Don’t Call It What It Is // 2 Kings 3 // Digging Ditches // Bianca Juarez

Welcome to Revere, a church that believes that God can move suddenly. Can I get an amen? Welcome. If you are in the room or you are watching online, my name is Bianca. I'm one of the pastors here. And before you take a seat, I want you to turn to your neighbor and say, God can do it suddenly. God can do it suddenly. Put in the chat box where you are tuning in from and remind yourself and everyone that is watching live or in replay, God can do it suddenly. Yes. Welcome to church. What a privilege and an honor it is to open up the Word of God together and be reminded that God is alive and active. He's moving. Last week we got to announce a gathering that we're hosting. And this gathering, the heart behind it, is for us to create a space where the Spirit of God could show up and we will give theology for experience and experience for theology. And so we are so excited. And what I was not expecting was we've entitled this suddenly and last week I preached a word that God can do it suddenly. And if we work diligently and pray fervently, he could do it suddenly. I just didn't think he was gonna move as sudden as he did. We opened it up one week ago and y'all we are at 88% capacity as of today. So we got a good problem. The good problem is we're gonna fill out before October 3rd. And so now I'm thinking, do we just rent a big tent? Do we get extra chairs? What are we gonna do? Because we are going to remove any obstacle or any hurdle for anyone that wants to encounter the very life-changing presence of the Spirit of God and create space for God to move and for God to show up. Can I get an amen? I don't know what God is gonna do, but I know that we are people who are committed to digging ditches. Now if you weren't here last week, that phrase might be new to you. That's okay. We're gonna spend a little bit of time. I want to revive that word as we pick up where we left off. Will you do me a favor? This is part two of our digging ditches series and I want you to pull out your Bible and turn with me to 2 Kings chapter 3. Now if you don't have a Bible, we have a free one for you. We believe the Word of God can change your life and want you to read it. If you have the money, you can go to Amazon right now and buy yourself one and bring it next week. But as you turn to 2 Kings chapter 3, one of the things that I want to do is spend a little bit of time

refreshing our memories as to where we were last week. There was three kings and they were being tormented by a people group called the Moabites. And so these three kings banded together and they said, hey we're gonna go battle, we're gonna go to war against the Moabites. But they had to go through the desert of Edom and while they were in the desert of Edom, they had ran out of water. So they're dry, they're parched, they're dehydrated. They are going to war and they don't have water. So one king, a faith-filled man by the name of King Jehoshaphat, he knew where to go in his time of lack. This man of God said, hey we got to go to the prophet Elijah. The prophet is simply someone who hears from God and speaks to God's people. And so they find this prophet Elisha, they go to him and they are seeking for a word of God. These kings gathered together and prophet Elisha, once the worship started, if you don't know what that is in reference to, you can catch last week's sermon on YouTube. But once worship started, the man of God Elijah received a word from God and he spoke this over the people. Second Kings 3 starting verse 16. Thus says the Lord, somebody say thus says the Lord, make this valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord, somebody say thus says the Lord, you shall not see wind nor shall you see rain yet, yet that valley shall be filled with water so that you, your cattle, and all your animals may drink. This is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord. Now would be a good time to jot down the title. If it doesn't make sense now, it will make sense later. The title of today's message is, Don't Call It What It Is. Don't call it what it is. There's always a part in our humanity that we could listen to a faith-filled message like the one that was taught last week and say, oh that's cool, that it works for them, but you don't know my situation. My situation is different. You weren't with me in the doctor's office when I got my prognosis or my diagnosis. You weren't with me in my boss's office when I got laid off. You're not in my home when my marriage is struggling. You're right. I don't want to trauma trump and say who had it worse, who had it harder. But for a little bit of perspective, they were going to war and they didn't have water. For a little bit more perspective, I think we're dramatic.

If you're anything like me, I feel like I'm gonna die if I don't have Wi-Fi and these guys didn't have water. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. I explained this last week. You could live up to 40 days without food, but you cannot live more than three days without water. This is a dire situation. They're going to die. So if I'm King Jehoshaphat or King Jehoram, as was mentioned... Last week, I would expect the Prophet if I know that God can do all things and he's all-powerful. He's able But thus says the Lord in verse 17 would go something like thus says the Lord Dig the dishes and boom all of a sudden water will come. That's the suddenly that I want that all of a sudden Everything that I need will be released in my life. God knows I have a need he's gonna give me what I need But the Bible doesn't say that the water came suddenly the Bible says that Instruction was given. I want you to write this down. Sometimes before the intervention there is instruction before the Intervention you will get instruction and last week. I left us with this with a question What is God calling you to dig not him not her not them. What is God calling you to dig? So I'm wondering I'm wondering what does God call you to dig in a room of this size in the church of our size We have been a community Revere's been over a community for about a year and a half We've been in this building next month for an entire year and in that year I've been able to meet different people different folks from different strokes and hearing people say I have this God dream inside of me They're inspired here in a message. They hear the Word of God and they'll say things like I want to be an author. I Want to be a singer? I want to be a doctor. I want to be a lawyer. I feel called to ministry I want to be a pastor and then for one reason or another they just stop doing Stop believing or both and I love to scratch my head. No, I get it. Maybe there isn't traction Maybe you feel like people aren't for you. Maybe you feel like a door closing your face Maybe you feel like you didn't have what you needed in order to step into what you felt called to so you stopped Or maybe they quit or maybe they gave up So I want to speak to the person who knows that God has whispered something to them They have a thus says moment, but they're looking at the this is Don't call it what it is Don't call it what it is

There's a greatness inside of you and whether that greatness is starting a family or speaking into politics at the White House Don't give up because the this is doesn't look like what God said and for a point of reference I think sometimes we could take a look at a Biblical passage of antiquity like the one that we read last week and the one that we're continuing to read this week and we could Say, oh, well, those are Bible characters. Those people are just not normal Okay, let's put this into a little bit of context that we might be familiar with Tupac wrote 501 songs and only had two bestsellers Vincent van Gogh one of the most Astounding artists of a modern century painted 2107 pieces of artwork it only sold one six months before he died Walt Disney Walt Disney of the Disney Empire was fired from his first job Because he was told that he lacked innovation and didn't have good ideas And when he started his animation firm, it went bankrupt in 1923 and look at Disney now What about Colonel? Harlan Sanders who started making fried chicken at the age of 67 on the backside of a Shell gas station in the midst of the Depression and World War two he was rejected over a thousand times by different business partners And now Kentucky Fried Chicken is the largest second largest chain restaurant in the world and you might be sitting here thinking. Yeah Yeah, that's them What about the books that lay dormant inside of you that you know? The Lord has called you to write because you might be feeling like Stephen King who worked on his first book carry that was rejected by 30 publishers until his wife who was working at Dunkin Donuts in the midnight shift pulled it out of the trash and asked him to resubmit and now he's one of the most profound authors of modern history and has sold more books So I'm thinking who needs to pull the manuscript out of your trash bin and say write again Who needs to remind you you're not gonna be like Tupac you're gonna be like an anointed worship light leader to start writing songs Who needs to remind you? Oh You're just making waffles in your kitchen when the truth of the matter is that the Lord wants you to still dream of that restaurant

The truth of the matter is is that you might not be able to start a church But can you lead a Bible study? All I'm saying is you're over here telling me Oh, I tried once I tried for a week and then you gave up Winners are just losers that tried again, and I know this firsthand from experience What are you giving up on so soon? Don't quit it's time to dig You are the one Remember last week we heard hey, God is looking for the ones. I'm looking for the ones. I want to be the one I want to lead the ones you are the one will you dig ditches? So I'm gonna show up and I'm gonna dig ditches I'm gonna believe that God's gonna move why because one thing that you need to know of what we breed and what We breathe here at Revere, is that we are a gritty type of people. Oh yeah, we give grace, but we never drop the bar. We believe that if God said it, God will do it. That's who we are. So somebody please say, thus says. Don't call it what it is. Somebody say, thus says. So last week, I spent time unpacking what Elijah said. What Elisha said. Now I wanna spend a little bit of time on what Elisha didn't say. Because sometimes the meta-narrative of what someone doesn't say is equally as powerful as what they do say. You know what he didn't say? Well guys, get ready to kick the bucket. This here, this is the desert, and y'all have no water. Thanks Captain Obvious, are you kidding me?

He did not say, you're gonna get your derriers handed to you by the Moabites. He didn't say, this is a dire situation. Which makes me think, maybe we as a people of God should stop saying so much about what we see and start focusing on what God says. For the three people that are with me on this side, thank you Dean, I appreciate you. That's why you're an elder here at the church. Praise God, yeah. No, no, no, don't worry, it might not land now, but it will land by the end. Because there is what Elisha sees, but then there is what God says. And in verse 16 and in verse 17, the same phrase twice. Thus says, thus says. And you might be in a situation where what you see looks terrible, but you say, thus says the Lord. There isn't water in the valley, but thus says the Lord. Now this is a denial. I just don't want you to be disillusioned in your desert season. Because they were in the desert, but there are moments in life where you will find yourself in a hot valley floor in the desert and you don't have what you think that you need. Do you get disillusioned? Do you die in the desert?

Do you just quit and say, that's it, I'm done? The Lord's not gonna come through. See, faith doesn't require us to lie about a reality. Two things can be true. In fact, let me save you $200 from therapy and let me unpack some therapy that my therapist has worked through with me. Praise God, look at that. Come to church, save money, all right? You win, you win. There's a concept that is sometimes broken down in therapy called two truths, where two truths could coexist. And there's two truths that many people are holding in this room right now. I'm so hurt by my dad. I'm so abandoned by my mom. But I have a friend that's closer than a brother, as scripture tells me, and that's the Lord. That's not denial, it's two truths. I was diagnosed with this illness, but I believe what the word of God says, that by his stripes I am healed, I will say thus says the Lord. You could say my marriage is in shambles, but I will say thus says the Lord. The threefold bond is not easily broken and if I am married to him, I will stick with him. We're gonna do this together. It's two truths, two truths. Don't let the dry valley be the only truth that you speak.

And as we learned last week, and I'm gonna build upon this principle today, but in order for the Lord to move suddenly in our lives, we have to, does anyone remember the two things? We have to work diligently, make your pastor proud, and pray what? Fervently. Oh, you are cheaters, it's on the screen. Thank you, Anna, for helping out the students today. Yes, for God to move suddenly. You have to work diligently and pray fervently. You gotta go deep in those moments when you know, I need the Lord to show up and he has to give me faith that I don't have. I need to hold on in this dry valley of my soul. I need to hold on. I need to ask for God, water in the deserts of life when I'm disillusioned with my reality. Yes, this is, but thus says. And I'll share this one truth that a pastor taught me a long time ago. Helps me through the desert seasons. It's this is, and the thus says. Somebody say this is, and now say thus says. The this is allows you to remain in reality. The thus says gets you from the this is to the can be. The thus says gets you from the this is to the can be. When you work diligently and pray fervently, when you dig your ditches, this is will shift to can be when you declare thus says.

I don't see anybody pulling out notebooks or pens, I'm trying not to get my feelings or be hurt, but I am giving you free therapy through the word of God. Can I get an amen? Man, y'all making me work today. I'm sweating and this AC is working real good. Listen, listen, this is will shift to can be when you declare thus says. Verse 17, thus says the Lord, you shall not. See wind nor just you see rain yet. The valley shall be filled with water So their armies they're digging on the valley floor thirsty dehydrated on the verge of dying They're so parched that their tongues are sticking to the roof of their mouth and yet in the hot desert Sun They are digging ditches Thirsty licking the sweat off of their upper lips or a little bit of reprieve of sailing it hit their mouth Some sort of moisture because they are working in the desert and then they go to bed And surely if the Prophet said that there will be water. They're gonna wake up and have there won't be water, right? Okay for the two people extra credit and Dean. I love you. This is why you're an elder praise the Lord Look at verse 12 some y'all making me work today. Oh my gosh Can I get some faithful people in the room verse 20 says this and this is where I left us last week We're gonna spend a little bit of time here Now it happened in the morning the morning Wait, wait, wait. So let's pause jump into the text. You were soldier. You're dehydrated You've sweated out all the salt in your body and you wake up and you pull open that tent door And if you're anything like me, what do you expect to see? Water because the Prophet said that now if I was one of the soldiers the Bible silent nobody said nothing but there had to be a carnal soldier like me because if I were to open up that tent art and say Are you for real? I'm thirsty. We have no water

Then I'll be angry. But the truth is that anger is just a secondary emotion, which masks sadness and fear Maybe that is where you are today. You're angry with God I'm trying to do what you call me to do and you've made it so hard. I Obeyed I'm holding on to the vases and it's still dry Now it happened in the morning when the grain offering was offered I don't want to spend too much time here. But let me just share from my heart why this is too good not to mention I Mentioned last week. There was a grain offering that was offered. I don't want us to Glaze over this powerful principle. They have no water and now they're gonna give their food And This sink in with somebody I Already have a lack and now I'm gonna give you something else Now here's the thing this this detail of the grain offering I don't want to spend too much time away you down but it's too good not to mention a grain offering was given at the end of harvest season it was a Thanksgiving offering as in I'm gonna bring God Not because I have to the tie 10% was already taken at harvest season This is in the middle of the season. This is what is referred to as a free will offering I don't have to I get to it is a Thanksgiving Offering that I'm thanking God in advance for the work. He will do that is a statement of faith And this is a detail you don't need but it hit me upside the head because this is a grain offering which would have been a burnt Offering there's no seed that's gonna fall down and reap a harvest later on. It's lit up What do we do when we give in the middle of our lack and this is it's crazy because they haven't seen the miracle yet They're thanking him in advance Meaning they're going to burn their seed when they have a need. Oh, I mentioned this last week Sometimes you got to believe and do the ridiculous in order to experience the miraculous I'm gonna try to get through this without getting emotional But I see her in the room and I can just I feel myself turning into sheep woman when I get emotional like Okay, I'm gonna pull it back Last week I shared about a loved one and I'm trying to be gentle not it's their story to tell on mine

But I did get a chance to speak to my brother and just affirm the work that God was doing in his life in his fighting for sobriety and mental health And he said yes, please go ahead and tell people what God has done and is doing I Have prayed for my brother as I shared last week for 15 years. I had been believing and It's easy to say sobriety Because mental health is a very touchy subject. I'm gonna share something with you that I am NOT advocating I just had my own bus says This is a power of coming to church in the power of a spirit-filled Church Because I received a prophetic word from a woman on the prayer team G Kim spoke a word over my brother whom she never met in 2021 and she told me that he was like King Nebuchadnezzar if you're not familiar with the king in the book of Daniel powerful king But he began to believe that he was Powerful and that he was God over all the Lord struck him down and he lost his mind Scripture tells us that he had let his hair grow unkempt and he was foaming at the mouth and eating grass from the ground And she said your brother is like King Nebuchadnezzar But the moment that he turns his eyes to the Lord, he will be restored in his right mind and So I started praying for My brother's name is Sebastian, and so I would pray for Sebuchadnezzar because I know that there was a king in him Do you know how many times he went to rehab only to relapse Do you know how many times I would believe that he had conquered this? How many times he had met with people and I share this story not because I'm trying to Elicit some sort of sympathy or be like an after-school special and it all worked out because it's still a journey But I vividly remember when he was taken away in a straitjacket to a mental Institution and they said that he lost his brain. They said that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia They said that he was bipolar and those are very real mental health issues. Many are situational. Many are chemical I'm for medication, but the doctors were say saying something that I knew wasn't true. I Knew it. I knew it. I knew it wasn't true and I wouldn't advocate this for anyone, but I had a thus says

this is This is he was an addict. He was living on the streets He lost his car that he was living out of my brother's brain was blitzed. I didn't even recognize who he was The hardest night in this journey was when I received a phone call. Hold on. I gotta stop crying. Hold on The hardest Night if believing the vest as well, so I got a phone call somebody in Los Angeles who said I saw your brother underneath a bush in a park in Compton during a storm And I didn't know what to do Thus says Thus says This is a journey and I've shared the highs and lows but last night my brother who has been walking in sobriety for the last two months I cannot explain to you the change that has happened that has not been with medication or with Rehab or doctors or hypnotherapy or anything that they suggested But my brother went to go see Phantom of the Opera in downtown LA with my father Sober today. He's at church. Not just attending church, but serving at church and I keep on declaring thus Says the Lord I will dig and I will dig and I will dig For the parents in the room Will you dig for your children for the business leaders and entrepreneurs? Will you dig for your dream for the future lawyers and doctors and entrepreneurs? Will you dig and not give up and then be generous when the Lord does it? Okay, because this is This is the end this is the end but I need to put into practice what they did I'm gonna read how the story ends because I think it's very important But verse 20 says now it happened in the morning when the grain offering was offered that suddenly water came by way of Edom the water The water will be flowing from Edom

So wait a minute Are you here to tell me that the same desert that they had been wandering around and parched for days is the same place? That a miracle was gonna come from Isn't it crazy that sometimes God will use the greatest driest of places to bring the greatest of blessings? I'm here to tell you the desert Was where I thought I was gonna die and it's the place I experienced the very presence of God in the desert I thought this is the end of me and yet I got to see the provision of God and I want the same for you and then when you survive the desert you get to speak to those who are in the Wandering wilderness wondering will this season end? What do you do when you're in that desert? You're gonna sacrifice willingly So this is the third ingredient to a licious recipe that I put together for today for us to experience this suddenly We must work diligently and pray fervently now add Say it this way for us to experience this suddenly. We must work diligently pray fervently and sacrifice willingly The children of God obeyed they dug ditches Obeyed they dug ditches they went to bed and they woke up and nothing happened They thank God that is the Lord calling. He said get your phone girl and Pay attention, yes. They thank God and they gave their seed in the middle of their need. And they were in the valley where it didn't rain. They never saw a cloud. They never heard thunder. They never saw lightning. They never felt a mist. But the Bible says the water began to flow from Edom, hundreds of miles away. God was preparing their miracle while they were preparing their offering. Yeah.

What does this show me? Obedience leads to abundance. They thank God in advance. They're staring at a fire. They could smell the smoke billowing in their nostrils when all of a sudden, the sound of the crackling fire gets overtaken by water that's flowing from Edom. That is a miracle. But it gets better because Edom means red. And Edom was a desert. So this is gonna matter because this is how the Lord gives them the battle. Look at verse 21 as we wrap this up. And then we're gonna put into practice what the children of Israel did. Verse 21, and when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered and they stood at the border. Then they rose up early the next morning and the sun was shining on the water and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood. Remember what Edom means? Red. So the dirt was like a red clay mixed with water. It looks like blood. Verse 23, and they said, this is blood. The kings have surely struck swords and have killed each other.

Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. What's the translations? They turned on each other. Go get yours. Go plunder. Verse 24, so when they came up to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites. So they fled before them. They entered their land, killing the Moabites. Somebody please say, thus says. Thus says. Verse 18, as we wrap up, and this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver the Moabites in your hand. God said it. He did it. Suddenly. So today, church, we're gonna put into practice what they did. We only do this one time. At the end of the year, we too have a free will offering. At the end of the year, it's what we bring to God to say thank you. Thank you, God, for everything that you've given us. I'm gonna give to this house because I believe I'm gonna give back to you and say thank you in advance for the work that you're gonna do in my life and the work that's gonna come out of this house. But as I was reading this and in preparing for,

not just suddenly on October 3rd, but every suddenly on Sunday, every suddenly on Monday, every suddenly on Wednesday, every suddenly that the Lord wants to do in your life, I'm not gonna ask you to give because there's a need. I'm so proud to say that we've never been in the red. We've always been in the positive by the glory of God. We might not own a building, but we know how to steward God's finances. I don't want you to give out of compulsion. I don't want you to feel manipulated. What you're not hearing me say is give today and there'll be a Mercedes Benz in your garage later to the glory of God. This is not a health and wealth doctrine. This is a free will Thanksgiving offering. I want to give to you in advance. So this morning when I made, sorry, this morning when I gave in our offering, because in a second our ushers are gonna pass the buckets or if you have a smartphone, you could pull it out and tap the disc in front of you. But this morning as I made my donation, I was like, God, thank you for healing my brother. God, thank you for giving me mental clarity when I thought I was gonna lose my mind. Thank you for restoring the years that the locusts has eaten, Joel 2.25 says.

So this is my free will. Thank you, God. Though I might not have everything I want, I believe that you are the God that will provide everything that we need. And so from that place and that posture, I'm gonna invite you all to stand to your feet. If you are visiting with us for the first time, this is not for you. Enjoy, go get a coffee, get a Bible on us. We love you. But for those where this tribe is your vibe and you call this place home, I'm gonna invite you to ask God, what can I give you? What is the sacrifice? Romans 12 says that we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. I don't want you just to give your money. God don't need your money. That's not what I want. That's not what God needs. What God wants is your heart for us to be a living sacrifice. And so today we're gonna thank God in advance for what he's gonna do on October 3rd. We're gonna thank God in advance for the building that is on the way. I declare in the name of Jesus, we're gonna thank God in advance

that the loved ones that are not in this room that need to hear. A gospel message will get in this room. We are thanking God in advance for the the healings that will happen on October 3rd You get to say I dug that ditch for the person that says yes to Jesus on October 3rd You could say that's my seed offering. I want us to know that this is bigger than us So I want you a faith to join with my faith as we pray in advance for what the Lord wants to do in this community suddenly Spirit of the Living God. Thank you so much For the space in place that we get to call home Though this is a temporary space This is our home and your word says that your presence is with those who inhabit your praises And so thank you God that you're here right now in this moment This is our offering unto you where we get to say, thank you God. Thank you for everything you have done Thank you for everything you are doing and thank you for everything you will do Take this offering this burnt offering as a sweet aroma unto you we worship you We thank you. We love you. We honor you and we give you praise Move and do it suddenly in Jesus name Amen, let's worship the Lord