Ready, Set, Go be Wonder-whelmed!
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Introduction- God’s Presence, God’s Power and God’s Promises
Introduction- God’s Presence, God’s Power and God’s Promises
1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
I would like to ask you to put your imagination caps on. This isn’t going to be difficult to understand, but I think it will help if you attempt to imagine yourself to be in the shoes of the Israelites
You have been wandering in the wilderness east of the Jordan River for most of your life. Now you are standing in front of a river that is overflowing its banks, waiting to cross over it so you can begin a life that is settled. You will be given land, land that is yours to care for and manage. A land that is fertile and will bring many blessings, a Promised Land.
The Lord was about to do something wondrous and miraculous. He stopped the water from coming down the river bed, as soon as all twelve of the levites, who were carrying the ark, entered into the water.
I don’t think we can fully comprehend what took place. Millions of gallons of water were heaped up and held in place until the Israelite people crossed over the river bed, on dry ground.
God is present and is going to show His Power in order to fulfill His promise.
God is present and is going to show His Power in order to fulfill His promise.
He could have let them figure out how to get across the river and they most likely could have gotten it done but He had another plan.
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
Review- Ready, set, go= consecrated/being set and devoted to God’s purpose and plan.
Review- Ready, set, go= consecrated/being set and devoted to God’s purpose and plan.
Wonder = Amazed, Distinguished by marvel or something being done out of the ordinary/possible.
Wonder = Amazed, Distinguished by marvel or something being done out of the ordinary/possible.
The Wonders of God!
The Wonders of God!
Doing or making a wonderful thing! Something that is too difficult to comprehend or accomplish under normal circumstances. An action that is distinguished by its marvel and unusual nature.
Sometimes the Works of God are unexpected and amazing.
Sometimes the Works of God are unexpected and amazing.
He does this to show His presence. The also does it to show His power and He does it to show His ability to accomplish His promises (to show His faithfulness)
Sometimes the Works of God become unappreciated but they are none the less amazing.
Sometimes the Works of God become unappreciated but they are none the less amazing.
For example the miracle of the human body and the vast number of systems, cells, chemical reactions and functions happening every second of every day of a persons’ life is absolutely mind boggling to think about. Yet, God created each of these things from nothing.
God is still working today. I want to ask you to watch for His wonders being evidenced in your life.
God is still working today. I want to ask you to watch for His wonders being evidenced in your life.
Whelmed = Soaked, submerged, flow or heap up abundantly.
Whelmed = Soaked, submerged, flow or heap up abundantly.
What is it to be “Wonder-whelmed”?
What is it to be “Wonder-whelmed”?
The nation of Israel was often described as being “Under-wonder-whelmed”
13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
The Psalmists are “wonder-whelmed”
The Psalmists are “wonder-whelmed”
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
This exact same phrase is repeated 4 times in this Psalm.
It is not surprising but certainly worth mentioning that God’s Word, The Scriptures reveal many of the Wonders of God’s commandments and precepts to us. The Psalmist identified this in Ps 119:18 and Ps 119:27.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
God’s Word teaches us the Wonderful will of God.
We ought to be bathing ourselves in the truth and the hope of God’s Word
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
Are you soaked in the Wonder and Worship of The Creator?
Are you able to identify the wonders of God in your life?
Just as the Ark went before the Israelites, representing the very presence of Almighty God, which was leading them to the Promised Land, we have been blessed to see and celebrate the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God with Us, God in the flesh.
This is truly a miracle of God. What a Wonder-whelming WONDER of God is the AMAZING GRACE of Christ and the life that we have in Him.
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
During the Men’s group discussion about the miracles that are recorded in Matt 5, the point was made that in each of the three miracles recorded, there was no human solution to the problem. The demon possessed man, the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus’ daughter was dead.
We too were once in a situation that was beyond any human’s ability to fix but God made a way.
This is why we celebrate communion this morning. This is why we come to the communion table on a regular basis, so that we will never forget the most wonderful miracle, the miracle of new life in Christ.
Help us Lord, to make much of you! To celebrate your wonders, to be “wonder-whelmed” by You and to think less of ourselves. THANK YOU, LORD GOD!