Lingering With God Series

Scripture: Exodus 33:7-11; Psalm 37:7

Theme: Hearing From the LORD

Title: Lingering with GOD

This sermon is part of a Lenten Series focusing on being able to better hear God’s Voice.

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Welcome to the season of Lent!

One of the joys of the Lenten Season is the opportunity it provides for us to grow in grace. That is one of the biggest reasons why people take this time of the year to put aside certain things so that they can concentrate on their walk with the LORD. It is not merely to starve themselves or to challenge themselves to see if they can live without social media, chocolate, alcohol, swearing, gossiping, meat, coffee or soda.

In fact, a great many people add things to their lives during Lent. Things like learning how to be more compassionate, how to deepen their prayer life, how to be more consistent in their attending worship and taking more time to read/study the Bible. Others find new ways to give to the poor while still others practice 40 days of writing some a kind note to someone, doing 40 random acts of kindness or actually making 40 old fashion phone calls to the most important people in their lives.

You may have chosen one of those things or something else. Whatever you choose or don’t choose this time of the year gives us an excellent opportunity to grow in grace, mercy and love.

This morning, I would like to invite you to do one more thing this Lenten Season – to join all of us as we do our best to:

Being able to hear God better

Over the next few weeks, I would like for us to look at how some different individuals in the Bible learned how to better hear God speaking to them. For there is nothing that can more effectively help us in our walk with the LORD than for us to be able to better hear and understand what God is saying to us. I think we could all agree that being able to hear God better is a worthwhile goal this Lenten season.

I would like for us to sit at the feet this morning of a man named Joshua. He is one of the great people that we find in the Bible. He didn’t start off as great person, but as you read his story you find that in the end Joshua is one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the People of God.

Let’s get a little bit of his background story:

+He is from the Tribe of Ephraim – that is to say from the Tribe of Joseph – the tribe that was in power for quite a number of years in Egypt. But as we know after the death of Joseph and the rise of a new Pharaoh, the tribe of Ephraim along with the other Hebrew tribes saw their power diminish. In fact, their power diminished so much that they all found themselves becoming slaves. And at the beginning of Joshua’s story that is exactly where we find him – he and the rest of Israel are slaves.

+After the Exodus event, Joshua becomes a soldier – in fact, he became an amazing military intelligence officer

+He became the leader of His tribe

+For many years he served as Moses’ right hand man – helping him, watching over him and seeing to his personal needs and safety

+During the last season of his life, Joshua was appointed the leader of Israel’s army and the commanding leader of God’s People

+Joshua is probably best known for such things as:

-His battle against the City (walls) of Jericho – Joshua 6

-Praying for the LORD to make the Sun to stand still – Joshua 10

-These famous words:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”- Joshua 1:9

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” – Joshua 24:15

As we see one of the amazing things about Joshua was the fact that he was born into a life of slavery and ended up being the commander of God’s People. That little fact in and of itself is enough for us to spend some time studying his life and his mission. Added to that of course is the fact that for years Joshua was Moses’ right hand man and what better way could one spend their life than being around Moses.

It is while Joshua was serving Moses that we come to our passage this morning. It is a passage that at its very heart holds a very important key to how we can better hear God.