God's Answer For Life's Uncertainty Series

Outline

Text: Joshua 5:10-12

Subject: God’s Answer for Life’s Uncertainty

The Big Idea: God’s faithfulness to provide is seen and shown when the manna stops, the road ahead seems uncertain and the promise awaits.

God stops the manna to alter our appetites

God stops the manna to reform the focus of our faith

it requires a faith that plants (Works)

It request a faith that is patient (Waiting)

God stops the manna to add new depth to our delight

TRANSCRIPT

The Book of Joshua is the story of how the children of Israel came to siege the land of Canaan, and how they began to spread out among what they would identify as the plot, place and the piece of earth that had been promised to them by the Lord. The underlying message that I believe makes the book of Joshua so profound and so worthy of honorable mention and our attention, is because of the message I believe it iterates from chapter 1 all the way to chapter last. And that is simply a message that we all ought to hang our hat of hope on every day of our life. The message that comes to us repeatedly from Joshua is this – God is faithful. Because what we see unfold in the chapters of Joshua is God bringing to fruition a promise that God had made some 500 years prior to Joshua that this land of Canaan would one day be inhabited by and inherited by the descendants of Abraham. And that promise is made some 500 years prior to Joshua. If you read from the time of Abram receiving it in the early onset of Genesis to Joshua bringing it to fruition, you will find that throughout that journey continuously that the promise of God is put in peril among His people. That in every moment of this promise being in peril and jeopardy, God proves Himself faithful; and makes a way of no way. It’s in danger when Abraham is called to sacrifice Isaac. But God is faithful; He places a ram in the bush and the promise yet lives. The promise is put in jeopardy when Esau wants to kill his brother, Jacob; but God is faithful and transforms Jacob in a place called Peniel; and the promise keeps on living. The promise is in jeopardy when Joseph is thrown into a pit by his brothers; but God is faithful. He takes him out of the pit and puts him in a palace; and the promise yet lives on. The promise is in jeopardy when, after years of slavery, there arises a Pharaoh who knows not Joseph nor God; and it seems like He is unwilling to relent and release the children of Israel out of bondage; but God is faithful. And there arises a Moses with a prophetic voice with signs and wonders that forces Pharaoh to let them go. The promise is in jeopardy when they get to the Red Sea and there seems to be no way forward and no way around and no way out; but God is faithful. He makes a way out of no way and He leads them out of bondage on their journey to a place of promise. And even when they come out of Egypt, the land of bondage, the promise is placed in peril because God finds out then that these are some of the most disobedient, disloyal disciples you’d ever want to know in life. As a matter of fact, they were so disobedient and rebellious that the Bible gives them a term reserved for disobedient folk called, ‘Stiff-necked.’ Every turn in the journey and every twist in the road, they rebel against God, they lead a mutiny against Moses, they worship false Gods, they want to go back to Egypt, they want to hire somebody to replace Moses to take them back to Egypt; and just like good sun-tanned folk they complain about everything. Sun is too hot in the day; weather is too cold at night; the water is too bitter; the food ain’t seasoned right; we want some meat, give us some cornbread, we don’t want Moses; didn’t nobody vote on that; that wasn’t brought up at the meeting, who told him he could do that; we didn’t discuss the rod at the Red Sea; and there ain’t nothing but trouble. But, yet, inspite of their stiff-necked behavior, here they are in the book of Joshua at the boundary of the land of promise for just one reason – God is faithful. And there was no problem or peril, or any level of disobedience that could challenge the promise God had made. As a matter of fact that should be a reminder that no matter how many obstacles that we face; no matter how many people would stand against us; and no matter how low you sink in life, God is faithful to perform what God has promised. And if God said He would do it; I’ve come to declare that there is nothing that will prohibit or prevent our God from doing what God says He’s going to do. As a matter of fact, let me just ask – are there some stiff-necked folk in the building who can testify that inspite of your stiff-necked behavior, God still did what He said He would do? It still worked together for your good. That the weeping only endured for a night. That the enemy became your footstool. That God met your every need. Why? Because GOD IS FAITHFUL!