GOD's UNDENIABLE LEADERSHIP-IV—Joshua 3:7-17
Attention:
Who’s leading whom?
An elderly woman using a cane, was hesitantly waiting to cross on a busy street corner because of the heavy traffic. She waited & waited.
Then finally, an elderly gentleman also with a cane, came up to her & asked if he could cross the street with her. Gratefully she took his arm, but grew progressively more alarmed as he zigzagged randomly across the street, to the blare of horns & screech of locked brakes.
Finally on the opposite curb, she said angrily, "You almost got us killed!”
He retorted, “Well, that’s because I’m blind ma’am.” “That's why I asked if I could cross with you!”
Sometimes leadership can be questionable!
We are faced with a lack of integrity in leaders in the world today.
We should not tolerate it in Christian circles. God must be in control!
God began to magnify Joshua’s ministry among Israel.
*God makes His leadership undeniable among His people.
How does God endear leadership to His people?
Where is God’s leadership undeniable?
We’ve found previously that God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
1. CONTINUITY(:7)
2. DIRECTION(:8-9)
3. HOPE(:10)
4. OBEDIENCE(:11-13)
5—God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
EXPECTANT FAITH(:13)
Explanation:(:13)Witness/Observance/Tangible
:13—“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, & they shall stand as a heap.”
The Israelites WOULD witness(:14-17) the cutting off of the waters of the Jordan river(at flood stage—:15).
The cutting off of the waters WAS TO OCCUR when the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark, entered the waters of the Jordan.
The “ark” acts as the visual representation of the LORD(YaHWeH). He is “the Lord of all the earth.”
The waters of the Jordan would be cut off so that the water(which was the Jordan & North of the Israelites) would stand in one heap. It is not as if “the waters” would flow around them but that they would be utterly stopped dead & pile up(“stand in a heap”) north of them. There would be no way for the waters from upstream to pass Israel’s path! The Israelites’ crossing would not be impeded...God made it so!
Remember, Joshua is now only TELLING the children of Israel what WILL happen. They haven’t seen it yet!
Many of Israel had witnessed the Red Sea Crossing & many had not.40 years ago, those 20 yrs. old & under did not die in the wilderness—Num. 14:29-30.
They are learning to trust those whom God has ordained to leadership as they are learning to trust the very God who is orchestrating it all. They are learning that YaHWeH(the eternally self-existent One) is indeed “the Lord(Master) of all the earth”!
The 12 disciples were amazed that Jesus could calm the sea.
Mk. 4:35-41—“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, & the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him & said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose & rebuked the wind, & said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased & there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, & said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind & the sea obey Him!”
“Soles”—Pk kaf—Noun Fem.—1) Palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand. Strong—The hollow hand or palm(so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, & even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); figuratively--Power.
“Feet”—lgr reh’-gel—Noun Fem.—1) Foot. Strong—A foot(as used in walking); by implication--A step; by euphemistically--The pudenda.
“Lord”(See :11)—Nwda 'adown aw-done’ or (shortened) Nda 'adon aw-done' or ynda—1) Firm, strong, lord, master—1a) Lord, master—1a1) Reference to men—1a1a) Superintendent of household,of affairs, 1a1b) Master, 1a1c) King, 1a2) Reference to God—1a2a) The Lord God, 1a2b) Lord of the whole earth, 1b) Lords, kings—1b1) Reference to men—1b1a) Proprietor of hill of Samaria, 1b1b) Master, 1b1c) Husband, 1b1d) Prophet, 1b1e) Governor, 1b1f) Prince1b1g) King, 1b2) reference to God—1b2a) Lord of lords(probably = "thy husband, Yahweh”), 1c) My lord, my master—1c1) Reference to men—1c1a) Master, 1c1b) Husband, 1c1c) Prophet, 1c1d) Prince, 1c1e) King, 1c1f) Father, 1c1g) Moses, 1c1h) Priest, 1c1i) Theophanic angel, 1c1j) Captain, 1c1k) General recognition of superiority, 1c2) Reference to God—1c2a) My Lord, my Lord & my God, 1c2b) Adonai(parallel with Yahweh). Strong—from an unused root(meaning to rule); Sovereign, i.e. Controller(human or divine).
“Rest”—xwn noo’-akh—Qal Infinitive—1) To rest—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To rest, settle down & remain, 1a2) to repose, have rest, be quiet. Strong—a primitive root; To rest, i.e. Settle down; used in a great variety of applications, literal & figurative, intransitive, transitive & causative (to dwell, stay, let fall, place, let alone, withdraw, give comfort, etc.).
“Cut off”(See :16)—trk kaw-rath’—Niphal(passive/reflexive) Imperfect—1) To cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant—1b) (Niphal)—1b1) To be cut off, 1b2) To be cut down, 1b3) To be chewed, 1b4) To be cut off, fail. Strong—a primitive root; to cut(off, down or asunder); by implication--To destroy or consume; specifically--To covenant(i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh & passing between the pieces).
“Come down”——
“Upstream/Above”(See :16)—lem mah’al—Substantive—1) Higher part, upper part. Adverb—1a) Above. Preposition—1b) On the top of, above, on higher ground than. With locative—1c) Upwards, higher, above. Strong—properly--The upper part; used only adverbially with prefix--Upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc..
“Stand”(See :17)—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).
“Heap”(See :16)—dn ned—Noun Masc.—1) Heap. Strong—from dwn noowd[Nod, Waver, Wander, Flee, Disappear; also (from shaking the head in sympathy)--To console, deplore, or (from tossing the head in scorn)--Taunt] in the sense of piling up; A mound, i.e. Wave. Used 6X.
Argumentation:
Lk. 16:19-31—“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple & fine linen & fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, “desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came & licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, & was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died & was buried. “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes & saw Abraham afar off, & Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried & said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, & send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water & cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, & likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted & you are tormented. ‘And besides all this, between us & you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ “Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses & the prophets; let them hear them.’ “And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ “But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses & the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
The way you live says much about who you are & particularly whose you are. It says much about your true trust as well as your distrusts.
**Heb. 11:1, 6—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”.....“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
**2Cor. 5:6-10—“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body & to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
And its not my/your decision about what is “good or bad,” it’s God’s determination! And on top of that, “good or bad” is not an errand list maintained on your calendar!
**Lk. 17:3-6—“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; & if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, & seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots & be planted in the sea,’ & it would obey you.”
Expectation!
**1Cor. 15:1-2—“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received & in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.”
It is entirely possible that your ‘faith’—what you currently hold to—is NOT faith that can save you, but is actually false being based on a misconstrued grasp of truth! Folks, you can go to hell because of your ‘misappropriation’!
**2Cor. 4:7-18—“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed & therefore I spoke,” we also believe & therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, & will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2Tim. 2:11-13—This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
We trust in THE living loving God!
1Pet. 5:5-11—[as elders/overseers submit themselves to Christ]—“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, & be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, & settle you. To Him be the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Heb. 3:12-13—“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
If you believed/trusted/knew that your mere presence here made a difference in the Kingdom of God, & that you yourself needed continual exposure to the authority of God, then you would be committed to being here regularly.
Heb. 10:22-25—“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience & our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
?What do you Expect from a worship service, a meeting, a Sunday School experience, an outreach event, etc.?
Illustration:
Watching the ‘green flash’ as the sun sets over the ocean/Many make it a time of celebration/EXPECTANT FAITH
Waiting for an eclipse or meteor shower/Many make it a time of celebration/EXPECTANT FAITH
To know that certain things give evidence of an expected outcome.
To know as a Christian, that God will act thru His faithfulness!(2Tim. 2:11-13).
Application:
?Is God’s leadership undeniable in Your EXPECTANT FAITH?
?Is God’s Leadership Undeniable in His people?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Her complaint—“You almost got us killed!” His reply, “Well, that’s because I’m blind ma’am.” “That's why I asked if I could cross with you!”
Action:
God’s leadership is Undeniable in...
5. EXPECTANT FAITH(:13)
1. CONTINUITY(:7)
2. DIRECTION(:8-9)
3. HOPE(:10)
4. OBEDIENCE(:11-12)
Pt. 5-only! presented 08/08/2016pm to:
FBCCbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
