Sadie Robertson - June 2018

They gave me this long biography of our guest speaker, but I forgot it in the front row, so I'll try to improvise it every time I was reading in the back and she walked in. I thought: do you want me to say all this? says I hate it when they do that I hate it when they have to talk about you know, finalist on Dancing with the Stars, over a million people follow her blog, award-winning actress for the TV show Duck Dynasty, The Dimples, I mean America's Sweetheart, right here. I said, what do you want to be introduced to while she goes?

Can you just say, Hi, here's Sadie and I'm like, yeah, we're here to serve you, so hello everyone here, Sadie, yeah, well, well, well, I'm really excited to be. It's a great honor to be here, what a great weekend to spend with the family. First of all the pastors are absolutely amazing, I just want to honor them for who they are and what they do, yes they have it all here and in this church. It's amazing, thank you all for what you're doing, how you're supporting people in South Africa and I'm sure around the world you're an amazing Church, so it's amazing to be here this morning.

I promise you that I could not be here without the grace of God, only the power behind the blood and name of Jesus Christ. In fact, I struggled with fear for a long time in my life, and so being here today in itself feels like I could. Get a testimony that God is a real people and he, when you can stand up and say: I am a child of God, there is no reason to be a slave to fear because there is complete freedom in the name of it, so I'm going to share some. of my personal stories with that and I just remind everyone of who our God is today and so I pray that all of your eyes are open to see, your ears are open to hear and your hearts are open to receive all that God has in this word today, but how many of you know that fear can be really ugly?

Can I have a witness to the ugly side of fear that anyone here struggles with? Okay, yeah, fear got really ugly for me. Okay, I'll tell this story. I'm telling you very quickly and it was actually right when they asked me to do Dancing with the Stars and I thought no way, José, why in the world would I continue Dancing with the Stars? First of all, I've never danced a day in my life. in front of any human being, so that was like step one, step two, why would I learn to dance in front of millions of people on television being judged every week?

It just didn't sound appealing to me. I thought that's scary. I said no, I don't really think I can do that, but when they asked me to do it, my brother John Luke, on the other hand, said, yeah, I'll do it, I don't want to go on. Dancing with the Stars and my parents said no, you're not going to continue Dancing with the Stars, well, John Luke, part of the reason is because he's like the most uncoordinated person in the world and he has all the confidence, but he has no coordination. . so my parents were like that doesn't really sound like a good idea, sorry John Luke, what if you went, would you be eliminated in the first round?

Sadie, if you go, at least you have a chance to do it, and I was like no way it's like I just added that there's no way I can do that, so my mom stayed with me all night trying to make this decision. , she says please do it, it would be so much fun and she's doing all the spilling and just blink to do it and God gave you this chance and the bigger he is living in you you know she's giving it all to me and I'm like Mom I can't do that right the next morning I wake up and my little sister who was 11 at the time looked at me and said Sadie can I ask you something?

I was sure she was like it's fear talking or it's Sadie talking and I was like, woah, wait, actually, whoa, that's so good and I realize at that moment that I was about to to make a decision as the pastor told me later from the spirit of fear and I think it is very important if you are a child of God that you do not make decisions. I will be the spirit of fear because you will say no. things you should say yes to and you should say you're going to say yes things you should definitely say no to and this was one of those moments where I was about to look my little sister in the eyes and tell him no I'm not going to do something just because I'm afraid to do it.

Give an excuse not to do something. Fear is no excuse. My mom always said it all while she was growing up. You can have a million excuses not to do something, but fear is best not to be one of them. them and the fear was all over them for me so I just said "it's okay Bella, you're right, um, I'm going to do it, I think I'm going to do it, you'd think this is when everything gets okay, you." They say it's okay, I'm doing it, yeah, it has to be amazing, plus they say that's not what happened.

I was like I was doing it and then I was like, I don't know how to do this, everyone's hitting me on it. face at a time and that's when the fear got really bad, so I was on my way to Mary Kate's Alice, who was my best friend at the time, she's now married to my brother, they were dating and I was on my way to your home, simply friendly. of like confined and a best friend and just tell her like listen, I'm about to leave for three months. I'm terrified, I don't know what to do and I just pour it all out on her and as I was in my There I started having a full blown anxiety and panic attack.

I was shaking. I was literally shaking. I sobbed makeup everywhere and then literally threw up in the car. Okay, it's ugly and not pretty. Yes, this is scary for everyone, it's just not good. so I get to Mary Kate's house and I'm so embarrassed I look terrible. I'll park in her driveway and pull over. I see my brother's car and it was crazy, it doesn't matter. I like to start leaving. Like I wasn't going to get in my car and let my brother see me like that and the next thing I knew, Mr. The tall, lanky guy himself starts running as fast as he can to try to catch up with my car and I'll keep driving.

I'm like, no, no, no, boy, this fool is fast, so he's booking it and he comes up to my window. and he looks at me and says, roll down the window, stop the car and I say, no, I keep driving, he keeps running, he's relentless, so I finally stop the car, but I tell him wrong, I'm not going to roll down the window. window I'm leaving and he's like, "Don't roll down the window. I'm like don't close the car door. The guy jumps on my car. I was like what the hell, so you'd think right now I'd be a good sister.

You'd know." . I finally unlock the car give up oh no I kept driving I kept driving with don't look at the car hello that's scary I'm driving John legs in the car I'm not going fast but you know it took me 45 minutes going around the neighborhood this is not a joke people because I was so embarrassed and that's what fear does fear close the car door for you roll up the windows fear doesn't want to be seen by those I love you I don't want the people you don't want I don't want to welcome people, but the The truth is that those who love you already see it because they know you, they know who you are, they know what you have, they know what you carry and they will not be willing to leave you.

Surrender to fear and let that limit your life and what a great brother in the picture to just believe this sister to stay in the car so she finally gets to Mary Kate's house and opens the door and he opens it and says: Oh! Like yeah, that's why I kept driving and I get out of the car and it was such a special night because he just looked at me and said, Sadie, what are you afraid of? You are going to dance with the stars and you can. In fact, I would probably dance if it were me, I couldn't even dance and I'm not afraid, and he was just being silly and silly and he just reminded me why this should be something amazing, this should be good.

Don't be afraid and I think it's important to surround yourself with people, especially when you're dealing with something like fear, who don't call you crazy but they also don't justify what you're going through and say like oh yeah well you're afraid if you're going to dismiss our thing you should be scared. oh you're going to say how you have reason to be scared but say no you have no reason to be scared because what God has put in You are absolutely for this and he wouldn't call you to something he's not going to equip before surrounding you but that type of people who believe in the God within you, so before we start today, I want you to hold the hand of the person next to you, whether you know them or not, just go ahead and hold the hand, we are guys from family, I know it might be awkward, you're like Sadie, no, really, it's good, everything is okay and what I want to do for him.

The next minute or even 30 seconds I just want you to pray for the person next to you and you just believe in them, you just say a prayer to believe in who they are and you pray for freedom over whatever they're going through because as brothers and sisters. It is so vital and important that you know that someone believes in you, you just know that someone believes that there is freedom to be found, so I don't know what the person next to you is going through, I know what you are going through. going through but let's take 30 seconds to pray for each other as the god of the family I thank you for what happens when we come together as a family and believe in what you can do father god I thank you that you were an unlimited God and there is nothing that can go against your word, so God today I pray that as I preach your word and begin to declare the things that you have already written, God, you will begin to feel that power released in the habitation of God, that the people who have been fighting. in fear for years and years and years and they almost feel that God is a part of them, I pray to speak directly to their hearts and remind them of who they are and what they are called to do and they will walk free from here. from any spirit of fear or anything that was holding them back god, I pray that we fully believe and to you today God, I pray for my words, would you just divide them in so many ways in all the hearts of the people today that would walk. and a seed would be planted that would begin to grow and study your word God, would it just be something that would encourage them to dig deeper and know who you are so that we can believe and have the confidence to trust you and all that you do? it's in your name we pray amen and then thank you thank you for praying that's amazing okay before we start I'll start with this short video of us you fly and you go up to 14,000 feet and someone opens the door and realizes you.

I've never been on a fucking plane with the door open, tower, terror, terror, terror, and then people start getting out of the plane and the guy goes all the way to the end of the thing and you're standing on your tiptoes on the edge and you are looking towards death, they say oh, and he pushes you, because people grab 1/3 and you fall out of the plane and in a second you realize that it is the most wonderful experience of your life that you are flying. zero fear you realize that the point of maximum danger is the point of minimum the lesson for me was why were you scared in your bed the night before why do you need that fear for everything until this moment of going out there is really no reason to being afraid and then in that moment all of a sudden when you should be terrified is the happiest experience of your life and God places the best things in life on the other side of fear.

It is so true that I have discovered that it is so true that God has placed the best things in life on the other side of fear and most of the time, the same place that fear occupies in your life, your fear is conquered and that It is what builds that trust that you will have in God to continue doing things that may seem a little scary, but believe that God will come through and will be your strength in your weakness. He's so good like that once. In fact, I asked my mom because my mom is like the picture of how brave she could be. the postcard for like a fearless advertisement she is like I don't know what's going on it's like there isn't even a hint of fear in her there never has been it's crazy like proverbs 31 she laughs at the fear of the future that's my mother like even if she faces danger, she relaxes, like she's so calm, and one time I was like mom, it's okay, I just like it, I don't know if you can answer this, but how can you not? afraid of something like really how do you do that? and she looked at me so good baby um, I really believe in what God says, I was like, oh, okay, that's one way to put it, she says, I really believe in what God made, it's true and then he told me It caught you and it was so simple but so profound because what if we really believed?

What if we truly believed that God is who He says He is? You know the definition of fear is believing that something bad could happen. something could be dangerous or a potential threat to you when I read that when I finally looked at what fear really is and saw that it's actually believing that something in front of you is a threat to you, it hurts me, so I was Well, this is it so I have two options in my life. I can choose to believe in fear and choose to believe that whatever is in front of me will overpower me or I can choose to believe in faith and a God that says He exists.

Nothing on earth that can overpower the power I have placed within you, what will you choose? Because whoever you choose, you're going to live a very different lifestyle and that's why I want to remind you of a guy who just chose I believe what God said and it's Daniel, so I know you've all probably heard the story of Daniel in the lion's den. , probably everyone has read.theBook of Daniel, but I want to read this and remind you of the story because it is very powerful and it is just a man who truly believes that God is who he says he is and sees God's faithfulness over and over again in his life Hebrews 10:35 says like this then do not forget your confident confidence that you have in the Lord because it will be richly rewarded patience patience is what you need now so that you can test and approve the good of God perfect and pleasing will is for your life if we are to have a confident confidence in the Lord yes we're going to be able to be bold for his kingdom to face danger and have a confident confidence we're going to have to start walking out with him and seeing his faithfulness and that's what Daniel did because we're going to talk about Daniel in the den of the lions, but it is important to know a little about Daniel's backstory.

Many of you probably know chapter 1 of Daniel, that is where The Daniel Fast comes from because Daniel chose to fast in this very intense moment where the kingdom was coming the kings were coming and looking for the strongest men they were looking for the most handsome men the men who were the wisest and at this time This is when Daniel chooses with him Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who do not need any special food, they do not need anything other than what God provides and they will simply choose to fast, drink water and eat vegetables and God honored that. quick and Daniel one and we read about how God gave Daniel at that time wisdom beyond any other and also gave him the gift of interpreting dreams and many other gifts and that's why it's important to know that because in the next chapters of Daniel we'll see how that really came into play in Daniel's life many times if someone needed an interpreted dream Daniel was the man to call if someone needed something Daniel was the man to call and that's why in Daniel chapter 6 we're picking up where there was the king. appoint Daniel as the next king because he had seen how Daniel was obviously well favored by God, he had seen the gifts he had and could see that he stood out among all the others, he was very, very talented and found him highly favored and even eyes of the king, then the king was about to name him well.

The people in the kingdom, of course, didn't like that there was a lot of jealousy involved and decided that they were going to try to find some way to get Daniel into trouble. because they said we had to get rid of this guy like he was the king. This is our competition, how can we get rid of Daniel? But the problem was how can we get rid of Daniel, because Daniel doesn't do anything wrong. What they said, well, Daniel doesn't do anything wrong, so how are we going to get this guy in trouble? So they said that if we are going to get Daniel into trouble, then it has to be something that goes against the god he serves.

The first point of the day is pretty amazing if you live a life where the only way people can get you caught is by doing something against God and they're not actually even doing anything. I thought it was a total move that's cool, so we were like we have to do something, we have to try to figure out how he could like somehow, whatever, get in trouble and you won't go find his God, so We are simply going to make a wall so that if anyone prays to any other God. King Darius for the next thirty days and they will take his throne to the lions' den.

Well, of course, the king said he was fine, had security put it in writing and it was Stampton CO2 approved for the next 30 days. on earth could print any other God than King Darius and it says that as soon as Daniel knew that the law that this decree had been made he went back up to his room and to his windows and opened them towards Jerusalem and three times a day . He got down on his knees and prayed just like he always had, he's a firm believer, that's just what he's always done, he went back and prayed to the God that he served continually, he had a lot of confidence in that God and So, of course, because It was a plan, the king's men saw him doing this and they went and reported it to the king and said: King, didn't you say that if anyone prays to any other God than you, then they will be thrown into hell?

The roar of the lions and the king said yes and he said well. Your servant Daniel was found praying to God because he had been serving continuously and would not honor your wish, so the king was very distressed and said oh no. That wasn't the plan because he actually loves Daniel, he actually sees the gifts that Daniel has in his life and he actually wanted Daniel to take his place after that, but now he made this law and he has to honor his law, so he says and then he has to throw Daniel into the lion's den and that's where we're picking up here, but it's important to know the backstory because you see that Daniels confidently trusts and the Lord was not shaken and there was a lot of patient resistance because he about to enter the den with a lion so let's continue in verse 17 actually verse 16 sorry, it says that the king gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den and the king.

He said may your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you. I think it's cool that this King isn't really sure where his faith is and he's not really firm and not very confident, but it's like, let's see if this happens. Let's see I really hope that whatever gods you serve I really hope that what you've been doing I hope that it lasts because the King saw something and Daniel that was significant. I think that's a good point to think about as well and verse 17 says. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the Lions' Den and the King sealed it with his own ring, sealing Daniel's fate so that his situation would not change.

Then the King returned to the palace and spent the whole night without entertainment and without food. He was fasting for Daniel at the first light of dawn. The King got up and hurried to the lions' den and when he got close to the den he caught him and an anguished voice and said Daniel, servant of the Living God, you have your God whom you served continually, I was able to rescue you and Daniel appears and says that the King lives forever, my God sent an angel in the middle of the night who came to my favor and closed the mouth of the lion.

They have done me harm because I was found innocent in their eyes and I was also found innocent near me, I have not done any harm, your majesty, so the king was very happy and gave the order to take him out of the den and when Daniel was taken out again he did not there was nothing. She found herself wounded in him, she did not find wounded in him because she had trusted in God, who is powerful. Then right after this happened, he gets even better. King Darius, the same king who had just written to all of Atlanta that they could only pray to him, is now making a new decree so that every nation and every person of every language on earth can say that he issued a decree that they can fear and reverence the god of Daniel because he is the living god and endures forever his kingdom will not be destroyed his dominion will never end he rescues and saves he works signs and works wonders in heaven and on earth he has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions new decree from the king was that so I don't know if you have heard the story of Daniel the lion's den since then you were in first grade and you will always preach every part of what it really is to believe and who God is and there is so much consistency about who has been God always, so I'm just going to go back and read the first part and point out some points of what the Lord has been showing me as I read this, but this is really interesting stuff, so in the first point, verse 17, they brought a stone and they placed it over the mouth of the lions' den and the King sealed it with his signet ring, sealing the destiny of Daniel's life so that his situation does not change.

How many of you know that there is no king of this world? there is power on earth that can seal the destiny of our life whenever God has put destiny in our life when he united us in our mother's womb he gave us a purpose he gave us freedom he gave us plans to prosper no king of this world can do that let me show you about the consistency of God in Matthew chapter 27 Jesus had just died on the cross and Jesus, as you know, when he was alive, he was predicting his death and he was prophesying to the people and he said to them one day, he said, he said sometimes, in fact, that on the third day he would rise again and so we.

Returning to Matthew verse 27 chapter 27 verse 62 it says the next day the day of preparation the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and said to him sir let us remember that while he was still alive that the deceiver said after three days I will rise I will rise I will rise like this who gives the order for the tomb to be secured until the third day, otherwise his disciples can come and steal the body and tell all the people that he rose from the dead the last deception will be worse than the first and then Pilate responded : go secure the tomb as you know, so they went and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone, betting with the guard, how many of you know that there is no tomb, there is no seal, there is no? power of darkness that can stop the power of God when he has already put his word in its place that is the consistency of who God is that is why I love reading the Book of Daniel and then reading the life of Jesus because you see how God is so consistent with his people he is the same God yesterday today and forever say the angels in Revelation as they surround God day and night all they can say is holy holy holy are you Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come each new side of you is holy where you were was holy where you are is holy where you are going will be holy the angels declare that day and night and I want you to realize something in Daniel's life and with Jesus in Daniel's life Daniel was living a great life Daniel was literally the one to whom God showed so much favor because he fasted he was a righteous man who was found blameless in the eyes of men in the eyes of God he was doing great things and guess where he was taken to the lions' den not It is so interesting that we can follow God's perfect will in our lives and still be led to the lion's den.

Jesus he is Jesus, he actually used God and was led by the spirit into the desert. Is that? It's interesting that we can follow the Spirit of God and we can follow the perfect will of God by walking confidently in it and we can still be led into the wilderness and into the lions' den, so I just want to tell you that because some of you may You may have been disappointed in where God is leading you and you may be sitting in the lion's den right now and you're like, What the hell is God? I have been following you I have been fasting I have been righteous God why am I in the lions' den why am I in the desert and can I tell you that maybe he put you in the lions and allows you to walk into the desert so that the kings who around you see how faithful God is in the middle of the lion's den in the middle of nature, so it doesn't matter if they take you to Nashville, Tennessee, if they take you to Hollywood, to DC, wherever, it doesn't matter if they take you to a job you didn't do.

I think you wanted to go to a school you didn't think you'd be in, no matter where you are, just as the angels sing, I want to join them and say God, I don't know where I'm going, I don't know where. You're taking me away, but I know it will be holy because that's what you are, don't lose sight of his face, don't take your eyes off his face, so Daniel said every time the king caught him, he said Daniel saved your God. you and daniel cried out to the king and he said may the king live forever my god sent an angel in my name to close the lion's mouth do you want to know another parallel with jesus in matthew chapter 4 when jesus was led by the spirit in the wilderness there was been tempted had been tested for many days Jesus does not hesitate to not be Satan all day every day and we get to the last point when Jesus finally had enough and it is very similar to Daniel's situation because the enemy said he took him to the deepest place. high on a very high mountain I left everything today I will pick it up and he said all this I will give it to you if you fall down and worship me and Jesus said far from me Satan because it is written worship the Lord your God and serve him only when Jesus said that the devil he left and the angels came and accompanied him so I just want to point that out because it's very similar to Daniel when the kings of the world and when The enemy comes and says if you bow down to anything other than your God, you will be very blessed.

If you do this for a minute, you'll be so close and if you don't know, man, we'll go get it. We're going to throw you into the lion's den, it doesn't matter if all the enemies in the world are against you, if you all start saying, salute, King Jesus, may the god of the universe live forever and you just bow down and worship. the only God you have continually served all the armies of heaven will fight for you all the armies of heaven will fight in your name so join the cry of the angels join in and they will join you let me tell you it's great then he says and closed the mouth of a lion.

I think some of you may need to hear today that we serve a God who will shut the mouth of a lion. I don't know how the lion sees himself in his situation. I don't know which lion has spoken about you. I don't know which lion is prowling around you and scaring you. I don't know what your lion is like, but I just want to encourage you to say steady and wait. him because my God will close the mouth of the lionhe closed the mouth of the accuser he closed the mouth of the oneso you will have a peace that surpasses all understanding because that is when every time I fight for you, I catch you, I take you and so in this moment I realized, oh.

My God, I have been praying a lot for my situations to change in life and when that didn't happen I was afraid, that was like my excuse to retreat into fear, but when I just thought and started praying for my heart to change, I realized that I can be on stage right now and not be afraid because the posture of my heart is different and in Daniel's story he reflects that because the situation he was in was an unchangeable situation because of the stone rolled on him , but still because his heart was willing. to stand firm, everything changed in his circumstances, so good 20 years until tomorrow and instead of running to the bar when he turns 21, he will be talking to our teenagers at youth camp.

It's very happy birthday, Sadie, there's a little boy behind you like, yeah. In fact, why don't we sing happy birthday? She will be with our church family. Yeah.