Valley Gospel
A Pentecostal church experience.
Valley Gospel
Over Jordan
Unlock the hidden blessings of a faith fully committed to God's will! In our latest episode, we promise to guide you through a transformative journey of spiritual devotion. By exploring the powerful stories of Deuteronomy and Numbers 32, we highlight the profound impact of embracing God's commands without reservation. Discover how settling for half measures can lead to partial blessings and why crossing the River Jordan into the Promised Land is an analogy that continues to resonate with believers today.
Have you ever felt the initial thrill of faith fade into a comfortable routine? We tackle this common struggle by examining the biblical accounts of the two and a half tribes who stopped short of God's full promise. Through personal stories and reflections, we reveal the challenges of spiritual compromise and the courage it takes to pursue the 'second crossing'—a deeper commitment that requires letting go of worldly attachments. This episode challenges you to recognize the spiritual compromises that can leave you isolated and encourages you to pursue the full potential of your faith journey.
Finally, we confront the dangers of a lukewarm faith through the lens of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. Their story serves as a cautionary tale for today's church, where tradition can sometimes overshadow genuine spiritual commitment. We call on church leaders to prioritize authentic faith and uphold the integrity of their calling, echoing the power of Jesus' resurrection as a means of overcoming life's challenges. Be inspired to resurrect your heart and embrace the transformative power of faith, as we celebrate the promise of new life through Christ.
But not because of you, but because he is good and you will not have room to receive Him. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Woo, oh yeah. Hello, welcome to Valley Gospel Church. We are a non-denominational Pentecostal church located in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Our sole mission is to present the living truth of a risen Lord Jesus Christ to a remnant church and a lost world. So let's go into the service recorded live at Valley Gospel Church.
Speaker 3:Wow, it's early. We started early today because my message is longer. No, no, kidding, terry. Good to see how, in the 70s, local churches would get together and put out road signs as a tool of evangelism outreach. I just want to share with you that it seems to me that since Christmas, the Lord's been pouring into me and bringing to my remembrance from old messages back in 2006, 2007,. And giving me a fresh, anointing a new perspective on these old messages, these years of unfinished messages or ones that I had done part of it and kind of gave up because I couldn't move forward for whatever reason. It's kind of finishing those and couldn't move forward for whatever reason, just kind of finishing those.
Speaker 3:And this is one of those, those signs that I'm talking about, the road signs. They were placed about a quarter mile apart and they had you would read them along the way. It would be for God, quarter mile, so loved quarter mile the world, on and on, as you would read this song. My favorite was on a stretch on old Route 28. This is prior to Expressways and all of that, but I think it was between New Bethlehem and Brookville, if I'm not mistaken. But there were four signs and it said be sure your sin will find you out. It may have been between Brookville and Brockway, I don't remember, but I do remember the sign.
Speaker 3:Most believe that now that comes from Numbers 32, and most which we'll visit today. But most believe that was a commentary on general sin, that our hidden sin will be exposed and lead us away from salvation and away from God. And while there may be some validity to that interpretation, moses was actually speaking of one particular sin, and this is the revelation that the Lord gave me on this message. The sin was a stubborn refusal by believers to fully commit to God, the refusal to fully commit to all he desires for us, that all he wants to do in us. And you know, that's the position way too many believers find themselves in today, content to go part way, receiving partial benefit, receiving partial blessing, realizing salvation. But that's good enough, I'm saved, I had this experience. I'm saved. Good enough. Let me get on with my life, let me get on with what I do.
Speaker 3:This morning's message comes from the Old Testament, book of Deuteronomy, and it directs Israel to not be satisfied with part way. Israel to not be satisfied with part way, to not be satisfied with a partial anointing, a partial blessing, but to push on, to push forward to perfection, and he will reward you with a blessing you can't even contain. Hallelujah. My See, god isn't a God of half measures. If you've read, if you even read a little bit of his word, he's not a God of half measures. He said preach the full gospel, right, full, full gospel. He said put on the whole armor of God, not a couple of pieces. Put it all on. He said teach the whole counsel of God. He said receive the full blessing.
Speaker 3:This isn't just an Old Testament history lesson, but it's history with a voice, history with a voice. You know, I'm realizing more and more I don't know as I grow older, or just I'm realizing more my calling, my anointing, what God has called me to, and you've probably already realized this as well. I'm not called to charm you with my amazing wit or lead you on some religious path of icons and affirmations or snippets of scripture. Nor am I to tell you how great you are or how wicked you are. That's not what I've been called to. I've not been called to entertain goats. I've been called to feed sheep. His sheep Glory.
Speaker 3:A step farther, we'll get to the message in a minute. Any pastor, any teacher, any preacher, any denomination that espouses or stays silent that a boy can become a girl with a snip or a clip is not of God and has lost or never had an anointing. I know I should leave that alone, but I'll go further. Any pastor, teacher, preacher that says that a baby inside its mother's womb is not really a baby has left or never had the anointing of God, that the sacred right of marriage isn't exclusively between a man and a woman is without the benefit of heavenly approval. They don't have God's sanction and they're not ordained by him. You know that's really what anointing is. You know it's not some spooky booky thing, it's supernatural. I have that anointing. That's not what it is at all. It's being governed by and subject to what thus saith the Lord Alone, alone. His scripture stands alone. The godly authority is found only in this book, not through some prophetic utterance, not through what some denomination teaches. It's found only in this book that we call the Bible. So if you'll open yours, please and I don't care flip the page, open the app, click your downloaded version. Doesn't matter, it's all the word To Deuteronomy 11 and 31. And whenever you get there, I'll ask you to please stand in respect of God's word.
Speaker 3:The tabernacle in Shiloh was across Jordan. That tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God. It was across the River Jordan. The promised land was across the River Jordan. Over Jordan, they would find community and fellowship and answered prayer and manifestations and provision and power.
Speaker 3:All over Jordan, and that's the somewhat ambiguous title that I've given to this morning's message. Over Jordan, let's pray, heavenly Father. Thank you, lord. I thank you for the trust you have placed in me. Lord, in handling it seems that you have revealed more and more of your word. Maybe it's because you can trust me more as we have moved along, but you have revealed so many things and I thank you so much. I'm so not only inspired that you would use a vessel like me to bring your word. Lord, let this word this morning be a lamp unto our feet, a light to our path. It is in the name of your beloved Son we pray. Amen and amen. Please be seated, oh my, under God's direction, to receive the inheritance, to receive the victory, to receive the full blessing of God.
Speaker 3:Israel needed to make two crossings. Two crossings they needed to cross the Red Sea and then they needed to cross the River Jordan. The Red Sea crossing was, in type and shadow, an Old Testament revelation of an escape from Egypt, from the world of sin. Egypt represents sin in Bible type. So it was an escape from sin, a rescue, a sozo provided and ordained by God. If we translate that to now, salvation being saved, that's what the Red Sea represented. That crossing, an escape from sin, rescued from sin.
Speaker 3:In the New Testament now, all Christians spiritually crossed the Red Sea. That's salvation Spiritually. That's correct when we come to Christ. Now, secondly, the second crossing, the River Jordan, represented the fullness of the Spirit, completeness, all in commitment, denying self, death to the flesh, baptism in the Holy Spirit we know as the second act of grace, and few and few there be that, find it. Few there be that, find it. It's what the New Testament talks about. Many go in the broad way Few come in through the gate. Few there be that, find it. Jordan means in Hebrew it means laid low or going down, or getting your face in the gutter is the implication and the gutter is the implication. Away from anything unlike God, away from self-motivated activity, idolatry.
Speaker 3:Now, between the two crossings, between the two crossings, red Sea, salvation, jordan, the fullness of Christ was a territory known as Gilead. Gilead, between the Red Sea and the Jordan River. It was a pretty good place, but it wasn't the promised land. Pretty good place, but not the promised land. It bordered the promised land, but it wasn't the promised land. It bordered the promised land, but it wasn't the promised land. Gilead, gilead this area in your Bible is known as middle ground. Middle ground, spiritually, it means partial commitment, partial surrender, practicality. God doesn't want me to get all crazy. Gilead In the natural, geographically, gilead is indefensible. It's a lowland. It's surrounded by mountains, indefensible, can't run. You'd have to cross the river, you're stuck. This lowland was subject to all the evil that surrounded gilead no security, no safety. Gilead, middle ground, same place.
Speaker 3:The message that the holy spirit has given me to share with you today is this Far too many, if not the majority of Christianity today fall short of God's plan and his purpose. The majority of Christianity falls short of God's plan and his purpose because we've settled for middle ground. Good enough, close enough, unwilling to make the second crossing. And let me say this middle ground is fraught with danger. In middle ground lies depression and oppression. Fear is an attribute of middle ground, always looking over your shoulder, always waiting for the next shoe to drop. And the really sad thing is that most Christians, most Christians, are content in middle ground. Hey, I'm saved. I'm saved. I said a sinner's prayer. I did what they told me to do. I did what they told me to do, not knowing, and here's the, here's the oh. There's a lot of revelation here this morning.
Speaker 3:Satan has access to middle ground. His access is very limited in the promised land, but he has full access to middle ground. That's where he does his best work, in the complacent church, the church of the world. He rules in the world, but he has access to middle ground. Why? Because there's no resistance, there's no To middle ground. Why? Because there's no resistance, there's no.
Speaker 3:Well, come on, you people. And the devil's doing it In middle ground. There's apathy In the middle ground. We're one click away from unbelief. See, it's in the middle. It's in that middle ground. That's where all the ups and downs are in our Christian walk.
Speaker 3:I call it the Christian roller coaster. Huh, one minute, praise God, praise God. Next minute, oh, the devil's really taking me to task. Or I'm living on the hallelujah side one day and the next day. When am I going to get a break. God healed me and set me free, but now I'm in some kind of bondage, middle ground. Middle ground. It's where all the thoughts, where all the doubt is able to fester and reside, that Christian roller coaster where we're confused about not only our spirituality, we're confused about our salvation. I hope I'm saved. I'm going to leave that. I can't tell you how many people have told me I'm going to leave that up to God. No, he left it up to you. We're confused about our position in Christ. We're confused about our condition in Christ, our standing, our purpose. In his great work.
Speaker 3:Of the 12 tribes of Israel, all 12 made the first crossing. All of them crossed the Red Sea. Salvation, all went in. But the second crossing, crossing the river Jordan, reuben Gad and half of Manasseh said yeah, we're good, we'll stay. We're good right here, we're not going to go across Jordan into the promised land, we're going to stay right here.
Speaker 3:And after the tumult of the Red Sea and Egyptian chariots and all that that was coming after us, the difficulty seeing God move, the supernatural boom of salvation of being rescued and set free, we're good right here. Right here and in modern terms, if you think about this. And in modern terms. If you think about this, how many that we speak with that tell us. You know, since I've been saved, I've lost my friends. Families turn their back on me, they don't want to talk to me anymore. My old lifestyle is at risk. I can't do the things that I used to do and now I have to follow these rules. And, incidentally, there are no rules. Different message, different time. But all these rules that we hear from denominations and church leaders, they're all foreign to me. And the two and a half tribes find comfort in this middle ground, said y'all go ahead, we'll stay here, we're good enough, we're in good enough land.
Speaker 3:I talked to a power plant worker this week, out salting in the middle of the night and he was outside. I kind of surprised him when I walked up on him in the plant Really nice guy. He said hey, you're going to be here for a while, I'm ordering hoagies, we'll get you a hoagie. And I said, no, I'm just about done. But he just, I think, in the middle of the night. He wanted somebody to talk to and that was good.
Speaker 3:But every other word, not every third word, every other word was profanity and not the sissy words. This was the king and queen that he used, king and queen that he used. And he ended the conversation, kind of ended the conversation, with how was your holidays? And I said well, I'm a pastor of a little church up here. It was amazing how the language cleared up. But he said I used to be a devout Catholic. I said me too, hmm. And he said now I believe, but I don't go to church, you know, because I can talk to Jesus at home and I do good things. So I'm good. Gilead is as far as I'm good. Gilead is as far as I'll go. Gilead is as far as I'll go. I'm good here. Amen. Someday I'll relate the rest of the conversation with you.
Speaker 3:Numbers 32. Numbers 32. Numbers 32, we're just going to jump a couple. Numbers 32, 5. We're forced that day, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan and just skip up to 19. For we will not inherit with them on yonder side of Jordan or forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of Jordan, eastward. Just wanted to make the point, scripturally, of where they're at.
Speaker 3:Settling for middle ground speaks clearly of compromise it did, then it speaks of of compromise it did then. It speaks of compromise today. Church leaders call it inclusivity or he gets us, but in fact it's compromise. And really don't misunderstand me, I'm not some crazy right wing. Oh, that's bad, that's evil. All are welcome. I don't care what you did, what you do or what you will do. We're here to embrace you as a family of God. I don't care where you reside, what your lifestyle is really doesn't matter. But it is in fact compromise, compromise.
Speaker 3:After the reality of coming to Christ, that it's all real, that this commitment I made to Jesus is real and the tremendous consequences of partial commitment becomes all too real, we back off, we back away. What are you talking about, brother? I'm talking about and we've all seen it, we've all seen it in folks that have come to church, that have been on fire, that worship, and you know they're saved because they're worshiping in spirit and in truth. They're on fire and they have a revelation and God's touched them and they're hearing messages that have touched their soul. But then they back away. They back away because the reality of a second crossing looms and they know it. They know the reality is right in front of them that they're going to need to make this second crossing of commitment, of going all in.
Speaker 3:But you see, a second crossing requires separation, separation, separation from the world, separation, separation from the world. And it's a separation that so many are unwilling to make, at least at first pass. Sometimes we have to make a couple of passes, but at first pass, yeah, I can't give all that up, yeah, I can't stop that. I't. That's not where I'm at, I can't lay that down. And they disappear. And you know, our prayer is certainly that the Holy Spirit deals with them, brings them back to dad's house in spirit and in truth, when they're willing and able to make that commitment. That commitment because, just as their lives and I'm talking about those that have walked away, that have taken a break, however you want to term it just prior to their lives, their lives could have exploded into a blessing and power and favor of God.
Speaker 3:And it's the same with the two and a half tribes. That's why I'm drawing this line here. The Lord asked the two and a half tribes press on, commit, go into the fullness, follow him, we're told, take up the cross. Take up the cross. You're saved now. Take up the cross, pick it up.
Speaker 3:But these, at first blush, at first pass, these people recoil, stop and tell you it's good enough, I got a little taste, I'm good for a few weeks. It's good enough, I got a little taste, I'm good for a few weeks, it's enough. Comfort for the present Priority being entertainment, ease, money in the bank, friends, family, nice things. And the sin that Moses called their attention to, the sin of not committing, finds them out, and it will. That sin will find you out.
Speaker 3:Two and a half tribes that remained in middle ground are taken by enemies. Those that survive are returned to idolatry and evil and find themselves in worse spiritual condition than when they were in Egypt Worse. You know, there's a common trait. I don't know, maybe a common phrase is a better way to put this. I don't know, maybe a common phrase is a better way to put this For those that accompanies, those in middle ground that are content, that are satisfied with middle ground. Then and now, those that find it difficult to smash our idols, kick them to the curb, to press on, to leave self-will. You'll always hear them say, well, this is what I do, this is who I am. Right, right, I know you can all relate to that. Yeah, I got a temper. It's the Italian in me, it's the Irish in me. Huh, I heard one pastor say I won't tell you what he was doing, but he said a man's got to do what he got to do. I have to do me. I have this temper Shut up. You have this temper. Numbers 32 and 1.
Speaker 3:Now, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle, and when they saw the land of Jazir and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for cattle. The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came to speak unto Moses and to Eleazar, the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying Adaroth, deobon, jazar, nimrah, hezbon, eleazar see I wish Chrissy was here and Shebam and Nebo and beyond, even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle and thy servants have cattle. This is good. This is good bottom land, this is green pastures, good water. This was good for cattle.
Speaker 3:Moses is upset. He's upset with those because they want to stay. They tell him no, moses, no, this is good. It's a good thing. You won't have so many people to care for you. Go on into the promised land. We're good here, we're happy here, it fits our needs. We're cattle, people, and their desire was contrary to God's word. They refused his direction. They held idols. They said moving forward was too hard, too many demands. If we press on and this entire group, this two and a half tribes of Israel, they became lukewarm, they became ineffectual, they became weak.
Speaker 3:They tell Moses look, we still believe, don't think we're not leaving, we're not. We still believe, we're still with you. We're all Israelites. If you have to fight, we're coming, we'll be there. We'll just conduct our lives independently. We'll serve and worship as we see fit. How we see it. We just need to step away for a while. You know, if I had a powdered tea cake, call that for every time that. I heard that, that someone said we're not coming to church, but we still believe. Yeah, I know we're. We still believe. We're still in the word, we're still praying. We get together once in a while. If I had, I'd have a lot of tea cakes, even though I can't eat any of them.
Speaker 3:They said we can receive our blessing here in Gilead and we can do what we think is right. We can do what we think is right. Just a statement for all of Christianity. If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn't matter what you got right. If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn't matter what you're getting right. If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn't matter what you're getting right. If our way becomes as important as his way, we're in trouble. We're in trouble Still in Numbers 32, 16 and 17.
Speaker 3:And they came near unto him and said we will build sheepfolds here for our cattle and the cities for our little ones, but we ourselves will go ready-armed before the children of Israel until we have brought them unto their place and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. Obviously, there's issues in the land. There are people that are against him. So they build fences and walls and they're telling Moses we take care of our kids. We're taking good care of our kids. We're building walls, fences. We have activities for the kids, we're sending them to school, we're homeschooling them. Our wives have the best of anything, shouldn't they? We're looking for a commendation from Moses. Good work, good for you. This is wonderful that you're doing all this. Wonderful that you're doing all this.
Speaker 3:But their decision to stay in middle ground kept them from experiencing the presence of God, kept them from total victory, kept them from spiritual abundance, because the obedient thing for them to do, the proper thing for them to do, would have been to cross Jordan, to go where the tabernacle was, where the presence of God was, where the ark resided. They should have tasted the milk and honey of the promised land. They should have witnessed the walls of Jericho fall. They should have crossed over and tasted the grapes of Eshaw, but they didn't. They didn't. That's the danger of Christians not making the second crossing.
Speaker 3:We put our families and ourselves at risk by settling for Christian light. Christian light, half a gospel. Tradition triumphs over truth as long as we keep our religious traditions. Living an ungodly lifestyle is winked at Having the form of godliness but denying his power, hoping that we make heaven. And you know what? We return to the same bondage that Christ has freed us from. We will return to that same bondage that Jesus freed us from. These middle grounders had turned out, went on to be idol worshipers and prostituted their wives just to make a living. They fell all the way back to sin. And look, the majority of churches today are built and operated in middle ground, in middle ground, operated in middle ground, in middle ground, and it's there that the devil will plunder Because he has access.
Speaker 3:So what happened to Reuben, gad and half of Manasseh? Let's find out. Joshua, I know, got to skip around. Be good if the whole story was in one place, but it's not. And I think that's purposeful. That we dig deep. Amen, that we're not deterred. Joshua 22. 22, just a couple of verses 9. Joshua 22 and 9.
Speaker 3:And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the Lord, by the hand of Moses. And when they came unto the border of Jordan that are in the land of Canaan, verse 1. I'm sorry. And the children of Israel heard say Behold, the children of Reuben and of Gad and the children and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan and in the borders of Jordan, in the passage of the children of Israel. Just one more, verse 34. And the children of Reuben and Gad and the children of Reuben and Gad and the children of Gad called the altar Ed, for it shall be a witness between us that the Lord is God.
Speaker 3:So what happens? What happens with that refusal to commit to God? Division, division, division. Division in the body, caused by those who wouldn't commit, caused by those who stayed back then only a quarter of the church that's all we're talking about here of the 12 tribes, not even a quarter, a small percentage of the church. Now it's the majority of the church that has stayed back and it's caused division.
Speaker 3:Division by not allowing Christ to be head of the church. I got this. Division by restricting the operation of the Holy Spirit. Division by turning from the cross. Division by oh, we're not going to talk about sin, we're not going to bring that up, we'll make our own way. Division by rejecting the deity of the Holy Ghost. Oh, he's an influence, not really God. His name is God, the Holy Ghost.
Speaker 3:And the price that's paid then and now is extremely high.
Speaker 3:The price that's paid for running a church on our own, operating a church by man's standards, a stubborn system of religion.
Speaker 3:The price is high If we stand behind the right to choose, that love is love and water is life, if we reject healings and miracles, miracles and gifting If we say there are more than two genders.
Speaker 3:Listen, jesus has not delegated, nor will he ever delegate, his headship of the church. No pope, no pastor, no priest, no apostle, no prophet. And you know I'm so tired of hearing pastors say, well, I won't preach on that, I won't preach on the issues of the day, on what's on everybody's heart and mind, I won't preach on those. Or hear a pastor say it's above my pay grade. Your pay grade is the highest in the land and I blame the church leaders for the condition that we're in. I blame church leaders because we're on middle ground, no institution, no denomination, no spiritual conglomerate of Christianity. Jesus has always been and always will be the head of the church and you better stand down that group quarter of the church, then most of the church now most of the church now refuse to repent and rejoin and they build an altar and they name it Ed, ed, an altar of Ed.
Speaker 3:Now, I don't know, and I'm not saying that this is prophetic, but when I thought of that altar being called Ed and again I'm not saying this is prophetic, but when I thought of it in modern terms, I wondered if Ed wasn't being used as a revelation for education, education, and you know that's caused, that's the purpose of all this division. And this is just me, but I have a really hard time when I turn on a podcast or listen to a sermon and their title is Reverend Doctor, so and so it puts me off. And their title is Reverend Doctor so-and-so it puts me off. You've been given the highest title in the land as pastor. Why do you need Reverend Doctor? Their degrees, their titles, the names, those teaching religion?
Speaker 3:Today, stephanie is considering going back for her master's in education and they needed a letter of recommendation for her to be considered for this master's program and she asked me if I would do it. We later found out that since I was her dad, I couldn't do it, but it makes no sense. Who would know her best, as not only her pastor or dad, her boss at times. But it was the first time, david, since I went to school, that I used and I can't even say it now, but I signed it the letter of recommendation, pastor Bob Esitoff, and after my name I put MDiv, mdiv, master of Divinity. It's the first time in 30 years that I have ever written that and I'm telling you the truth I'm uncomfortable saying it because that has nothing to do with my calling.
Speaker 3:Ed was a justification for disobedience, a cry of individualism, human rights, women's rights, trans rights, a false unity, a false unity. This is how I see it, this is what I believe, and I've got this title behind my name. I've got this, so you've got to listen to me. And it all happened because some group, some denomination, held back, so they built that in order to keep some identity with God. We're not really anything about God, couldn't care less about him. We're running this money-making institution, but at least the altar of Ed keeps our identity, that you can assume that we are of God Presbyterian, lutheran, methodist, episcopalian, on and on and on.
Speaker 3:But the result is confusion, confusion, confusion, then confusion now. Back then it nearly ended up in a full-scale war between Israel, between these factions. Now it's torn the church apart. Nine and a half tribes gather at Shiloh for war and they send a message to the two and a half tribes join us in the promised land, come on in, come on in with us In peace. Live in peace and prosperity. You'll have everything, but don't rebel against us. Don't rebel, don't poke fun at us, fun of us. Don't say we believe too much. Ed, ed, ed.
Speaker 3:They said you don't need Ed. Moses said you don't need Ed. Come back, stay with the example of the first century, and I'm saying that to Christianity. I'll close. Everything we need is over Jordan. Everything that makes us strong is over Jordan. How much safer and sweeter to go on to God's fullness, to receive everything that he has, everything that he wants us to have a land that flows with spiritual sustenance.
Speaker 3:Over Jordan, a place of joy and peace that's only available by the second crossing, only available by the second crossing, only available by the second crossing. It's not in middle ground. Middle ground's a bad place. Over Jordan is freedom from guilt. Over Jordan, there's mercy and grace. Over Jordan, just over Jordan, is power and influence and might and dominion. Just over Jordan, there is joy, unspeakable and full of glory and the half has never yet been told.
Speaker 3:How many of you read that scripture and go? I don't have that Joy unspeakable. I don't have joy unspeakable. Joy unspeakable is over Jordan. It's over Jordan, over Jordan. Access by darkness can't penetrate. Oh, it can knock on a door, it can throw stones from the other side of Jordan, but it can't come into the promised land. So in the promised land, depression fades, worry melts, guilt dissipates and the confidence grows, confidence grows in Christ. Just over Jordan. Let's close in prayer. Look, I can't carry you over or row you over. I can't even pray you over, doesn't work. But if you seek the promised land, if you're willing to cross over and take that walk and make that crossing, I invite you to do so this morning and I'll ask you to take that walk to the front. Just a brief prayer. But if you feel that need, that unction to cross over, to make that second crossing, please come, hallelujah, please come, hallelujah.
Speaker 4:Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. We pray it was an encouragement and a blessing to you. You can contact us at Valley Gospel Church, 1069 Butler Logan Road, Springdale, Pennsylvania, 15144.
Speaker 1:We invite you to listen to this week's worship service that follows, and tune in for next week's podcast calling us from the grave like Lazarus and your brand-new power.
Speaker 1:Death could not hold. You. Can't you hear the voice of Jesus calling us from the grave, like Lazarus? Yes, lord, because he lives, we live also. He's calling us to walk out of the dark. He's given us new, resurrected hearts. He's calling us to walk out of the dark. He's given us new, resurrected hearts. That's the truth. He's calling us to walk out of the dark. Yes, lord, he's given us new, resurrected hearts. Sing it again. He's calling us to walk out of the dark. He's given us new, resurrected hearts. So come on and rise up, take a breath. You're alive now. Can't you hear the voice of Jesus calling us Out from the grave? Like Lazarus and you're brand new the power of death could not hold. You. Can't you hear the voice of Jesus calling us out from the grave?
Speaker 1:Like Lazarus, he defeated the grave, raised to life. Our God is able. In his name, we overcome, for the Lord. Our God is able. Lift it up, lift it up. Oh, he defeated the up. Oh, he defeated the grave. He defeated the grave, raised to life. Our God is able. We know your reign, o Lord, and in his name, in his holy name, oh, we overcome. We will overcome, for the Lord, our God is able. Lift it up. He defeated the grave, raised to life. Our God is able. In His name, though we overcome. For the Lord, our God is able. For the Lord, our God is able. For the Lord, our God is able.