LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. MUST WATCH! - Francis Chan

good morning church it's good to be with you guys cuz the CEO thanks I love you guys I miss you I miss being with you Ventura campus I miss you we love you one Church two locations give them some love and Tori just want to thank you for your continued love and support and prayers for our family we've been beautifully overwhelmed by all your love and your letters and your gifts and mostly your prayers your prayers have been effective one of our home groups started 24-hour prayer many of you have joined in that and people from around the world have been doing that and it's changing things I mean Daisy's last round of chemo was night and day from the first round she she is suffering noticeably way less than she was suffering before so just God's grace and mercy being made manifest through your prayers so thank you for that you can be praying for her this week as when she'll be neutropenic meaning all our white blood cells or her immune system is wiped out this week if she gets any sort of sickness you'll be immediately hospitalized for a couple weeks I'm taking a great risk being here with you guys today but I just couldn't stay away but I can't get sick so I want to love and hug all of you but I can't so don't touch me just we just love each other from afar so you can just pray that Daisy would not get sick this week and then the big day September 3rd a week from this coming Friday that's when she'll have her scan and we'll see whether the tumor has grown stayed the same shrunk or if it's just gone gone Jesus name gone wrong so depending on the results of that Friday night we'll either have the most insane party ever or she'll go into surgery or should go into more chemotherapy so just be praying that it's gone on September 3rd thank you for your love and your prayers there a lot going on with a reality family this week reality LA and reality San Francisco have teams in London working with reality London doing another prayer tour they're praying through the city that's been a powerful time our own pastor G is preaching at reality San Francisco this weekend our newest church planter Al Abdullah who you heard from last week is preaching at reality LA this weekend so tons going on and then we are super blessed to have my friend Francis Chan here and Francis has been a real blessing to me when he first heard about my daughter's cancer he reached out to me and it's just been loving on me and my family and on you guys he could be anywhere in the world right now literally including home with his family or at the beach but he's here because he loves me and he loves you and we're just really grateful for that Kate and I went to dinner with Francis and Lisa last night I went out for vegan food great place in Ventura by the way Ventura campus it's called what's it called Mary secret garden by the park off Thompson great place super new-age so you could just be on mission when you go there and trip out on the bathroom when you go in the bathroom it's a trip but great food we were there having dinner and just talking about stuff going on in our lives and Kate and I are sharing with Francis and Lisa kind of our struggles with Daisy second bout of cancer and you know we're literally walking through the valley in the shadow of death we're literally looking at death right now and he was reminding us because he's such a great Shepherd and pastor he said yeah but God is a big God and I was encouraged nice and yeah but gosh God is also kind of crazy Francis and then it just dawned on us we're gonna do a book together called big crazy God anyway I love this man and we're very blessed to have him Francis Chan we did have a great time last night with the vegans um that's first I met Kate she's a trip haha so funny but but it has been so encouraging hanging out with people from reality and just the more I find out about this church the more I love it the more I just feel like total connection kinship even this morning as we're praying for the people going to Ethiopia for the mossy foot project I don't know if you know but that is something that is so dear to my heart this mossy foot project in fact the the founder of that Nathan Barlow this is this is a guy who to me is is one of my heroes and he's with the Lord right now he's he's passed away but this guy went to Ethiopia and he stayed there for over 60 years okay medical doctor that figured out how we could help these people I mean it is it is just the nastiest thing you'll see just the they really are ostracized their feet it's just it's it's awful but he figured out a way to do the surgery to make it look you know somewhat normal so they could come back into society and be with these people and there's thousands and thousands of people he was like the only guy that was helping them and so he never laughed he never left the mission field in fact this you know the story there's this one story where he went and he was gonna he had a toothache and it got so bad he had to leave the field but when he when he went to wherever Europe and flew over there and got his teeth worked on he told the doctor because I don't want this ever to happen again I don't ever want to have to leave the field because of a toothache so please take out all of my teeth and they removed all of his teeth I mean you're talking about hardcore look I love these people and I need to be here this is what God has called me to I got to meet him at the end of his life because his daughter brought him back to the u.s. as it is there were a lot of medical complications and everything else and and as we're talking I just want to learn under this guy you know and just hear about his life and everything else the whole time he's just he didn't want to be here he didn't want to be here he says I gotta go back and I know there's you know the medicine everything else it's not good there but just send me back I want to die with my people and they flew him back there and that's where he wanted to be with the Lord and and so that's the ministry you guys are supporting cuz when he died there was just a sense of is it going to be forgotten is it going to be carried on because all the support was through him and where the relationships going to be but praise God for your church for the team that's going out there and others that are hearing about this project because it's it's it's really really bad and so again when I saw that it's just like ah there's just this the sweet bond that I sense with you guys and just you know how when um we can meet people you hardly even know and there's something about the Spirit of God that immediately you go okay what's mine is yours you're my brother you're my sister let's go for this thing it's it's the real deal and I want to pray I want to pray for this morning I didn't do that during first service and and I feel like I kind of screwed up a little um no really you know it's weird how when you're going to you're going to preach on something like if I'm going to preach on marriage I'll fight with my wife on the way to church it's just it's going to happen and and and it's it's crazy because today and it didn't really hit me but I'm preaching on being fearless because that's what this this verse in Psalm 23 talks about and even though I walk through the valley shadow of death I'll fear no evil because you're with me you know your rod your staff they comfort me it's just this idea of I I can be in the worst situation in the world and I'm going to be fearless why because you're there and it's amazing how as I'm about to speak that all these fears came to my mind just driving over here I was scared to preach I was scared you know during first service there's some things I was going to say and I thought I might be taking the wrong I'm not going to say it you know I felt like God wanted me just to get in front the group and just look people in the eyes and and that he was just going to give me the words to say and yet the Knights got scared ah well what if I start talking then I don't know what to say next you know and all these different dumb fears like what in the world you've preached 50,000 times and now you're scared and and I really believe that it's not a coincidence and you know just confessing a Brit afterwards and we just prayed and said you know what just go for and that's just it's just you know trust in the word of God trust you know one of the questions I ask myself oh I've got this list of questions the seven questions I ask myself before I I speak but one of the questions is am i depending on the Holy Spirit's power or my own cleverness and so I think to myself okay as I walk up there is it because I got these notes that I just know we're going to work and this is one joke that you're going to love you know is it is it all this illustration or whatever else is it that or am i walking up there going you know what the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is inside this body that God is literally literally in me right now and he is actually going to speak through me and it's just this supernatural is that what I'm depending on the fact that the Lord is really my shepherd that I can walk in any situation and go oh okay I'm about to speak to most of you who believe in the same God I do what is there to fear I'm about to share from his word that that's so powerful is sharper than a two-edged 'iz what is there to fear and then if the spirit of him who raised Christ took a dead body and caused him to rise from the grave is now inside this body there's nothing to be afraid of this isn't a flesh and blood Francis is going to try to manipulate your mind time know it's about God is going to speak through me and he has some things to say and there's some of you that are struggling in your courage you're scared of so many things and it's not the picture of what God wants us to show the world he wants to show us a bunch of people that are like the psalm is in Psalm 23 I said you know what the Lord is my shepherd he makes me lie down in these green pastures he takes me beside still waters it restores my soul you know he wants his picture of these people with absolute confidence absolute peace that even when we're facing the most dangerous place we could be it's like big deal God's standing there with me and so I want to pray I want to pray for myself you know I used to feel weird like you know asking people to pray for me but the crazy thing is in at the end of Ephesians six the Apostle Paul says pray for me that I'd be able to preach boldly like I aunt Paul Paul is preaching for bold asking for boldness the Apostle Paul it was there anyone bolder you know what I mean don't you just feel like an idiot next to Paul because of his boldness and you know what's he asking the people to do you guys pray for me pray for me I need this courage I need this boldness I need to say everything I've got to say so even the Apostle Paul and when you look in the when you look in the book of Acts they're constantly praying for boldness you see the Apostles when they come out of jail you know and in this boldness for preaching Christ they what are the people praying for they're praying for their boldness you know in acts 4 verse 29 and then we will get to the prayer but I'm on a roll right now and then you know in verse 29 of Acts forces and now Lord look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak in your word with all boldness and then verse 31 when they prayed the place in which they were gathered was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak the Word of God with all boldness they prayed in this room and what did they pray where the believers gather to pray for is that God give us courage make us bold make it so that when we go out there I'm not scared to say you know what Jesus is Lord he is the way and the truth and the life and no one gets to the Father but through him I know that's not a popular message but God give me the boldness to go out and speak that and when they prayed literally something happened like the room like something literally shook and then the people walked out because they were filled with the spirit and the result of that was they went out and they spoke up with boldness and I see that so much in the early church that even Paul prayed for that and here we have Peter and John praying for that and the early believers praying for that and receiving that and it's interesting because earlier in that chapter when Peter and John were preaching it says in verse 13 when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men they were astonished see what the world saw what people saw was they saw these these these early believers going Ben look how bold they are they were astonished by their boldness when's the last time someone was astonished by your boldness see these people were astonished by the boldness when they recognized that they were they were they were ordinary uneducated men see see some of us are very educated in Scripture and the world may be astonished by your knowledge of Scripture man that's great I'm not not going man I praise God you're a student of the word but there's something about this boldness see I feel like I see a lot of the opposite now I see a lot of people to know a lot of scripture and I'm astonished by their lack of boldness and their fear and and somehow as a church we've got to get back to being courageous okay one more thing because listen to this Philippians 1 Philippians 1 verse verse 27 listen to what Paul says here he says only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent I may hear of you that you're standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents this is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation and that God see that's the sign isn't that insane that's the sign when people see us fearless fearless then they're going to believe that's why the early church was praying for boldness that's why the people were suddenly astonished like why are they so bold why are they so confident and Paul's saying here he goes look when people youyou know when the world is going to believe when were united just like Jesus said right you know they're going to believe when they see us unite then the world is going to see and they're going to believe that Jesus came and here's this is a clear sign when you guys are striving side by side for this gospel for this good news when when they see an army of people that go you know what we believe this thing we are together on this we've got our difference we care less we're we're striving together side by side for this gospel and we're not afraid of anything and when they see that well they're not afraid of anything then they're going to go okay they're saved and we're in trouble that's what Paul says here's the clear sign a bunch of people who call themselves followers of Jesus who are so secure in this shepherd that's leading them that they're striving side by side and they go through some of the most difficult things in life but they're fearless and people are going to go okay they're right I need to repent I need to change because I just experienced the real thing and so this is no small topic that we're talking about is it is no there's no surprise why Satan would want to keep us in our fear in our lack of confidence wondering if God's going to come through what rather than walking side by side boldly fearless because when we do that then then Satan is in trouble the unbelievers are going to believe and so let's pray let's believe let's let's believe like that early church right now as I pray is there any reason why God wouldn't cause this room to shake why not why couldn't he do that have you lost your faith but but that's not even that's not the point of that passage I mean he can make an earthquake that what's that going to change we want that other part we're we're filled with the spirit and we walk out here boldly and that will be the sign to them and I want to pray for that I want to pray that somehow God would use a human being right now and empower him with his spirit and speak his word that we could walk out and be changed people and I believe that's going to happen as we pray right now so join me in a word of Prayer father I'm already excited I already sent you working right now and I'm just confident thank you for prayer I thank you that we can speak to you right now this is amazing the god of the universe is listening to us God and I'm asking you please just raise up an army here in Ventura raise up an army and and just just make us people that put aside our differences and just love each other and strive side-by-side fighting for the gospel not for our rights and not for how someone hurt our feelings or this or that but something so much bigger your story the fact that Jesus Christ is king that he came here took the form of a man died on a cross for our sins rose from the grave ascended to your right hand is going to return one day to judge this world and be with us forever God may we share that good news boldly the fact that you are the creator the fact that you are our Shepherd and there's nothing that we need to fear on this earth Lord because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ Lord death has lost its sting we no longer fear death we don't fear people we don't fear anything and so God make us like that use your word right now to purify us god help us to see the lies of the enemy all the fears all the insecurities all the times we just focus on ourselves take our eyes off of ourselves right now Lord and help us look to you the Good Shepherd who has led us through so much that we could leave here with confidence knowing that surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives speak to us Lord may your spirit move in this room God and give us a boldness a boldness like those early believers in Jesus name I pray amen how many guys how many you guys grew up in church like went to Sunday school okay okay a lot of you well what were some of your favorite stories that you learn when you were a kid in Sunday school David and Goliath okay all around perfect that was every other week is either David and Goliath or Jonah and but what else didn't Goliath Daniel in the lines and wasn't that a great one because sometimes they'd have the pictures and you know of the Lions and they're all their mouths are shut and some of them had angels holding them or whatever else what else I'm sorry what parting of the Red Sea yeah and then the drowning of all the army afterwards it's like yeah the fish in the bread yes yeah just the multiplying of that that's right one minute Noah's Ark when he killed everyone Noah's Ark we left that part out you notice that it's it's funny we like to just talk about oh yeah the giraffes you know their heads are poking out it's like we do that because we want to avoid certain parts of God we don't want to talk about that side I mean seriously if your parents painted it in the wall in your room they didn't paint the millions dying under the water right what else what else do you what else do you remember that would be okay what else you were what at weather stories Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and that fiery furnace and she loved that story where these throw them in that fire and someone else is with them there and they come out and they don't even smell like smoke so cool what else crucifixion the resurrection the empty tomb the book of Revelation the whole book of Revelation Wow Samson that's right yeah Samson and the whole hair thing I didn't like that one but okay here's here's there's a point I want to make think about all of those stories okay Danny don't you remember walking out of Sunday School and you were just like my god can do anything remember that that that's what you were in awe of as a kid it was like wow you know my God can do anything and and in something I've just noticed is I feel like our teaching changes as we grow up and I'll even confess that there are times when I just felt like okay those were the kids stories those are the stories that we learn as a kid and now that that people are older as a pastor I'm not going to preach those messages like I'm really going to get up and preach about Daniel in the lion's den and Jonah and that you know there was almost like a silliness because well we're more educated now and so when we were kids were like wow you know David slew that giant and as we grow up and go to drink oh wow he really mastered the Greek you know and you see how we went to the imperative you know it's it's like what are we doing do we still believe that those things happen do we still believe that Elijah called down fire from heaven and that it literally happened and when's the last time you had dwelt on that and believed on that see my favorite verse in the Bible is James 5:17 where it says Elijah was a man just like us my favorite verse Elijah was a man just like us I think the ESV says Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours I love that verse because he's saying Elijah was just a person he was a human being David all these people we just mentioned Daniel Noah Moses they were all just people Elijah who calls down fire from heaven and you know White's out the prophets of bale that all he was just a person he was a man just like us but he prayed earnestly and and in here's the thing is as you get older people I'm not trying to complain about all you know what I love the church I love the people but I got to say sometimes the very people that attend our gatherings are causing us to not believe anymore - they're saying no think more responsibly you know hey you know they almost want to take away our faith and we're not encouraged when we get together we were supposed to encourage one another to love and good deeds which does encourage each other with these stories of the past oh man look what he did there's no difference in you but so often we can come to these places and almost feel discouraged we may come believing God wants to do great things huge things and sometimes people squash that and go well I don't know I don't know if God you know can really do that now I don't know if he's really let's be very careful with our words because so often I've just had this childlike faith where I just believe God was going to do something great through me and and then I just hear everyone going now no no no and you just fight and fight and fight and go now I don't believe you I'm not going to listen to you I know what my God has done in the past and to somehow to hold on to that because the early church they encouraged want to know they gave encouraged one Ana they gave courage to one another and saying you know what you you can do this you can do this because I've been in so many circles where you're almost made to feel feel dumb you know like if you don't know the Bible well enough and and and I was talking with my elders about this about a year or two ago we talked about remember when we were first believers and you just believed you could do anything and you start sharing with your friends and whatever else but then it's almost like people say what you don't know enough yet so you know what maybe you let us pull you out of the world and let's get you in these studies and help you to learn more about and those are all good things you know but let's keep them out there you know but we want to protect you and say okay don't say anything because you just preached a lot of heresy so just just come back wait till you really get it down and then the more you study the more you realize how little you know right and so then you go to Bible College and you meet people who know way more than you then you go to seminary and you're learning and get a little cocky and you start feeling like you know it all and then a month later you know you forget everything and and then you remember all the people who knew so much and it's almost like you get more discouraged to feel more inadequate because you're just going on yeah maybe I'm not the guy for this maybe I'm not the woman for this job maybe I just I don't know enough I'm not gifted like him I I don't have leadership gifts a lot like him I can't I can't I don't have that compassionate spirit like there's all these things that almost weigh you down and I have to remind myself on wait a second Elijah was a man just like me see if you if you don't believe that verse and you still look at David or Moses like they were some sort of super human being that's beyond you come on admit it don't you look at some of these people and you put them on a different level than you you're going to put yourself next to Elijah a prophet of God do you really believe that you are the same as a Noah or Moses or a Peter or a Paul see I got a fight to believe that because the Bible tells me that's true that Elijah was a man just like me we got to stop believing these lies you guys that there was something special about them because the Bible tells us they had in nature just like ours but they prayed and they believed they prayed earnestly and they believed in this God that they pray to and we need to get back to that childlike faith and say no I'm no different from Daniel or Shadrach or Meshach and Abednego if anything I could argue that I've got something on them with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that there was something different there so why am I not walking around with a boldness a greater boldness than they walked with and see that's that's why Psalm Psalm 23 was so beautiful to me I'll confess you I never preached Psalm 23 today was my first day preaching for 20 years never preached Psalm 23 I just figure out that's the trendy song every one's preached it everyone knows it you hear it so many times why am I going to be repetitive and so when I was asked to teach it you know a few weeks ago I just started reading it memorized it for the first time in my life and just started meditating it on the last last few weeks and it is no coincidence at all that God's having me preach Psalm 23 it has just raised my confidence level my peace level because it's it's it's as I know I'm just focused on verse 4 but it the entirety of the psalm there's just something beautiful about it and I want to be careful not to tear it apart too much because sometimes we can just exegete the beauty out of something and you know and there's something about the whole of this passage that's very beautiful that I don't want us to miss because it's it's kind like it's like if you tried to exegete Humpty Dumpty you know it's like don't don't get too technical you know because I actually did it one time I just thought okay Humpty Dumpty what is Humpty Dumpty seriously an egg is that all he is now you never really thought about it right he's a weird thing he's sitting on a wall bouquet but here's the part that bothered me the most as as I as I thought through that passage um that nursery rhyme who after after he falls okay the line that bugs me is all the king's horses how where the horse is going to help that you ever have you ever in your life thought about that how are the horses going to help put Humpty Dumpty back together just try to picture it in your mind it just doesn't make any sense see so you can you can take something like that just leave it alone you know is kind of cute until you ruined it for me and in the same way I want to be careful with Psalm 23 because there is such a beauty to the poetry in Psalm 23 I you know it's just like wow this really flows the imagery and just there's an overall just absolute peace and confidence in the writer he's just going ha you know God God Yahweh the creator of the universe the most powerful being in existence is my shepherd think about that so so what more do I want from that he he leads me he makes me lie down in these green pastures he leads me sides to God this is God remember Yahweh is my shepherd he takes me he himself restores my soul when everyone else has beaten me up whatever it just doesn't even matter anymore because God Himself is restoring my soul and and he leads me down these paths of Rights he eats me to the right way he's right leads me to these paths of righteousness all for his name's sake because even if I walk in the valley of the shadow of death and that was a literal place this is a literal place it was it was like this picture this deep ravine with these cliffs okay and in picture picture just these these ferocious just animals and you know predators just this is just looking down as you're walking through this ravine by yourself and walking through this ravine and not only that but the way I understand it there were even people who would would hide there and an attack and so you got you got people you got animals you got everything is against you can you imagine what if you like to walk through something like that to walk through a jungle knowing that you've got all these eyes on you and all these predators on you and and it's just this picture of this this man going to go even if I walk through there you guys know what I'm talking about if I walk through that strip over there that valley the shadow death I'm not really afraid of anything why because he's with me my Shepherds with me and his rod I see that I see that staff in his hand and I go no one's going to mess with him no one's going to hurt him because you know I saw I'm not a I'm not afraid of that even if my enemies show up of all my enemies show up you know my Shepherd he'll just go just uh he'll prepare a little table for me I'll just sit there and eat you know it'll massage my shoulders and all my head with oil fill my cup till it overflows I got nothing to be afraid of all because of him it's not nothing about himself doesn't go if I walk through the valley shadow if I don't care because I know you know some jujitsu I I got a knife got this guy and I got this I got that there's nothing about that it says all this comfort he goes man because this this one who's with me I have enemies attacking me and I would just sit there drinking just just mocking you know just like Elisha on that mount like hey where's your God it just is he just fearless and he goes and so I know goodness and mercy they're going to follow me all the days of my life and then I'm going to dwell in the house of the Lord forever I just like ah you know just this piece I mean are you walking like that is that you I've been dwelling on that for the last couple of weeks I know God thank you thank you I have so needed this and I want this and I want this I got to be fearless again I got to just walk and wherever and and I'm tired of people saying but what if what if what if that gone oh it doesn't matter nothing can hurt me even if I walk in with me what if if that happens then God will come through again and he'll come through again he'll come through again his rod and his staff that they comfort me see we get to this point where when you fear this God and all of his power and all of his majesty you start finding comfort in that power right you know at first it's like wait there's this almighty being he that that's intense you know he can do anything like I could just he's the one that's letting me breathe right now he could just you can just have me collapse he could do this he could do that and there's just this fear of this all my team that's why some people don't want to believe in him like what I want to believe in a God that great that has complete sovereignty over me but then once you understand his power and once you have relationship you so grateful for his power because then you go wait if that gods for me who can be against me now I could walk through the valley of shadow with death and I'll fear no evil because of his rod his staff it brings me comfort that the very thing I used to fear is now my greatest security and it's this wonderful picture and I got to say are you still believing that way do you have that simple childlike faith see because what we like to do is we we try to protect ourselves from ever having to go through the valley of the shadow of death but here's what I was thinking about this morning if Jesus really is your shepherd imagine if Almighty God you could see him right here physically walking with you and let's put ourselves in that scenario wouldn't you kind of want to go through the valley of the shadow of death just to see what he does right I mean wouldn't you want to go to that place and just just to see I want to see what happens when these bears come I want to see you just because you have this complete confidence it's exciting there's a thrill about it and and what we try to do sometimes is set our lives up so that even if God did lead you know world K if he leads us beside still waters we're okay when he makes us lie down in green pastures but what about when he leads us here through the valley of the shadow of death there ought to be this side that's actually excited about it going ok this is going to be cool I'm going to see God come through in some ways where he wasn't coming through I'm gonna see this other side of the Shepherd that I didn't see by the still waters you know like that was cool but let get me in that Valley the shadow of death and what what Satan's done is he's created this fear in us to where we set up our lives our worlds where there's times in your life when you know God has called you to do something radical and he's leading you to these different places and you'll you'll let people talk to you out of it see because a responsible person would say don't ever go through the valley of the shadow of death don't let your shepherd lead you there why would you do that the wise thing being a good steward is staying away from the valley of the shadow of death I mean what responsible person would ever go there and yet here's his sheep going now I'll go through I'm fearless because he's with me he led me beside the green pastures and now he's leading me here he's fine is actually going to be exciting to see how he comes through for me do you still have that faith in your life because I I lost it for awhile if I'm perfectly honest with you I started to lose it I started to listen to people and so again the psalm I mean I I can't tell you how many times I would just meditate on and I would just start crying because I'm just going cause that's right you are the one you took me through all of that you took line my a my doubting now after all these years of you leading me and taking me through impossible situations now I'm going to doubt you know because now I'm going to question my intelligence now I'm going to question my leadership ability now I'm going to look in the mirror and go wow I'm not the person for the job look we can all look in the mirror and get depressed right you can just look and go home man I can't do this I can't do that I start doing this human pity party thing and letting people explain what I couldn't do and and why I wasn't good enough to do this or why I wasn't intelligent up for this and and you started looking at your passing on yeah I I never really was that gifted you know right you know for me honestly I think my mind doesn't work that well I wasn't like a brilliant Asian kid you know I was the one they made fun of haha you only 3.8 oh you know and and and so you you know you start going oh you know why me God don't choose me and and and I just had the revelation of the day that that I was just sounding exactly like Moses number one God called Moses and Moses goes no no no not me did take Aaron take Aaron send Aaron Aaron Aaron Aaron you know right he goes send Aaron send Aaron send Aaron he's so much better so much better so much but and so God's okay fine fine take take Aaron with you what what happened with Aaron remember when Moses went up on the mountain and they left the people with Aaron you know and remember when Moses said I don't speak well and God says who made your mouth you saying I screwed up when I made your mouth that's it that's a big that's a very heavy thought right there because we think we're being humble and well I'm just putting myself down no you're putting your Creator down you're saying well God you didn't make my mind right for this task you didn't make my lips move just the way they should somehow you screwed up in this and it was really good for for me just call me a second god you've always been there with me I shouldn't be standing in front of you guys right now teaching the Word of God I shouldn't I shouldn't be doing any of the things that I'm doing I shouldn't have this wonderful god-fearing family doesn't make any sense no one should be listening there should be no power when I speak but God just did this thing it says I've been your Shepherd why are you being afraid now remember all through time and here's some of the stuff I didn't share for service because I thought well I feel weird saying some of it but it's boasting about my god I'm and and but people always doubted my god remember since I remember when we got married my wife and I we going to start this church he has a little gathering and for like you know you know I remember one of the first weeks someone even said in friends you know no one comes here because of you you know no one no one cares to hear you we're here because we're you know it's it's it's it's our friends and everything else so just understand that it's like oh okay alright you know I just you know it just from from day one but I remember even you know and here's the thing and this is but but this is about my god I remember the money thing you know at first it's going on I won't take any money from the church and and people just kept saying no I could not don't worry my God will come through for me you know and and then we start taking this little salary and I was like no you should take a bigger salary you know what you know I go you know what I'm going to be okay with this God's going to be okay then and everyone in my face come look that's not fair to your kids they'll never get to go to college or whatever or else and we're like no you know what if we lift off a 36 grand we can live off 36 grand next year you know until let's just see what God does let's see what happens and then you know and then you know everything everything you know the refrigerator breaks down and suddenly that day someone go hey I got a fridge you know you need it I accidentally bought two you know or whatever you know it's just crazy you know things I could tell you story after story after story when everyone says all that's so dumb that's so dumb and I'm going man but people are in need overseas I mean they're they're dying today like like like someone just trying to look for clean water how can I justify this or this or this I would just trust me they'll be okay and they're like all your kids and the future you got to worry about them and come now don't worry you know though they'll get a scholarship something you know something will happen money will come through I just got to worry about today and I got worried about the Kingdom today you know and seek that first and you know what if that person's dying today why am i worried about myself what'll be like 30 years from now I got to think about now and I got to trust this Kingdom things going to work and just just as things start happening just just in faith and giving it was always just shut down it was always like don't do that don't do that when I came back from Africa and I just saw the need it's like oh I just want to help them you know just sell the house and it's just moving this little place it was like oh you can't do that you know to your kids and it was the greatest time of our lives you know and then it's just and then as we gave more and more I just remember one one year just going gosh do I feel like you're saying you want me to give $50,000 this year you know to the church and I'm going I don't even make $50,000 but let's just see what happens and sure enough these things just started happening and money started coming I'm going no way we gave away 50 grand I think I made that last year and I gave that away this year this is insane I feel like he wants me to give a hundred thousand this next year you know and suddenly things start happening and wow we're able to give away a hundred thousand dollars it's like are you kidding me and then it was like oh no no no no I really believe that he wanted me to give away a million dollars as last year and we did you guys and still yeah it wasn't from big God that he only made a little bit of money on that it was out but uh it was a it was crazy love that's the one that sold the million and uh but but uh seriously that the thing was was so I you know you know when we gave over the royalties again you know it was like wow what we just we just gave away everything you know it was a million bucks and it's still going and everything else and what do people say you know what that wasn't smart that wasn't wise you should have taken some and locked it away in case of emergency and I would just go so you're saying what's happening in Ethiopia isn't an emergency what's happening in Thailand is not an emergency what's happening in Haiti that's not an emergency is only if it affects you and your kids but these other who cares about Africans or the Indians or the you know the people in the Haitians that's not an emergencies you and your family and and that's a silly to just give and care or whatever and it's people just constantly it's like okay did you make a million dollars this year that your income ten times from last year by living responsibly and and don't you go living by faith I go no no I am dumb dumb done with it I want to stand here and brag about my god who's come through for me ever since day one from believing in like a little kid going man I can give every single thing away I can take my family anywhere I can came through the valley of the shadow of death you know what in October in Goa India we're going to Thailand we're going to China we're going to wherever and you know my god is going to be with me and we can give and do anything and I'm tired of people telling me oh no now you got to be responsible now your response because you're older and you got to be more you got you a kid now you got four kids you got this you got that now I've got the same Shepherd we have the same Shepherd I just really believe what the Lord wants is for us to go back to our childlike faith and to walk around and saying you know what my God's with me and when we start living like that again and going to care less about the economy Viki I'll eat beans and rice and Wow big deal you know my God's with me that's the way most people live in the world anyways so what I might get killed ooh real scary please please don't make me go to heaven bible says when we start living like this again and we strive side by side for the sake of this gospel we believe in in this hope where the sting of death is gone and my God is a mighty as an awesome God and believing that I can walk through anywhere and any enemy can attack me and I'll just be sitting there having dinner I just really don't I don't fear anymore and as we as believers get together let's be careful with our words not to discourage I might understand there are times when we make foolish mistakes and we do things out of the wrong heart that isn't really for the kingdom that is foolish choices I'm not saying God rescues you from that I'm saying when you seek first his kingdom and you're really praying and god I think you want me to do this for your kingdom and for your Glory's sake I think you're leading me through this valley then you go when you go with all confidence but I believe there's people in this room that have been talked out of things that God wanted you to do you've been talked out of giving that God wants you to do serving that God wants you to do maybe just taking some risks maybe absolutely changing your life you know and and people will start throwing phrases that you usually starting with what if you know well what if this happens what if that happens the whole point of Psalm 23 is nothing could happen to me outside the sovereignty of God the only what if I'm concerned about what if I die today and stand before God and he goes man like all these great things you could have done but you were too scared you didn't trust me even though I took you through so many valleys in life there came a point where you started playing it safe it's like now god I'm going to do this I want to do this for the rest of my life I want to follow you I want to take some risk and so some of you you know what I'm talking about that faith is right there but Satan's trying to attack it people are trying to attack it and I'm just thinking gosh what would my life be like if I never took steps of faith where would my faith be it's like the greatest things in my life were the times when I just went for it and said now this is this is for the king and watch what my God does and now I can stand here today and just boast and go look at what my God does and understand in no way is this a health wealth thing whereas like wow look how rich I am I made a million dollars and you know it's it's a it's no it's it's actually the opposite it's like now look how rich I am in Christ that I could take a million dollars and go on and carry you can have it you know give that away it's it's just because the Lord is my shepherd I don't need anymore what else do I want just give me everything I ever wanted I don't know if you have that in Jesus if Jesus really is that treasure to you but you know even these last few months to spend more and more in me where God just become my treasure more than ever I go god you're the one that took me all through my life all through my childhood let me just look back and see all the valleys you took me through you're my treasure and I can't wait to be with you forever I can't wait to dwell in your house forever and I'm sorry if people diverted my attention to other things I'm happy today because he's my shepherd and my God can shut the mouths of the Lions and if that's what he needs to do for me he'll do it and if he chooses to take me home even better because it apart and to be with Christ is even better and so I just want to live fearlessly and I want to be with other believers who encouraged me to live that way live wisely but live with faith live courageously and so that's been my prayer for you and for the service that we'd walk out of here and go there's there's really nothing to fear the early believers lived that way all the saints in the past lived that way and we can do that too because Elijah was a man just like us and so as we take the bread and the cup have faith in your forgiveness don't don't try to make God like your other friends who haven't forgiven you for things that you've done and still hold things against you trust in the body and blood of Jesus Christ that he really did die for you and really does forgive you of everything and calls you to be his child one of his own because as we read about this Shepard you just you want to be on the right side of his staff you know and it's a great wonderful comforting thing and if you know if today you've got some doubts you got some questions you gouache I don't have that comfort in Jesus I don't I'm fearful the rest of my life whatever I don't know that he really did die on that cross me I'm not sure about his resurrection or whatever it may be you're just maybe God's about to lead you somewhere and you've let people talk you out of it and you just need prayer for courage then as we're worshiping and as we're taking it of bread in the cup just go to 1 liters and have them pray for you because we can't let Satan win this one okay we can't walk around as weak insecure scared people ooh I don't know if I could disciple someone I don't know if I can talk to my neighbor I don't know if I could actually lead someone the Lord I don't know if I could counsel them I don't know if I could really love my wife the way Christ loves the church that's exactly the way Satan wants you to thank him and I'm not losing on that one I want to strive side-by-side with an army that is not afraid in any way of our opponents and then the world is going to believe okay you guys have the truth because I've never seen boldness like that before let me pray for us once again father I want to live my life with more boldness at the end when it started but I want to be bolder than ever I just want to feel your spirit I want to experience him I want to believe that you can do anything through me I don't want any of the critics anyone to talk me down and when Satan any of his thoughts in my head I just want to charge forward God is that the times of faith where I saw you walk you walked with me it did everything and God I want that for this whole church I want all of us come whatever steps of faith we don't want to look back at the glory days and remember when you you did that one thing in our lives we want to boast about the future too and know that you're going to lead us through even more god help us just brag help us to brag about you boast about you and all the things you did in our lives and then walk with confidence and courage our brothers and sisters to walk with that calm that our God can do anything God God forgive us Lord for walking away from those stories we learned when we were kids and thinking we're too mature now or or beyond those things God you shut the mouths of those lions you you she calls Shadrach Meshach I don't know how in the world you did that then walk around down there and nothing happened to them god I believe that I believe that Jesus literally rose from the grave and is listening right now God we believe these things again Lord and so don't die straight you protect these protect your sheep Lord don't let the enemy tell us anything different and we cast all those thoughts aside and believe in our great God and maybe we walked I fully through the valley the shadow of death fearing no evil instead being excited to see how you're going to come through for us in Jesus name we pray amen

Channel: venetable

Views: 261,255

Rating: 4.82617 out of 5

Keywords: Francis, Chan, Fearless, Psalm, 23, 22, 08, 2010

Id: nhci_wIjvNU

Length: 55min 45sec (3345 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 27 2011