FROM VISION TO VICTORY - Putting The Pieces Together!
Numbers 13-14 and Joshua 6
INTRODUCTION:
A. Praise the Lord!
1. The psalmist stated O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. [2] Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…Psa 107:1-2
2. We have gathered here this morning to so at least two things:
a. First and foremost – worship our great God and His Son Jesus Christ!
b. Secondly, to seek God’s divine purpose, will and direction for His church.
B. By way of introduction I want to use the opening chapters of Joshua for an illustration – the nation of Israel is about to embark on a great mission – it will begin by crossing the Jordan River and then be followed by many years of hard work and battles.
1. Three times in the first chapter we read the words “be strong and of good courage.
a. In the first two (vv. 6 & 9) God is speaking to Joshua and He adds these encouraging words
1) …for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land…Joshua 1:6
2) …; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9
b. The third time the phrase is used, Joshua is speaking to the people
1) They have promised to follow Joshua as they had followed Moses (I don’t know if that would be comforting) and he warns them to keep God’s commands
2) In other words there is to be unity and submission to God.
2. In chapter 3 the people cross the Jordan river
a. Their life long experience of faith has begun.
b. They first see God do a miracle to get them under way in dividing the river so they might cross on dry land.
3. In Chapters 4 and 5 they take time to worship God, praise Him for what He had done, and affirm their commitment to God and His plan for Israel.
4. Then in chapter 6, where our message is from, the real work begins.
C. So here we are – Vision Day, what does this introduction have to do with us?
1. I want you to think about it this way – the buying of the 48 acres of land is our Jordan River
a. God did a miracle for us in order for us to get it
b. And we sit here, this very moment, worshipping God, praising Him for what he has done and affirming our commitment to Him!
c. The land, just like the river, was the easy part – now comes the work!
2. And so the words in Joshua 1 need to be spoken and they need to resonate in our ears BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE!
3. Remember:
a. God has an inheritance to give us - Vision
b. We are not to be afraid or dismayed for we know our God is with us - Faith
c. We must move forward in unity and in submission to Our Lord’s commands - Action
4. When we put all the pieces together, in our spiritual life as a church, we come up with this: Vision + Faith + Action = VICTORY!
D. To help us get this solidly in our minds I want to go to two passages of scripture as they relate to Israel’s history
1. Numbers 13 & 14
2. Joshua 6
E. May God give us, not only the vision, but the faith and action to see it become reality.
PRAY
I want to begin this morning by looking at an occasion where things did not work out so well. Here we see
I. VICTORY RELINQUISHED, Num 13:25-28 & 14:1- 4, It all began with a
A. Flawed Vision - Numbers 13:25-28 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. [26] And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. [27] And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. [28] Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
1. Now by flawed I do not mean that it was not a vision given to them by God, but rather their idea of the vision was flawed.
a. God had been promising the land to Israel from the days of Abraham about 700 years ago.
b. He had told them that was filled with milk and honey
c. And at this particular point in their history, He had brought them to the brink - following through on the vision He had given them.
2. Evidently, though, they thought the Lord was just going to drop it in their laps, so to speak, with no faith or action on their part.
3. This becomes kind of plain when we see their reaction: And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. [28] NEVERTHELESS the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. Num 13:27-28
4. A flawed vision is one in which we expect to have the easy life and fail to realize it takes work to bring the vision to pass, even one given and orchestrated by God.
5. This Flawed Vision was further complicated by
B. Faltering Faith, Numbers 14:1-2 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. [2] And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
1. The people did not like what they saw and their faith went sour
- Hebrews 11:1 states Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2. When our faith begins to falter we start looking to the things and circumstances of this world to confirm our desires or feelings
3. And all this world will ever do is disappoint us
4. The people began to cry, and weep, worry, complain & murmur.
5. And then they started to question God’s provision and lot in life for them
6. These are normal reactions of God’s people when they get their eyes of God’s vision and on to their own
7. With a flawed vision and faltering faith, God’s people took
C. Failing Action, Numbers 14:4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
1. We should note that they did take action – it was foolish and failed to accomplish God’s purpose though.
2. Some would say They just needed more time to get their faith established.”
a. Folks after all they had seen: the ten plagues, parting of the Red Sea, water from a rock, etc.
b. You get the point – it was not that they could not have faith, it was that they chose not to have faith in God!
- Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
3. They failed to take the appropriate action because they had a flawed vision and faltering faith.
4. The action they did take condemned them to death
a. Some might have died taking the land, but all who were 20 years old and upward would died in the next 40 years.
b. The question we have to ask, as we look back on it, is “Was it worth it?”
c. They relinquished the victory – it was not taken from them – they gave it up.
D. What started off as a divine vision of wonder and victory turned into one of the most tragic stories of history!
But do not be troubled because 40 years later we see a different picture, here we see
II. VICTORY REALIZED, Joshua 6:1-6 & 20 As summarized in the introduction Israel had crossed the Jordan and stood at the walls of Jericho. And we are now able to speak about a
A. Divine Vision, Joshua 6:1-2 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. [2] And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
1. This time after sending out the spies the people decided that it was time: fortified cites or no; giants or no; strong people of no.
a. They had seen and many had experienced the miserable failure of past generations and it was not to be their story!
b. They had a vision from God!
2. And so do we – oh, its still a little faint, but that is what today is all about, to help us clarify the vision God is planting in our hearts!
a. God has provided the land and He did not do it so we could simply rent it out!
b. We started the process of looking for land in early 2005, and God blessed us immensely for our diligence.
3. Now we are asking Him to show us the next step, knowing that it is a step we will have to take in
B. Dedicated Faith, Joshua 6:3-5 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. [4] And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. [5] And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
1. Can you imagine the faith it took to step out like that?
a. I heard one preacher say, “this strategy is not in any book on war strategy” – go figure!
b. It makes about as much sense as waging war with trumpets, pots and lanterns – as Gideon
c. Or even the son of God on a cross.
d. But our God is a great God and He works in mighty, yet mysterious, ways.
2. So we gather today to seek, by faith, God’s direction for His church in the days to come
a. Its not based on numbers or abilities or even monies, but upon faith in God.
b. A dedicated faith in Him and Him alone!
3. With a divine vision and dedicated faith we will have to then take
C. Decisive Action, Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
1. By faith they marched around the city and yelled and, miracles of all miracles, the walls came tumbling down.
- Each man then went straight up and conquered the city.
2. It will take the mighty hand of God to bring the vision He is giving us to pass, but He can do it through us if we are willing to work with Him.
- Each of us must go straight forward and do what we can do.
D. Today we take a big step of faith by asking God to help us determine His will and establish the “VISION.”
1. Lets put the pieces together!
2. Let’s be a part of this glorious plan God has for us!
CONCLUSION: In closing the trip From Vision To Victory
A. Simply put is: Vision + Faith + Action = VICTORY
B. The road from Vision to Victory is one of Faith and Action.
1. If we keep the Glory of God as our motivation
2. And follow the Vision God gives us we will have the victory.
C. I love the words of Paul found in Ephes. 3:14-21 because they are encouraging words. He wrote: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [15] Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, [16] That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; [17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; [19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
[20] Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, [21] Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
D. Do we believe that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think?
E. First Baptist Church of Mascoutah will we make the move from Vision to Victory?
