I. INTRODUCTION
A. Series “ACCOMPLISHING THE VISION”
1. Part 1 looked at Nehemiah’s vision to rebuild and “the Journey” we will go through..
2. Part 2 looked at Mary showing us “We Must Offer Our Best”
3. Part 3 looked at that awkward subject of the Tithe asking the question: “Are You Robbing God?”.
a. We asked the question, “how can you ask God to help you in times of need but yet not trust Him enough to provide for your needs”.
4. Today Part 4: Again looking at the Journey we (NHBC) will travel and knowing their will be many doors. We are talking about the closed doors?
B. How Do We Handle What Appears To Be Defeat?
1. Sometimes – Defeat from making bad choices, bad decisions, or poor efforts, - Sometimes Defeat (while it hurts) it is expected.
2. But what about the Times that Make No Sense? What about when you giving God your best? Seeking His way – His Truth – His Life?
a. Divorce?
b. Emp. Cut hours, cut positions; Business closed.
c. School – Study your best and flunk
ILL: Harvey Atwell
-Studied and did well – never had a problem
-Took the bar and failed
-Committed Suicide
-Could not handle the Closed Door
3. How do you handle the Closed Door?
- You ask “What have I done wrong?”
- “Are you mad at me?” On and on?
- Bad Things Happen To God People – But Why?
C. Today We Look At Those Moments!
1. I’d like to look at the moment when it seems like defeat is inevitable, when the world is crashing down, and there seems to be no possible solution!
2. Joshua & the Israelites Faced Such A Door thru Battle of Ai
- The Battle can serve as an Object Lesson
- Can help us see these doors actually are “VICTORY IN DISGUISE”!
READ JOSHUA 8:1-7
3 PARTS TO THIS LESSON:
1. When doors close, we must remember GOD HAS A PLAN
2. When doors close, we must remember GOD HAS A PURPOSE
3. When doors close, we must remember GOD HAS MADE A PROMISE
I. GOD HAS A PLAN
When you are facing what seems to be inevitable defeat, it can be difficult to believe that God Has a Plan in all of this!
A. Joshua’s Background to this Point
1. God’s Covenant With Joshua from the Beginning
a. 1:6,7,9 – “Be Strong and Courageous” – God’s Plan
b. 1.7,8,9 - “follow the Book of Law” – (covenant) God’s Purpose
c. Chap. 1 – “I will give you every place you walk” – God’s Promise
2. Joshua & the Battle of Jericho
a. March around 1x for 6 days
b. Priests would carry the large trumpets of rams
c. On the 7th day, there were to march around 7x
d. on the 7th time, the priest were to blow and people to shout
e. Wall collapsed
f. Apparent Victory
3. A Closed Door @ Ai (quick version)
a. Joshua did as always
b. His army was defeated by a smaller, inexperience group
c. Apparent Defeat
4. God’s Anger
a. 7.6 – Joshua Mourned
b. 7.10-13 - God’s Response
B. Joshua Given Command To Advance
1. God Repeats His Command in our Passage
a. Vs. 1a – Whole Army
b. Vs. 4 - Ambush behind the city
c. Vs. 5 – Small group would enter and then flee
d. Do you think the soldiers felt that God Had a Plan?
C. NT – Mary & Martha through the Death of Lazarus
1. They sent word for Jesus
a. “The one whom you love is sick”
b. John 11:6 shows the Plan: “yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”
c. Both Mary & Martha, “Lord if only you would have been here…”
c. Do you think Mary & Martha thought God had a plan?
d. Apparent Defeat
D. When Jesus Was Crucified
1. How did they feel when he was arrested?
a. watched as he was whipped, beaten, thorns
b. carry the cross – spikes nailed his body to the cross
c. Do you think they thought this was part of a plan?
E. Let’s Get Personal:
1. How About You Personally?
a. How bad has it gotten?
b. Are their circumstances that seem beyond the reach of a divine plan?
c. Are you having trouble believing this is Part of God’s Plan?
2. How about it church?
a. Do you feel as some have said, “they just don’t have it together”
b. They are too small to accomplish that goal/vision.
c. Too many having problems – Too much this/that- Give it time.
d. Are some having trouble believing the Closed Door was part of God’s Plan?
F. Jeremiah 29:11
1. Read Verse 11
a. We often turn to Vs. 11 in times of Pain & Distress.
b. We forget the context of the verse
2. Notice Verse 10
a. God’s “plans” were for a time of difficulty –70 years of exile
b. Sometimes God’s plan is that we experience difficulty.
c. Sometimes we must experience pain in order to see God’s Purpose!
3. Verse 12 & 13
TRANSITION; This brings us to the next lesson from Joshua and that is:
II. GOD HAS A PURPOSE
A. Back to Joshua and the Battle of Ai
1. In verse 5, part of The Plan was the smaller group flee
2. Vs. 6 Shows the Plan had a Purpose – “they will pursue us”.
3. Vs. 7 continued saying they would then “rise from ambush and take the city”
4. God’s Plan of Pain Had a Purpose
B. How About Mary & Martha
1. It was the Plan for Jesus to wait 2 days before going to Bethany.
2. John 11:4 shows the Purpose: “this sickness will not end in death. No it is for God’s glory that the Son may be glorified through it”
3. The Plan was that he was to die. The Purpose was to allow the Son to be glorified.
C. How About Jesus?
1. It was the Plan that Jesus die a painful death. That was God’s plan.
2. JOHN 3:16 tells the Purpose was that the price for sin was paid so that the broken relationship between God and man could be mended.
3. Death was defeated. Christ was victorious because death did not hold him in the grave!!!
SUMMARY:
1. Often God uses rough spots in life’s road to draw us closer to Him, to drive us to our knees, and to make us dependent on Him.
2. In the examples we’ve looked at, we know the finish so we can see the purpose God had for each of our examples.
3. We don’t know your or our Finish Line Yet. We may not know YET GOD’S PURPOSE for what we are going through.
This brings us to the last point and that is that we must REMEMBER, GOD HAS MADE A PROMISE!
III. GOD HAS MADE A PROMISE
A. God’s Promise to Joshua
1. Read 8.1 and notice “I have delivered them into your hands.”
2. Notice it’s PAST Tense – It’s a done deal.
B. Mary & Martha – “your brother will rise again.”
1. John 11.23 “Your brother will rise again.”
C. 3x He promised His Disciples that on “3rd day He would rise again”.
D. How About You?
1. Did He not promise You Eternal Life – if you accept him and repent?
2. As we saw last week, Matt 6.34 – that “all these things as well”
3. Joshua 1.5 “I will never leave nor forsake you”
4. No matter what you face, No Matter How The Door Seems to Close, always remember the promise to Joshua because it applies to us! You are never alone.
E. How About It Church? What Has He promised us?
The church in Acts
1. Church began wi 12 and grew to 15000 – Blessing upon blessing.
2. A man named Stephen began to preach boldly proclaiming the message of grace. He was stoned to death for his boldness.
3. After Stephen was stoned, a time of persecution followed and that awesome 15,000 + member church was scattered.
4. I would imagine that many thought “well, that’s it – we won’t survive. Too many have left.”
5. BUT:
God had a plan – The Church Would Scatter
God had a purpose – Acts 11:19-21
God had a Promise –
Matthew 16:18 (NIV)
18 And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.!
IV. SUMMARY
Knowing this series is to help us, as a church, strive to ACCOMPLISH THE VISION GOD HAS CALLED US TO DO, I could not determine how to close this message.
- After all, we are not like Joshua – We talk to God through faith!
- We can’t see His Hand and thus have to Trust His Heart and sometimes – That’s Tough!
- God Has A Plan – we must continue to strive knocking on doors to find His plan.
- God Has A Purpose – To Grow His Church – Not OUR way but HIS way. Don’t look for selfish answers but those for the good of all – especially for the one who has not walked in the front door yet!
- Oh so many promises. Stand firm and know He will bring us to Victory!
Strive to remain Available!
Don’t be like the few – and give up on the Vision!
Don’t be like the few – and in fear just freeze in our own wisdom because we are small and hurt.
ILL: Let’s Be a David!
It was February of 1980. A group of 12 American Amateur Hockey Players took the ice in Lake Placid NY to face the toughest and best hockey team in the world, the USSR national team.
It was the Olympic games and two weeks prior to this game, the young American Team were beat by the mighty Russians 12-2 in Madison Square Garden. But NOT THIS NIGHT! The USA defeated the USSR 4-2 in one of the most stunning upsets in all of sports history.
Most of us have seen the clip of the end of the game when as the clock winds down, the USA players begin their on ice celebration, and Al Michaels, the announcer who called the game for ABC yells- “Do you believe in miracles? What a proud day to be an American! For David had defeated Goliath.”
Door’s Close but when they do, they are simply VICTORY IN DISGUISE
