06.319 I've got what it takes to win. Gideon didn't for 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:10.360 a long, long while. It took him a while. It 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:15.280 took him a while to reconcile what he had inside 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:19.800 of him with what he saw all around him. It 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:24.000 took him a while to reconcile what God said about 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:28.839 him with what he saw in himself. It took him 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.400 a while to realize, if I could say it this way, 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:40.520 what kind of instrument he was in God's eyes? What 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:45.199 kind of instrument he was in God's eyes? See in 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:48.520 the Book of Judges, you have this constant cycle of 0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:53.719 God's people getting in trouble and then God stepping in 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:58.280 and bringing them out of trouble. And he did it 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:03.559 through if I can say it this way, some interesting instruments, 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:12.559 like one time you ever heard of Samson, got a haircut, 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:16.040 lost his strength, ate his finish. No, that's another guy, 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:21.160 all right. Sorry, I get mixed up sometimes, But Samson Samson. 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:26.440 One time he took the jawbone of a donkey. And 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:28.400 if it was a men's conference, we do the King 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:32.600 James the jawbone of an ass in the King James 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:38.480 version of the Bible, and beat back a thousand Philistines 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:42.920 with the jawbone of a donkey. And then he did 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:47.000 a disc track to the Philistines about it, with the 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.840 jawbone of a donkey. I have slain a thousand men 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:52.360 with the jawbone of a donkey. I have made donkeys 0:12:52.360 --> 0:13:00.240 of them. Samson interesting guy, interesting instrument for God to us, 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:04.360 you know, because he wasn't very self controlled or anything 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:07.400 like that, but he was strong and God used him. 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:10.080 One lady in the Book of Judges. I won't go 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.680 through all of them, it's fresh on my mind because 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:14.280 we were reading through it a few weeks ago. But 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:18.679 one woman in the Book of Judges, she wanted to 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:22.240 kill an evil king, and he snuck in her tent 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:25.440 and she said, oh, poor baby, let me give you 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.240 some milk. And she gave him some milk and he 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:32.560 got sleepy, and then while he was dozing off, she 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:37.840 got a tent peg. You ever read the Bible, y'all, 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:39.439 don't read the good stuff. I gotta show you where 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:42.720 the good stuff is, because you're over there rejoicing the Lord. 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:46.880 She took a tent peg because sometimes you fight the devil, 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.200 you gotta fight the devil dirty. Sometimes you do, sometimes 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:51.240 you do, sometimes you do. Sometimes you don't have time 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:55.000 for all of that transcendence and otherness and God the 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:57.959 dustness of thine in presence is. Then she grabbed a 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:01.240 tent peg. I don't think it was meant for this purpose, 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.600 but she was multipurposing, and she took the tent peg 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:08.080 put it through his skull. Look her up in the 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:13.160 Bible J L J A E L. It means uh, 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:15.400 the one God chose. That's what at least that's what 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:17.120 the girl told me at the restaurant. I met a 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.480 girl at a restaurant in Greensboro Friday, and she said, 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:22.440 mister Verday. I said yes, She said, I watch your servants. 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:24.120 I said great. What's your name? She said Jayl. I 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:25.520 said that's a great name. Do you know that story 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:28.600 in the Bible? She said, oh yeah. And so she 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:30.280 was a server in the restaurant. So every time she 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:33.320 came close to me with like a instrument of any sort, 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:37.880 I was a little bit nervous, but she was sweet 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:43.600 in Somebody say, interesting instruments that God used to deliver 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:47.080 his people? Can we agree? Jobbone of a donkey, tent 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:49.240 peg through the skull of a king, after a nice 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.840 warm glass of milk. It's interesting the things God uses. 0:14:54.080 --> 0:15:00.600 But stranger than the objects that God uses are the 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:05.320 characters that he raises up to us as his instruments. 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:10.440 Look at somebody and say, you are an interesting instrument. 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:17.680 Just just just just tell him, tell him, tell him 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.360 by faith, because you promise you don't know. You don't 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:23.640 know the half of what you just said to them. 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:27.000 You really have no idea how God put them together. 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:30.360 And you've been married to her for eighteen years and 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.040 you still don't know how to play that instrument just 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.800 exactly right and keep it in tune. It takes a 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:40.360 little while to figure out the instrument, and and and 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:46.480 and and For Gideon it's even more difficult because he 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:50.400 is seen as I don't know what the coolest instrument is, 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:55.000 maybe drums or something like that, maybe electric guitar. Gideon 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.920 is the instrument that nobody wants. Gideon is like the 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:04.920 recorder in his own mind, in his own mind, and 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:07.880 when God comes to him and calls him out of 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:11.400 the wine press, he's down there threshing weed in a 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:14.840 wine press. Because the Bible says that the hand of 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:19.600 the Midianites was against the Israelites. And so when God 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:22.120 comes to Gideon and he says, get up, go in 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:25.720 the strength that you have, I'm gonna use you to 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:30.280 bring my people out of the hands of the Midianites. 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:36.200 Gideon really doesn't get it at first because it takes 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:41.160 him a while to figure out what kind of instrument 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:48.240 he can be. And here's why he's been in the 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:54.560 wrong hands for so long that he doesn't even realize 0:16:55.240 --> 0:17:03.400 who he is anymore. The whole nation, not just Gideon, 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:08.960 has been in the hands of the Midianites. And let 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:11.040 me show you what that looks like from the New 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.520 Testament and bring it into our lives. From Romans chapter six, 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.440 verse thirteen. Can we go over and see the apostle 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:20.480 Paul for a moment. Let's go see the Apostle Paul 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:25.200 for a moment, because this verse will really bring this 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:29.040 message to a practical place for us where we can 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.800 understand what Jesus has done for us, and where we 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.280 can understand what the Holy Spirit is inside of us, 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:39.040 so that we don't just shout that God has given 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:41.760 us the battle, but that we actually get to go 0:17:41.880 --> 0:17:44.560 back into the battles that we face in our lives 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:48.600 with something practical where we can take it and where 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:53.679 we can triumph over the enemy that Jesus has already defeated. 0:17:54.880 --> 0:18:01.960 Somebody shout, I've got what it takes to win all right. Romans, 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:07.640 chapter six, verse thirteen. Listen to this. Paul cautions you 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:15.160 do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:21.520 but present yourselves to God as those who have been 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:27.000 brought from death to life. That's what he did for you, 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:33.600 as those who have been brought from death to life. 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:39.159 You are a living instrument. And so since you are 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:45.159 a living instrument, you put your life. Watch this in 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:49.159 the hands of a living God. Put your life in 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:51.200 the hands Look at the second part of that verse, 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:57.959 your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Present yourselves 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.040 to God as those who have been brought from death 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:06.560 to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:12.560 In other words, take it back. You have been presenting 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:17.760 yourself as an instrument to the enemy for long enough. 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:23.639 You have been presenting your mind to the enemy long enough. 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:28.959 You have been presenting your mouth to the enemy long enough, 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:32.960 just saying whatever comes out, just saying what everybody else says, 0:19:33.320 --> 0:19:35.120 just saying whateverything you happen to think of that moment, 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:36.560 not checking it to see it. If he's even true, 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:37.840 if it's where you want to end up in your life, 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:40.479 and setting the direction by your tongue, and steering your 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:42.720 life with the rudder of your tongue and your words 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:47.040 and your speech. You have let the devil have your 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:57.600 instruments long enough take it back. You may not understand 0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:04.560 the value of the instrument that is you yet, And 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:06.920 in case you don't, let me set the record straight. 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:11.240 The way that you were brought from death to life 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:14.520 is that Jesus went from life to death back to 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:22.000 life again. Somehow the Savior of the universe thought Alex 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:29.159 was an instrument worth dying for. Somehow the creator of 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:35.600 the cosmos thought Charlie was worth bleeding for. Somehow the 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:41.440 maker of heaven and Earth thought Heather was worth setting 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:47.120 his blood for. You are an interesting instrument. But let 0:20:47.119 --> 0:20:50.639 me tell you part two. You are an expensive instrument. 0:20:55.240 --> 0:20:58.560 You can't get this in a pawn shop. This is 0:20:58.600 --> 0:21:02.480 not a secondhand instrument. This is not a hand me down. 0:21:02.560 --> 0:21:05.440 This isn't the tuba that your brother never played. This 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:12.840 is an expensive instrument, the first guitar that I ever 0:21:12.880 --> 0:21:17.240 bought that cost a lot of money. You know what 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:19.680 I'm gonna say. Do you know what I'm gonna say? 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:22.280 My mom and my best friend from isaacall Are both 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:25.520 on the second row. I can't tell any lies about 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:29.240 my childhood or exaggerator embellish any facts about my life 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:34.439 with these two fact checkers right here. But the first 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:36.639 guitar that I ever bought, my mom bought me some 0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:40.919 and then I wanted this one specific one. It was 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:47.919 a Paul Reid Smith. What if I had it in 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:52.400 the back right now? Bring it out, Jared, bring out 0:21:52.440 --> 0:22:01.840 my Paul Reid Smith. Jared Olson, everybody, Jared, you were 0:22:01.880 --> 0:22:03.760 shaken when you brought it out. You a little nervous. 0:22:04.600 --> 0:22:09.640 Excited me too. I'm excited. I'm excited. I'm excited. I'm 0:22:09.680 --> 0:22:13.239 excited about this. Paul Readsmith. Oh, I was excited about this. 0:22:13.600 --> 0:22:18.479 I worked all summer to buy this Paul Reid Smith. 0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:23.480 And if Paul is watching, a sponsorship would be greatly 0:22:23.520 --> 0:22:27.960 appreciated for elevation worship. A lot of people watch these 0:22:27.960 --> 0:22:35.000 sermons Paul Reid Smith. Everybody say, Paul Reid Smith, any 0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:39.480 guitar players in the house, you sound like you just 0:22:39.520 --> 0:22:43.359 started six months ago. The way he said, well, you 0:22:43.400 --> 0:22:45.280 don't sound like you toured with Journey. Let me put 0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:49.320 it that way. I told him, bring it out. In 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:54.440 the case and everything. Just bring it out. How many 0:22:54.520 --> 0:22:58.879 memories does this bring back? I saved all summer working 0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:02.879 for pet Rest Cemetery and Cremation service. That was my 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:09.040 first job. I say, all summer, every Saturday, me and Fox. Now, 0:23:09.080 --> 0:23:11.879 Fox was a bass player. I should tell you this. 0:23:12.200 --> 0:23:16.600 When Paul says instruments of righteousness, he's talking about weapons. 0:23:17.880 --> 0:23:20.280 But I never fought in the army. So when I 0:23:20.280 --> 0:23:25.760 see instruments, I think, I think Paul reads Smith. I 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:29.359 think about this, Paul reads Smith guitar that me and Fox. 0:23:29.400 --> 0:23:32.040 Now remember, me and him had a band together, but 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:36.600 we didn't Well, Okay, I shall say it. I should 0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:39.439 say this, and I'll tell you I've been making up 0:23:39.480 --> 0:23:42.400 bands since I was twelve years old. In my mind, 0:23:42.880 --> 0:23:44.760 I would give a band a name, and then I 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:46.760 would tell all my friends they were in my band, 0:23:48.280 --> 0:23:51.720 even though they didn't play an instrument. I'd be like, Lee, 0:23:51.760 --> 0:23:55.159 you're my drummer. I don't have drums. It's fine, you're 0:23:55.200 --> 0:23:58.560 my drummer. We've got a band, and I would name 0:23:58.600 --> 0:24:01.000 the band, and I would make albums around those bands 0:24:01.520 --> 0:24:06.159 that didn't have any instruments or musicians. All that, I 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:07.720 promise I'm gonna gave it to the Bible in a minute. 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:11.080 It is just to set up. This guitar was about 0:24:11.160 --> 0:24:15.560 fourteen hundred dollars when I bought it, which in today's 0:24:15.600 --> 0:24:22.600 money is seven point three million. Google it and look 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:26.360 inflation is crazy and watch us. I would go every 0:24:26.440 --> 0:24:29.080 Saturday with Fox, and Fox was my first friend who 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:31.000 actually had an instrument. My friend Michelle said, hey, you 0:24:31.000 --> 0:24:33.080 should meet Fox. He's got a bass. He's got a bass, 0:24:33.440 --> 0:24:36.359 he plays bass. I play guitar. We start playing together, 0:24:36.560 --> 0:24:39.800 We put bands together. His brother started playing drums. Now 0:24:39.880 --> 0:24:48.240 I finally had friends with instruments. Y'all run around talking 0:24:48.280 --> 0:24:51.280 about friends with benefits. What you need is some friends 0:24:51.320 --> 0:24:56.200 with instruments, huh. Some friends who can help you grow 0:24:56.520 --> 0:24:59.000 and go where you need to go and have the 0:24:59.080 --> 0:25:03.280 gift of incur man. You need some friends with instruments. 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:06.680 If you can't play, don't play me in this season. 0:25:06.920 --> 0:25:11.879 Because I'm looking for somebody who's got something, who's going somewhere. 0:25:12.200 --> 0:25:15.280 I'm not looking for somebody who's gonna turn back when 0:25:15.320 --> 0:25:21.399 the battle gets hard. I need some friends. That's what 0:25:21.560 --> 0:25:24.400 God said to get in. You got too many men 0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:27.919 who don't have any instruments, and in this season of 0:25:28.000 --> 0:25:31.120 your life, let me get rid of everything that isn't 0:25:31.160 --> 0:25:37.200 serving a purpose. You sit down. This is my party. Smith. 0:25:38.240 --> 0:25:40.600 Every Saturday I went, I looked at it. I drooled 0:25:40.640 --> 0:25:42.840 over it, I lust it over it. I prayed for it. 0:25:43.320 --> 0:25:46.120 I did to hell Mary, I've prayed in pentecostal tongues 0:25:46.480 --> 0:25:49.679 until I finally got it. Until I finally got it. 0:25:51.200 --> 0:25:54.040 When Mike on the store, we picked this up and 0:25:54.080 --> 0:25:58.480 play it. This sounded so good when I got it home. 0:26:01.160 --> 0:26:03.960 It didn't sound like Mike when Mike played it. Mike 0:26:04.040 --> 0:26:05.560 was a great guitar player. I think he's still there 0:26:05.600 --> 0:26:09.480 running that shop. Am I telling the truth? All summer? 0:26:09.520 --> 0:26:14.840 I saved up for this instrument. It's expensive. Come here, Eric, 0:26:15.760 --> 0:26:18.640 this is my friend I was talking about. Aren't you glad? 0:26:18.640 --> 0:26:20.480 He ironed that shirt today before he came to church. 0:26:20.960 --> 0:26:22.960 I didn't plan it this, y'all. Mask you come on 0:26:22.960 --> 0:26:24.480 the stage, all the way on the stage, all the 0:26:24.520 --> 0:26:27.080 way on the stage. I texted him five minutes ago. 0:26:27.080 --> 0:26:29.919 I said you're here today, right? He said, fron center. 0:26:30.040 --> 0:26:34.679 I said good, But I didn't tell him this play something. 0:26:36.760 --> 0:26:40.440 Come on now, this is a Paul Reed Smith it 0:26:40.520 --> 0:26:46.040 should be beautiful. Yees see, we all knew this was 0:26:46.080 --> 0:26:50.360 gonna happen. He's trying to play plush by Stone Temple Pilots, 0:26:50.400 --> 0:26:53.920 but he can't. He didn't know it. Now I'm gonna 0:26:53.920 --> 0:26:55.520 show you something. I'm gonna show you something. This will 0:26:55.560 --> 0:26:59.960 be so some stop playing. That's distracting. My best friend 0:27:00.080 --> 0:27:02.160 from high school, he would. He would drive me down 0:27:02.160 --> 0:27:03.840 there a lot of saturdays to look at the guitar, 0:27:03.840 --> 0:27:05.760 because he had his license before I did. We go 0:27:05.800 --> 0:27:07.440 down there to yell music and look at the thing. 0:27:07.600 --> 0:27:13.040 All right, watch this, watch this. That guitar is expensive, 0:27:14.840 --> 0:27:22.400 but in the wrong hands. Sorry, its potential is limited. 0:27:25.680 --> 0:27:31.200 E take that over to E. Come here, y'all give 0:27:31.240 --> 0:27:35.680