Christian Hitchhikers
ss=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 6-8-08…AM…SBC 2)“Christian Hitchhikers”
Joshua, 3, 4, 5:1-12
Introduction: “Church Hitchhikers” Quotes, Stories and Illustrations by Hughes p60
With his thumb, a hitchhiker says, “You furnish the gas, the car, attend to the repairs and upkeep, supply the insurance, and I’ll ride with you. But if you have an accident, I’ll sue you for damages.”
It sounds pretty one-sided, but one wonders how many hitchhikers there are in the church. Many people attending churches as well as church members today can be sometimes like the hitchhiker. They will climb in the “backseat” of the church and say, “You study the issues, you go to the meetings, you serve on the boards and committees and you take care of the upkeep and I’ll come along for the ride. But, if things don’t suit my fancy, I will complain, criticize and hitchhike to another group.
Ø I don’t think that is the kind of dedication that God desires from those who claim His name
Ø In fact, as illustrated in our Joshua text today, that is not at all the kind of dedication God desires
Proposition: Our objective this morning is to look through the bare facts of these chapters and see that our God is a relational God that desires dedication from His people
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Ø A narrative story is not meant to be an in depth analysis of the bare facts
Ø A narrative story is more like a stain-glass window
- you aren’t supposed to look at and evaluate the color and hue of each pane
- you are supposed to back up and look at the stain glass window as a whole
- the individual window panes do not remotely compare to the entirety of the picture
- each individual is beautiful and we can learn something in it, but it’s significance vanishes in comparison to the overall picture
- it is this way with the Biblical narratives as well
- the significance of each individual story and fact is best understood in the overall picture
Transition: The individual accounts of the book of Joshua reveal the greater presence of God and we see this first of all in…
1) Crossing the Jordan Chapter 3
Ø 3:1-4 record the moving of the Israelite nation being prompted by the passing by of the Ark of the Covenant
· The ark was the most holy physical possession of Israel since it symbolized God’s very presence
(Exod 25:22; Num 7:89; 10:35–36; 1 Sam 4:4),[1]
· it contained three symbols of Israel’s relationship with God: (1) the Ten Commandments, (2) Aaron’s high priest rod, and (3) a jar of manna [2]
· And since the ark symbolized the Lord Himself, it was Yahweh who led His people into Canaan.[3]
A- Sharpen your heart v5
1- the command here by Joshua to the people is a individual and personal command for each person to consecrate themselves
a- the nation as a whole could not be consecrated if the individuals were not consecrated
b- the call here is not for outward purification, but instead inward
c- they were to turn their heart to God, in faith and trust in His promise, and in willing obedience to His commandments,[4]
d- הִתְקַדָּ֑שׁוּ - set apart as sacred, consecrate, dedicate:[5]; holy, holiness
(Hitpael – reflexive)
Summary: The core idea is that of “separation” from things that are unclean or common, that is, anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with a perfect God.[6]
Ø this command is mirrored in the NT teaching of 1 Peter 3:15
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (NIV)
Application: What is in your life that is unclean that contaminates your relationship with God
· As the Israelites, we are called to separate ourselves from all other cares, devote ourselves to God’s glory[7]
- What in your life distracts you from God’s glory?
Transition: I would also like to show you the faithfulness of God displayed in the life of Joshua
(this display of God should also prompt dedication)
B- From Promise to Proof v13-17, cf: 1:5, 4:14
1- the promise given to Joshua is found in 3:7 and the proof is found in 3:13-17, 4:14
2- The initial confirmation of Joshua’s leadership would be the great miracle that God would do on Israel’s behalf. [8]
3- What can we learn about God in these selected verses?
§ God is a faithful God that fulfills all his promises to His people
§ We can be confident in God knowing that what His love has led Him to promise, He is capable of fulfilling through His faithfulness
Illustration: We have promised to take the girls to Disney World someday
What my love for them has promised, my faithfulness to them will accomplish.
Ø How big is your God? Is He big enough to be trusted to fulfill his promises
Ø Are you compelled to ask God why when things aren’t happening according to you own time table?
- we must be a people that are determined to believe in a good and faithful God no matter if the situation is good or bad
Transition: Just in case there may be a skeptic or two against God’s intended events, the author gives a little bit more detail about the Jordan River
C- For the Skeptic 3:15 (archeological evidence is from Bible Knowledge Commentary, p335)
1- Thus the passage’s climax tells us, in a very impressive way, that the waters of the Jordan River, which was at flood stage, were stopped up so that God’s people could cross over and begin their mission in the promised land.[9]
2- Many insist that this was no miracle since the event can be explained as a natural phenomenon.[10]
a- Skeptics point to two natural earthquakes that took place on December 8,1267 and July 11,1927
· these earthquakes dammed the river for 10 and 21 hours
· they say the high banks of the Jordan collapsed allowing passage through
Ø By this great miracle, the crossing of the Jordan River at flood stage by a nation of about 2 million people, God was glorified, Joshua was exalted, Israel was encouraged, and the Canaanites were terrorized.[11]
Transition: After the exhibition of God’s faithfulness, the Israelites were called to not only memorialize this event, but also to…
2) Pass the Baton Ch4 esp. 4-7, 19-24
Ø Chapter 4 gives instructions for the memorializing of this event by the building of two altars, which was to stand as a perpetual reminder to Israel and the nations of God’s great hand.[12]
Ø The Israelites were to also be prepared to answer the questions of their children as to the meaning of the stones
What does this mean for parents today? (Universal Principle)
Application (Source – What the Bible Says about Parenting – MacArthur)
1- The duty for raising and training children falls predominately to the parents
- the parents must involve themselves in their child’s life to make sure that no other influence takes precedence over their own (this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any other influences)
- the parent that complains that their child’s friends led them astray are ultimately to blame because they allowed the friend’s influence to supersede their own
Ø the duty of the Israelite parents was to make sure that there children understood that the God of Israel was a personal God who was benevolent towards them and He displayed that in the crossing of the Jordan River
Why must this point about parenting be mentioned?
1- a lot of parents have abdicated their parenting to other influences
2- many have allowed their children to be influenced by television, movies music and friends
3- even in involved parents, the influence of school-teachers, Sunday School teachers and youth pastors are never to be above the influence of the parents
Ø we as parents, grandparents and future parents must remember that “character is neither inbred or picked up by osmosis”[13]
Ø children are taught to be what they become
Ø if the child’s character becomes something other than what the parents had hoped for then the child was most likely influenced by a greater influence
What will be your child’s greatest influence?
The Israelites were to be on top of teaching their children so they were not influenced by other voices around them?
The Israelites were to be dedicated to teaching a personal God that was good and faithful all the time?
Is this what you kids are or will learn from you?
Transition: Not only were the Israelites to be dedicated to (1)holiness before God and (2) their influence upon their children, but they were also to be…
3) Dedicated to Obedience Ch5
A- The People Panic v1
1- “Before Israel has fought a single battle, the entire land is hers for the taking.”[14]
2- Metaphorically speaking the author tells us that they were fearful of Israel (deep despair)
3- What is noteworthy here is that this reaction came before any military encounter had taken place. [15]
B- The Covenant Renewed v2-8
1- That such spiritual preparations preceded the actual “conquest” of the land illustrates the priorities we have noted: God was going to give Israel the land, and Israel’s task was to be sure it obeyed and was adequately prepared spiritually.[16]
2- Circumcision had special covenantal significance in Israel.[17]
3- This is a physical sign of being in God’s covenant relationship
a- today the sign is no longer outward but the concept is found in those of a dedicated heart
b- the NT uses the phrase circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:28-29)
Does your hearts actions and motivations reflect the covenant relationship God has with you?
C- The Passover v10 (Source: The Feasts of Israel by Bruce Scott)
1- The Passover festival is rooted in the Israelites Exodus from Egypt
2- There has only been one Passover and that was while Israel was in Egypt
3- All other Passovers are memorials of the first Passover (Ex – Pearl Harbor Day)
4- The people of Israel were to remember how God set them free from slavery in Egypt
Ø To me, these episodes scream dedication
· one must be truly dedicated to be renewed to God’s covenant and to observe and obey the Passover ritual and all the rules and regulation associated with it
Conclusion:
1- Let’s remember: Our objective this morning was to look through the bare facts of these chapters and see that our God is a relational God that desires dedication from His people
· God desired the pursuit of holiness from his people (3:6) – this takes dedication
· God desired that His people teach their children of the covenant God –
this takes dedication
· God desired for His people to obey the covenant practices and festivals – this takes dedication
Ø the sad reality of all of this is that we can obey God in these areas and only be going through the motions
- God said to Isaiah that “this people (Israel) draw near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their heart is far from me.” – have you ever felt like that?
- God did want the Israelites to obey, but from the right heart motives
- We can be just like the Israelites and hitchhike our way to heaven
Ø God does not want his people to just be going through the motions of Obedience – he is always after the heart!
· Is your heart dedicated to God or do you just have your thumb out on the way to heaven
2- Dedication can never reach the work of the church if it doesn’t first reach the door of the heart
3- The ultimate madness exhibited by human beings is the failure to acknowledge and fear God.
- Failure to acknowledge his sovereignty produces fear and anxiety
- failure to acknowledge his glory brings illusion and false hope
- failure to acknowledge his mercy prompts despair
- failure to fear his wrath promotes unbelief, evil, and self-centeredness
Ø The seat of such unbelief is the heart, and the law at work within the heart is what John Owen warned was the "hinge" upon which "the whole course of our lives" turns.
Is your heart leading you to dedication or deprivation to your God?
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[1]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 120.
[2]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 120.
[3]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:334.
[4]Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002), 2:31.
[5]Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Strong's, TWOT, and GK References Copyright 2000 by Logos Research Systems, Inc., electronic ed. (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 2000), 873.
[6]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 123.
[7]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996, c1991), Jos 3:1.
[8]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 123.
[9]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 131.
[10]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:335.
[11]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1:335.
[12]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 132.
[13] MacArthur, What the Bible Says about Parenting, p21.
[14]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 143.
[15]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 143.
[16]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 144.
[17]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 148.