Sunday Evening Worship Service

If you uh if you have your Bibles, you can be turning in them to the book of Joshua, chapter 4. Book of Joshua, chapter 4, and then we'll go to Daniel chapter 7. Joshua chapter 4 and Daniel chapter 7. What a privilege it has been to be with you all uh and to and to be here this week looking forward to a mighty move of God. God's got great things and um I know that God blesses a church anytime it's willing to invest in the next generation. And so I think it's wonderful uh that that y'all have a camp just for your kids. I think that's absolutely astounding. And um So privileged to be here. I was we were we were together fellowshipping after this morning's service and uh I got the wonderful privilege to be with the entire Mcool family cool and Whitley family and uh it felt like home uh because it's the same scenario whenever we go out after Sunday morning service. There's kids running around everywhere and there's just so much. It felt like I was back at home. And so, if it's okay with you, I just want to preach like I'm back at home. If that's all right with you, I do. We're going to be living in the book of Joshua tonight. I want to encourage you to maybe read that. If if it's not in your habit to to read the word of God daily, let me let me encourage you to do so. Uh, and the book of Joshua is a fantastic book of victory after victory after victory. And when God is ready tonight, there is going to be victory released in this house. I'm just I'm just going to tell you, God would not have laid this on my heart if he didn't want victory. And so, there's going to be victory. Uh I I just I just know that tonight uh by the time we leave, someone's going to leave in apostolic authority. Someone's going to leave here binding and loosing in the name of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. And so when we hear the word, not just to be hearers only, but doers of the word. Amen. Joshua the 4th chapter, we'll begin reading at verse number four. If you have that, would you say amen? The Bible says, "Then Joshua called the 12 men whom he had prepared of the children of Israel out of every tribe of man. And Joshua said unto them, "Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder." Not just a small pebble, something you can carry in your hand, but a a large stone, something you got to put on your shoulder. He said, "Take up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder according unto the number of the tribes, the children of Israel, that this may be a sign unto you, that when your children ask, when they ask their fathers in time to come, saying, "What are these pile of stones mean? What I don't I don't what's these 12 stones sitting here?" Then ye shall answer them that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over Jordan. The waters of Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. Just one more verse for your reading. Daniel chapter 7. Now understand in the Old Testament Daniel is very similar to the book of Revelation, things to come. In fact, book of Daniel talks about the end of times. And we're diving right into the middle of a thought. And in Daniel 7 and 25, the Bible says, "He shall speak great words against the most high." And here's what he says. and shall wear out the saints of the most high and think to change times and laws and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. He said essentially and this is where we're at as a church. He said when it comes to the end of times the weapon of the enemy is going to be to exhaust the saints of God. He said, "I'm going to give them attempt to give them such a burden." That's what the enemy is going to try to do, that I'm going to attempt to wear them down piece by piece. And so, with the help of the Lord tonight, I want to minister to you the stones that paved the middle ground. The stones that paved the middle ground. Can we pray one more time for God's continued blessings in this house? Heavenly Father, we love you. body. God, we magnify your name and we thank you, God, for this opportunity that you have given us to enter in into your presence. One more time, God, we ask right now that you would speak to every heart and speak to every life. God, let victory be loosed in this house right now. I pray in the name of Jesus, let us receive the word with all meekness, and God will give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise. We ask all of these things in the mighty and miraculous name of Jesus Christ. And the church said, "Amen." You may be seated. There is a thread that runs through scripture and you see it in multiple places. there is a a theme of sorts and as I as we continue on you you'll begin to see it. The Bible tells us in just the first couple of verses that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said let there be light and it was so. We know how earth began. We are given a clear scripture, a clear telling of how the earth began. How that when God created it at its beginning, it was shapeless and it was void and it was dark. And how that the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And in the kind of power that God can only provide, he began to speak creation into life. And that's at the beginning of the book. But then if you flip to the back of the book again, there is a clear description of events that are on the way. Events that are coming our way as time marches forward. We don't know when. No man knows the season. No man knows the day, but we do have signs of the times. And let me tell you, we are living in the last days. We are living in the last days. And we are given a clear description of the world and its ending. How that it will be consumed in fire and then God Almighty will make a new heaven and a new earth and and and and things will begin to happen just as scripture has said. There is a clear beginning and a clear ending. But the earth is not the only example of this. In fact, we know how the church was born. We celebrate that here on this Pentecost Sunday that when they were assembled together in that upper room, as they had gone to Jerusalem and waited on the promise as God had instructed them to do, suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were sitting. And the church was born on that day. And in like fashion, not only do we know its beginning, but we know its ending. For we know that the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet him in the air. And I'm looking forward to that day. In fact, we're encouraged, the Bible said, to comfort one another with these words. And I'm I'm looking forward to getting out of here. So the earth has a clear beginning and it has a clear ending. The church has a clear beginning and the church has a clear destination. Even the old testament covenant once again we are given a clear description of God's conversation with Abraham and the putting off of flesh. And then when it comes to the New Testament covenant, we are again given a clear description that you must repent. You must be waterbaptized in Jesus name. And you must receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost. It is the beginning and the end that are made clear. But it's that middle ground that we stand on tonight. We are given a clear beginning and we are given a clear ending. Yet every single day we are made to war and to fight so that we can gain the middle ground. And so in that middle ground mentality, Jesus was speaking with his disciples. He said, "Who do you say that I am?" The Bible says in Matthew 16:16, "And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. In other words, God is saying there is a clear beginning and there is a clear ending, but victory belongs to those who are built upon the rock of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful to be a part and here in a place tonight that still believes in the one God apostolic message. I I'm thankful we still preach that there's one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. That there is one Father who is above you all, through you all, and in you all. I'm thankful to be in a place that recognizes that there's still power in the name of Jesus. Uh that at the name of Jesus, demons tremble. Oh, I feel Holy Ghost. That at the name of Jesus, healing happens. Uh that at the name of Jesus, the earth trembles at the power of his name. Somebody give him a great praise right now if you're thankful to know that name. Why don't you shout that name right now? Oh yes. We need to be built upon the rock. Let me tell you tonight as we begin that if we're going to be victorious, we cannot afford to be wavering or standing between two opinions because the enemy is going to do everything in his power to wear you down. We read it in Daniel. There will be a wearing down of the saints. And here in our culture, we have created a wearing down mentality. They have told you start working as young as possible and then you'll work until you're almost too old to enjoy it. That's what they tell us. They say, "Save for 40 years and invest and and and put everything you have into this, but then we'll give you just a few more years at the end." There's a culture that's trying to wear us down. There are false teachers and false preachers. They're even preaching now that there is no hell and that everyone's going to heaven as long as you just live your truth. But I'm thankful to know that it's still the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were singing about it tonight. That the blood is still flowing and the tomb is still empty. We are built upon the rock that is Jesus Christ. For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved. We cannot be built on our own talents and on our own skills because eventually they will fail us. We cannot be built on our hope in who is the current president and what is going on because eventually it will fail you. But my God will never fail. He is not a man that he should lie. And tonight, you must understand that if we're going to be victorious in the middle ground, we must be built upon the rock. And so, as you go through Joshua, you must understand that he gives a clear ending and a clear beginning. God comes to Joshua and says, Joshua, I want you to go into Canaan land and possess what you have been given. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be quite the task. But I want you to go and possess Canaan land. Somebody say the first stone. The first stone is that God cannot give us our next blessing until we learn to praise him for the previous blessing. Joshua chapter 4, we read it again. Then Joshua called 12 men whom he had prepared of the children of Israel out of every tribe a man. And Joshua said unto them, "Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel." He said, "The wall, the waters are going to stop, and I want you to go down into that Jordan River. I want you to get a stone, not just some small stone because God doesn't deserve small praise. He said, "Get one you got to put on your shoulder." And then I want you to carry it out of the riverbank and put it on the bank of Jordan. He continued on. He said in verse six, that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, "What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over Jordan." in the waters of Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. I wonder tonight how many memorials we have placed in our lives that are visible so that as the next generation passes them, they will talk and say, "What did God do for you there?" Because let me tell you, God had just moved in power for the children of Israel. Yes, he had. They had just been in over 400 years of slavery. But God brought them out in power and in strong fashion. He sent plagues down upon that land of Egypt because Pharaoh would not let the people go. He then parted the waters of the Red Sea and he took down the armies of Pharaoh with that same Red Sea. The Bible says that when Moses then went up on top of the mountain and had his meeting with God. When Moses came back down off that mountain, his face was shining with the glory of God. He wanted them to remember that night that they took the blood of the lamb and they put it upon the doorpost. And that night that the death angel came over, God said, "No, no, no. I'll pass over this house because the blood has been applied." And so now we're here with Joshua and they're crossing over Jordan. And Joshua tells them, "Get you a stone. Make sure they know what God has done for you." And tonight, I've come to remind you, God is the one that has saved your soul. God is the one who has been the constant counselor. God is the one who has forgiven you every single time that you've asked him. I wonder what would happen if if God treated us like we treated him. How that how that sometimes when I'm having a bad day. I just can't talk about it today, Lord. I'm I'm kind of having a bad day. No, no, no, no. I tell you, we need memorials. Has God ever healed anybody? Is there a hand tonight that would say, "God's healed me?" Has God saved anybody? Is there a hand that would say we need memorials of praise that says look what God has done? Cuz there's a generation coming who needs to know this glorious truth. Uh there's a generation coming and I want to be a part of the great revival, the outpouring book of Acts revival that in the last days he's going to pour it out on all flesh. Somebody give him a hand clap of praise. It's not the beginning and it's not the ending. It's that middle ground that we're working on. And that first stone that helps to pave the middle ground. It's when you say, "Thank you, Lord, for everything that you have done." Because it's not the beginning that gives us any trouble. Nobody has a problem with salvation. Salvation's good. He saves your soul. You repent and you're water baptized and you receive the infilling. Nobody's got a problem with the beginning. And we're all looking forward to the rapture. I'm looking forward to dancing on streets of gold and walking through gates of pearl and seeing walls of jasper. I'm looking forward to to to meeting my king Jesus and seeing that crystal river flow from the very throne of God. I'm looking forward to getting So, it's not the it's not the beginning and it's not the end, but it's in the middle where the enemy will try to wear down the saints. But I've come to stand tonight toeto toe with the devil and say, "I'm not going anywhere. If he's did it for my father, he can do it for me. If he did it for my grandfather, he can do it for me. I've got some memorials where I can praise God and I can say, "Look what the Lord has done." I've got some memorials of the goodness of God that testify to his greatness. Somebody give the Lord a great hand clap of praise. Somebody say the second stone. And so as they go into Canaan land, God's battle plan is to take a bunch of rag tag Israelites fresh out of a 40-year imprisonment in the desert. And here's what he tells them. He says, "I want you to go against the biggest city they have. Go to Jericho." Now, if it had been my battle plan, I'd have said, "Lord, can we have like a little warm-up round? Can we can we start with a small city and kind of work our way up?" Ain't it funny how we always try to negotiate with God? Can I tell you, God's God's not just interested in knocking out one or two issues you've been fighting, God's ready to tear down some Jericho in this place tonight. Oh, God. Hallelujah. So, here's what he told him. He said, "For six days, I want you to march around Jericho walls and say nothing. Just obey. Say nothing. Just obey the word of God." And he told him, he said, "And on the seventh day, when you get there, then I want you to lift your voice and begin to shout. But there will only be power on the seventh day if you can obey my voice on days one through six. God has called us as the as the enemy is trying to wear us down. And the enemy is trying to wear down the church. God has called us to righteous living. It's it's still right to make altars at home. Yes, sir. It's still right that our children hear us praying in the morning. Oh God, hallelujah. We ought to have some altars at home where our children can hear mama and daddy praying. Amen. It's ho holiness is still right. The one God message is still right. And the enemy the enemy wants his level best to work his way any way that he can. Our we our children ought to be able to watch the same things that we watch. Holiness is still right. That seventh day is coming when the walls are going to fall and we're going to shout, but you've got to live right on on Monday and you you've got to pray right on Tuesday and you you've got to you got to make sure you attend midweek and you ought to pick a fast day and and and live righteous before the Lord and and just obey. May I submit to you that there are some who come within our walls and they bring a shout with them, but the shout has no power behind it. Because they are there's a void in the six days beforehand. There is a void missing. And we come in and we say, "Oh God, I need you. God, hear my voice." But there's something in the atmosphere that we've created. There's some division in our home and there's stuff on our phones and there's there's there there the the enemy is working to wear down the saints. But I I let let me tell you something tonight that if I promise you if this week you'll say I'm going to make it up in my mind to live right for Jesus. You hear what I'm trying to tell you that next Sunday when you bring your shout into this house, Jericho is going to fall. I said Jericho is going to fall and some of you have been living right and now it's just time to shout. If you believe in holiness, you ought to begin to give a shout. If you believe in the one God message, you ought to shout unto the Lord with a voice of triumph. And Jericho walls are coming down in the name of Jesus. Why don't you shout hallelujah just for a moment right now? Why don't you lift your hands and give your hallelujah to heaven right now? Oh, I feel victory. Oh, I feel victory in the name of Jesus. Joshua 6 and 20. So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet. And when the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him and they took the city. In other words, they shouted and all that was left was a pile of stones. They took stones out of the Jordan River and they made a memorial. That was the first stone. But now they've marched around Jericho walls and all that's left is a pile of stones. And oh God, I I I just see it in my mind that every time the children of Israel would pass by Jericho for the next few years that they would see that pile of stones there and they would say, "Do you remember what God did when we were living right and then we gave a shout of praise unto God? These are the stones that pave the middle ground. This is what will bring you victory. Somebody just lift your hands right now and love the Lord. I I I feel something in this place right now. That's it. Go ahead, use your voice now and and and and and pray so that you can hear yourself praying. Somebody just take a moment and and love the Lord right now. Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah. Somebody say the third stone. Don't worry, I've only got four. Some of y'all got nervous. I've only got four. And so, as Joshua and the children of Israel are are conquering the different cities throughout Canaan, God gives them a warning. He says, "When I give you victory, you are going to be tempted to take things that have no business in a Christian's house, if you will. He, in fact, he calls it the oursed thing. He said, "You're going to take dominion and you're going to have victory and and and great things are going to happen, but but don't you go touching something that the enemy has built and bring it into your home." Well, they're they're they're they're doing all this and then they come to this city called I. And the Bible says in Joshua 7:1, "But the children of Israel committed a tres trespass in the oursed thing." There it is. Somebody broke the law of God and they took the oursed thing. For Achen, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zarah, of the tribe of Judah, took of these thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. And here's here's it breaks it down over the next couple of verses. Verse two. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to I which is beside Bethan on the east side of Bethl, and spake unto them, saying, "Go up and view the country." And the men went up and viewed I. So Joshua says, "Hey, we need to spy out this land. I'm going to send some spies." Watch what happens. Watch. Watch. Because remember, Achen is about to take this our cursed thing. And so Achen begins to speak to Joshua. The Bible says, "And they returned to Joshua and said unto him, let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite I." In other words, Achen said, "I see some temptation in there that I want to put my hands on." And so, to avoid getting caught, let's not send everybody. Let's just send a few men from the army. He said, he said, he said, "Let's two or three thousand men go up and smite I, and make not all the people to labor thither, for they are but a few," Achen decides that because he wants sin in his life, because he wants the thing in his life, he decides he's going to lie to the man of God in his life. because you cannot partake of the oursed thing and have an honest relationship with spiritual authority. I thank God for good spiritual leadership. And FAC Knoxville, they are blessed with the best. I I was talking to your pastor a minute ago. I said I said, "Pastor Mcool, I'm not trading roses here. I'm I'm I'm I'm being real. I'm not I'm not just trying to make you feel better." I said, "Everything y'all do is topnotch. Y'all are fantastically blessed with good leadership here at FAC. You are. That's okay. That's in order. But he said, "Because I want to take of the occurs thing now, I've got to lie to my man of God." And and when you lie to your man of God, you remove yourself from that anointing. you re he's covering you in prayer and he's he's covering you in fasting and he's he's been sewing seeds into this city and and and when you lie to your spiritual authority you remove yourself from that umbrella and watch what happens as consequence just keep reading verse four. So there went up thither of the people about 3,000 men, and they fled before the men of eye. And the men of I smoked of them about 30 and six men. The moment that they lied to the preacher, there was death in the brotherhood. And the minute that we step outside of God's plan and we want the our thing more than we want the promises of God, people begin to spiritually die. But I'm thankful to be in a place tonight that says, "As for me and my house, I got a witness in here. As for me and my house, I got some men who will stand up with some godly pride and say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Our church is not built on sinking sand. Our church is built upon the rock. Oh. And so, how do you how do you handle sin? There's only one way. Somebody say only one way. There's only one way to handle sin. Joshua then begins to go looking for thee a cursed thing. And the Bible says in Joshua chapter 7 verse 25, "And Joshua said,"Wh hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones." There it is. They stoned him with stones. I'm talking about the stones that paved the middle ground. They stoned him with stones because you can't be kind to sin. You cannot allow sin to fester and to build in your home. Can I can I maybe speak something? And and pastor, if I'm out of line, you let me know. But but if you're paying the bills, you ought to know what's on that teenager's phone. If if you're if your mom and your dad, that's your house. The holiness is on your head. The doctrine is on your head. We need some people who'll say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." There's some things that don't belong in a Christian home. There's some words that don't get said in a Christian home. Alcohol don't belong in a Christian home. My God have mercy. Oh, I feel a revival of prayer coming on. Somebody who's willing to say, "I'll build my house upon the rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Not only did they stone Achen, but the Bible continued in Joshua 8 and28. And the Bible says, "And Joshua burnt eye and made it in heap forever." So you had the the stones of the memorial and and you had the stones that were left at Jericho and now they've stoned Achen and now all that's left of I is just another pile of stones because we know the beginning and we know the ending but God has given it to our responsibility to hold the middle ground. There's only one way to deal with sin and that's to burn it to the ground. There's only one way to deal deal with sin and that's to burn it with the fire of the Holy Ghost. The enemy, you hear me? What I'm trying to tell you, the enemy is trying to wear down the saints. We read at Daniel 7:25. The enemy is trying to wear down the saints. And if we're not careful, we will want to give up. In fact, there was a preacher who wanted I want to step outside of Joshua for just a moment. There was a preacher named Elijah who wanted to give up. He came into a season of wanting to give up. He had just seen a a mighty move of God, but because the enemy spoke to him one time, he wanted to give up. Can I tell you, the enemy knows the power of his voice. That's why the Bible says he's like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And so when he's feeling down and he's feeling depressed and he's he's in his feelings, the Bible says in First Kings 19 and4 talking about Elijah, it says, "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came down and sat under a juniper tree. And he requested for himself that he might die." He said, "Lord, I just want to give up. I heard I heard one word from the enemy and now I want to give up." And watch what he said. He said, "It is enough now, oh Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's." Because the spirit of competition is always leading to giving up. We look at other people on social media and it makes us want to give up because we're playing a comparison game. we'll see another church who's having great revival and it will if we're not careful make us want to give up because we are comparing ourselves. I find something very very interesting in the previous verse about this place that he has come to because the Bible says and when he in verse three and when he saw that he arose and went for his life and came to Beersa which belongth to Judah. You know what that tells me? That the same place that you want to give up, it belongs to Judah. Anybody know what Judah means? Praise. Oh, hallelujah. It means that the the place of your pain, it belongs to your praise. And so, even in the middle of the enemy trying to wear you down, if you can find it within yourself to say, "I will praise the Lord." I'm here to tell you, God is going to bring you out. You want a refreshing, just begin to lift your hands and praise the Lord. You want a refreshing, just begin to clap your hands and praise the Lord. Music, if you'd come. First stone was when they went out and took the stones from the Jordan and they placed them on that riverbank and it was a memorial because he said, "When your children pass and they say, "What are these stones here?" You tell them about how I brought you out of Egypt. You tell them about the blood of the lamb that was on the doorpost. You You tell them how that I parted that Red Sea. Well, God, that we would have stories ready to tell the next generation. That we would have things and testimonies on the tip of our tongue ready to share with the next generation because they are going to pick up this fight. they are going to continue this thing on and they need something. They need some encouragement. So there was the memorial at Jordan and the second stone was the memorial that was left when they were done with Jericho and it was nothing but a pile of stones. And the third stone was that of what we just read with I and how that they had touched these thing but God God had them to stone Achen and and then burn eye to the ground. When we reach our final stone tonight, the fourth stone, word gets out that Joshua is going and doing all this conquering. He's been to Jericho and he's conquered it. He's been to I and he's conquered it. Word gets out about what's going on. And these other people, they start getting scared. They say, "My Lord, these uh these Israelites, they're doing something here. Maybe we ought to start looking out." And so there were a total of six other nations and only one of them said I want to join you. That was Gibian. Gibian get scared the nation. They said we we we want to join you. We don't want to fight you. We want to join you. But the Bible says in Joshua chapter 10 verse one. Now it came to pass when Adanisedc, king of Jerusalem, had heard how Joshua had taken eye, and had utterly destroyed it, as he had done to Jericho and her king. So he had done to I and her king. And how the inhabitants of Gibian had made peace with Israel and were among them. The king of Jerusalem gets this idea. Now, this is not New Testament Jerusalem. This is the Old Testament Jerusalem before God's people were inhabiting it. And so this evil king of Jerusalem says, "I'm going to get with four of my buddies." So it's total of five kings. And he said, "We are going to war against the children of Israel." That's a bad idea. Waring against God's people. That's just a bad idea. And so he gets these, it's the king of Jerusalem and four other king of Jerusalem and four other nations and they are going to war with the children of Israel. And the Bible says that they began to go to war. And there's a very very famous passage here in Joshua chapter 10. A a great great big moment of faith. Watch this. Joshua 10 and 12. They're in the middle of fighting. And the Bible says, "Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. And he said in the sight of Israel, son, stand thou still upon Gibian and and and and thou moon, stand still in the valley." In other words, he told him, I mean, what kind of faith is that? When's the last time you looked at the sun and said, "Stand still. I'm trying to fight a fight here. And then he looks at the moon. He says, "And and and and you too, moon, stand still." Verse 13, "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, and the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies." Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down about the whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man. For the Lord fought for Israel. Let me pause here for just a moment and tell you that when you are fighting for the Lord, God will begin to do things he would not normally do. If you're fighting the good fight, you're praying like you're supposed to pray, God will grant requests of faith that further his mission. And so I begin to wonder why would God grant such a prayer of faith? I I I really in my mind I began to wonder. I said why God why would you allow this to happen? And and if you'll just back up one verse, Joshua 10 and 11, the Bible says, "And it came to pass as they fled from before Israel and they were going down to Beth that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven. They're fighting against those five kings, Joshua and his men. They're fighting against the king of Jerusalem and those five nations." And the Bible says that God sent great stones from heaven. But I like how it continues. It said in that last part of that verse, it says, "They were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." Can I tell you that when you begin praying and when you begin fasting, God is going to send a storm to your enemy that's going to begin to remove things that you and I never could. That in the name of Jesus, if we'll get built upon the rock of Jesus Christ, God is fighting for us. Let me tell you, you are the head and not the tail. You are royalty. You are meant to stand above. And in the name of Jesus, I'm proclaiming victory in this house tonight. Oh, praise the Lord right now. Clap your hands and praise the Lord right now. I'm built upon the rock that is Jesus Christ. Stand to your feet with me tonight. So that first stone was the stone of the memorial at Jordan. The second stone was that pile of stones that was left at Jericho. The the third stone was that city of I again just a pile of rubble. And that fourth stone, it came when God sent it. Now if you remember the first city that we talked about, that great big city, what was the name of the first city? Jericho, right? They started in Jericho and then the last king that they fought was the king of Jerusalem. So we started in Jericho and we ended in Jerusalem. As I was studying, I was praying about this. The Lord began to impress upon my heart. He said, "Look, there's another verse about stones. You're missing it. You're missing the big picture." I said, "Lord, what are you trying to tell me?" He said, "You already know it." I was reminded about a man called Jesus who began to make his way into Jerusalem down on a road to Calvary that would free us from all sin and all shame. And the Bible says in Luke 39 that as he begins riding in on a donkey into Jerusalem, it said Luke 19:39, "And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples." In other words, they they became so zealous, they they took palm branches and they begin to wave them before the Lord and cry, "Hosana! Hosanna! He's entering in they're and they said, "Shh, tell them to be quiet. Rebuke your disciples." Sh. Jesus looked back at him in verse 40. He answered and said unto them, "I tell you that if I should hold their peace, the stones, we started in Jericho, right? We ended in Jerusalem. When you get to the 19th chapter of Luke, at the end of it, he's ending in Jerusalem, too. The spirit of the Lord spoke to me, brother Makul. It said, read verse one. Luke 19 and1, last verse. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. He said, you don't you don't understand what I'm trying to tell you here. He said, 'If I tell them to be quiet because I am God in flesh, I could take you back to a time where we started in Jericho and we left nothing but a pile of stones because somebody was willing to obey and give a shout and then we went into eye and the Lord gave us victory because we were willing to rebuke the enemy. And then we went and God gave us stones when we were fighting here at Jerusalem. God Almighty was wrapped in flesh. And he told him, he said, "If you could see what I see," he said, "you wouldn't dare cross me." I've come tonight in closing to tell you, if you could see what I see in this room tonight, you would begin to pray like you've never prayed before. If you could see the victory that God sees in this househ you'd begin to dance and you'd begin to shout. You'd begin to clap your hands cuz you know that God is on your side. And so if you want victory, you ought to step out of your pew, make your way and say, "The stones are not going to cry out for me. I've come to lift up the name of [Music] Jesus. That's it. Go ahead. Lift your voice. Lift your voice. All across this house right now in the name of Jesus.