2016: WE HAVE NOT PASSED THIS WAY BEFORE
JOSHUA 3: 1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never passed this way before. But keep a distance of about 2000 cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.” 5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them. 7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the Living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord - the Lord of all the earth - set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 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, 16 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. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completely crossed over on dry ground.
INTRODUCTION: “WE HAVE NOT PASSED THIS WAY BEFORE” (Thx For Gifts)
Illustration: Daniel Turkett New Place - God’s GPS and Google Map (Bring GPS)
There Is Not One Of Us For Whom These Words Are Not True: “…for you have not passed this way before”. We are always stepping out from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Stepping into the unknown can cause some apprehension making a person hesitant, worrisome and anxious. We do not like to go where we have not been before.
Illustration: I Cried When Coming To America.
Illustration: I Like China Buffet Because I Immediately Get What I Want To Eat.
Whether We Like It Or Not, The Unknown Will Come. If we always know what is coming, we might just make plans on our own, and fail to lean upon God. It is the uncertainty of things that causes us to realize our need for God day-by-day – Africa?. The fact that we have not passed this way before enforces the fact that we are strangers and need faith in God to navigate us.
The Book Of Joshua Is A Book About Faith. The Israelites had approached the Jordan River and were in transition from wandering in a desert to dwelling in a new land. Greater blessings awaited them but with greater battles. The blessings we enjoy from God will always be contested with battles by the world, the flesh, the devil. The primary lesson is that victory and glory come to God when His people trust and obey. Unbelief says, "Let's go back to where it's safe," but faith says, "Let's go forward to where God is working". The same applies to believers today. If we turn back, we'll find ourselves wandering in a spiritual desert.
VARIOUS RESPONSES TO CHANGE
1. Question Change: You question but participate in the change with an open heart.
2. Go With The Flow: You don’t resist the change, but you are also not involved in the change process. You just go along with the flow.
3. Critical Of Change: You don’t understand the reasons why change is needed. You hesitate to accept the changes and become critical.
4. Rebel Against Change: Some people just reject change. They do not seek to understand it. Their resistance grows into rebellion believing they are right. They start gossiping within their circles of influence, but are unwilling to engage in a dialog with church leadership. This brings division. This may result in individuals leaving the church. This is not God’s plan.
5. Embrace Change: You embrace change when your thinking has been transformed. You understand the reasons God wants new things and therefore support the change.
A LOOK AT THE PASSAGE: STRATEGIES FOR THE NEW YEAR 2016
Joshua Is Leading About 2 Million Jews To The Promised Land - about 500 years after God made a promise to Abraham that He will bless him. Genesis 12:1-3: The 7 Blessings of Abraham: 1. The Blessing of land. 2. Blessing of a great nation. 3. Blessing of blessing him – providing needs. 4. Blessing of making his name great. 5. Blessing of being a blessing to someone. 6. Blessing of blessing those that bless him. 7. Through him all families of the earth shall be blessed. But There Was No Land. Israel Belongs To The Jews. Watch What You Say Against Them:
1. Deut. 14:2 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
2. 2 Sam. 7:23-24 And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself…
3. 1 Kings 8:53 For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance.
4. Rom. 11:1-2 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
5. Psalms 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
6. Zechariah 2:8 For he that touches you touches the apple of his eye.
7. Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
Moses Is Dead And Joshua Is The New Leader Who Will Lead Them Over The Jordan. They Look Confused And God Steps In To Take Over. STRATEGIES FOR 2016:
1. When Things Are Uncertain & Unfamiliar, It Is Not Time To Panic (Joshua 3:3).
When Joshua Came To The Brink Of The Unfamiliar Challenge, he did not freak out. There was even three days before commands were given (Joshua 3:3). Many of us panic when confronted with what we did not expect. Panic attack set in - the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and includes the following symptoms: Anger, Palpitations, accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking. We do the first thing that comes to our mind. In our time, people snap at leaders and blame them for everything. They demand that the leader tells them something right there to make us feel better. Look, God understands the effects of fear so there hundreds of verses similar to “fear not” in the Bible. Trust God with the future.
2. We Must Sanctify Ourselves For God’s Use (Joshua 3:5).
Those That Would See God, Follow God, Serve & Worship God, and even reap the benefits of being the Children of God, ought to be sanctified for God. Sanctify means to be set aside, to dedicate, to ordain for God’s use. Joshua 3:5: “And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Very soon the Children of Israel will sin when Achan disobeys God and takes some of the spoils of Jericho. They could have no success as long as they had sin among them. Joshua 7:11-15 The children of Israel sinned and took the accursed thing, they could not stand before their enemies. But when they made the corrections and sanctified themselves, God led them to victory. They were about to enter into a land where they had never been before. Since they had the Name of God attached to them, they must represent that God in a way that would be pleasing in His Sight. This Is Lesson To Us. We are traveling into a New Year. We know that we need the leadership and guidance of God Almighty. If we desire God’s favor and God’s blessings upon us, we must sanctify ourselves and preserve His Holiness in our lives.
3. Know That God Will Always Go Before His People – The Ark (Joshua 3:6).
Joshua 3:6 “Then Joshua spoke to the Priests, saying, ‘Take up the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the people’ so they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people.” Remember, “They have never been that way before.” They were to keep a distance of about a 1000 yards. The ark is mentioned 10 times - very significant. It was the most important piece of furniture in the Tabernacle - a small “box” measuring approximately 45”X27”X27” - covered in and out with gold - contained the 10 Commandments, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded. The Ark was a visible sign that the invisible God was present with his people as the priest carried the ark. Why The Distance: (1) Because of the Holiness of God. (2) So the people could see in order to follow. The picture is that God was leading the way that they had never been before. God had led them out of Egypt. He had guided and protected them in the wilderness. He had fed them with manna and provided them with water. It would have taken approximately 4000 tons of food a day, two freight trains 1 mile long to bring the food, 11,000,000 gallons of water a day in the desert. Their shoes and clothing did not wear out 40 years. No wonder skeptics doubt that the Exodus ever happened. Exodus 23:20-21 “Behold, I send an angel before you to keep you safe on the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Take notice of his face, and hear his voice, lest you provoke him, for he will not bear your transgression; for My name is in the middle of him…”
4. Always Wait For The Leadership Of God (Joshua 3:7-8).
After Joshua Gave The Command For The Appointed Priests To Begin Crossing Ahead Of The People, the Lord spoke to Joshua: Joshua 3:7-8: Now the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. “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.’” Yes, there was a change of leadership from Moses to Joshua, but God was about to remind Israel that God was ultimately in charge. The same words, "stand still", was used by Moses when he told the people of Israel that they would never see a particular enemy again (Exodus 14:13). God fulfills His promises. These Are Exciting Times At Christ Jubilee. We are standing on the threshold of a new exciting year - exciting because we are going to see God at work. The possibilities of growth are endless. God’s blessings do not come without challenge. We have a challenge to fill this building, invite friends and neighbors, place invitations in homes, make people know we are here. If we are faithful God will be faithful. God uses people to speak to you… listen! This Is Not The Time To Challenge Leadership. This Is Not The Time To Be Fighting About Who You Like Or Don’t Like. Your enemy would love to see you distracted by bickering over leadership. It is tempting to think that if you switch leaders that the problem will change - deceptive thinking. It’s time to focus on the matter at hand. I love the instructions given to the people in Joshua 3:4-5. They were told to keep their eyes on the Ark of the Covenant and how to follow it, so that they would know how to get through this way they had never been before. The days of whining to Moses until he called down miracles in the wilderness were over. It was time for faith to move forward.
5. When You See God Move You Must Follow (Joshua 3:3)
We Must Keep Our Eyes On Jesus Our Leader. We have not traveled this road before. We have never had a 2016 in which to live. Only God knows the way. God said: "Consecrate yourselves" - means to set apart for God’s use. We consecrate ourselves through prayer. We consecrate through dedication. Make a vow to God. Daily quiet time in prayer and bible reading. Vow to tithe. Vow to use the spiritual gifts He has given. Vow to forgive someone who has wronged you. Vow to witness to that person who is lost. Vow to be faithful in all worship services. After consecration God told the people that He would do wonders among them tomorrow. If we are faithful to carry out the vows we have made we will see God doing wonders among us. Psalm 44:5 Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever.
6. God Is Always In The Midst Of His People (Joshua 3:8-11, 14-16).
Not Only Does God Go Before His People, He Is In The Midst Of His People. The priests were instructed in Joshua 3:8 “When you come to the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan”. Remember, they were carrying the Ark of God. The Jordan was at flood stage (Joshua 3:15). The priests carried the Ark and as soon as their feet touched the water the flow of water ceased. The priests then stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan River. Then all people of Israel crossed over on dry land. God Himself was in the midst of His people. God goes before His people. God is with his church today. Rev. 1:12-13 “Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, and in the midst of the seven lamp stands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.” Christ is in the midst of His churches. Deut. 23:14 For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.
7. God Will Not Act Until We Have Stepped Out On Faith (Joshua 3:15-16).
Illustration: Some men carrying a box – contact God and make impact. The Jordan Did Not Dry Up Until The Feet Of The Priest Touched The Water. The Jordan was overflowing its banks. The water was too deep to wade across. The people had to step out in faith. Had they not made that first move, the water would have remained flooded. We too must step out in faith. The job of the church is not to impact the church, but to impact the world. The challenge for the church is not what we do in Sunday morning services, but what we do when church is over. When God has told us to do something we must begin to do it and God will show the way.
8. God Will Stay On The Job Until It Is Finished (Joshua 3:17).
As Long As The Priest Stood In The Middle Of The Jordan On Dry Ground, the waters stayed until all the people had crossed. When all the people had crossed the water came back to flood stage. God will remain on the job until it is finished. When God calls us to do something He will see us through. Whether it is building a building, teaching a class, witnessing to someone, etc., God will see you through. As you remain faithful to God and keep doing what he has called you to do, he will finish the job. Here we are at the beginning of a new year. What does this year hold? I do not know. We have not passed this way before. But I know that the God I serve has passed this way because He made the way. Maybe you would like to go back to 2016 and undo or redo some things that you messed up. Impossible! But God can turn things around in your life. Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord...
9. God Follows Behind His People To Protect Them No Matter What (Joshua 3:17).
The Priests Stayed In The Middle Of The River Until Everyone Passed Over To The Other Side. It is implied that the priests, carrying the ark, followed the children of Israel out on the other side. At last they were in the land of promise. Canaan does not represent heaven for there was land to be conquered and battles to be fought. Even the most Spirit-filled Christian will have to face battles in his life. But God will go before us to guide us, He is in the midst of us to comfort us, and He will follow behind us to protect us. In the description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6, preachers often say that there was no armor for the back. However, the metal breastplate that protected the breast also surrounded the back of the soldier. You see, the enemy is not fair. He does not always attack from the front. He will often sneak up behind us. We are about to cross over into another new year. We have never been here before. We do not know what the future holds but we know who holds the future. God will go before us to guide. He stands in the midst of us to comfort and strengthen us, and he follows behind. Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned…
CONCLUSION: GOD FIGHTS FOR US – AND HE IS NOT IN A BOX ANYMORE.
Commitments For The New Year: “God Is Not In A Box Anymore”
1. Commit Yourself To Forget Your Failures: Philippians 3:13-14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” You must not live your life imprisoned by your past. All of us have failed in some way this year - failed relationship, wrong decisions, said and did wrong things, etc. God says we must not allow ourselves to be dragged down by past failures. Illustration: Baggages Hanging On Me. We must not dwell on our past so it stops us moving forward into the future God has for us. Say To Yourself: I am going to, with help of God, forget my past.
2. Commit Yourself To Give Up Your Grudges: Col. 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” God is challenging us directly to give up grudges. A grudge is a deep ongoing resentment that we nurse in our hearts against someone. Grudges are dangerous because they are destructive - destroy marriages, break up families, ruin friendships, split churches, etc. Today if you know you are holding a grudge against someone, “give it up.” God isn’t asking you to ignore whatever the person has done to you, to pretend it didn’t happen, to condone it, to pretend it didn’t matter. God asks you to forgive the grievance. This is how you start a New Year.
3. Commit Yourself To Restore Relationships: Illustration: Every time I turn on my computer a little windows pops up that asks if I want to run a check to see if my programs are all working properly. God issues a very similar invitation to check whether our personal relationships are working properly. Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” God is also saying if you have caused a rift in a relationship, then you must to do everything you can to restore it.
4. Commit Yourself To Turn Your Back On Sins. Christ died to set us free. The Holy Spirit has given us the power to be free, but some of us still choose to obey our old master - sin. Romans 6:2 “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to its lustful desires… we are no longer slaves to sin.” Illustration: Electronics have a way of protecting themselves - “error” message. Besetting sins are particulars sin that a Christian is prone to doing time and time again. When we get saved, we give up certain sins but there are others we really battle with – our besetting sins. Many end up going back to those sins. Do you have a quick temper? A caustic tongue that loves to assassinate other people’s characters or wound feelings? Is there a sexual sin? Secretly logging on to pornography sites? God challenges you to turn your back on that sin. Because Jesus’ death broke the power of sin, the Holy Spirit can give us the power to resist sin. We don’t have to go into this New Year still being defeated by the same old sin.
5. Commit Yourself To Let God Show You The Way: Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. John 14:5-6 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 2 Chronicles 20:12-17 Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you… Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
PRAYER CHALLENGE
