Latest / Desoto Hills Baptist Church / SUNDAY - MAY 3, 2026 "The Great Adventure" Joshua

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SUNDAY - MAY 3, 2026 "The Great Adventure" Joshua · Desoto Hills Baptist Church

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: Our Sunday morning services are weekly at 9 and 10 30 a.m.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: You're listening to an audio recast of this past week's service.
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  SPEAKER_01: We hope you enjoy.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: God bless.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to do something a little bit different today that I typically don't do.
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  SPEAKER_00: But instead, we're going to leave Acts today.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know we just saw the video from Acts, and I've prepared to teach from preach from Acts.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: But just from our service today, I want us to look at Joshua chapter 24.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you have your Bible and want to turn there, we we sang and Sid made reference to this passage in the worship service.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: David talked about Joshua in his challenge to our students today.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And just for our short time that we have together today, I want us to look and I'm going to challenge them when they come back.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: If y'all want to know, we what they do is they have breakfast.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you walked in and smelled bacon this morning, they're going to eat bacon.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, you get me.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I told David it is so unfair that I'm going to have to go sit in here for two services and smell bacon the whole time.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: But that's where we are.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, so they're going up there to have breakfast.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: They'll be back.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I'll challenge them with this.
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  SPEAKER_00: But this is a challenge really for all of us to see and all of us to understand.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: And Joshua chapter 24.
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  SPEAKER_00: Understand what's happening at this place in the book of Joshua.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Joshua, David referenced the beginning of Joshua's ministry of taking over after Moses left.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: And you can imagine, like, whew.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's like following James Lewis at DeSoda Hills.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is big shoes to feel.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is a big thing that is going on and a big thing that's happening.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: And God, he comes to Joshua several times and he says, Hey Joshua, do not fear, do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: When I was in high school, that was one of my favorite verses when I signed my autograph, because you know I was so famous and everything.
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  SPEAKER_00: Really, when I wrote my name in the bill of my baseball hat is really about all it was.
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  SPEAKER_00: But every time I wrote it, I would write Joshua 1.8.
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  SPEAKER_00: And thinking back to that verse, hey, be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we saw God with Joshua, and Joshua do some, uh not Joshua, we saw God do, God do some amazing things through the life of Joshua.
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  SPEAKER_00: And and he led the Israelites into the promised land and divided the promised land, and all that God intended for Joshua to do happened in his life.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: But now when we come to the end, when we come to Joshua chapter 24, we're at the end of Joshua's life.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: We're at the end of his ministry in the promised land, and he knows that his time is coming soon.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what else he knows, because he is being like, he he Joshua was with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.
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  SPEAKER_00: He was with them there.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we forget that.
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  SPEAKER_00: Joshua was one of the Israelites that crossed the Red Sea after God parted it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Joshua was at Mount Sinai when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
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  SPEAKER_00: Joshua had been there and Joshua had seen these great things that God had done.
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  SPEAKER_00: But you know what else Joshua saw?
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  SPEAKER_00: He saw the stubbornness of Israel and how quickly they turned away.
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  SPEAKER_00: He saw that too.
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  SPEAKER_00: He saw Israel for who they were: the good, the bad, the ugly.
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  SPEAKER_00: He saw it all.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what he knows: he knows that he is coming to the end of his life.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if you read commentaries on the book of Joshua and things, there's if anybody ever has a complaint about Joshua, this would be one of the things that they complain about.
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  SPEAKER_00: They complain that Joshua didn't set up someone to follow him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Moses did.
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  SPEAKER_00: Moses set up Joshua.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so when Moses died, it was just ready for Joshua to step in.
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  SPEAKER_00: But Joshua, he really didn't do that.
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  SPEAKER_00: And while that may be a complaint against Joshua, just to be honest with you, I don't see it that way.
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  SPEAKER_00: Here's why.
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  SPEAKER_00: Joshua's going to do this.
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  SPEAKER_00: And God never did that.
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  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'm wrong in that.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Could be.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: But we know this.
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  SPEAKER_00: At this point, God has not really called anyone up to lead Israel because I think the plan was for Israel to go and in their tribes find leadership within their tribes to lead the people.
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  SPEAKER_00: But Joshua, again, knows what a stubborn and stiff-necked people Israel is.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you question it, read Judges.
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  unknown: Amen.
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  SPEAKER_00: How quickly they turned.
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  SPEAKER_00: But as we come to Joshua 24, Joshua is doing everything he can to challenge this people.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to ask you if you're able this morning to stand with me as we read from Joshua chapter 24.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to start reading in verse 14.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's not going to be on the screen this morning.
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  SPEAKER_00: I surprised them with this.
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  SPEAKER_00: They don't have it.
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  SPEAKER_00: So unless they do, you got it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Look at you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Lee.
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  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that.
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  SPEAKER_00: So Joshua 24, verse 14.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, therefore, fear the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.
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  SPEAKER_00: Put away the gods that your father served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve.
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  SPEAKER_00: Whether the gods your father served in the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.
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  SPEAKER_00: But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray together.
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  SPEAKER_00: God, thank you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the challenge of your word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for revealing yourself through your word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Help us to see you this morning.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus, it's in your name we pray.
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  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
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  SPEAKER_00: So as Joshua is finishing out his ministry here, here's the first thing he does.
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  SPEAKER_00: We didn't read it, but the first thing that he does in chapter 24 is to remind them of Israel of all the things that God has done.
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  SPEAKER_00: He reminds them of how God brought them out of Egypt.
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  SPEAKER_00: He reminds them of how he defeated the Egyptian army without Israel raising a sword.
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  SPEAKER_00: He reminds them of how he takes care of them in the wilderness.
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  SPEAKER_00: He reminds them of all the good things that he has done.
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  SPEAKER_00: Listen, we've done that this morning.
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  SPEAKER_00: We sang about the goodness of God and how all our lives God has been faithful.
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  SPEAKER_00: Listen, it hasn't always been easy and it hasn't always been just walking through tulips, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes life is hard, but even in those hard times, what Joshua reminds the people and what I remind you this morning, God has still been faithful.
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  SPEAKER_00: We need to stop and we need to remember that.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Another song that I love that we sing sometimes is a song called We Will Remember.
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  SPEAKER_00: It says, I will remember the day you saved me.
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  SPEAKER_00: The day I heard you call out my name.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because I will never be the same.
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  SPEAKER_00: Listen, church, I'm going to challenge us.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes when we are going through it, and life is hard, we need to stop and remember the goodness of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's what Joshua is calling the people to do here.
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  SPEAKER_00: Before he challenges them, before he tells them anything else, he reminds them of the goodness of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then he comes with the challenge.
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  SPEAKER_00: And here's what he says.
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  SPEAKER_00: Hey, listen, you need to choose.
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  SPEAKER_00: You need to choose whom you're going to serve.
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  SPEAKER_00: You need to choose if you're going to serve God or if you're going to serve other gods.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: And he even points out, he says, if it is evil for you to choose the Lord, choose this day.
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  SPEAKER_00: Actually, back in 14, he says, put away the gods that your father served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: If it is evil for your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your father served beyond in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whom land you were going to dwell.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what he says: all around you, you have seen people worship false gods.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Egypt, we saw it happen.
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  SPEAKER_00: We saw the Egyptians worship false gods.
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  SPEAKER_00: And all through the wilderness, every time something came up, he said, Israel, every time something came up, here's what you said.
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  SPEAKER_00: It would have been better for us to stay in Egypt and die there.
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  SPEAKER_00: Joshua says, if that's it, if that's whom you're gonna serve, serve them.
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  SPEAKER_00: But listen, just remember what he has done.
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  SPEAKER_00: Joshua says, remember the ten plagues?
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  SPEAKER_00: The ten plagues, while they are amazing miracles.
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  SPEAKER_00: Do you know what the ten plagues also did?
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  SPEAKER_00: It broke down every false God that Egypt worshiped.
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  SPEAKER_00: Everyone that they worship was destroyed and obliterated through the plagues.
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  SPEAKER_00: He said, you can worship those if you want to.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Joshua says, you're going to go into a land where they are worshiping other gods besides them.
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  SPEAKER_00: And church, let me tell you, we are surrounded by tons of false gods.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are surrounded.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not just talking about we're surrounded by false religions, of course, and there are people who are worshiping false religions all around us.
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  SPEAKER_00: But listen, more than just false gods, there are things that we do in our lives that place other things on the throne in our lives besides idols.
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  SPEAKER_00: We put extracurricular activities, careers, relationships, all kinds of things in the place of God in our lives.
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  SPEAKER_00: And what Joshua is saying is you're going to be tempted with that when you go into the promised land.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if you choose to worship them, fine, so be it.
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  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
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  SPEAKER_00: You're tired, you're at the end of the year.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes, sometimes, especially in history, we might watch a movie.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a historical movie, but you might just do it.
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  SPEAKER_00: One of the movies I remember watching was a movie about the Alamo.
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  SPEAKER_00: The old John Wayne movie with the Alamo.
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  SPEAKER_00: You remember John Wayne and all those guys?
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  SPEAKER_00: And I remember one of those parts in that movie right at the end, and when Santa Anna has the Alamos surrounded, and they know if they stay there, it's not going to end well.
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  SPEAKER_00: The general, he comes and he takes his sword and he draws a line in the sand.
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  SPEAKER_00: And he says, Listen, Santa Anna has given us an opportunity.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to flee, go.
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  SPEAKER_00: And nobody's going to think less of you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Go.
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  SPEAKER_00: But if you want to stay and fight, step across this line.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's almost like Joshua is drawing a line in the sand here.
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  SPEAKER_00: And saying saying, listen, challenges are going to come.
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  SPEAKER_00: You're going to be berated from all around to worship things other than God.
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  SPEAKER_00: And to make things in your life more important than God.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are going to be challenged with that all the time.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Choose you today who you're going to serve.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Choose today whom you're going to serve.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because listen, right here, right now, in this moment, it is easy to say, I'm going to choose God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Actually, that's what Israel did.
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  SPEAKER_00: Israel said, Hey, no way, Joshua.
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  SPEAKER_00: We're going to serve God.
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  SPEAKER_00: We're going to do it.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: And Joshua said, Be careful.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Be careful.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because you say that now, but as soon as we get there, I know what you're going to do.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to turn your back on God.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Be careful.
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  SPEAKER_00: Be careful because choosing in this moment is easy.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: But when you choose in this easy moment, it helps you later when things get hard to look back and remember, no, I chose to serve the Lord.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to follow Him.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Church, we must, we must draw a line in the sand and choose whom we are going to serve and worship.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you, as for me, my house, and I'm going to lead the church that I lead to serve the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: I want you to come and be a part of that.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know where you are today.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: As we draw to a close of this service, let me challenge you with a couple of things.
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  SPEAKER_00: One, listen, if you want to serve the one and true God, because listen, everything else is a false God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not only is it a false God, it is an unreal God.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you want life, you need to worship the one true God.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And the way that that happens, the way he has made for us to worship and serve him, is he knew that we had would sin and fall short.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: He knew that we too were stubborn and stiff-necked people.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: So he sent his one and only Son to come and live a perfect life and die on a cross and take upon himself the punishment for our sin.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Then Jesus arose from the grave, defeating sin, defeating death, and giving us life.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have never received life from the one true God by believing in his son, today we're inviting you to come.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: We're about to sing a hymn of invitation as we sing, we invite you to come.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: If you have, here's the challenge for you today.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Choose today whom you're going to serve.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Tomorrow, you're going to be bombarded with a lot of different things to take the place of God.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: The next day you're going to be bombarded with a lot of different things.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: So make up your mind today.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Choose today whom you will serve.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: But DeSota Hills, may we say this.
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  SPEAKER_00: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray together.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: God, we thank you for today, and we thank you for this opportunity that we have to meet with you.
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  SPEAKER_00: God, I pray for those who are here who have never trusted in you this morning.
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  SPEAKER_00: I pray that today will be the day of salvation for them.
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  SPEAKER_00: I pray for those who have.
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  SPEAKER_00: That God, that even when we've decided to trust you, sometimes we act like Israel did and we are stubborn and stiff-necked.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: But God, may today be a day of repentance for us where we come and we repent and we decide to serve you no matter the cost, no matter what lies ahead.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: God work in our hearts and lives.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is in your name we pray.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.
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  SPEAKER_01: If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at DeSoto Hills.com.