INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Forty years prior to where we are today in the Story, the nation of Israel was on the cusp of going into the Promised Land.
• SLIDE #2
• God was ready for them to enter, and God told them to send scouts into the land, they came back and 10 of the scouts said they people of the area were bigger than God.
• Joshua and Caleb disagreed and the people followed fear instead of faith. Now many parents today like to use the “time out” method of discipline. It seems God like it also because He gave the Israelites a 40 year time out in the desert.
• The challenge seemed overwhelming, those cites over the past forty years were probably more fortified, the people was probably bigger.
• I would imagine from the text that the people currently living in the Promised Land knew the day would come when God’s people would come marching into the land.
• Have you ever faced a situation in life that seemed so overwhelming that you were paralyzed by fear?
• Now here they are once again on the cusp of the Promised Land. What will it be, fear or faith?
• It has been over 600 years since God promised to make Abraham a great nation. The folks had just lost their leader Moses. Joshua is now in command.
• Under Joshua, God has commanded the Israelites to take the land!
• Joshua had to be fearful, God knew it and so God encourages him.
• SLIDE #3
• Joshua 1:6–7 (NIV) 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
• In verses 6-9 God tells Joshua three time to be STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!
• Joshua is going to need it because when he goes back to the people and tells them to get ready to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, they made what I see as a chilling promise in verses 16-17
• SLIDE #4
• Joshua 1:16–17 (NIV) 16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses.
• So it is almost time to go, God speaks with Joshua and gives Joshua some things that will help him. It starts with…
• SLIDE #5
SERMON
I. God’s three keys to success.
• Who better to get counsel from than God?
• Since God wants us to be successful and He wanted the Israelites to be successful, God is going to give some counsel to help them.
• As He speaks with Joshua in chapter 1, He begins with a great key to success!
• SLIDE #6
• Joshua 1:7–8 (NIV) 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
• SLIDE #7
A. Be people of the Book.
• Self-help books are a big seller in the USA today. I do think there is a place for them. We also see a lot of books written by successful people who are trying to impart their philosophy of success to their readers.
• As great, smart, and successful as those authors may by nothing compares with God’s Word!
• As God is encouraging Joshua to be strong and courageous because one must be strong and courageous to follow the Word of God because many times from our lower story perspective it does not make sense.
• Think about the situation the people are in.
• They will need to get over one million people across the Jordan River without boats or floaties!
• The river was at a high stage at this time of the year. Then as we will talk about in a bit, God will have a pleasant surprise for all the males in the camp! Then they are to go into battle.
• Would it not have been easier for God to just wipe out the inhabitants then let the nation cross over and take the land?
• God tells Joshua that IF he will have the courage to trust and obey God’s Word, then he would be prosperous and successful!
• DO you realize in your life that if you have the courage to trust and obey God’s Word, you too will be a success!
• In Joshua chapter 7 after the defeat of Jericho, the Israelites were ready to do battle with Ai, they go into battle and lose!
• Joshua is beside himself wondering what happened.
• SLIDE #8
• Joshua 7:10–11 (NIV) 10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.
• According to verse 1 a man named Achan could not resist the temptation of taking some of the spoils for himself.
• This example of straying away from what God told them cost many people their lives and Achan and his whole family were put to death.
• After Achan was put to death, the Israelites went back to Ai and this time they were victorious.
• After the victorious battle Joshua does something to reinforce following God’s Word. He read the entire book of the law to the people!
• SLIDE #9
• Joshua 8:34 (NIV) Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law.
• SLIDE #10
B. Be people of prayer.
• Joshua was in constant communication with God. He spoke with God, he listened to God, and he obeyed God.
• Before we go into battle we need to communicate with God and let God go out in front of us.
• Israel demonstrated this by having the Ark of the Covenant go before the people. The Ark represented God’s leading of the people.
• Joshua was successful because he communicated with God and he let God lead them.
• Too many times we ask God to follow us into battle then we lose and then blame God.
• The defeat at Ai shows us that when we disobey God do not expect to succeed, but when we are people of prayer who obey Him we can experience 100% success!
• Communication with HQ is important especially when we are about to engage in spiritual warfare!
• SLIDE #11
C. Be people who identify with God.
• WE need to find our identity in God. In the Old Testament God had a way for this to be done physically for the males.
• Circumcision!
• Since the old generation died, this new group had yet to be circumcised according to Joshua 5:5
• SLIDE #12
• Joshua 5:2–3 (NIV) 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
• This happened after Israel crossed the Jordan and not before they were to march on Jericho. This was done as a sign of their identity with God!
• God says in effect, “Before you go into battle, I want all the soldiers to identify with Me!
• Today our old self is cut away when we are baptized into Christ and then our identity is found in Christ!
• SLIDE #13
• Colossians 2:11–12 (NIV) 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
• If we find our identity in God we will be successful!
• SLIDE #14
II. God delivers the land as promised.
• 600 plus years since Abrahams promise from God.
• Now the first obstacle in the way of the promise is the Jordan River. The Promised Land is just on the other side. How will they get over one million people to the other side?
• Then the second obstacle is a well-fortified city called Jericho.
• SLIDE #15
A. God’s miracles at the Jordan and at Jericho
• This seems like one that from a lower story perspective justifies the poor choice 40 years ago.
• Well, God IS bigger than ANYTHING we face!
• SLIDE #16
• Joshua 3:15–16 (NIV) Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
• According to Joshua 5:1 the miracle of the crossing of the Jordan caused some of Israel’s enemies to the West along with the kings near the sea lost heart and their courage failed.
• So problem one solved. Now Circumcision time, then off to Jericho.
• God gives what seems like a crazy battle plan to the lower story perspective thinkers.
• We are going to use a flint knife to circumcise our troops, then we are going to march around Jericho once per day for six days then on the seventh day we will march around it seven times and shout?
• Hmm? Is that all you got God?
• How many times has God asked you to march around Jericho instead of attacking? How did you do with it? One day, two days, three days?
• Obedience will get you to victory. It did for the Israelites and it will for you also!
• SLIDE #17
B. The delivery of the five kings of the southern campaign.
• There is not a lot to say here other than God delivered the south to His people. As long as they followed the Lord they would be successful.
• Success breeds success and it also builds faith.
• So the nation turns up north.
• SLIDE #18
C. The delivery of the fourteen kings of the northern campaign.
• God did not start them off going after 14 kings, He started with one river, then one city then 5 kings and the cities now 14!
• 1st year softball. Lost almost all the early games won some at the end, next season 3rd place in ASA Illinois! CONFIDENCE BUILDS!
• God delivered as promised!
• Now let conclude with…
• SLIDE #19
III. The main reasons why God commanded Israel to take the Promised Land.
• Why did God give this land to His people? It was the best land in the area, but there are a couple of reasons why.
• SLIDE #20
A. The current inhabitants were extremely wicked.
• God will only take so much wickedness.
• God told Abraham this reason 600 years before.
• SLIDE #21
• Genesis 15:16 (NIV) In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
• WE have some real depraved people and countries. At some point God’s judgment will come.
• The inhabitants of the Promised Land practiced detestable idolatry which included using prostitutes in worship and sacrificing (burning) children to the gods. Deuteronomy 12:31 and 20:18; Exodus 34:15-16
• It was as much as God TAKING the Promised Land from the inhabitants as giving it to Israel. We need to think about that one with the direction of the nation today.
• There was a second reason, a reason why He did not move His people to another continent.
• SLIDE #22
B. God wanted to make Himself known among the nations.
• God wanted the world to know there was a God in Israel! Back in Exodus 19 God told the nation He wanted them to be a nation of priests, a holy nation!
• God had told Abraham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him. God’s desire is for all to be in a relationship with Him!
• SLIDE #23
• 1 Timothy 2:3–4 (NIV) This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
CONCLUSION
• Joshua was a great man of God, a great and beloved leader. Near the end of his life, he challenged Israel!
• SLIDE #24
• Joshua 24:15 (NIV) But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
• What about you? Who do you chose to serve?
• Are you and are we as a church people of the word of God?
• Are you and are we as a church people of prayer?
• Are you and are we as a church identified with God through baptism?
• Are you ready for to help FCC take the city of Sierra Vista for Jesus? Are you ready to help make God known in our community?
• People are God’s strategy to make Him known among the peoples of the world.
• We are responsible to God for Sierra Vista!
• We cannot have any “Achans” in our midst. We need a full commitment to the Lord from all of us!
• It is time for us to make the courageous decision and rise to the challenge that God places before us.
• ARE YOU READY TO CROSS THE JORDAN TOGETHER TODAY!
