Keep Going (Hope)

Keith Pittman

Advent • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Hope

Endurance

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Hope keeps you going

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Welcome/Introduction

Thank you so much for joining us today. It is our hope that you feel welcome. If there is anything we can do to serve you, please don’t hesitate to let us know. As we dive into our series, The Exodus, Captivity to Promise. I sincerely believe that we are all on a journey where we are trying to and get grab hold of all that God has for us. That is what this series is meant to help us recognize; what God has for us and give us the faith filled steps to receive it. Because this is truly, in my opinion, one of the most epic stories in all of scripture, we want to resource you as you take this journey with us. I hope the journal has been a blessing to you. If you haven’t got your copy, download a digital copy and hop right in with us. Our key verse is… ()

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Joshua 10:8–14 ESV

8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. 12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

ESV7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

In the series we have talked about: Identity; Compromise; Commitment; Perspective; and last week our campus pastor preached an incredible message talking about how we Win…because we fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. Today, we conclude our series looking at what many consider to be the last miracle in the Exodus narrative.

John 10:42 ESV

42 And many believed in him there.

Joshua 10:42 ESV

42 And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

ESV8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. 12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

ESV42 And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

I don’t know if there is a single collection of scripture that better illustrates what it looks like when God fights for you. Today, I want to conclude our series briefly by examining the miraculous hand of God and the part we are to play in order for us to see it. My preaching assignment today is titled: Keep Going.

Prayer

God we are so thankful for what you have been showing us throughout this series. You’ve been revealing your hearts desire for you people; to have your family operate from a place of freedom. We seek your blessing on our time today. Give us open eyes, open ears, and open hearts. We invite you to change our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Illustration

Have you ever seen a miracle? Depending on our definition, I am certain there are some among us that would say yes. If our team wins, it is a miracle. If your children actually clean their rooms without being threatened, it is a miracle…Let me give our mind some parameters;

Miracle:

a miracle is an event that occurs that is not bound by the natural or scientific laws.It is divine intervention. It’s when we can see what appears to be the tangible hand of God move in a situation. Miracles happen when the hope of man of man attaches itself to a move of God.With us just returning from Zimbabwe, there is no shortage of miracles. Things such as seeing how a country that has 95% unemployment is still filled with people that are kind and generous. We have 18 churches there and we plant them in the most remote villages and locations to reach people far from God that are engaged in cult and ancestor worship. Everyday we see 60,000 kids fed and it is all possible because of your giving; it is a miracle.However, there are other things I would classify as a miracle. It is a miracle that we managed to catch our flight. The airport in Johannesburg doesn’t announce flights, so it is us to you to know where you need to be and when you need to be there. We had a 6.5 hour layover so we wanted to rest a little then go shopping before we boarded our plane. We are about an hour before we board, so we decide to go pick up a few items for our family. There was some uneasiness in my soul so I grabbed the boarding pass and in horror realized I made a grave mistake. 8:05 wasn’t the boarding time, it was the departing time. We were 15 minutes away from our gate and the flight was scheduled to leave. In panic, I yell to Maegan, WE HAVE GOT TO GO and we start running. Faith and doubt are in full swing as I run and slow down only to run again. To make matters worse, it turns out that Maegan broke her toe while we were in Zimbabwe and we didn’t even know it. There were times we wanted to give up, but something inside said, KEEP GOING. When we arrived at the gate, it just so happens that our flight was selected as an extra security check point. This caused a 30 minute delay, which gave us just enough time to make the flight. We were exhausted and had a stress induced asthma attack, but we made it.

Transition

Some will say, you got lucky; or it is just a coincidence. However, I have yet to see either of those concepts fleshed out in the Bible. What I do see, are moments when God changes things for the benefit of His people. Sometimes it is an epic moment when it is clear, other times it is more subtle. Either way, in order to experience a miracle, we have to KEEP GOING! A miracle is when the faith of man attaches itself to a move of God creating an unstoppable momentum. In order to see the miracle, you have to KEEP GOING. Sometimes we have to push past the pain of our brokenness if we want to make it to our destination, KEEP GOING. Sometimes we have to drop everything and change directions, KEEP GOING. Sometimes you will think it’s too late, but you have to KEEP GOING.

If you want to see a move OF God, you have to move WITH God and KEEP GOING.

Hope is the fuel that keeps you on the journey of destiny.

Background/Context

This entire narrative is wrapped in the perfect bow of God moving on behalf of people that are on the move. My single point for us today is simple: Miracles happen when we KEEP GOING! Ever since , , , and into , God’s people were promised to be blessed and have a land of their own. The blessing wasn’t in the land, the blessing was with the people and the land was simply the place that could sustain the blessing on their lives. Throughout the Torah, we see this constant mention of the land flowing with milk and honey. The land of blessing, freedom, abundance. 40 years after being in the wilderness, the people that have been on a move, are about to move in, but they have to keep moving. They’ve won the first 2 cities but God wasn’t done. As they continue to move forward, they continue to see God move and do some amazing things on their behalf. They could have been content with where they were, but God said, I’m not done yet. Sometimes being in proximity to the promise can create the illusion of fulfillment. Jim Collins says in his best seller, Good to Great: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.” What if God had more for you, your marriage, your business, your family, your calling?

Complacency vs Content

The best definition I can give you for hope is expectancy. We have a tension that we have to manage. The tension of complacency and contentment. Complacency is the enemy of ambition. Complacency keeps you at a standstill. However, content means to be at peace where you are, but ambitious to pursue what’s next. Ambition creates expectancy and expectancy is HOPE.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

You won’t see the miracle if you don’t keep going.

You can’t define faith without hope and you can’t have hope without faith.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 cor 13:13

Hope is the bridge that connects your faith to what’s in your heart. Most of us rarely have a crisis of faith, we have a crisis of hope. An example of that is, this is as good as it gets. My marriage can’t get any better. The lack of hope keeps you from moving forward. It stagnates your faith. Many of us, don’t need more faith, we need more hope. Hope moves you forward. Hope keeps you going. You won’t see the miracle if you don’t keep going.

Most of us rarely have a crisis of faith, we have a crisis of hope. An example of that is, this is as good as it gets. My marriage can’t get any better. The lack of hope keeps you from moving forward. It stagnates your faith. Many of us, don’t need more faith, we need more hope. Hope moves you forward. Hope keeps you going. You won’t see the miracle if you don’t keep going.

Observational Points

There’s a few things I want us to grab a hold of in this text that I believe will ignite a spark in our faith and hearts. We have to have the mindset that says, I don’t want anything more, but won’t accept anything less than what God has for me. Let me share these 3 thoughts:

Hope in the Promise

Joshua was summoned to engage in battle and God tells him, do not fear them, I have given them in your hand. Imagine going to battle with a guarantee from God that you can’t lose. Joshua had to keep moving. Don’t let the promise paralyze pursuit. The promise didn’t remove responsibility, it should inspire mobility. In other words, Joshua still had to do his part. God’s Word gives us so many promises, but we still have to do our part. Joshua walked all night long…up hill. This was an odd strategy even when there wasn’t a promise of victory. Soldiers would rest at night, so they could be energized for battle during the day. However, Joshua knew if they got there early, their enemy would not be expecting it and God used it to confuse, confound and send them into a panic. The enemy didn’t expect them to show up. The enemy didn’t expect you to show up today. He doesn’t expect you to go to groups. It confuses him when you show up early and serve. It confuses him when you show up and put God first in you finances. The promises of God should propel you forward. Promises inspire us to keep going. Keep going to rehab. Keep going to counselling. Keep going to your group. Keep going. If it takes you all night…keep going! Keep walking and you will arrive. Keep fighting and you will win. Keep believing and you will see it. Keep giving and you will be blessed. Keep serving and you will get your breakthrough. Keep holding on and it will let go of you. Keep praying and it will happen…because God’s Word says it, but you have to keep going!

Hope in Prayer

ESV12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

There is power in prayer. I know we often don’t think so, or believe it makes a difference, but let me reiterate, there is power in prayer. Prayer is when we talk to God. Prayer is the place where we invite God into the situation. Jesus prayed often. In scripture when we see someone engaging God, it is meant to be an indication of prayer. Prayer is the place where we surrender and invite God in…but we have to keep going. We surrender it to God, but we don’t give up; we keep going. There is something unique about this request though. This was asking God to literally change the atmosphere. He was asking for God to bring all of creation to a stand still so that they could win. What’s more amazing is the text says God heeded the voice of man. The word heeded is “shema”. That words means to listen, hear, obey and generally is directed toward us. However, there are only 3 instances in the entire Bible where “shema” is used and God is the subject, where God “obeys”.

1. when Israel prayed that God give them the Canaanites and they would destroy any trace of them.

2. This passage we are looking at.

3. when Elijah’s prayed that the young boy be restored to life.

When we pray prayers that are in alignment with who God is, what He says, and what He does, He listens! He does it! I dare you to start praying prayers like I want to see people free from addiction, marriages restores, people set free, He will do it; but we must do our part. Our prayers invite God to move but we must keep moving. When we pray prayers that silence the enemy, change environments, and restore life and hope…God moves!

Hope in Power

ESV11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

ESV13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.

I can’t overstate enough how powerful this story is. God literally through giant hailstones at His enemies. Hail is basically frozen rain. This means, it was not a sunny day, it was an overcast. It was stormy outside. God used the elements of the storm, to defeat the enemy. Then, we have this notion of the son and moon standing still. Of course we know that it means, the earth literally stopped rotating. The earth stopped moving. This would have a cataclysmic effect on our planet even our galaxy since God designed everything with divine mathematical precision. God literally stopped all of existence to defeat His enemies. Put it together, God used a storm and delayed time to defeat the enemy. The 2 things that we often think are a reflection of God’s absence, God uses them to destroy the enemy. Your storm is perfect weather conditions to ground the enemies attack. Your delay is God setting the stage for the enemies destruction. Let’s remember the Israelites standing at the Red Sea. God could have opened the Sea anytime He wanted, but He waiting until the enemy was in place to ensure he would be consumed. Maybe, God is going to use your storm to defeat the enemy. Maybe, God is going to use your delay to defeat the enemy. The key thing is…you have to keep going. In your storm, keep going. In your delay, keep going. God doesn’t defeat the enemy is secret, it is always a public display. Keep Going…and watch what God does. Miracles happen when the faith of man attaches itself to a move of God. Keep Going!

Closing

rom

Romans 4:18 ESV

18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

Hebrews 6:19 ESV

19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,

heb 6

Job 14:

Job 14:7–9 ESV

7 “For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. 8 Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, 9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.

Proverbs 13:12 ESV

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.