HOPE IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAINTY
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
This whole week I have been in the Book of Joshua.
Taking in all that his young man was called to do.
Learning from his mistakes
Gleaning from his victories
All while gaining strength from a very powerful truth.
THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS
Church, our world is in a state of uncertainty
Right now, there are people scared for their lives
They are uncertain about what this virus will do
Many unknowns for all of us
What does this mean for the Church?
Here we are
In this moment of uncertainty
And I believe this is the perfect opportunity for us to bring peace to this world in two forms
#1 We must set an example
#2 We must Hold Fast Hope
TURN TO
TURN TO
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, 13 “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, 15 until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
PRAY
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
Joshua 1:1
BY NOW, MOSES HAD DIED, AND THERE WAS UNCERTAINTY WITHIN THE ISRAELI PEOPLE
THEN THE LORD SPOKE TO JOSHUA, THE SON OF NUN
THIS IS WHAT HE SAID:
You know what has happened
Moses My servant is dead
Now Arise
Go over the Jordan
You and all this people
To the land which I am giving to them
Friends, one thing we have to realize is that there is Peace in the midst of uncertainty
When I got the email from the school district, I wasn’t moved
In fact, I got up
I don’t know why . . .
I was in the middle of giving my Galatians Test
And I got up
I knew God was moving
I knew God was doing something
I knew it was a call to action
VERSE 3
God then told Joshua:
Every where your sole treads, I have given it to you as I promised Moses.
From the Wilderness and Lebanon as far as the Great River Euphrates
All this land, the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea and to the Horizon
Shall be your territory
THE VOICE OF GOD IN THIS MOMENT WAS LIKE AN ECHO FOR JOSHUA
THIS PROMISE WAS A REITERATION OF WHAT WAS SHOWN TO HIM IN THE BOOK OF NUMBERS WHEN MOSES HAD SENT HIM OUT TO SPY OUT THE LAND OF CANAAN.
NOW THIS PROMISE WAS NOT AN EASY PROMISE TO WALK IN
YES GOD SPOKE IT, BUT JOSHUA WAS A BIT FEARFUL
YES GOD WOULD DO IT, BUT JOSHUA WAS STILL ANXIOUS
FRIENDS WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF ME BEING IN THIS TEXT THIS WEEK?
WITHIN TH ANXIETY
WITHIN THE FEAR
WITHIN THE PROMISE
GOD COMFORTS JOSHUA
AS I LOOK BACK AT THE LAST 6 YEARS OF MINISTRY
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
JOSHUA 1:5
CHURCH, THE WORD OF GOD CAN BRING A CONFIDENCE THAT BUILDS OUR FAITH
THE WORD OF GOD CAN CALM OUR FEARS
NOT ONLY HAS IT BEEN HARD, IT HAS BEEN INVIGORATING
GIVE US A SMILE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM
It is like God has been preparing me to lead us into times like these.
IT CAN INVIGORATE OUR SPIRITUAL PROWESS
THIS IS JUST WHAT GOD DID FOR JOSHUA
HE REMINDS HIM:
No man shall stop you from accomplishing my plans for your life
As you saw me lead Moses
As you saw me commune with Moses
So I will be with you
So I will lead you
I am not going to leave you nor forsake you
Therefore, let these truths build up your strength and courage
Be Strong and of Good Courage
For you shall lead this people into the promise land
You shall divide up their inheritance
You shall distribute the fruit of My Faithfulness
But Joshua, you must be strong and very courageous
That you may continue in the ways that Moses led you in
That you may observe and do according to all the law
That you may stay in the center of my will, not turning to the right nor to the left.
That you may prosper wherever you go.
Joshua, the Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth
But you shall meditate on it Day and Night
That this practice would help you to observe and do according to what it says
That this practice would
For then you will make your way prosperous
Then you will have good success
Have I not commanded you
Be strong and of good courage
Do not be afraid
Do not be dismayed
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
FRIENDS WE NEED TO KNOW THIS NOW MORE THAN EVER
GOD IS WITH US
BUT
GOD IS PRESENT
GOD HAS NOT DEPARTED
HE IS HERE
AND HE IS CALLING US TO ARISE AND BE THE CHURCH
As you’ve heard me say before, we are not a place where but a people who
Our church is a family
Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Uncles, Aunts, Children finding their calling in Christ
We are in this together and we need to lean on each other during this time.
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
Joshua 1:
FRIENDS, THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR US TO PANIC
BUT AT THIS TIME, I BELIEVE THE CHURCH NEEDS TO STEP UP AND SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE HAVE A HOPE
I BELIEVE
IT IS A TEMPTATION TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ON OUR OWN
I BELIEVE, WE MUST PREPARE OURSELVES FOR A NEW WAY OF SEEING CHURCH, AS PAUL SAID,
HOWEVER, MY BIBLE CALLS OUR GOD, A SOVERIEGN GOD
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
We have wasted too much time
We have been preoccupied with so many distractions
It is time for us to wake up and be the church outside of the Sunday Setting
I AM ASKING FOR US TO BE ALL HANDS ON DECK
TO BE THE CHURCH
A Powerful Church led by the Power of the Holy Spirit
A Peaceful Church because we serve the Prince of Peace
A Proactive Church willing to serve all people
THAT MANY WOULD KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WORLD OF CHAOS AND A FAITHFILLED CHURCH
WE MUST MAKE PREPARATIONS
JUST LIKE JOSHUA PREPARED THE PEOPLE TO GO INTO THE PROMISE LAND
I COMMEND YOU TO MAKE PREPARATIONS IN YOUR HEART FOR WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE FOR US.
There is no MLB
We can’t even gather in groups od
HE IS A GOD THAT KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING
HE HAS NO NEED OF COUNSELORS
HE ALONE IS WISE
WHAT HE HAS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN IS ON HIM.
LIKE JOSHUA, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY