GOD's UNDENIABLE LEADERSHIP-II—Joshua 3:7-17
Attention:
We are faced with a lack of integrity in the world today.
We shouldn’t tolerate it in Christian circles.
Need:
Exaltation/Magnification
God began to magnify Joshua’s ministry among Israel.
God magnified Joshua’s ministry.
God began to make His leader known among the children of Israel.
God began to make His leadership thru Joshua undeniable among His people.
God initiated His undeniable leadership thru Joshua among His people Israel.
*God makes His leadership undeniable among His people.
How does God endear leadership to His people?
*When/Where is God’s leadership undeniable?
We’ve found previously that God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
1. CONTINUITY(:7)
2—God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
DIRECTION(:8-9)
Explanation:(:8-9)
:8—“You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'"”
Joshua was instructed to give the priests(who were carrying the ark) a command from God.
As the priests approached the edge of the Jordan they were to continue into the water & stand in it.
Direction must come from God! Direction to do what you cannot do!
Expects/Demands all leadership to be on same level.
Priests empowered(thru personal cleansing & desire & ordination) for special contact/communication/service with God.
Christians are all priests & saints—No ‘clerical order.’
“Moreover”—added in NIV—
“Command”—hwu tsaw-vaw’—Piel(Intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Imperfect—1) To command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order. Strong—a primitive root; intensively--To constitute, enjoin(instruct/urge).
“Priests”(See :3,6)—Nhk kohen'—
“Bear/Carrying”—asn naw-saw’—Qal Participle Active—
“Ark”—Nwra aw-rowne’—Noun Masc.—1) Chest, ark—1a) Money chest, 1b) Ark of the Covenant; 2) (TWOT)--Coffin. Strong—from hra aw-raw’[a primitive root; to pluck](in the sense of gathering); A box.
“Covenant”—tyrb ber-eeyth’—Noun Fem.—1) Covenant, alliance, pledge; 2) (phrases)—2a) Covenant making, 2b) Covenant keeping, 2c) Covenant violation. Strong—A compact(because made by passing between pieces of flesh).
“Edge”(See :15)—huq kaw-tseh’—Noun Masc.—1) End, extremity—1a) End, mouth, extremity, 1b) Border, outskirts, 1c) The whole(condensed term for what is included within extremities), 1d) At the end of(a certain time). Strong—from huq kaw-tsaw’[To cut off, destroy, scrape off]: An extremity(used in a great variety of applications & idioms; compare Uq kets[An extremity, After]).
“Waters”—Mym mah’-yim—Noun Masc.—
“Stand”—dme aw-mad’—Qal Imperfect—1) To stand, remain, endure, take one's stand. Strong—a primitive root; To stand, in various relations (literal & figurative, intransitive & transitive).
:9—“Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Come here, & hear the words of the LORD your God."”
Joshua directed his address to the people...And the people to the LORD.
Joshua called them to come to himself, BUT ONLY as they would to listen to the “words of YaHWeH” their God!
All Christians are to ‘lead’ others to God. But more than that, they will always lead others to God thru Jesus! And still more than that, they will always lead others to God thru Jesus, as they allow that empowerment of the Holy Spirit!
God’s leader will never direct you toward naked/bare secular ‘self-help.’ Such self-help is always & only a stepping-stone which ends at Christ. Christian leadership will lead you to God who helps the ‘self’ come to a realization of personal sinfulness & dependency upon God’s forgiveness.
Likewise, God’s man/woman will never lead others to themselves, but rather will always lead others to the Lord God.
God’s desire is for congregational unity, but for the sake of enabling God’s Direction. Therefore His leaders must not have mere ‘charismatic’ personalities—in the sense that they draw people to themselves—but rather they must have that which attracts people to Jesus, making Him appealing!
“Sons/Children”—Nb ben—Noun Masc.—1) Son, grandson, child, member of a group. Strong—from hnb baw-naw’;[a primitive root; to build (literally & figuratively);] A son(as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal & figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., [like 01, 0251, etc.]).
“Come here/Come hither”—vgn naw-gash’—Qal Imperative—1) To draw near, approach—1a) (Qal) To draw or come near—1a1) Of humans—1a1a) Of sexual intercourse, 1a2) Of inanimate subject—1a2a) To approach one another. Strong—a primitive root; To be or come(causatively, bring) near(for any purpose); euphemistically--To lie with a woman; as an enemy--To attack; religiously--To worship; causatively--To present; figuratively--To adduce an argument; by reversal--To stand back.
“Hear”—emv shaw-mah’—Qal Imperative—1) To hear, listen to, obey. Strong—a primitive root; To hear intelligently(often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.).
“Words”—rbd daw-baw’—Noun Masc.—1) Speech, word, speaking, thing—1a) Speech, 1b) Saying, utterance, 1c) Word, words, 1d) Business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner--by extension. Strong—from rbd[To arrange, speak, subdue]; A word; by implication--A matter(as spoken of) or thing; adverbially--A cause.
“The LORD”—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—Noun Proper Deity—Jehovah = “the existing One”—1) The proper name of the one true God—1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of ynda Ad-o-noy’. Strong—from hyh[To exist, be, become, come to pass]; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
Argumentation:
Are you being directed to be happy or holy? & if you are holy then you will supernaturally live in happiness!
Just because the pastor is ‘in the spotlight’ as it were, does not mean that ‘direction’ emanates from him, but it does mean that he has the same message as you, & is merely gifted differently in relating it.
**Deut. 4:1—“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes & the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, & go in & possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.”
Ex. 4:16—To Moses—[To Moses]“Moreover, he[Aaron] shall speak for you to the people; & it shall come about that he shall be as a mouth for you, & you shall be as God to him.”
Jn. 12:32—“And I, if I[Jesus] am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Jn. 6:41-48—“The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus therefore answered said to them, Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.”
Jn. 5:19-24—“Then Jesus answered & said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, & shows Him all things that He Himself does; & He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead & gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word & believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, & shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
**Ps. 25:4-12—“Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth & teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies & Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD. Good & upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy & truth, To such as keep His covenant & His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.”
**Prov. 3:5-8—“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD & depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”
Illustration:
*We were in Tallahassee(2015) at night on Capital Circle NW heading south,where there was a lot of construction going on—lots of flashing lights & construction vehicles, work lights, reflective orange barrels, etc./Capital Circle was funneled from two lanes to one lane after the stoplight on Pensacola St(Blountstown Hwy.). Traffic was backed up but started moving/There was a traffic policeman who was directing traffic because the construction was heavy/The way he was motioning it appeared that he was directing traffic to the right, down Pensacola St./However we needed to continue straight down Capital Circle. So I started to whiz past the patrolman as I thought he was directing our lane merely to move ahead cautiously/However, every car in front of us turned down Pensacola St. so I was getting a little anxious about going straight/Right as it seemed I would leave the line turning right, my wife, panic-stricken, excitedly & quickly says, “You have to turn!’/And sure enough I thought maybe he was making the entire line turn right for construction reasons/After all his arms were both extended & one seemed to be pointing a little west toward Pensacola/But as I looked in the rear-view mirror, I unfortunately noticed other cars going straight down Capital Circle!/Rats! In an instant I had followed the crowd(my wife & my own doubts) & listened to another voice rather than follow where I knew I should go/The policeman knew the dangers & the way of safety...that’s why he was stationed where he was & was doing what he was doing!/DIRECTION
Fire ants—Disturb mound in one spot & the whole thing swings into action from every quarter/Congregational Communication/DIRECTION
I locked my keys in the house/I Made one call to see if someone from the church could help me/Everybody knew!/Congregational Communication/DIRECTION
?Does your DIRECTION lead others to ‘churchiness’ or to Jesus?
?Is your DIRECTION chosen by you for God or by God for you?
Application:
?Is God’s leadership undeniable in Your DIRECTION?
?Is God’s Leadership Undeniable in His people?
3—God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
HOPE(:10)
Explanation:(:10)
:10—“And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, & that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites & the Hittites & the Hivites & the Perizzites & the Girgashites & the Amorites & the Jebusites:”
“And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you”
Joshua honestly knows & believes the plan of God can be fulfilled in the people individually & collectively.
Joshua told them, that they were about to know(with certainty) that the “living God” was in their midst by an action that would soon follow. The God of Israel is a “living” God. they did not worship something/someone of the past which had passed on.
Jn. 1:4—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men.”
“He will without fail drive out from before you...”
They would also know by God’s actions that the Israelites were absolutely going to dispossess the pagan nations within the promised land. They would possess it only by the grace of the God. The major & native/endemic contenders were the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites & Jebusites. These were recognized people groups with acknowledged standing in their areas of influence.
Here we see the awakening of ‘vision’—Recognition of God’s Promise & Power among us. The promise is made more sure in that God had promised it years before to Abram & to Moses & thus to those who wandered in the desert for 40 yrs(Gen. 12:7; Ex. 3:7-8, 17).
Gen. 12:7—“Then the LORD appeared to Abram & said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”
Ex. 3:78—“And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, & have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, & to bring them up from that land to a good & large land, to a land flowing with milk & honey, to the place of the Canaanites & the Hittites & the Amorites & the Perizzites & the Hivites & the Jebusites.
“Know”—edy yaw-dah’—Qal Imperfect—1) To know—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To know, 1a1a) To know, learn to know, 1a1b) To perceive, 1a1c) To perceive & see, find out & discern, 1a1d) To discriminate, distinguish, 1a1e) To know by experience, 1a1f) To recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess, 1a1g) To consider, 1a2) To know, be acquainted with, 1a3) To know(a person carnally), 1a4) To know how, be skillful in, 1a5) To have knowledge, be wise.
“Living”—yx khah’-ee—Adj.—1) Living, alive—1a) Green(of vegetation), 1b) Flowing, fresh(of water), 1c) Lively, active(of man), 1d) Reviving(of the springtime). Strong—Alive; hence--Raw(flesh); Fresh(plant, water, year), Strong; also(as noun, especially in the feminine singular & masculine plural)--Life(or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.
“Among”—brq keh’-reb—Noun Masc.—1) Midst, among, inner part, middle. Strong—properly--The nearest part, i.e. The center, whether literal, figurative or adverbial(especially with preposition).
“Without Fail/Assuredly”—vyrwy vrwh:w—vry yaw-rash’—‘To drive out’ doubled.
“Drive out/Dispossess”—vry yaw-rash’—Hiphil(causative) Imperfect—1) To seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir—1d) (Hiphil)— 1d5) To destroy, bring to ruin, disinherit. Strong—a primitive root; To occupy(by driving out previous tenants, & possessing in their place); by implication--To seize, to rob, to inherit; also--To expel, to impoverish, to ruin.
“Before”(See :11)—Mynp paw-neeym’—plural(but always as sing.)—Noun Masc.—1) Face—1a) Face, faces, 1b) Presence, person, 1c) Face(of seraphim or cherubim), 1d) Face(of animals), 1e) Face, surface(of ground), 1f) as adverb of locative/temporal—1f1) Before & behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before, 1g) with prep—1g1) In front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of. Strong—The face(as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications(literally & figuratively); also(with prepositional prefix) as a preposition--Before, etc..
Argumentation:
**Josh. 21:44, 45—“The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”
**Josh. 23:11-16—“Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. Or else, if indeed you do go back, & cling to the remnant of these nations--these that remain among you--& make marriages with them, & go in to them & they to you, know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares & traps to you, & scourges on your sides & thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts & in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, & have gone & served other gods, & bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, & you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”
**1Sam. 2:7-9—[Hannah to YHWH]“The LORD makes poor & makes rich; He brings low & lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail.”
**2Thess. 2:16, 17—“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, & our God & Father, who has loved us & given us everlasting consolation & good hope by grace, comfort your hearts & establish you in every good word & work.”
**Acts 24:14-16—[Paul to Felix]“But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they[the Jews] call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law & in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just & the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God & men.”
Acts 26:6—[Paul to King Agrippa]“And now I stand & am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.”
**Rom. 8:16-25—“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, & if children, then heirs--heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 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.”
Nothing ‘dawns on’ God! Therefore His promises are certain.
Rom. 12:6-19—“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless & do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, & weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
**Cor. 9:10, 11—“Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, & he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?”
**Rom. 15:13—“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy & peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
**Eph. 1:15-21—“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus & your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom & revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, & what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead & seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality & power & might & dominion, & every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”
Illustration:
*Suppose you are at your favorite deep-water fishing spot off the coast...No land in sight...Beautiful day/Something literally slams your boat from underneath—hits it hard, knocking you to the floor!/You simultaneously hear an audible crack & see water rapidly beginning to fill the boat/You immediately regain your footing, recognize ‘this is not something I can fix’, radio a ‘may-day’ to the Coast Guard & get your emergency gearbox & put on your life jacket/You have Hoped in the radio, Hoped in the Coast Guard, Hoped in the flares, Hoped in the life jacket, etc./HOPE
Suppose you are visiting your best friend/While you’re in conversation she collapses/You determine that she needs immediate medical attention/You call 911 & an ambulance arrives shortly with trained & equipped rescue personnel/You have Hoped in the emergency system/HOPE
‘all eggs in one basket’
US Post Office (unofficial but popularized)motto—“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”/P.O. effort & government-backed appointment toward completion of the task/HOPE
?What or Who is your HOPE?
Application:
?Is God’s leadership Undeniable in Your HOPE?
?Is God’s Leadership Undeniable in His people?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
2. DIRECTION(:8-9)
3. HOPE(:10)
1. CONTINUITY(:7)
Pts. 2-3 presented 01/24/2015pm to:
FBCCbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
