NO CHANCE | Chad Veach

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for listening to this week's message. We are excited to continue on in our Joshua series. We are talking about how God has prepared the promise for us and prepared us for the promise. Open your Bible to Joshua chapter one. We're going to start with the same reading as the last week in just a moment. But I want to say thank you to everybody that gives to and through Zoe Church. Thank you for your generosity. yesterday we were able to through three locations have I love my city and serve the people of Los Angeles thank you for helping us make a difference here in LA around the country and around the world thank you for giving today if you'd like to give go to our website click in the top right corner it'll drop down you could click give and go to our giving page and give your tithe or your offering there. But let's jump into this week's message. It's called No Chance. Go in your Bible. If you have a Bible, turn with me to the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 1. We started last Sunday a brand new series. By the way, before I preach, can we just welcome our online Zoe family and South Bay.

1:13 Come on, clap and welcome these two. In Jesus' name, we're so grateful to have both of y'all with us here today. We started last Sunday a brand new series. We are studying the life and the book of Joshua. And I'm excited. If you missed last week, make sure you check out and listen to that message. But we're doing part two today. We're in the second part of this series. And we're talking about God has prepared a promise for you, and He prepares you for the promise. I just love this because I just want to put you at ease today. I'm convinced you don't have to come up with a plan for your life because I'm already convinced God has a plan for your life. And God's got something better for you than you could ever ask, think, or imagine somebody say amen. So God has prepared a promise for you. We're studying the Old Testament. God had brought the Israelites out of slavery. He's going to bring them into the promised land. And this is an Old Testament story. And I just want to make sure as we study this book that we are all recognizing that in the Old Testament, it was a promise for a property, but the property Canaan could never be enough. In the New Testament, the promise is not a Zillow address. In the New Testament, the greater promise is Jesus. So I'm thankful today that God didn't prepare just some property for me, but I'm thankful today God prepared Jesus for me. Come on, any Jesus people in the house today. Come on, everybody, clap and thank God. Everybody, thank you, Jesus. So what I don't want to study is going like, man, God's got this promise. You're going to get this promotion.

3:04 You're going to get this office. You're going to get this, you know, a house. No, no, no. the promise for us is everlasting life. The promise for us is grace in Jesus. So we didn't just get a promised land. Come on, somebody. We got the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Come on, clap if you're thankful today for Jesus.

3:26 But nevertheless, there are things we can take from the story that teach us about God and teach us about us. So there's things we need to learn who God is and how he operates and who we are as the people of God to learn how to inherit all that God has for us. And so I'm excited because I'm just telling you God's getting you ready for whatever he has planned for your life. Let me say it this way. You have to become who you're supposed to become so you can do what you're supposed to do. but much about God is he's developing you he is training you he is speaking to you he is shaping you I'm telling you the hand of God is on your life in this season and God's preparing you for whatever he has in your future and I love this in Joshua chapter one go over in your Bible read with me or if you don't have a Bible on the screen it says after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord. The Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses' aid. Moses, my servant, is dead. Now then you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan into the land I'm about to give to them, to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert all the way to Lebanon, from the great river, the Euphrates, all the Hittite country, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the West. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. Things Cowboys fans wish they could hear.

5:09 Everybody's standing against y'all. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give to them. Be strong and very what? What's the word? What's the word louder, everybody? Courageous. Be strong and courageous. Second time he says it. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave to you. Do not turn from the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and what? Courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

6:11 I want to preach a message today. Write down the title. It's called No Chance. No Chance. And I'm just telling you that there are things in your life that you have no shot, you have no chance at walking in without the grace of God. And until you obey his commands and following his footsteps, you don't have a shot, you don't have a chance at doing what God's called you to do or becoming who God's called you to become. Have you ever been in this scenario before where you're up against something and you're like, I have no chance. Like, I have no shot. I remember when Julie and I first started dating, I was like, I got no chance. But tomorrow we're celebrating 18 years of marriage. Holler at your boy. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Yes, sir. Look at what the Lord has done. Do you remember the 21st night of September?

7:13 18 years. She is blessed. I just remember Dayton and Julia like, I got no chance. I remember when we had our first baby, we're in the hospital. I'm looking at this beautiful girl, Georgia. I'm like, I got, I got no chance at raising a kid. I still eat cereal. I'm a grown man. I got no chance. I remember when we moved to LA to start Zoe, we had 11 people in our living room to start our church in Westchester. And I was like, we're going to build a church. I was thinking, we got no chance. I'm just telling you there's things in life that you come up against. You're like, I got no shot unless God gets involved, unless God shows up, unless, oh, come on, clap today if you understand. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He's saying to Josh, a promise. I promise you this land. I just want to remind somebody today as you're following Jesus.

8:15 You don't obey God so you can get a promise. You get a promise and then you obey God. In fact, put this on the screen just so we're all on the same page. Obedience doesn't create God's promise. Obedience is a response to God's promise. Be strong, be courageous, obey the law, meditate on my word. All of this flows from the promise, the land I am about to give to them.

8:41 Some of us gotta understand, just because you're fasting and praying and coming on Sundays and reading your Bible, God's not like, oh, we got to come up with a promise for this guy. No, God gives a promise and that makes me want to obey him. He says to Josh, I'm going to give you this land promise in order for you to walk in this land. Be strong, be courageous, meditate on my word, obey my commands. See, the obedience is a response to God. And I just want to tell you today, Zoe, We are walking in the truth and the principles of God's word because God has given us a promise of everlasting life in the promise of our Messiah. Oh, come on, clap everybody together. Zoe family, come on, South Bay, clap with us today. We're responding. We're responding to the promise of God. And by the way, just once again, if the land, if Canaan was enough, God would have just given you a property. He would have just said, Sherman Oaks, blessed.

9:40 calabasas gotcha branch of cucamonga no way That's Egypt. No, but he gave you more than land. If the land was enough, he would just bring you into a land. But the Bible talks about in the New Testament a greater promise than land, the greater rest, not just rest in a property, rest in Jesus. In fact, read here in Hebrews chapter 4 before we continue. So we're all on the same page. The Bible says this, Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. Isn't it amazing that Joshua in the Greek is the same name as Jesus in the Greek? There was a greater Joshua that was come, Yeshua, and his name is Jesus, and he doesn't give us rest in our territory.

10:37 He gives us rest in our soul. Anybody thankful today for Jesus and the greater rest that he brings? Nevertheless, when you read the story and you see Joshua, Joshua's been the assistant. He's been the aide. He's been in training. He's been the guy that's been carrying Pastor Moses' Bible. And God says to Joshua, Moses, my servant is dead, and you're up next. Let me give you three things to write down today. Write down number one. It's time for you to step into your grace. It's time for you to step up and step into who I've called you to be. And I just love this about God, because God will, he'll develop you, he will train you, he will raise you. I'm telling you, Joshua was watching Moses. How did you handle conflict? How did you handle people? How did you forgive them? How do you deal with criticism? He had been watching and watching Moses, and then at just the right time, the Lord tapped Moses on the shoulder, Joshua on the shoulder, and says, Moses is gone, but it's your turn. I'm telling you, keep on getting ready, keep on preparing your life, keep on following Jesus. You never know when God's going to tap you on the shoulder and say, it's time for you to be who I've called you to be.

11:50 I just love this because even right here at Highland Park, anybody love Mariano and Doe right here in the front row? Clap for Mariano and Doe. Mariano and Doe look like they strayed from Miami. And I've watched this couple. They have just been raised and developed and trained and serving. And at just the right time, God taps them on the shoulder and says, I want you to lead Highland Park location. Anybody thankful for their leadership right here at Highland Park?

12:23 This is how God works. He's raising you, training you, developing you so that you can at just the right time, step into something. Notice Joshua wasn't like, I can't wait for Moses to get out of here. I can't wait for Moses to be gone. I can't wait for this guy because I am just going to do so good, and I'm going to be the guy, and I've got ideas. Oh, do I have ideas? No, no. He was just serving. He was just planted. He was just committed, and at just the right time, the Lord taps him on the shoulder and says, it's time for you to step into your grace. At some point, you can't live off your parents' faith, you've got to step into your faith. At some time, you can't live off your mentor's faith, you've got to step into your faith. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Eli and Samuel. Samuel is the young man in the house of God. He's the young servant. One night he's sleeping at the church, and he feels like he hears Pastor Eli call his name. So he runs into Eli's room, and he's like, Pastor Eli, you call for me? And Eli's like, I didn't call for you no go back to bed he's like oh my bad sir my bad he goes back to bed he falls asleep again he hears the voice he comes back into Eli's room again he's like Eli Pastor Eli you called? Eli's like man you need to knock this off I didn't call you that's two times now he's like oh my bad Pastor Eli goes back to bed he falls asleep again he hears another third time he hears the voice he comes knocking he's like Pastor Eli I'm so sorry it's me again you called and he's like ah you're not hearing my voice you're hearing God's voice he says the next time you hear that voice roll over and say speak Lord your servant is listening at some point in your life you stop being dependent upon a leader and you start being dependent upon God you stop looking at their example and you start following God's example oh come on clap today if you're ready to follow God Heart, soul, mind, and strength.

14:19 eventually, put it on the screen, eventually, you can't live off the voice or the success of your mentors. You have to learn to hear God yourself and step into your own victories. You got to step into your own strength. You say, you know what? I don't feel like I'm ready. I don't feel like this is my time, but God tapped me on the shoulder and says, it's time that you get married. It's time for you guys to have kids. Clap for these people, dedicating their kids to the Lord today. We love y'all. Sometimes, sometimes you don't feel like you are ready, but God sees not where you're at. He sees where you're going. One of my favorite stories is when God taps Jeremiah on the shoulder and says, Jeremiah, it's time for you to lead for me. And Jeremiah hears the word of the Lord and watch what he says to God. Jeremiah chapter one, it says, the word of the Lord came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Can you stop there real fast? This is why we believe in Zoe, in the sanctity of life. That life does not begin when someone is born. Life begins in the mother's womb. The Bible says, I was fearfully and wonderfully created when I was in my mother's womb. He says, I knew you before you were born, and I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Alas, sovereign Lord, I said, I do not know how to speak. I am too young. But the Lord said to me, do not say I'm too young. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and I will rescue you, declares the Lord. What is God showing us? You are anointed before you are appointed.

16:06 God's hand is on your life before he ushers you into a new season. And so some of us, God's like, I want you to step up. And we're like. God's like, I want to use you. And you're like, use them. So funny. One of my guys this week, he had a football game and he came to me. He's like, woohoo. He's like, I'm so excited. So-and-so came to school today and he had been sick the last couple of days. And that means I don't have to play quarterback. And I was like, bruh, we kind of want the opposite. We want that guy sick and we want to be the quarterback. And he goes, no, I don't. No, I don't. No, I don't. Because I don't want the pressure. I don't want the pressure. I was like, all right, let's talk about that. Sometimes we're like, I don't want to step up. I don't want to be a father. I don't want to get married. I don't want the responsibility. But I'm grateful for the Lord's leading that when you don't see greatness in yourself, God sees something bigger for your life. Anybody thankful today that God knows best? His ways are above your ways. His thoughts are above your thoughts. Oh, come on, everybody. Clap and thank God. This is the will and the way of God.

17:24 I love this about God. You are anointed before you are appointed. Long before David was ever the king of Israel, 17 years before that, he was anointed by Samuel in his living room. Sometimes God will prepare you. Sometimes God will get you ready for something you never asked, thought, or imagined over your life. But I'm telling you, God's got a bigger plan. God's got a bigger vision and God's got a greater destination. Somebody clap and thank the Lord together. So the first one is it's time to step into your grace. Write down number two. It's time to be strong and courageous. Oh, I love this. He keeps saying it. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. I'll tell you what our world needs and your home and what our community needs is we need people that are strong and we need people that are courageous. Notice that God delineates between strong and courageous. Just because you're strong, does not mean you are courageous. You can be strong and never walk in courage.

18:30 Our culture needs liquid courage. We need godly courage. The Bible says the righteous are as bold as a lion. And so for me, listen, I've got to get around God because God, when I get into his presence, God's presence doesn't make me weaker. God's presence makes me stronger. That's why the Bible says we're changed from glory to glory so we get stronger. Let's go to another Bible verse. Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their what? They shall rise on wings of eagle. They will run and not grow weary. They'll walk and not faint. Amen? So today, while you're in the house of God, guess what's happening to you? Your spirit is getting what? Stronger. So he said, be strong and courageous. I cannot walk in courage until I get strength. How could I be weak and depleted and discouraged and feeling like, oh, I'm a Clipper fan and we're more of the same?

19:31 How could I be weak and be courageous? My courage comes from my strength. So the first thing God does with you, he doesn't make you courageous. The first thing God does with you is he makes you strong. And I want to tell you today in the presence of God, you're getting stronger. Anybody thankful for you? Watch this. Watch how strong God will make you. Psalm 18. With your help, I can advance against a troop. With my God, I can scale a wall. It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle. My arms can bend a bow of bronze. How did I get to be able to bend a bow of bronze? God did it. God made me stronger. God, it's so funny, a couple summers ago, we went to Montana during the summer, and the friends that we were visiting, they took us out to go with bow and arrows. And our kids had to Google what a bow an arrow was. And so we go out there, and it's so funny. There's not like real big ones, but big enough ones. So my little guy, Clive Alive, he gets out there, and he's like, you barely move it.

20:46 And it just kind of goes down. And then Mav the Sav, you know, he got no shot. And so Winston, he kind of pulling it back a little bit, you know, and just not really. And then me, I get up, and I do about the same as Winston. You know, that's where I'm at. But I guarantee you, that was just our visit. But if I were to train with the bow and arrow, and I were to spend time with it, within a couple months, I can just boom. Some of us come to church, and we expect we come one Sunday, I can walk in purity. One Sunday, I can forgive. One Sunday, I'm gonna be great. No, you gotta submit your life under the plan and will of God, because the more you get into his presence, come on anybody thankful today I'm getting stronger and stronger in the presence of God so he said Josh we need you to be strong and courageous but your courage comes from your strength I'm telling you when you get strong in God you get a courage that you no liquid courage can cut can touch this kind of confidence I'm telling you Daniel they said Daniel if you bow down, we're going to throw you in the lion's den. He opened up those windows three times. He said, come and get me. I got courage to keep praying. They said to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, if you keep serving this God, we're going to throw you in a fiery furnace. They say, we got strength and we got courage. We're not bowing down to some false God. David walked up on the scene. He said, who is this guy that defies the armies of the living God? Give me my smooth stones and my slingshot. I've got courage even though I'm young. Anybody thankful today that you've got strength that comes from God and courage that comes from the power of the Holy Spirit? Somebody thank him today. I'm getting stronger as I praise. I'm getting courage as I worship.

22:39 And you wonder why most people never walk in courage. It's because they never get some strength. And if you feel weak today, and if you feel depleted, and if you feel overwhelmed, Jesus says, come to me all those who are weak. And now let the weak say, I am strong. Look at what the Lord's done. So he says, Joshua, I need you to be strong, and I need you to be courageous. Come on, some of us, you need to have courage to have that conversation. You need to have courage to get that thing out of your house. You need to have courage to repent. You need to have courage to come clean. It's not that you just need some strength today. If Josh only needed strength, he would have just said, be strong, Josh. But Josh didn't need strength alone. He needed courage as well.

23:28 And I'm just believing over our lives today that as we worship and we spend time with God, that today I'm declaring I'm getting stronger and the result of it is I'm getting courage. We've been for the last, I don't know, five to seven years, I don't know, for a long time, Julie and I have been going to Orange Theory Fitness, clearly.

23:51 I don't like to brag, but we're in the house of God. And the other day we decided to switch up gyms. We changed our gym membership. If you work at Orange Theory, it's not personal. and we changed gyms just because we felt like we got to mix it up. We've been doing the same thing for many years, same workout, same times, and we got to change things up. What's our attempt? We want to get stronger. And if I were you, if you're looking at your future, what does your future require of you? Strength. You need more strength that comes from God, to have the courage to give tithes and offerings, to have the courage to get into a connect group. Do you know how much courage it takes to show up at church alone? Can we just clap for all the people that are here by themselves today that showed up in the house of God?

24:45 There was this lady, there was this lady a few weeks ago that showed up in the South Bay. They had just been recently assigned. They're in the military. She has a toddler. She checked into Zoe Kids, and she's pregnant. She was about two weeks away from her due date, and church had started in the South Bay, and she went to the bathroom to cry because she felt so overwhelmed. She's in a new city by herself, about to have a baby, and just feeling like, I'm alone. And while she's in the bathroom, one of our team went into the bathroom and heard this lady crying and started to engage her and ask her questions. So tell me a little bit about your story. So she starts telling her, I'm here for the first time today. I've come alone. My husband's away. And she starts telling their story. But this sweet lady on our team, the ZST lady, she got a bunch of her connect group together. And so there's a lady that's brand new, came by herself this week. Let's try and put a meal train together for her, and let's try and bless this lady. They gathered $500 worth of meals for this lady and blessed her.

25:53 And to me, when I hear this story, it's not only a story of generosity. It's a story of God saying, I'm here to make you strong. I know you feel weak and feel down and you feel discouraged, but I'm the God that's watching your life. I'm the lifter of your head. I'm the one that can make a way where there seems to be no way. Anybody thankful today that you're getting stronger? Come on, through God, your shepherd, the one that's the watcher of your soul. So the first thing that he says, it's time to step into your grace. The second thing he says, be strong and courageous. The third thing that he says, write this down. Number three, worship team, come join me. It's time to stay in the book. Verse eight, put on the screen, keep this book of the law always on your lips, meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous, and then you will have good success. I want to see everybody's hand here that you'd like to be successful. Let me just see your hand if you'd like to have success. Come on, Zoe family, raise your hand if you'd like to have success. He just showed you how to find success in your life. If you want success, God is saying, read the Bible. The Bible can help make you a success beyond your wildest imagination. So he says to Joshua, Joshua, for you to step into your promise, for you to step in, I want to make sure you understand. Be strong. Be courageous. But just study this book. I want you to stay in this book.

27:33 I want you to read the Bible. any bible lovers here today This book is alive and active. When you read the Bible, you think you're studying it. It's studying you. and how often did he say to Joshua to read it? Once a week? He said, I want you to every day in the morning and in the nighttime, I want you to get my words in front of your eyes. It was so fun. Yesterday, we went to go have a meal with some people in the church, and this guy, he's new to church. This family's new, and the guy was telling me, he said, hey, I've been reading the Zoe Devo. I said, my man, you are? I said, you like it? He said, yeah, every day in the morning time, I open up the Bible app. I go to the Zoe Devo and I listen. I like to listen. I said, you listen to the Bible? Which version do you listen to? The old man? Because in the NIV, it's got this old grandpa. You know, when I put it on, my boys are like, dad, we hate this guy's voice. Because they hate this man's voice so much, I've gone to the New King New King James Version, and they got some sweet little Australian young lady reading the Bible.

28:58 They love her. I said, who you listen to? He goes, the old man. I said, I can't do it because of my guys. They won't listen to him. He says, do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it both day and night. I wonder if you traded this week your social media time for Bible time. I wonder what your life would look like if you started to hear from heaven rather than hearing from a podcast or YouTube. I've been doing the same Bible reading plan since 1999.

29:50 I have liked to said in the years past, a proverb a day keeps the what? Fooling me away. And he's saying, Josh, you got no chance of leading this people into the promised land without the power of the Bible. He said, I know you're talented. I know you're gifted. I know you're a leader. I know you're strong. I know you're courageous. I know you had a great mentor, but you, without this book, is helpless. But if you study my words and you'll pay attention to my teachings and you'll apply them to your life, I'm telling you, you will be unstoppable. You will be prosperous and successful in all that you do. I'm here to declare to our church today that the answers you're looking for is found in the living, breathing word of God. and all you need to do is open the book and let God speak to you.

30:46 Let God speak to you. Let God speak to you. You don't need a man to speak to you. You need God to speak to you. God speaks loudest and most consistently through his word. And when you get his word in your heart, oh, there's nothing like getting a word from God. There's nothing like hearing what heaven has to say over your life. I'm just telling you everything that you need is found in the living, breathing Word of God. Clap if you believe in the power of God's Word today. stand to your feet. I want to remind us today that Joshua led them into Canaan, but Jesus led us into true rest. I want to remind you today, Joshua defeated Israel's enemies, but Jesus defeated our true enemies, sin and death. I want to remind you today, Joshua gave them an earthly inheritance, but anybody thankful that Jesus gave us an eternal inheritance. Come on, anybody thankful today for the grace that's found in Jesus. Come on, church.

31:53 Come on, let's pray today. Jesus, we confess that we've got no chance without your grace. We've got no shot without your power. We admit today that we need your guidance and we need your provision. Lord, we don't have a shot without the hand of God upon our family. So we admit today that we love you and we worship you. Strengthen us from glory to glory. Build us up in a holy faith. Thank you that you're tapping us on the shoulder for such a time as this. We're stepping into our grace. We love you more than life itself. Oh, come on, if you believe it today, come on, lift your voice. Again, thank you so much for listening. We pray that today's message brought you great strength that encouraged your soul and your spirit and built you up in your faith. Make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss out on any of the messages coming out from our church. And if you feel comfortable, share today's message with someone in need of hope. We'll see you back next week here at Zoe Church.