Series: Possess the Promised Land!
Intro: Experiencing God study at LA Tech; 5 guys from the LA Tech football team, the Offensive Head Coach, and I went through the “EG” study by Henry Blackaby on Sunday nights. We were getting so much from the study we even missed a quarter of the Super Bowl to go deeper! The 7 realities of Experiencing God are: 1. God is always at work around you. 2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. 3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. 4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. 5. God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. 6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing. 7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.
I don’t want to just know about God, I want to know and experience God! The Bible teaches us how to know and experience God. How?
1. RESPECT GOD’S AUTHORITY IN YOUR LIFE
Do you want to experience God in your life? You must come to a place in your life when you realize the Lord is God. Not only is the Lord – God, He also desires to be your Lord and your God.
He did not come to be commanded by you, but to be your Captain and Commander! God did not come to take sides, He came to take over.
Do you want to experience God? You must stop trying to get on God on your side and get on His side.
Ex. Trey “Tummo.” Trey was the best athlete in our neighborhood. No matter who played on Trey’s team, they always won because Trey was the best. You do realize the only way to victory is to be on the winner’s side? No fun to be on the losing team, I want to win! Joshua learned that victory would come through surrender! Joshua was a tremendous leader, but first He had to be led by the Commanding Leader!
Joshua 5:13-15, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua takes a walk and begins to think about the city of Jericho? How are we going to take this city? How are those walls going to come crumbling down? God, are you really in this? Chill out, Joshua…God has a plan.
First of all, Joshua encounters a man who appeared out of nowhere. Are you for us or for them? No!
This is an OT appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ! How do you know this? An angel would have turned down that worship. God is present in all your battles!
In order to possess the promised land, there must be the priority in worship in your life unto the Lord God Almighty. The Lord wanted Joshua to know he was standing on holy ground. It was holy ground b/c God was standing there!
Moses and holy ground; Exodus 3:5
How do you respect God’s authority in your life? The same way Joshua did. When Joshua understood whose Presence he was in, he was broken in humility before the Lord. He then said affectionately to him, "My Lord." In submission he removed his sandle and became teachable to the Lord. He was receiving his marching orders to take over Jericho.
Respect God’s authority in your life. Realize He is number one in command. Watchman Nee said, “Not until we take the place of a servant can He take the place as Lord.”
Surrender comes as you remember God is greater than anyone or anything. People are going to let you down…God won’t. Battles will be difficult…God will lead you through. Habits will appear unbreakable…God can bring deliverance.
How can you experience God? Realize the battle is not yours, but the Lord’s! You need to know that, just as Joshua did!
What battle seems impossible for you today? Marriage that is out of control, Addiction to some secret sin, worry about the future that is keeping you up all night? A child that is rebelling against the Lord?
First step to experience God is to respect His authority. It is to understand He has a plan…the battle does not belong to you…but to Him!
Be encouraged by the Presence of the Lord in your life! It’s not your job to be in charge, that’s His place! You need to know before you enter the battle, God is standing with you! Be of good cheer because victory is going to happen – not by your might or power - but by God!
Ex. Mr. Hinely, School Principal when I was in Elm. School. He was a man of few words, kind in spirit, strong in character. Everyone knew around Central Elm. School, you’d better act right around him. Horror stories were told about the paddle you would receive if you disobeyed. One day, several of my friends and I were playing a game called, “Bumper Cars,” and having the time of our lives. Evidently, I bumped one of the boys too hard, he left while we kept on playing. Mr. Hinely showed up, “David, come to my office.” Never been so scared in my life! He showed me what that paddle looked like and it was THICK! He said, “I’m going to let you go this time with a warning, but I better not catch you boys playing roughhouse anymore!” This man commanded respect. Yet, we respected him so much because we knew he had our best interest at heart. He genuinely cared for every child.
How much more the Lord? Respect the Lord’s authority in your life b/c HE cares for you. He will always lead you in the best direction. He wants you to move forward and win the victory!
2. RESPOND IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S LEADERSHIP
Joshua 6:1-5; But I thought God’s people were in the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey. They were in the promised land, but there were still battles to engage in!
You want to experience God? You must respond in obedience to God’s leadership.
Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land.
God is leading you to a place of victory and you must simply be willing and obedient! Ex. There used to be a seminar called, Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way! That’s true in living victoriously in Christ!
Sometimes, God’s leadership seems to make no sense. It’s not your job to always understand, but undertake!
Wouldn’t it be better for God’s people to start by making all kinds of new weapons? Cannon balls, powerful armor, new battle swords, ladders, ropes, etc.
God says, “No…just walk around the city and be patient…then shout when I tell you to.” What was the test God was placing before His people? The test of obedience! To say, “I have faith,” is easy. To show, “I have faith,” means obedience!
Obey God even when it doesn’t make sense.
Ex. Growing up in church, I always heard singles or couples give their testimony of God’s faithfulness in their finances as they began to obey God in the area of tithing. In my mind, I was thinking, “They are just making that up. There is no way you can experience such blessing by returning 10% of your income to the Lord.” I don’t understand how God shows Himself faithful to those who obey Him, I just know He does!
But, Pastor, how can I give 10% of my income to the Lord when I can’t even pay my bills? What if I promised you that if you gave to the Lord first and things didn’t work out, I’d personally give you back everything and more? Would you begin to tithe then? Well, sure! Pastor, if you will make up for any financial shortage, I’ll do it. Now, if you could trust me who has little financially, you can certainly trust your Heavenly Father who owns the whole world?
You want to experience God? Respond in obedience to His leadership. Faith and Obedience to God brings victory; unbelief and lack of trust in God leads to wilderness wanderings.
Joshua 6:2
But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its mighty warriors.”
Jericho was thousands of years old, had fortified walls, some say, 25 feet high and 20 feet thick! Jericho was humanly impossible to overcome, yet God had already overcome.
Remember, believer, you don’t fight for victory, but from victory! There are battles to face constantly, but always remember God is leading you in triumph!
Perhaps a wall that is standing before you this morning is your marriage. The world is telling you that the best way is to try other partners…go out and just have a good time, it doesn’t matter if you are faithful to your spouse or not. Yet, God is saying, “Just obey Me. Stay faithful. Treat your spouse with love and respect. Forgive and be patient. Honor your marriage commitment.”
Maybe a wall of Jericho standing before you this morning is your children, family, etc. The world says, “Just let them alone. Don’t try to impose any biblical standards on them. Let them hang around with all kinds of people.” Yet, God says, “Your example before your children is the most important example of all. Stand strong in My power for them. Speak My Word over them. Pray for them. Bring them to church. Let them see you reading My Word…love them like I love you, unconditionally.”
Maybe a wall of Jericho that stands before you and the Promised land is the area of greed. You are always wanting more…you always think you need the latest and greatest technology. Yet God is saying, “Your greatest possession is not material, but in your walk with ME. Break free from the love of money.”
Your job is not always to understand God’s will, but to undertake!
Do you think God’s people faced ridicule as they marched around Jericho? I’m sure they were overwhelmed with criticism!
Today, people make fun of believers because we stand with God’s Word of marriage between one man and one woman. They make fun of you if you believe in the sanctity of human life. When you come in on Monday morning and you tell them you went to church and they say, “What a waste of time, we had a ball on the lake.”
Want to experience God? Just keep responding to Him in obedience.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
God’s people may have felt foolish walking around those Jericho walls, yet they obeyed the Lord because they trusted in His power and plan.
Think of the story in the N.T. where Jesus told His disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. What happened when they obeyed God? A great thunderstorm, howling winds, extremely difficult conditions, etc. Yet, what did those disciples do? They kept on rowing, they kept going because this is what Jesus had called them to do.
To experience God does not always mean mountain top experiences, mind blowing miracles, but it’s continuing to do what God has called you to do even though you don’t see outward evidence of God’s hand with you.
You can respond faithfully to God’s leadership today. Look at how Joshua responded?
1. Personal Worship of God (Joshua 5:13-16)
2. Personal Word of God (Joshua 6:2) – God had already given them the promise of victory over 40 years ago!
3. Personal Work for God – obey what God says.
4. Personal Warfare for God – the real problem people have is not so much a physical problem, but spiritual problem. -Ronnie Floyd
Perhaps today you are looking at the walls in your life and it’s only leading to fear. Looking at God led him to faith.
Today is the day to stop looking at the greatness of your problem and begin looking at the greatness of your Lord. Glance at your problem…Gaze on the Lord!
