INSPECTING Our CHURCH FIELD-I—Joshua 2:1-24
Attention:
Upon close examination, our perception of a situation may be much different than the reality.
Need:
Joshua sent spies to determine what they would encounter in the promised land.
We can & should determine/examine what we will encounter on our church field.
What will we discover about the people in our church field?
7 Discoveries in our own church field.
1—Examining our church field we discover...
People given to SIN(:1)
Explanation:(:1)Caught up in Culture & Self desire
:1—“Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, & came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, & lodged there.””
“a harlot whose name was Rahab”—Harlotry/Prostitution expected & condoned by culture/society.
—Culturally acceptable
Yet sinners convicted of their sin will be welcomed as opposed to the self-righteous.
Argumentation:
Jer. 2:19— “Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will reprove you; Know therefore & see that it is evil & bitter For you to forsake the LORD your God, And the dread of Me is not in you," declares the Lord GOD of hosts.”
Isa. 1:4—“Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”
Rom. 3:10-18— “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing & bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction & misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.””
Gen. 4:7— “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."”
Rom. 7:14, 18, 21-23, 25—“For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin....For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not....I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, & making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members....Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”
Lk. 15:1-2—“Now all the tax-gatherers & the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. And both the Pharisees & the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners & eats with them."”
Rom. 3:21-24—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
Mt. 21:28-32—““But what do you think? A man had two sons, & he came to the first & said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ “He answered & said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it & went. “Then he came to the second & said likewise. And he answered & said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors & harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, & you did not believe him; but tax collectors & harlots believed him; & when you saw it, you did not afterward relent & believe him.”
Mt. 9:11-13—“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors & sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go & learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy & not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””
Mk. 2:17—“When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””
2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Illustration:
Mouse drawn to cheese/peanut butter on trap/Natural bent/Oblivious to truth/Given to SIN
Stink on Little Bit(or any dog) after rolling in dead stuff/No discretion/Doesn’t matter that they are pets & allowed in our houses/Her natural bent/Given to SIN
Alligator eating person/No qualms/Natural bent/Given to SIN
Application:
?Your world Given to SIN?
?You recognize their need for Christ?
?Willing to enter their houses of sinners?
?Who entered into your house to share the Gospel with you?
?You offer others the same privilege?
2—Examining our church field we discover...
People given to FEAR(:2)
Explanation:(:2)Afraid
:2—“And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the country.”
Fear God’s justice...Not knowing that they can avoid it in Christ.
Macho images replace the confidence one has in Christ.
Michelle Yawn—“You Christians can’t make decisions on your own...I’m in control of my own life!”
Argumentation:
Jn. 3:16-21—““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
“Practicing”—intended, earnest, habitual performance.
Mt. 8:23-26—“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him & awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose & rebuked the winds & the sea, & there was a great calm.”
1Jn. 4:18—“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
Rev. 6:12-17—“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, & behold, there was a great earthquake; & the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, & the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, & every mountain & island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave & every free man, hid themselves in the caves & in the rocks of the mountains, & said to the mountains & rocks, “Fall on us & hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne & from the wrath of the Lamb! “For the great day of His wrath has come, & who is able to stand?”””
Heb. 2:14-15—“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh & blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, & release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
Illustration:
Great Depression mentality
End of Time
Death?—Why?—These do not know their fate!
Health
Financial—They have their reward here & now but have nothing in eternity
Social—
‘Doomsday Preppers’ TV show/Claims 3 million people consider themselves ‘preppers’/People Given to FEAR
Application:
?Your world Given to FEAR?
?We realize the world is callous because of their FEAR?
?World hides its deepest Fear?—Fear of the unknown
3—Examining our church field we discover...
People given to DESPERATION(:3, 7)
Explanation:(:3, 7)
:3—“And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
—Remove the enemy’s edge
:7—“So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; & as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.”
Chasing Shadows
*Not knowing that repentance brings forgiveness & acceptance!
Argumentation:
Acts 17:23— “For while I was passing through & examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ’TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”
*Eph. 4:17-18— “This I say therefore, & affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;”
1Pet. 1:14— “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,...”
Mic. 2:11— “If a man walking after wind & falsehood Had told lies & said, ’I will speak out to you concerning wine & liquor,’ He would be spokesman to this people.”
Illustration:
Mom— ‘Cindy, what have you been doing?’/We’ve been playing mailman all afternoon. We delivered letters to everybody in our neighborhood/Mom—You didn’t use my envelopes did you?/ ‘Oh, no ma’am, but we found some old letters under your bed that were tied up with the pretty red ribbon & used them. We didn’t think you’d mind/Given to DESPERATION
Duct tape & plastic bag to cover my broken car window/Check in mail from insurance Co. & can’t afford a window now/Given to DESPERATION
Assumption that physical beauty is the key to life/Given to DESPERATION
Application:
?Your world is awash in a sea of DESPERATION.
?Cling to false hopes?
People are desperate for anything offering temporal satisfaction.
4—Examining our church field we discover...
People given to SIGHT(:8-11)
Explanation:(:8-11)
:8—Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
:9—& said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, & that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
:10—“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, & what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon & Og, whom you utterly destroyed.”
:11—“And when we heard it, our hearts melted & no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above & on earth beneath.”
—Outward Perception—Israel is warlike people bent on destruction under the thumb of an undefeatable God.
Out of touch with reality.
Rely totally on sight to convince them
Argumentation:
*1Cor. 2:14— “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, & he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
*2Cor. 5:7— “for we walk by faith, not by sight-...”
Rom. 8:8-9— “...& those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
Seek the things of God
To lost people, Miracles become mysterious works of the devil.
Mat. 12:24, 31— “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons....And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you...."Therefore I say to you, any sin & blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”
Rom. 8:6-7—“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life & peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;”
2Cor. 4:7-18—“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed & therefore I spoke,” we also believe & therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, & will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Rom. 8:24-25—“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
Heb 11:1, 6—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”.....“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Illustration:
Lightning/Deadly but also necessary for producing fertilizer within the soil/Given to SIGHT
Snakes/Fear their poison/Your solution—Kill all snakes/Refuse to learn of them/Sight says all are bad/Faith says certain ones are good & can be identified/Given to SIGHT
Computers/Don’t understand them/Shun them/Given to SIGHT
Application:
?Frightened by what you see & don’t understand?
?Back off or learn about it/them?
?Sight override your faith?
?What you see dismay & determine your direction?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Examining our church field we discover People given to...
1. SIN(:1)
2. FEAR(:2)
3. DESPERATION(:3, 7)
4. SIGHT(:8-11)
CHILDREN’S— ‘What’s out There?’
Describe what is outside.
People...Sinners, blind
Presented 11/04/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Presented 11/21/99am to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
