Fight or Flight
Don't allow fear of failure to control you in your life.
Anthony Montana
Dec 31, 2017 36m
In our lives we face big challenges. Don't allow fear of failure to control you. Like David defeated Goliath, if you have Jesus by your side, you can overcome anything. Video recorded at Chandler, Arizona.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Anthony Montana: 00:00 What's up Cornerstone? What's good? How you doing?
Anthony Montana: 00:47 What an incredible time! Let's keep that clapping going for our San-Tan Campus, we see you, and our Scottsdale Campus. Our extended families all across this valley. You in the overflow, thank you for joining us, and you on our online viewing audience. We are excited to celebrate this New Year's Eve with you this day and our student takeover service because there's so much to be proud of within our Student Ministries. I've had the privileged honor to serve on this staff for seven years within various roles of our student ministry. And my favorite part of doing that is the love, the support, the encouragement, and the faith in our future generation of our students. Where we get to come alongside and work together as a team and investing in our student ministry and in, most importantly, our students. And the leadership here, are executive leadership within the student department, our senior leadership, Linn, and the vision he has and where we're going; 2018 could not be even more brighter and what's in store. And that's the sea, the season we're in, right? The common theme? Goals, resolutions, looking back on what we accomplished in 2017, or maybe some regrets we had, and what's in store for 2018. And that's why, I know God has a word for you this day.
Anthony Montana: 02:04 Whether you're one of those people that do New Year's resolutions, or not, these are going to be things we're going to talk about: goals, maybe obstacles, standing in your way that have held you back from what God has called you to in 2018 and things to come. And so I had to do a little bit of research. The one place we all go to get information, right? We always ask somebody. So I asked, I think it was, Siri or Alexa, one of them. On some information on, "hey what are the top 2018 New Year's resolutions? What are we thinking, what are we dreaming about?" So we're going to go in order, from number five to number one. But, I'm going to ask for your, your help with me on this. I don't want to be the only guy raising my hand, and embarrassing myself with some things, that either, we've accomplished, or that we're going to accomplish. So this is a proud moment; nothing to be ashamed of; we're a family. And so I'd love to gauge the room. Every time I tell you a new year's resolution, I want you to raise your hand with me and see, hey this is something we have; I have been able to accomplish. Or, that no, this thing I'm going to take it down; this is mine, this is mine. All right, number five, drum roll please.
Anthony Montana: 03:06 Oh you did it, yeah! You're such good participants. Number five: New Experiences. Those new things, personal growth, development. Maybe it's a job that you've had your eyes on, or traveling. Something exciting for you, that you've always kind of held back, but you're like, "oooo, this gives me the chills, I got to go after that." That new experience; something you're excited about.
Anthony Montana: 03:38 Number four: Time. Can I get an AMEN? We all need more of it, right? It's a great commodity; a huge need. We all need time. Where are my moms at? Oh my goodness, can we just bless you with a little much more time. I don't even know how you guys do life. Like, oh man, preach, right? We can stay there all day. But, we all need more time, whether that's in our marriages, date nights, time with our kids, quality time, less time at work though, right? Come on.
Anthony Montana: 04:02 And, number three: Addictions. That's something we're not adding. We're not adding time or new growth, but addiction; some struggles, some hindrances that have just kept us back. Maybe that's gambling, or smoking, or pornography, drugs, alcohol; some real crutches. This one may shock you, and it's in most divorce paperwork, mind you, social media. It's been a real addiction for a lot of people, where they're hooked on it, and they cannot seem to take away that time. Maybe that's why they need more time.
Anthony Montana: 04:37 Number two: Debt. What's in your wallet? Nothing. Because we have only plastic, right? And those stinking collectors keep calling; decline, decline. Then it comes in unknown; they think we're not that wise. We know who you are, you're not unknown; decline. Or, those bills we really never got in the mail.
Anthony Montana: 04:57 And last, but not least, and you guys probably already know where I'm going with the number one thing. Resolution for 2018: Health, Weight Loss. Just looking swelled up, gains, or you're watching your calories, how you're eating, how you're doing with that. But I want to kind of flip the script on you. When we're talking health I think that ones more known are common, but I think the battle of accomplishing those five goals starts with mental health; emotional health. That's where really the battle is, is in your mind. It's in your heart. It's the voices of insecurity, doubt, self-worth, lack of confidence. Real struggles that I feel like is a soundtrack that goes through my own mind personally. The word right here: Can't. I can't. I've tried it every single year. This addiction's been in my family. It's an Italian thing, I used to say. Have you guys ever heard that? You blame it on your culture, or nationality, because you just don't want to blame yourself, or it's just always been. There's no possible way; I can't. And I think that's the difference that we want to get you at today. It's not an accident that you're here today. God brought you here to give you a profound truth and to help you achieve some giant like goals, impossible outcomes, for you to dream again. Today we're going to ask that you dream. Today we're going to ask that you would step outside of your comfort zone and start to believe in the impossible. Because it's not a fairytale, this is a real truth and you're going to understand more of that. So within your resolutions, we don't want you to go bite sized on it, we don't want no small, no god resolutions. We're saying we want God sized goals. Goals that are like, maybe your marriage is just on the rocks.
Anthony Montana: 06:45 You don't even know if there is such a word of marriage in 2018. It's been nothing but fighting, distance, your more roommates; common partners. You're just surviving, rather than flourishing, and having that happily ever after love story you agreed to on your wedding day. The twinkle in your eye is more of an aggression, frustration, hurt, bitterness that is just lingering. And, so what if that was your goal? To say, you know what? We're going to fight, we're going to go after this thing, and we're going to really go for a healthy marriage. Or, maybe the relationship with your children or grandchildren or some family members; aunts, uncles, and those that you really love, you really don't love anymore. And, it's just a moment where you kind of just like him or you're, you're at your wit's end. You don't know what to do; where to go. You're exhausted, and you're basically tapping out. I give up; I can't. And that goes through your head way more. You just don't have the energy, the capacity, and the ability, but you're going to go after it this year. You're not going to tap out just yet because God's going to be involved in that.
Anthony Montana: 07:54 It could be forgiveness, somebody you just absolutely have keyword hate for, hatred or hurt, or just regret and frustration, and they've done some unspeakable things to you. Maybe it's just you and God are the only people that know these things and it's still holding you back from maybe some freedom. Because you're the one enslaved to these feelings that are still withholding you from the calling God's placed you in.
Anthony Montana: 08:16 Some other huge massive goals, could be reckless living. And reckless can be defined within your finances, it can be defined within addictions, health, emotional eating, so many different things that are just reckless. And, you've had that path of destruction like a bull in a china shop for long, for far too long. And, enough's enough, that you're going to go after a goal of things that you'd, only you know in your heart that you just want to stop. And, you're not gonna do it for anybody else, but for yourself.
Anthony Montana: 08:46 It could be, you've been a Christian for quite some time. You just played it safe, like a passivity. You've just played it safe, you've walked the walk, you know how to talk Christianese. It's like a second language to you. You just show up, but you know God has called you and destined to you for something greater. So what does it look like in 2018, to be that Christian, and that person that's just on fire to do some impossible things in your walk with God, and know him in a really sweet, personal, intimate way, where he feels incredibly real? Like when you first got saved and raise your hand and all those emotions you felt. And so, every year, I think we come to this place of can't. I told you all of those things and they feel incredibly impossible and it's like a soundtrack that plays over and over. I can't, I'm going to fail, why even try? Failure is an option, I don't want to be discouraged, I can't do it, not today, not today. That's not the soundtrack we're going for. Instead, I want to give you an encouragement.
Anthony Montana: 09:49 When you come to these resolutions, when you set these goals, you have two options. If your a note taker, these are your two decisions that you would make and it goes with our title today: Fight or flight, within your giants. What's your giant? And, when you come to that moment of what's your giant, what's your goal, or goals, it could be multiple. You have a choice: to run, to have faith in the fear of an enemy, to believe that forgetting God in these moments, it paralyzes you. Your fear is faith in that enemy and so you retreat, you run, you quit believing, or you just stand still, you're paralyzed. You can't do it because this is safer than losing again, because it's risky, it's hurt. You know what that feels like. You've given up you've, lost keyword: hope. But I want to tell you today that the difference, the biggest difference, between that reaction of flight and fight is remove the L.
Anthony Montana: 10:49 You simply remove one letter out of flight and it becomes: fight. And here's the L. God doesn't take an L. God doesn't lose. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing, absolutely nothing. No weapon formed can come against us. We know the end of the story, if you've read it, we're victorious. Bible calls us more than conquerors. So there's no reason to retreat within these goals and these giants but I want to tell you how to get there. You got to remove that L, because when you put faith in the enemy the answer is always: can't. When you put faith in the fear of the enemy it's always: You can't. But when you put faith in God you start to believe in something greater than yourself; because you know a guy. And so, within that fight, we know fear must fall and a giant faith is going to propel us to attack those obstacles and those goals that are standing in our way of a better life. Of the life God is destined you to dream about, to walk in, to pursue, and to believe again, to walk a little bit taller, and people will follow that kind of leader. And this is the moment we come to, in scripture, when the nation of Israel was lacking this. They had in its way, an obstacle, from their goal, from their resolution, it was the Philistine army.
Anthony Montana: 12:13 Philistine Army had a homee. I mean this was the dude. He was a grown man. It was Goliath, over ten feet tall, javelin, spear, expert, and all things champion of war; undefeated, the dude. And the nation of Israel, really didn't know where to go, and what to do. So they were at a standstill for forty days. They were believing: the can't. "Hey, well you go fight him, you can do it." "No I can't. No, look, look at him. Are you crazy? It's a death wish, right there. Not today. I'm not dying. No you go do it." "No. I don't want to, embarrass myself." You know all of these lies that are going through their head. So for forty days and forty nights, they're at a standstill. It's a single battle combat, is what this tradition was. It was mano y mano. Winner takes all. Their champion vs. not yet a champion for the nation of Israel; so they had nothing to give.
Anthony Montana: 13:08 And so Goliath is just going' around talking trash. I mean just probably the best smack talker you can imagine. If you ever played athletics, when it's just like nails on a chalkboard, like SHUT UP, SHUT HIM UP! Who's going to shut him up? And it's because, not only was he just mocking them in their fear, calling them what they really were, cowards, in their unbelief, but it was greater than that because he was mocking their God. Because the nation of Israel, were famous for a God that did the impossible, yet the people forgot those bedtime stories of the Red Sea, of Noah's Ark, of mouths of lions being shut, all the stories they were told. Day after day. Time after time. Were beginning to be more fairy tales within their actions and they were more just hearers, and not doers, in their faith. They believed in their mind, but not in their heart. There was no faith in action so they just were at a standstill for 40 days. Let's see the kind of trash that this Goliath was saying.
Anthony Montana: 14:07 So if you have your Bible please take it out. If you have your phone you can search with us. We're gonna be in First Samuel chapter 17 verses 8 through 9. First Samuel chapter 17, 8 through 9. Let's get into it.
Anthony Montana: 14:26 Talking about Goliath here, "he stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel. Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a philistine and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me if he is able to fight with me and kill me. Then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him then you shall be our servants and serve us." Verse 10: "and the Philistine said I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together."
Anthony Montana: 14:56 Goliath was looking for a champion, just somebody to fight. just somebody lets go, we're ready for war. We've been at it for a while, come on. And what happened, for forty days and forty nights was instead, retreat. I just can't even imagine. I think I would be disgusted. I think, God, there was so much disappointment in the cant's that we're being told in their own heads, to one another. There is so much division and unbelief looking at Goliath, looking at their circumstances, looking at this giant that felt impossible and they were incredibly believing, a lie.
Anthony Montana: 15:35 And so they were so terrified, let me show you, that they didn't know what to do. It was in verse 11, that they were terrified, "when Sol and all of Israel heard these words of the Philistine. They were dismayed and greatly afraid." See those two words, dismayed and greatly afraid? Saul and all were terrified, and what's wild about Saul in this context, as the king and leader of the nation of Israel God's chosen and apointed, what a high honor. He was head and shoulders, physically stature able, to take on a Goliath, in that moment. The military alone was in a place where they've seen God give victory after victory over scripture and not just a book. Their family members told them the real life's true story accounts of God showing up in a cloud, in a burning bush, over and over walls falling down at Jericho. But they forgot it.
Anthony Montana: 16:29 What have you forgotten? Has the voice of camp become so loud that you've forgotten what the voice of God sounds like?
Anthony Montana: 16:37 Maybe you've been so far removed from scripture and your relationship with God that your own voice of insecurity, doubt, self-worth, the voice of people, people pleasing, or your family has become so loud in your life. Your beginning, beginning to believe that more than your creator, your maker, who knows you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Every detail about you, the plans he has for you, and he just wants you to walk with him. And I really know, that's what happened, because unbelief makes cowards. They were unbelieving. Their faith was so profound in fear, and in their enemy that they became cowards.
Anthony Montana: 17:17 And so they forgot they were God's chosen people and that was their greatest giant. It wasn't the giant of just Goliath. It was fear, that was their biggest hurdle, their biggest obstacle, was to overcome fear. And so Goliath still there waiting for a champion. And this is where the youth pastor gets so proud. This is, my moment, is him comes a teenage boy, snot nosed if you would, David. David was called and chosen by God as a teenager to slay something some grown people couldn't, and that's a terrifying thought. The giants we don't slay today we're going to have to have maybe our teenagers, our children, generations to come slay those giants because we didn't have the courage and faith to do so. And so what giants are we going to leave for our kids to deal with? Hopefully they do and can. And that moment comes where he was chosen by his dad to go to the battlefield, but he wasn't chosen to fight. He wasn't known for that prowess. He was actually a shepherd boy, the lowest of lows. I mean low class, shepherd boys were looked down upon. They were laughed at. They were mocked. And so he was sent to deliver groceries to his brothers, to seven other brothers, as the youngest, he was the youngest; and so he was delivering groceries to them. What he didn't know was that ordinary mission had an extraordinary plan that day that he was not going to deliver just meat and cheese but he was going to deliver a nation.
Anthony Montana: 18:57 Just doing the basics, staying faithful, humble and I want to encourage some of you. You're going through the mundane. It may not feel like as a mom, as an employee, as somebody serving in the children's ministry or students department, that you're making a difference in your marriage or in your community, but silently God has you exactly where he wants you. And in those moments, those are more profound than you can ever dream or imagine. You don't need that corner office, that's so massive to make a difference, or more money. You just need to use the influence and the platform God has given you as his, as he, being your God to do some impossible things, some mighty things which David stayed faithful. And so he shows up and he is appalled. I mean he is just frustrated that this dude is just talking about his God, and his king, and why I love it? He still had that childlike faith.
Anthony Montana: 19:43 He remembered those stories. And nobody talks about, you know, you remember when you were little and you're like nobody talks about my mama like that, really? You talking about my mom? I mean you're ready to fight out of nowhere, even if you might lose because your family main, name, means so much to you. This is far beyond that. We're talking about the name and glory of God Almighty.
Anthony Montana: 20:02 The God of Israel our God. And nobody talks about our God like that and so David said, "all right I'll shut him up put me in coach. Let's go to war. I will figure it out." But it still wasn't easy, because there were still giants of can't in David's life. This is what is so wild and a lot of us can relate. Some of those giants for David was his brother, one of his brother, which big brothers always pick on the little guy, right? He's like, "David go home, you're a shepherd. What are you going to do? There's no sheep to tend to. You're only here because you heard you get a beautiful bride and you don't have to pay taxes, any money. Women and money, that's the only reason you're here. David I know it. Go home. Don't, you can't." Saul, then he runs over to Saul, "Saul. I got this. Put me in. I'll kill him. I'll take his head. Nobody talks about God like that let me do it" Saul tells him, " David you're a boy. You're young. You can't do it." So he has his family. He has authority, management; all telling him he can't. And here's what I know about David, he probably believed it. He knew he was unqualified. He had no military experience.
Anthony Montana: 21:19 He can't, he's going against the mighty champion Goliath with no qualifications. At least these other guys were battle tested. They've been on the battlefield before. He never has. He's a shepherd boy with sheep. What is he to do? But what he knew is that his qualifications didn't matter. He would give God is all and God would do the rest. And so how many of us in our own hearts, in our own minds, really have those moments of fear, of shaking, of I can't, I'm not sure? And you're, you're, own family members are agreeing with you, or they're the ones putting those thoughts in your head.
Anthony Montana: 21:51 People that love you, genuinely love you, and how much weight in stock are you putting into your resume or your own man abilities, humanlike talent? Outside of what God wants to do even greater than that so he gets the glory. God is very selfish of his glory. God wants to get credit where credit is due. Can I get an amen? And he has every right to do that with the breath we've been given with the life we've been given. So give credit, where credit is due, and David had the right idea. That was his advantage, because David was limited and he knew it, but he had unlimited God, a limitless God. David was ordinary just like you and I, but we have an extraordinary God. It's that extra, you put that extra, on that ordinary, oooooo that's good, that's some extraordinary, that we have. And he looked up instead of within. He kept his eyes not just on Goliath not just within his own securities, his own doubts, but to the king. Sometimes we have to tell our problems not how big, how big, our God is, right? We need to quit telling God how big our problems is, well you fix it. Can you just strike that Goliath down? I can't do it God. Instead, God your greater, use me to go and slay some giants this day and forever more so others can have the faith and confidence that they are more than conquerors.
Anthony Montana: 23:11 And that's my story.
Anthony Montana: 23:13 I'm not just here to tell you these resolutions and these can'ts because I stand here to tell you I can, and I've been. I was a drug addict, drug dealer, hopeless, nobody, going nowhere quickly. Got kicked out of high school, really running for my calling, running from the Lord. Never thought I could ever speak on a stage like this. First time I ever spoke on a stage, after I went into full time ministry. I lost a ton of hair, I mean I'm talking patches all over my head. My wife, love her, called me Swiss cheese head because it looked like Swiss cheese, because I was freaking out. Public speaking! Are you kidding me? God not me, not that giant, that's too big. And now I stand here today, no craving, no addiction. Speaking on a stage with even more people because our God is greater.
Anthony Montana: 24:02 Glory to God. Glory to God.
Anthony Montana: 24:06 And so I just want to encourage you that you have an advantage and that's the name, strength, power, of a God that's undefeated. Let me show you that David walked out and what that sounds like in your head. This is a moment you're going to want to hold onto this. Let's jump down now to verse 45 to 47.
Anthony Montana: 24:25 " Then David said to that giant, that philistine you come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled, this day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you down and cut off your head. I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and then to the wild beasts of the earth and that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."
Anthony Montana: 25:02 David declared victory victory over his giant and the power and name of God. And he was resolved. So with your resolutions with your goals what resolve do you have in your heart? What are you saying to those?
Anthony Montana: 25:17 No more saying I can't. Did you hear. I can't in David's language right there? No, that dude was calling his shot but he was calling his shot the way he knew, the only name he knew the only way he can come at it. It wasn't with sword and spear he wasn't going to fight a mano to mano. It's a lost cause he was unqualified. We don't fight. We fight unfair, I say as Christians. I call it a cheat code he ever put in a cheat code back in the day or even currently and you just are like invincible, immortal, and it's not you, it's something greater. But this is an incredible code that we have the Holy Spirit, God Spirit, himself inside of us empowering, gifting, and anointing us to do far beyond what we could ever think or imagine. And so he was resolved to go after it. And this is what I love, when you know and quit believing the lies of can't and putting your faith in fear and in the enemy. You start to walk different and you start to believe in yourself and, more importantly, in God. And so look at how David came at this Goliath and how I want you guys to run at your giant.
Anthony Montana: 26:20 Don't run away, there's no option. Fight is not an option. There's only fight so verse 48 to 49. "When the Philistines arose and came and drew near to meet David. David ran quickly, ran quickly." Vsualize that he is running at that man when nobody else would for forty days toward the battle line to meet that Philistine and David put his hand in his bag. Took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine right, boom, in the middle of the eyes, on the forehead.
Anthony Montana: 26:51 The stone sank into his forehead and he fell on his face to ground. Even though those stones in your life may feel small. Those giants will fall, even though your faith may be little, your hand shaken. Your knees are freaking out. You can't even control your breath. Your mind is racing. Your losing it. You still keep moving forward. You still keep moving forward. I know David was scared. I know he was terrified. You read this Psalms, you know how he would run from the face of defeat. But he had enough faith at least to sling that stone. And that was his advantage because God gave him the strength. Because when you're weak, God is Strong. He celebrates and rejoice in our weakness, and our infirmities, and our securities because he gets so much more of the glory. We can't get that credit, uh uh, he gets all that credit and he knew awe I got a teenage boy that's hungry. Get him, get him. And what's so beautiful is we get rewarded for just being faithful to the, like w.e get all the prize money and God did all the work God did it we just get to bask in that.
Anthony Montana: 28:01 That's a good deal. I mean come on. That's a good deal. And so the truth is when you say you can't. I do want you to hear, you're right. You're right, you can't. But God meets you at the end of your qualifications just like he did David so you can, because Jesus allowed it so we can. Jesus removed our greatest obstacle, our greatest giant, sin and death. He took our sin. He took the punishment of our sin. How many of us still wrestle with shame and guilt and remorse and fear because of our sin? How many of us are not even living truly a redeemed called Life of sanctification of moving forward in our faith because we've forgotten what Jesus has done and is doing? It wasn't a long fairy tale story, a long, this is real and this is truth and Jesus has slayed our giant and has given us victory so we can.
Anthony Montana: 29:05 We can, you can, and I can. There is no more can't, church. There is no more can't, there's only can. And we got start believing it and running to those giants and telling them who's the boss. Verse 51, David again can't slow this guy down now. He ran. He's running everywhere and stood over that Philistine because its defeated, its knocked down, that giants down for the count. He did something profound. He took the giants own sword. Took Goliath's sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut that head off. Don't visualize that too much I don't want to gross you out. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, what did they start to do? They ran. So when we run at our giants and we kill them what happens to the rest of those giants? The rest of our enemy? They're running. You'd better chase them. Don't sleep on those just because it's down and out. Maybe you don't have that craving anymore. Maybe you've had a good week with your diet. Maybe your snowball in debt is looking good. Your marriage is getting better. Don't get lazy don't start sleeping.
Anthony Montana: 30:08 Kill it. Finish him. Mortal Combat.
Anthony Montana: 30:13 Finish him. Finish it. Seal the deal. End it. Because here is what David knew. Here's what David knew what you don't kill now, that giant, what you don't kill now, your kids in generations to come are going to have to kill it. Solomon knew, he knew, Solomon some day his kid had a better opportunity. How many of us just want to give our kids a better life? Here's how you do it. You don't need to make a ton of money. You don't need to be the best parent. It doesn't exist. You don't have to have the best marriage, you just need to kill some giants that God's already given you victory over. Declare it and be resolved in your heart to live for the will of God. That's the greatest legacy you'll ever live. The greatest legacy you'll ever lead your kids, inheritance, is one of faith. So the stories you tell them that you lived and the Giants you defeated you could tell them how to do it themselves and they're going to call you up and ask ya. They may not even believe you. Most teenagers don't I know. But someday they'll say "you're right" whether it's in their heart or wherever they live it. At least you set a mighty example. Your employees, your family, they're all waiting for you to kill this giant.
Anthony Montana: 31:20 Don't let that one thing hold you back from your calling, from your destiny. From what awaits you, it's victorious. Don't let fear, and unbelief, and the thought of can't paralyze you. Keep you on the sidelines waiting, wanting, wishing. Instead take a risk. Different groups of you have some different things to do some of you need to add some things into your life, some of you need to remove some things that are holding you back. They're paralyzing you. They're making things difficult. It's reckless, it's harmful, it's self-defeating, because you're believing can't instead let's believe we can and our church has given you so many opportunities in order to do that. The first step is giving your life to Jesus and believing in the cross. Know that he is real, sins defeated, you don't have to do it alone anymore. And because of that we have each other. We have a ministry called Starting Point, if you have given your life to the Lord and you're not sure where to start. We named it an easy name for you Starting Point. This is where you start. It's going to point you in the right direction and help you grow and strengthen and be absolutely marvelous in life. And we want to help you with that. That's why we've given you small groups in the mine and men's and women's ministry in order to help you fight battles you can't fight them all alone but you got to be open to being vulnerable with one another. That was the hardest thing for me. I just want to do everything on my own and then Church, well everybody was so nice and I thought there was an agenda. You know what the agenda is love. Unconditional love.
Anthony Montana: 32:52 They want you, we want you, to really succeed in life. That's the agenda.
Anthony Montana: 32:56 We serve a mighty powerful God. And when we're given something great we would be selfish to keep that within. And so we have so many ministries provided to you to help you defeat some impossible things with the help of each other. Isn't life better together? Isn't it easier when there's strength in numbers? Let's not do things alone. Let's do it together and go after it and leave a mighty legacy, not just for Chandler, not just for Arizona, but for this entire nation.
Anthony Montana: 33:21 So the next time you have a moment your hands shaking and you're scared. I'm going to ask you to still take that field. You still run into that battle zone even if you feel like your legs can't move, their jello. Your mind is crazy. Just keep moving forward. Take the field, take this step of faith because here's what's going to happen. It will just get easier and easier with each step you're going to start believing in it and God's going to give you that next measure of things you never imagined or dream of.
Anthony Montana: 33:53 We have an advantage. We have the ultimate advantage. And that is the cross.
Anthony Montana: 34:03 It's not the 't' anymore. It's a cross, the cross of Calvary.
Anthony Montana: 34:05 Jesus took this, took our punishment, took our shame, took our suffering in order to say and allow us the thought of an abundant life so we can. So we can dream again, so we can feel free. We're no longer slaves to fear. We're no longer slaves to faith in the enemy. We have our faith and we keep our eyes on the cross we keep our eyes on Jesus who has conquered sin, who has conquered death, and wants to conquer every single giant in your life. But he just wants your permission. He just wants you to believe again. He wants you to trust in him and he wants to get credit where credit is due. So will you take that field? Will you say yes Coach, put me in? God send me. God I believe, I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that your resurrected you have power over all things, with God what's impossible? Nothing. Nothing's impossible we can do all things in Christ. We can do all things in Christ who strengthens us in our weakness and our infirmities. Let him use and sit in our ugly. Can I get an amen? Can you tell your partner next to you and your friend or any of your family in the church. You can. We need to start believing that let's be a family let's say hey you can. You can. You can do it this year. Go after that crazy giant this year. You can, I can. And we will. And there's gonna be a really cool story to tell. Let's give God those giants we pray with me. Oooh. There is so much peace in knowing God that we don't have to have it figured out. We don't have to be perfect. You took everything, you conquered sin, and you conquered death, our greatest obstacles. There's no more fear. Instead we have a sound mind God give us a peace. Give us a strength. Give us a comfort and a hope. Let us dream again. There's people in here that have quit believing` God. They quit believing in you, they quit believing in themselves. They believe the lies of can't and won't and shouldn't and so God what you inspire them, would you help them run the race of faith. Run after the calling that you've set for them what they know there is a purpose and there is a plan even if it's so difficult. Even if they have to crawl they will make forward progress in you. And here's the beautiful part you'll pick them up and you're going to carry him. You carry us. Thank you for being such a sweet God. We love you. We believe these truths by proclaiming and saying Cornerstone a man.
Recorded in Chandler, Arizona.
Anthony Montana: 00:47 What an incredible time! Let's keep that clapping going for our San-Tan Campus, we see you, and our Scottsdale Campus. Our extended families all across this valley. You in the overflow, thank you for joining us, and you on our online viewing audience. We are excited to celebrate this New Year's Eve with you this day and our student takeover service because there's so much to be proud of within our Student Ministries. I've had the privileged honor to serve on this staff for seven years within various roles of our student ministry. And my favorite part of doing that is the love, the support, the encouragement, and the faith in our future generation of our students. Where we get to come alongside and work together as a team and investing in our student ministry and in, most importantly, our students. And the leadership here, are executive leadership within the student department, our senior leadership, Linn, and the vision he has and where we're going; 2018 could not be even more brighter and what's in store. And that's the sea, the season we're in, right? The common theme? Goals, resolutions, looking back on what we accomplished in 2017, or maybe some regrets we had, and what's in store for 2018. And that's why, I know God has a word for you this day.
Anthony Montana: 02:04 Whether you're one of those people that do New Year's resolutions, or not, these are going to be things we're going to talk about: goals, maybe obstacles, standing in your way that have held you back from what God has called you to in 2018 and things to come. And so I had to do a little bit of research. The one place we all go to get information, right? We always ask somebody. So I asked, I think it was, Siri or Alexa, one of them. On some information on, "hey what are the top 2018 New Year's resolutions? What are we thinking, what are we dreaming about?" So we're going to go in order, from number five to number one. But, I'm going to ask for your, your help with me on this. I don't want to be the only guy raising my hand, and embarrassing myself with some things, that either, we've accomplished, or that we're going to accomplish. So this is a proud moment; nothing to be ashamed of; we're a family. And so I'd love to gauge the room. Every time I tell you a new year's resolution, I want you to raise your hand with me and see, hey this is something we have; I have been able to accomplish. Or, that no, this thing I'm going to take it down; this is mine, this is mine. All right, number five, drum roll please.
Anthony Montana: 03:06 Oh you did it, yeah! You're such good participants. Number five: New Experiences. Those new things, personal growth, development. Maybe it's a job that you've had your eyes on, or traveling. Something exciting for you, that you've always kind of held back, but you're like, "oooo, this gives me the chills, I got to go after that." That new experience; something you're excited about.
Anthony Montana: 03:38 Number four: Time. Can I get an AMEN? We all need more of it, right? It's a great commodity; a huge need. We all need time. Where are my moms at? Oh my goodness, can we just bless you with a little much more time. I don't even know how you guys do life. Like, oh man, preach, right? We can stay there all day. But, we all need more time, whether that's in our marriages, date nights, time with our kids, quality time, less time at work though, right? Come on.
Anthony Montana: 04:02 And, number three: Addictions. That's something we're not adding. We're not adding time or new growth, but addiction; some struggles, some hindrances that have just kept us back. Maybe that's gambling, or smoking, or pornography, drugs, alcohol; some real crutches. This one may shock you, and it's in most divorce paperwork, mind you, social media. It's been a real addiction for a lot of people, where they're hooked on it, and they cannot seem to take away that time. Maybe that's why they need more time.
Anthony Montana: 04:37 Number two: Debt. What's in your wallet? Nothing. Because we have only plastic, right? And those stinking collectors keep calling; decline, decline. Then it comes in unknown; they think we're not that wise. We know who you are, you're not unknown; decline. Or, those bills we really never got in the mail.
Anthony Montana: 04:57 And last, but not least, and you guys probably already know where I'm going with the number one thing. Resolution for 2018: Health, Weight Loss. Just looking swelled up, gains, or you're watching your calories, how you're eating, how you're doing with that. But I want to kind of flip the script on you. When we're talking health I think that ones more known are common, but I think the battle of accomplishing those five goals starts with mental health; emotional health. That's where really the battle is, is in your mind. It's in your heart. It's the voices of insecurity, doubt, self-worth, lack of confidence. Real struggles that I feel like is a soundtrack that goes through my own mind personally. The word right here: Can't. I can't. I've tried it every single year. This addiction's been in my family. It's an Italian thing, I used to say. Have you guys ever heard that? You blame it on your culture, or nationality, because you just don't want to blame yourself, or it's just always been. There's no possible way; I can't. And I think that's the difference that we want to get you at today. It's not an accident that you're here today. God brought you here to give you a profound truth and to help you achieve some giant like goals, impossible outcomes, for you to dream again. Today we're going to ask that you dream. Today we're going to ask that you would step outside of your comfort zone and start to believe in the impossible. Because it's not a fairytale, this is a real truth and you're going to understand more of that. So within your resolutions, we don't want you to go bite sized on it, we don't want no small, no god resolutions. We're saying we want God sized goals. Goals that are like, maybe your marriage is just on the rocks.
Anthony Montana: 06:45 You don't even know if there is such a word of marriage in 2018. It's been nothing but fighting, distance, your more roommates; common partners. You're just surviving, rather than flourishing, and having that happily ever after love story you agreed to on your wedding day. The twinkle in your eye is more of an aggression, frustration, hurt, bitterness that is just lingering. And, so what if that was your goal? To say, you know what? We're going to fight, we're going to go after this thing, and we're going to really go for a healthy marriage. Or, maybe the relationship with your children or grandchildren or some family members; aunts, uncles, and those that you really love, you really don't love anymore. And, it's just a moment where you kind of just like him or you're, you're at your wit's end. You don't know what to do; where to go. You're exhausted, and you're basically tapping out. I give up; I can't. And that goes through your head way more. You just don't have the energy, the capacity, and the ability, but you're going to go after it this year. You're not going to tap out just yet because God's going to be involved in that.
Anthony Montana: 07:54 It could be forgiveness, somebody you just absolutely have keyword hate for, hatred or hurt, or just regret and frustration, and they've done some unspeakable things to you. Maybe it's just you and God are the only people that know these things and it's still holding you back from maybe some freedom. Because you're the one enslaved to these feelings that are still withholding you from the calling God's placed you in.
Anthony Montana: 08:16 Some other huge massive goals, could be reckless living. And reckless can be defined within your finances, it can be defined within addictions, health, emotional eating, so many different things that are just reckless. And, you've had that path of destruction like a bull in a china shop for long, for far too long. And, enough's enough, that you're going to go after a goal of things that you'd, only you know in your heart that you just want to stop. And, you're not gonna do it for anybody else, but for yourself.
Anthony Montana: 08:46 It could be, you've been a Christian for quite some time. You just played it safe, like a passivity. You've just played it safe, you've walked the walk, you know how to talk Christianese. It's like a second language to you. You just show up, but you know God has called you and destined to you for something greater. So what does it look like in 2018, to be that Christian, and that person that's just on fire to do some impossible things in your walk with God, and know him in a really sweet, personal, intimate way, where he feels incredibly real? Like when you first got saved and raise your hand and all those emotions you felt. And so, every year, I think we come to this place of can't. I told you all of those things and they feel incredibly impossible and it's like a soundtrack that plays over and over. I can't, I'm going to fail, why even try? Failure is an option, I don't want to be discouraged, I can't do it, not today, not today. That's not the soundtrack we're going for. Instead, I want to give you an encouragement.
Anthony Montana: 09:49 When you come to these resolutions, when you set these goals, you have two options. If your a note taker, these are your two decisions that you would make and it goes with our title today: Fight or flight, within your giants. What's your giant? And, when you come to that moment of what's your giant, what's your goal, or goals, it could be multiple. You have a choice: to run, to have faith in the fear of an enemy, to believe that forgetting God in these moments, it paralyzes you. Your fear is faith in that enemy and so you retreat, you run, you quit believing, or you just stand still, you're paralyzed. You can't do it because this is safer than losing again, because it's risky, it's hurt. You know what that feels like. You've given up you've, lost keyword: hope. But I want to tell you today that the difference, the biggest difference, between that reaction of flight and fight is remove the L.
Anthony Montana: 10:49 You simply remove one letter out of flight and it becomes: fight. And here's the L. God doesn't take an L. God doesn't lose. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing, absolutely nothing. No weapon formed can come against us. We know the end of the story, if you've read it, we're victorious. Bible calls us more than conquerors. So there's no reason to retreat within these goals and these giants but I want to tell you how to get there. You got to remove that L, because when you put faith in the enemy the answer is always: can't. When you put faith in the fear of the enemy it's always: You can't. But when you put faith in God you start to believe in something greater than yourself; because you know a guy. And so, within that fight, we know fear must fall and a giant faith is going to propel us to attack those obstacles and those goals that are standing in our way of a better life. Of the life God is destined you to dream about, to walk in, to pursue, and to believe again, to walk a little bit taller, and people will follow that kind of leader. And this is the moment we come to, in scripture, when the nation of Israel was lacking this. They had in its way, an obstacle, from their goal, from their resolution, it was the Philistine army.
Anthony Montana: 12:13 Philistine Army had a homee. I mean this was the dude. He was a grown man. It was Goliath, over ten feet tall, javelin, spear, expert, and all things champion of war; undefeated, the dude. And the nation of Israel, really didn't know where to go, and what to do. So they were at a standstill for forty days. They were believing: the can't. "Hey, well you go fight him, you can do it." "No I can't. No, look, look at him. Are you crazy? It's a death wish, right there. Not today. I'm not dying. No you go do it." "No. I don't want to, embarrass myself." You know all of these lies that are going through their head. So for forty days and forty nights, they're at a standstill. It's a single battle combat, is what this tradition was. It was mano y mano. Winner takes all. Their champion vs. not yet a champion for the nation of Israel; so they had nothing to give.
Anthony Montana: 13:08 And so Goliath is just going' around talking trash. I mean just probably the best smack talker you can imagine. If you ever played athletics, when it's just like nails on a chalkboard, like SHUT UP, SHUT HIM UP! Who's going to shut him up? And it's because, not only was he just mocking them in their fear, calling them what they really were, cowards, in their unbelief, but it was greater than that because he was mocking their God. Because the nation of Israel, were famous for a God that did the impossible, yet the people forgot those bedtime stories of the Red Sea, of Noah's Ark, of mouths of lions being shut, all the stories they were told. Day after day. Time after time. Were beginning to be more fairy tales within their actions and they were more just hearers, and not doers, in their faith. They believed in their mind, but not in their heart. There was no faith in action so they just were at a standstill for 40 days. Let's see the kind of trash that this Goliath was saying.
Anthony Montana: 14:07 So if you have your Bible please take it out. If you have your phone you can search with us. We're gonna be in First Samuel chapter 17 verses 8 through 9. First Samuel chapter 17, 8 through 9. Let's get into it.
Anthony Montana: 14:26 Talking about Goliath here, "he stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel. Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a philistine and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me if he is able to fight with me and kill me. Then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him then you shall be our servants and serve us." Verse 10: "and the Philistine said I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together."
Anthony Montana: 14:56 Goliath was looking for a champion, just somebody to fight. just somebody lets go, we're ready for war. We've been at it for a while, come on. And what happened, for forty days and forty nights was instead, retreat. I just can't even imagine. I think I would be disgusted. I think, God, there was so much disappointment in the cant's that we're being told in their own heads, to one another. There is so much division and unbelief looking at Goliath, looking at their circumstances, looking at this giant that felt impossible and they were incredibly believing, a lie.
Anthony Montana: 15:35 And so they were so terrified, let me show you, that they didn't know what to do. It was in verse 11, that they were terrified, "when Sol and all of Israel heard these words of the Philistine. They were dismayed and greatly afraid." See those two words, dismayed and greatly afraid? Saul and all were terrified, and what's wild about Saul in this context, as the king and leader of the nation of Israel God's chosen and apointed, what a high honor. He was head and shoulders, physically stature able, to take on a Goliath, in that moment. The military alone was in a place where they've seen God give victory after victory over scripture and not just a book. Their family members told them the real life's true story accounts of God showing up in a cloud, in a burning bush, over and over walls falling down at Jericho. But they forgot it.
Anthony Montana: 16:29 What have you forgotten? Has the voice of camp become so loud that you've forgotten what the voice of God sounds like?
Anthony Montana: 16:37 Maybe you've been so far removed from scripture and your relationship with God that your own voice of insecurity, doubt, self-worth, the voice of people, people pleasing, or your family has become so loud in your life. Your beginning, beginning to believe that more than your creator, your maker, who knows you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Every detail about you, the plans he has for you, and he just wants you to walk with him. And I really know, that's what happened, because unbelief makes cowards. They were unbelieving. Their faith was so profound in fear, and in their enemy that they became cowards.
Anthony Montana: 17:17 And so they forgot they were God's chosen people and that was their greatest giant. It wasn't the giant of just Goliath. It was fear, that was their biggest hurdle, their biggest obstacle, was to overcome fear. And so Goliath still there waiting for a champion. And this is where the youth pastor gets so proud. This is, my moment, is him comes a teenage boy, snot nosed if you would, David. David was called and chosen by God as a teenager to slay something some grown people couldn't, and that's a terrifying thought. The giants we don't slay today we're going to have to have maybe our teenagers, our children, generations to come slay those giants because we didn't have the courage and faith to do so. And so what giants are we going to leave for our kids to deal with? Hopefully they do and can. And that moment comes where he was chosen by his dad to go to the battlefield, but he wasn't chosen to fight. He wasn't known for that prowess. He was actually a shepherd boy, the lowest of lows. I mean low class, shepherd boys were looked down upon. They were laughed at. They were mocked. And so he was sent to deliver groceries to his brothers, to seven other brothers, as the youngest, he was the youngest; and so he was delivering groceries to them. What he didn't know was that ordinary mission had an extraordinary plan that day that he was not going to deliver just meat and cheese but he was going to deliver a nation.
Anthony Montana: 18:57 Just doing the basics, staying faithful, humble and I want to encourage some of you. You're going through the mundane. It may not feel like as a mom, as an employee, as somebody serving in the children's ministry or students department, that you're making a difference in your marriage or in your community, but silently God has you exactly where he wants you. And in those moments, those are more profound than you can ever dream or imagine. You don't need that corner office, that's so massive to make a difference, or more money. You just need to use the influence and the platform God has given you as his, as he, being your God to do some impossible things, some mighty things which David stayed faithful. And so he shows up and he is appalled. I mean he is just frustrated that this dude is just talking about his God, and his king, and why I love it? He still had that childlike faith.
Anthony Montana: 19:43 He remembered those stories. And nobody talks about, you know, you remember when you were little and you're like nobody talks about my mama like that, really? You talking about my mom? I mean you're ready to fight out of nowhere, even if you might lose because your family main, name, means so much to you. This is far beyond that. We're talking about the name and glory of God Almighty.
Anthony Montana: 20:02 The God of Israel our God. And nobody talks about our God like that and so David said, "all right I'll shut him up put me in coach. Let's go to war. I will figure it out." But it still wasn't easy, because there were still giants of can't in David's life. This is what is so wild and a lot of us can relate. Some of those giants for David was his brother, one of his brother, which big brothers always pick on the little guy, right? He's like, "David go home, you're a shepherd. What are you going to do? There's no sheep to tend to. You're only here because you heard you get a beautiful bride and you don't have to pay taxes, any money. Women and money, that's the only reason you're here. David I know it. Go home. Don't, you can't." Saul, then he runs over to Saul, "Saul. I got this. Put me in. I'll kill him. I'll take his head. Nobody talks about God like that let me do it" Saul tells him, " David you're a boy. You're young. You can't do it." So he has his family. He has authority, management; all telling him he can't. And here's what I know about David, he probably believed it. He knew he was unqualified. He had no military experience.
Anthony Montana: 21:19 He can't, he's going against the mighty champion Goliath with no qualifications. At least these other guys were battle tested. They've been on the battlefield before. He never has. He's a shepherd boy with sheep. What is he to do? But what he knew is that his qualifications didn't matter. He would give God is all and God would do the rest. And so how many of us in our own hearts, in our own minds, really have those moments of fear, of shaking, of I can't, I'm not sure? And you're, you're, own family members are agreeing with you, or they're the ones putting those thoughts in your head.
Anthony Montana: 21:51 People that love you, genuinely love you, and how much weight in stock are you putting into your resume or your own man abilities, humanlike talent? Outside of what God wants to do even greater than that so he gets the glory. God is very selfish of his glory. God wants to get credit where credit is due. Can I get an amen? And he has every right to do that with the breath we've been given with the life we've been given. So give credit, where credit is due, and David had the right idea. That was his advantage, because David was limited and he knew it, but he had unlimited God, a limitless God. David was ordinary just like you and I, but we have an extraordinary God. It's that extra, you put that extra, on that ordinary, oooooo that's good, that's some extraordinary, that we have. And he looked up instead of within. He kept his eyes not just on Goliath not just within his own securities, his own doubts, but to the king. Sometimes we have to tell our problems not how big, how big, our God is, right? We need to quit telling God how big our problems is, well you fix it. Can you just strike that Goliath down? I can't do it God. Instead, God your greater, use me to go and slay some giants this day and forever more so others can have the faith and confidence that they are more than conquerors.
Anthony Montana: 23:11 And that's my story.
Anthony Montana: 23:13 I'm not just here to tell you these resolutions and these can'ts because I stand here to tell you I can, and I've been. I was a drug addict, drug dealer, hopeless, nobody, going nowhere quickly. Got kicked out of high school, really running for my calling, running from the Lord. Never thought I could ever speak on a stage like this. First time I ever spoke on a stage, after I went into full time ministry. I lost a ton of hair, I mean I'm talking patches all over my head. My wife, love her, called me Swiss cheese head because it looked like Swiss cheese, because I was freaking out. Public speaking! Are you kidding me? God not me, not that giant, that's too big. And now I stand here today, no craving, no addiction. Speaking on a stage with even more people because our God is greater.
Anthony Montana: 24:02 Glory to God. Glory to God.
Anthony Montana: 24:06 And so I just want to encourage you that you have an advantage and that's the name, strength, power, of a God that's undefeated. Let me show you that David walked out and what that sounds like in your head. This is a moment you're going to want to hold onto this. Let's jump down now to verse 45 to 47.
Anthony Montana: 24:25 " Then David said to that giant, that philistine you come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled, this day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you down and cut off your head. I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and then to the wild beasts of the earth and that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."
Anthony Montana: 25:02 David declared victory victory over his giant and the power and name of God. And he was resolved. So with your resolutions with your goals what resolve do you have in your heart? What are you saying to those?
Anthony Montana: 25:17 No more saying I can't. Did you hear. I can't in David's language right there? No, that dude was calling his shot but he was calling his shot the way he knew, the only name he knew the only way he can come at it. It wasn't with sword and spear he wasn't going to fight a mano to mano. It's a lost cause he was unqualified. We don't fight. We fight unfair, I say as Christians. I call it a cheat code he ever put in a cheat code back in the day or even currently and you just are like invincible, immortal, and it's not you, it's something greater. But this is an incredible code that we have the Holy Spirit, God Spirit, himself inside of us empowering, gifting, and anointing us to do far beyond what we could ever think or imagine. And so he was resolved to go after it. And this is what I love, when you know and quit believing the lies of can't and putting your faith in fear and in the enemy. You start to walk different and you start to believe in yourself and, more importantly, in God. And so look at how David came at this Goliath and how I want you guys to run at your giant.
Anthony Montana: 26:20 Don't run away, there's no option. Fight is not an option. There's only fight so verse 48 to 49. "When the Philistines arose and came and drew near to meet David. David ran quickly, ran quickly." Vsualize that he is running at that man when nobody else would for forty days toward the battle line to meet that Philistine and David put his hand in his bag. Took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine right, boom, in the middle of the eyes, on the forehead.
Anthony Montana: 26:51 The stone sank into his forehead and he fell on his face to ground. Even though those stones in your life may feel small. Those giants will fall, even though your faith may be little, your hand shaken. Your knees are freaking out. You can't even control your breath. Your mind is racing. Your losing it. You still keep moving forward. You still keep moving forward. I know David was scared. I know he was terrified. You read this Psalms, you know how he would run from the face of defeat. But he had enough faith at least to sling that stone. And that was his advantage because God gave him the strength. Because when you're weak, God is Strong. He celebrates and rejoice in our weakness, and our infirmities, and our securities because he gets so much more of the glory. We can't get that credit, uh uh, he gets all that credit and he knew awe I got a teenage boy that's hungry. Get him, get him. And what's so beautiful is we get rewarded for just being faithful to the, like w.e get all the prize money and God did all the work God did it we just get to bask in that.
Anthony Montana: 28:01 That's a good deal. I mean come on. That's a good deal. And so the truth is when you say you can't. I do want you to hear, you're right. You're right, you can't. But God meets you at the end of your qualifications just like he did David so you can, because Jesus allowed it so we can. Jesus removed our greatest obstacle, our greatest giant, sin and death. He took our sin. He took the punishment of our sin. How many of us still wrestle with shame and guilt and remorse and fear because of our sin? How many of us are not even living truly a redeemed called Life of sanctification of moving forward in our faith because we've forgotten what Jesus has done and is doing? It wasn't a long fairy tale story, a long, this is real and this is truth and Jesus has slayed our giant and has given us victory so we can.
Anthony Montana: 29:05 We can, you can, and I can. There is no more can't, church. There is no more can't, there's only can. And we got start believing it and running to those giants and telling them who's the boss. Verse 51, David again can't slow this guy down now. He ran. He's running everywhere and stood over that Philistine because its defeated, its knocked down, that giants down for the count. He did something profound. He took the giants own sword. Took Goliath's sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut that head off. Don't visualize that too much I don't want to gross you out. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, what did they start to do? They ran. So when we run at our giants and we kill them what happens to the rest of those giants? The rest of our enemy? They're running. You'd better chase them. Don't sleep on those just because it's down and out. Maybe you don't have that craving anymore. Maybe you've had a good week with your diet. Maybe your snowball in debt is looking good. Your marriage is getting better. Don't get lazy don't start sleeping.
Anthony Montana: 30:08 Kill it. Finish him. Mortal Combat.
Anthony Montana: 30:13 Finish him. Finish it. Seal the deal. End it. Because here is what David knew. Here's what David knew what you don't kill now, that giant, what you don't kill now, your kids in generations to come are going to have to kill it. Solomon knew, he knew, Solomon some day his kid had a better opportunity. How many of us just want to give our kids a better life? Here's how you do it. You don't need to make a ton of money. You don't need to be the best parent. It doesn't exist. You don't have to have the best marriage, you just need to kill some giants that God's already given you victory over. Declare it and be resolved in your heart to live for the will of God. That's the greatest legacy you'll ever live. The greatest legacy you'll ever lead your kids, inheritance, is one of faith. So the stories you tell them that you lived and the Giants you defeated you could tell them how to do it themselves and they're going to call you up and ask ya. They may not even believe you. Most teenagers don't I know. But someday they'll say "you're right" whether it's in their heart or wherever they live it. At least you set a mighty example. Your employees, your family, they're all waiting for you to kill this giant.
Anthony Montana: 31:20 Don't let that one thing hold you back from your calling, from your destiny. From what awaits you, it's victorious. Don't let fear, and unbelief, and the thought of can't paralyze you. Keep you on the sidelines waiting, wanting, wishing. Instead take a risk. Different groups of you have some different things to do some of you need to add some things into your life, some of you need to remove some things that are holding you back. They're paralyzing you. They're making things difficult. It's reckless, it's harmful, it's self-defeating, because you're believing can't instead let's believe we can and our church has given you so many opportunities in order to do that. The first step is giving your life to Jesus and believing in the cross. Know that he is real, sins defeated, you don't have to do it alone anymore. And because of that we have each other. We have a ministry called Starting Point, if you have given your life to the Lord and you're not sure where to start. We named it an easy name for you Starting Point. This is where you start. It's going to point you in the right direction and help you grow and strengthen and be absolutely marvelous in life. And we want to help you with that. That's why we've given you small groups in the mine and men's and women's ministry in order to help you fight battles you can't fight them all alone but you got to be open to being vulnerable with one another. That was the hardest thing for me. I just want to do everything on my own and then Church, well everybody was so nice and I thought there was an agenda. You know what the agenda is love. Unconditional love.
Anthony Montana: 32:52 They want you, we want you, to really succeed in life. That's the agenda.
Anthony Montana: 32:56 We serve a mighty powerful God. And when we're given something great we would be selfish to keep that within. And so we have so many ministries provided to you to help you defeat some impossible things with the help of each other. Isn't life better together? Isn't it easier when there's strength in numbers? Let's not do things alone. Let's do it together and go after it and leave a mighty legacy, not just for Chandler, not just for Arizona, but for this entire nation.
Anthony Montana: 33:21 So the next time you have a moment your hands shaking and you're scared. I'm going to ask you to still take that field. You still run into that battle zone even if you feel like your legs can't move, their jello. Your mind is crazy. Just keep moving forward. Take the field, take this step of faith because here's what's going to happen. It will just get easier and easier with each step you're going to start believing in it and God's going to give you that next measure of things you never imagined or dream of.
Anthony Montana: 33:53 We have an advantage. We have the ultimate advantage. And that is the cross.
Anthony Montana: 34:03 It's not the 't' anymore. It's a cross, the cross of Calvary.
Anthony Montana: 34:05 Jesus took this, took our punishment, took our shame, took our suffering in order to say and allow us the thought of an abundant life so we can. So we can dream again, so we can feel free. We're no longer slaves to fear. We're no longer slaves to faith in the enemy. We have our faith and we keep our eyes on the cross we keep our eyes on Jesus who has conquered sin, who has conquered death, and wants to conquer every single giant in your life. But he just wants your permission. He just wants you to believe again. He wants you to trust in him and he wants to get credit where credit is due. So will you take that field? Will you say yes Coach, put me in? God send me. God I believe, I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that your resurrected you have power over all things, with God what's impossible? Nothing. Nothing's impossible we can do all things in Christ. We can do all things in Christ who strengthens us in our weakness and our infirmities. Let him use and sit in our ugly. Can I get an amen? Can you tell your partner next to you and your friend or any of your family in the church. You can. We need to start believing that let's be a family let's say hey you can. You can. You can do it this year. Go after that crazy giant this year. You can, I can. And we will. And there's gonna be a really cool story to tell. Let's give God those giants we pray with me. Oooh. There is so much peace in knowing God that we don't have to have it figured out. We don't have to be perfect. You took everything, you conquered sin, and you conquered death, our greatest obstacles. There's no more fear. Instead we have a sound mind God give us a peace. Give us a strength. Give us a comfort and a hope. Let us dream again. There's people in here that have quit believing` God. They quit believing in you, they quit believing in themselves. They believe the lies of can't and won't and shouldn't and so God what you inspire them, would you help them run the race of faith. Run after the calling that you've set for them what they know there is a purpose and there is a plan even if it's so difficult. Even if they have to crawl they will make forward progress in you. And here's the beautiful part you'll pick them up and you're going to carry him. You carry us. Thank you for being such a sweet God. We love you. We believe these truths by proclaiming and saying Cornerstone a man.
Recorded in Chandler, Arizona.
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