Now Therefore Arise

Turn with me to Joshua chapter one. Tonight we’re going to look at a chapter that’s very familiar to us. But I want to bring out some things in that chapter for a very specific reason because of what the Lord expects of us.

Let’s begin with verse one.

(1) Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

When I read this chapter, Joshua it reminds me of being the first chapter of a book on how to win battles because a lot of what we’re going to see in this chapter is a prerequisite, if I may say it that way, to dealing with your battles.

So the first thing we see in first verse one in this chapter is that the Lord spoke to Joshua. Do you know how important that is to be able to hear from the Lord? And that’s the first thing we see in this chapter – Joshua heard from the Lord. Ladies and gentlemen, all of us can hear Him, but we don’t get quiet enough to hear Him. The Bible says Joshua heard the Lord speak.

Now verse two. This is a very, very important verse.

(2) Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.”

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“Joshua, Moses My servant is dead. Joshua, Moses is not coming back.“

Then the Lord says … now therefore arise …

“ Joshua, the children of Israel have spent 30 days weeping and mourning over Moses. It’s time for you to get up and get about your business. It time for you to lead them into the Promised Land.”

During those 30 days, in my mind I could hear the people reminiscing about some of the things that Moses had done: the 10 plagues that got them out of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, how Aaron and Hur held up his arms as they fought and defeated the Amalekites. I could hear in my mind them telling the stories over and over again.

Moses is dead. Here’s my frame of reference for this. I want us to think about some of the men and women who have gone before us in our lifetime. Alexander Dowie. Kathryn Kuhlman. John G. Lake. William Branham. Smith Wigglesworth. Billy Graham. Oral Roberts. Kenneth Hagin. Dave Roberson.

They were individuals who had healing ministries and had miracles performed in their ministries. Ladies and gentlemen, they are dead. They are dead and just like God told Joshua “Moses is dead. Now therefore arise and get up and lead the people over this Jordan.”that is His message to us today.

Now therefore arise – God is saying this is you. Moses is gone Joshua it’s time for you to arise and take his place Joshua. “Moses’ victories are not your victories.” Are you following where I’m going with this? Just like Joshua had to rise up after Moses’ passed, All of the folks that I just mentioned to you – Alexander Dowie, Kathryn Kuhlman, John G. Lake, William Branham, Smith Wigglesworth, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin, and our beloved Dave Roberson – that was their victories.

Now we have to rise up, we need to rise up, and experience our own victories.

“Now, therefore, Grace Christian Center, rise up, go over and take your inheritance.” And we know what our inheritance includes right? Healing. Prosperity. Freedom from fear and anxiety. But we have to rise up and what’s the next next word? Go!

I love my pastor. He knows that. But we cannot rest on what our pastor has accomplished. We have to do our jobs. We have to rise up and do what God has planned for us. Well we can’t do that as long as we’re looking Alain, Jamie or Bronc, Gary or Alan. We can’t do that. The Bible says now therefore you arise

In verses three through five, the Lord paints images of victories in Joshua’s mind and on his heart.

(3) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

(4) From the wilderness an this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

(5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

That word “stand” means to “station before, to oppose.”