SAFEGUARDING The GOOD LIFE-III—Joshua 3:1-6
Good Life/Well/Abundant
Attention:
Some things are worth protecting.
The Good Life we have in Christ is particularly worth safeguarding/ protecting.
Need:
We all want ‘the good life.’
Joshua prepared the children of Israel for entrance into the promised land.
Christians must be prepared to enter the abundant life.
How can God’s people be prepared for entering the abundant life?
4 safeguards/assurances for entering the promised land/ living the Abundant Life/Good Life
We found earlier that The Good Life is Safeguarded at/by/thru...
1. The BRINK(:1)
2. The LORD(:2-4)
3—The Good Life is Safeguarded at/by/thru...
PERMISSIVE ENABLING(:5)
Explanation:(:5)Respect/Humility/Prepare/Cleanse/Sanctify/Allow
:5—“And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.””
In order to prepare for the crossing, the people were to consecrate themselves.
Joshua knew that the LORD would do something miraculous in the sight of all the people. It would happen the next day. They were to be prepared for the events of the following day.
?Do you Prepare for worship? or ?How do you prepare for worship?
The Lord is going to do something for you, so you must personally ready yourself to receive its full benefits!
Some of you don’t have the first clue how to give God permission to use you. Let it begin here for you...with receiving the truth! God requires your permission!
He will never force Himself upon you, But...you will also have to live with the consequences of your own choice(s).
“Sanctify/Consecrate”—vdq kaw-dash’—Hitpael(reflexive/reciprocal) Imperative—to “Sanctify” or ‘Holify’[the noun ‘Holy’ made into a verb]—1) To consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate. Strong—a primitive root; To be(causatively--Make, pronounce or observe as) clean(ceremonially or morally).
“Wonders”—alp paw-law'—1) To be marvelous, be wonderful, be surpassing, be extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action. Strong—a primitive root; properly--Perhaps to separate, i.e. Distinguish(literally or figuratively); by implication--To be(causatively--Make) great, difficult, wonderful.
Argumentation:
Ex. 3:4-5—[Moses at the burning bush]—“So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush & said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
Don’t even bring the dust of your travels for you are in the presence of utter holiness!
Lev. 11:45, 19:2, 20:7, 26—“‘For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”.....“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, & say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”.....“‘Consecrate yourselves therefore, & be holy, for I am the LORD your God.....“‘And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, & have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”
1Pet. 1:14-16—“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
2Cor. 6:16-7:1—“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons & daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.” Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh & spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Jn. 17:14-21—“I have given them Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, & I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Acts 26:15-18—[Paul’s testimony to King Agrippa]—“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ‘But rise & stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”
Your Permission, with its resulting sanctification, has everything to do with whether you are fit for the great things God has in store for you.
Jas. 4:10—“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.”
1Pet. 5:6—“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”
Illustration:
My Scuba Diving trip to the Cayman Islands(circa 1978?)/It was the most beautiful clear shallow water I’ve ever seen/Jump off the rock right into the ocean/At ~<20 ft. there were Georgeous fish—Angels, Butterflies, Parrotfish, Blue Tang, Triggerfish, Morays, Urchins, Brain & Staghorn Corals, Basket & Tube Sponges, Sea Cucumbers, etc.—Beautiful colors, Tremendous diversity--Magnificent Diving!/BUT I never could have enjoyed any of that IF I had not first made myself take the 6-week PADI certification course/PERMISSIVE ENABLING
Employees expecting a raise w/o the commitment & work ethic/‘Not gonna happen!’/PERMISSIVE ENABLING
Children/Wet & muddy shoes-clothes/They want to run directly to their room/We make take shoes-pants off first!/Go directly to bathroom or mudroom & rinse off...otherwise punishment will ensue/Must be a PERMISSIVE ENABLING tied to procedure
Paroled prisoner/Restrictions still apply/You’ve waited many yrs. at the brink—Heard Federal mandate(know the rules)/Violate restrictions/Forfeit right to freedom/Unclean in public arena/PERMISSIVE ENABLING
Teens faced with Future/College or Career?/College is a time of Cleansing/Acceptable to the technical-business-science-teaching world/PERMISSIVE ENABLING?
Thru personal Cleansing, I’m Safeguarding the Good Life.
Application:
?Are you Safeguarding the Good Life thru your PERMISSIVE ENABLING?
?Are you Safeguarding the Good Life?
?How do you view yourself before a holy God?
Some here are pressured into decisions by Spouse-Parents-Child-Friend-Boss-Yourself...
...Indecisive-Frightened-Nervous-Anxious...
?What will your decision be today?
4—The Good Life is Safeguarded at/by/thru...
TAKING The LEAD(:6)
Explanation:(:6) Family of God/God’s Man/Leaders
:6—“And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant & cross over ahead of the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant & went ahead of the people.”
Don’t move away from the Community of faith...Bring them with you, by Taking The Lead in loving the Lord God in Christ Jesus!
*Christian Leaders...
Take us to the Brink
Lead us to the Lord
Encourage our Cleansing
Lead the way!
Why our SBC Church Covenant states:
(Underlined portions denote subtleties between revisions)
“Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, & on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of our Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels & this assembly, most solemnly & joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, & comfort, to promote its prosperity & spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline & doctrines, to contribute cheerfully & regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, & the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family & secret devotions; to religiously educate our children, to seek the salvation of our kindred & acquaintances, to walk circumspectly in the world, to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, & exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting & excessive anger; to abstain from the sale & use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, or to use illegal drugs in any form; & to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember one another in prayer, to aid one another in sickness & distress, to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling & courtesy in speech, to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, & mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.
We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant & the principles of God’s word.”
Argumentation:
Lev. 25:38—“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan & to be your God.”
Jer. 29:11—“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare & not for calamity to give you a future & a hope.”
The Church is that means by which God leads out, & so His Church!
Every true Christian is a ‘priest’—‘priesthood of believers’—Carrying the responsibility to personally, corporately, willingly, boldly, & reverently presenting God to others.
Rom. 1:15-19—“So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.”
Rom. 5:1-5—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; & perseverance, character; & character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Heb. 4:14-16—“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
1Pet. 2:2-10—“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God & precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” & “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
Heb. 13:17—“Obey your leaders, & submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy & not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
1Tim. 5:17—“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching & teaching.”
1Tim. 5:19—“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.”
1Cor. 6:9-11—“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus & by the Spirit of our God.”
Heb. 13:5-10—“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, & forever. Do not be carried about with various & strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.”
Illustration:
Fishing Carrabelle or Lake Okeechobee/Someone unfamiliar with how to go about fishing it/Need a Trained Guide—A fishing charter/Both of you are taking the lead/Both are depending upon the other to fulfill their expected tasks/TAKING The LEAD
Apple Computers/In an IBM world Few people know about them/Call 1.800.SOS.APPL/List licensed dealerships & repairmen with Apple expertise/Uncomfortable taking computer to ‘Billy Bobs’ computer repair/TAKING The LEAD
By Taking the Lead, I am Safeguarding the Good Life.
Application:
?Are you Safeguarding the Good Life thru TAKING The LEAD?
?Are you Safeguarding the Good Life?
?Some here need to be free from the... Indecision/Fear/Nervousness/Anxiety...
...What will your decision be today?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
The Good Life is Safeguarded at/by/thru...
3. PERMISSIVE ENABLING(:5)
4. TAKING The LEAD(:6)
1. The BRINK(:1)
2. The LORD(:2-4)
Pts. 3-4presented 10/18/2015pm to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-4 Presented 05/23/06am to:
New Hope Baptist Church
3514 Allen Rd.
Zephyrhills, FL 33541
Pts. 1-4 Presented 12/05/99pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
