1. A man went on vacation to the Holy Land with his wife and her mother. While in Israel, the mother-in-law died from a heart attack. The couple went to a local undertaker, who explained that they could either ship the body home which would cost more than $1500, or they could bury her right there in the Holy Land for only $150. The man said, "We'll ship her home. "Surprised, the undertaker responded, "Are you sure? That's an awfully big expense, and we can do a very nice burial here. "The man said, "Look, 2000 years ago they buried a guy here and three days later He rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance."
2. The land of Israel is special to God. Battles in the Middle East today reflect the ancient times
3. My Before and after thoughts of Israel -- 10 slides
4. The Land of Canaan (Map) -- which became the Land of Israel -- was a connection to three continents -- Africa to the South; Europe to the North; Asia to the East; with the Mediterranean to the West
5. Controlling this area would influence much of the world
6. Joshua 1.1-5
I. The Land was Special to God
A. It was a Promised Land (to Abraham and His Seed)
1. The Dimensions -- Genesis 15.18
18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river EuphraŒtes, 19 the land of the KenŒites, the KenŒizzites, the KadŒmonites, 20 the Hittites, the PerŒizzites, the RephŒaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the GirŒgashites and the JebŒusites."
2. The Specifics -- Genesis 17.8
And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
3. The Blessings -- Exodus 3.8
and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the PerŒizzites, the Hivites, and the JebŒusites.
a. Grazing Land for herds
b. Farmland
B. It was a Protected Land -- Leviticus 25.23
The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine;
for you are strangers and sojourners with me.
1. It Belongs to God (like everything else)
2. On Loan to Israel
a. Not because of their goodness
b. Because of the sinfulness of the Canaanites
THE PRESENCE OF HIS LOVE
The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.
It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind and was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her.
"How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return. And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.
Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart. Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn't working - it was hectic, and costly.
Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened.
For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase.
Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better about herself. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself! On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"
The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked again, "What do you mean?" The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."
God watches over us in just the same way. We may not know He is present. We may not be able to see His face, but He is there nonetheless! Be blessed in this thought: "God Loves You - even when you are not looking." This is true of the land and of us in Yeshua (Jesus).
II. The Land was Shared by God
A. As Part of the Covenant with Abraham
1. Abram's call included a land promise -- Genesis 12.1-3; 13.14-17
14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you."
2. A Perpetual Covenant through Isaac -- Genesis 17.7-8, 19
3. Ishmael blessed, too -- Genesis 17.20-21
20 As for IshŒmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year."
4. Passed to Jacob -- Genesis 35.11-12
11 And God said to him, "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall spring from you. 12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you."
B. As Part of the Master's Plan to:
1. Display the Power of God
a. The Exodus events
b. The Conquest of Canaan [In warfare, there is always an objective. In many wars, the objective is land. For example, in the Middle East, Israel and the Palestinians are fighting because they both want to have the same land. Hitler fought because he wanted to create a "superior" race. The Southern states fought the Civil War because they wanted to be free from the oppression of the Northern States. The Gulf War was fought because the U.S. wanted to end the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, so they could have access to oil. I mention all of these wars, not because I want to say who was right or wrong, but to show that in every war, there is an objective. There is a reason we are fighting the war. And the same is true with spiritual warfare. If we are going to wage war on Satan's kingdom, we have to know what our objective is. Our objective, our mission is to rescue people from Satan's grip; to free them from his control. This is just as Jesus said at the start of his ministry.
c. Part of the purpose in the prosperity of the land -- "Milk and Honey -- Ezekiel 20.6
On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.
d. Application -- God leads us out of sin and into a covenant relationship with him; it is not a life of ease but of constant alertness and action -- the result is an "abundant life" -- John10.10 ["Live like you were Dying"
2. Display the Person of God -- Ezekiel 5.5
Thus says the Lord GOD: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries round about her.
3. Develop the Maturity of the People
a. Purpose in Trials -- James 1.2
b. A reason to fight the inhabitants of the land
4. Develop the Unity of the People
a. Common enemy or cause produces unity
b. No enemy or cause produces internal conflict [John 4.35]
c. Unity by Commonalities -- Ephesians 4.1-7
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
POWER of God: Retold from "The Book of Virtues" Editor: William J. Bennett
There is a story that centers on a king and the members of his court who were continually full of flattery. "You are the greatest man that ever lived...You are the most powerful king of all...Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do, nothing in this world dares disobey you."
The king was a wise man and he grew tired such foolish speeches. One day as he was walking by the seashore he decided to teach them a lesson. "So you say I am the greatest man in the world?" he asked them. "O king," they cried, "there never has been anyone as mighty as you, and there never be anyone so great, ever again!"
"And you say all things obey me?" he asked.
"Yes sire" they said. "The world bows before you, and gives you honor."
"I see," the king answered. "In that case, bring me my chair, and place it down by the water." The servants scrambled to carry the royal chair over the sands. At his direction they placed it right at the water's edge. The King sat down and looked out at the ocean. "I notice the tide is coming in. Do you think it will stop if I give the command?"
"Give the order, O great king, and it will obey," cried his entourage.
"Sea," cried the king, "I command you to come no further! Do not dare touch my feet!"
He waited a moment, and a wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet. "How dare you!" he shouted. "Ocean, turn back now! I have ordered you to retreat before me, and now you must obey! Go back!" In came another wave lapping at the king's feet. The king remained on his throne throughout the day, screaming at the waves to stop. Yet in they came anyway, until the seat of the throne was covered with water.
Finally the king turned to his servants and said, "It seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps now you will remember there is only one King who is all-powerful, and it is He who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of His hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for him."
1. We Have Become Part of God's Story -- Ephesians 2.12-13
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.
2. Israel was to be a living message of God to the world
a. No Mass Communication -- individual and community lives
b. Our Role, too -- 2 Corinthians 3.2-3
2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; 3 and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
c. Rooted and grounded in Yeshua (Jesus) to work out our salvation for the sake of God, the world, ourselves
3. In Yeshua (Jesus) we are stewards of God's gifts; empowered in our trials; and united in our cause
