A NEW YEAR – A NEW DIRECTION
Text: Joshua 3:1-5
INTRODUCTION
I have titled this message today: “A New Year – A New Direction”.
Please turn with me to Joshua, Chapter 3.
Let’s begin our reading together in verse 1:
1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Now in the immediate context here – we find the Children of Israel…
On the very verge of entering into the Promised Land. Let’s now read Verses 2-4:
2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
Now take careful note with me...
Because clearly this is something entirely new for God’s people.
They hadn’t been here or done this before?
This was an entirely new path for them to walk...
And an entirely new direction God was calling them to launch out in.
Now – I find it incredibly fascinating, and by no mere chance,
That as we open the Word of God today - this was precisely where Israel was at.
Spiritually speaking, God was calling His people forward in their walk Him,
And it was a new road and new direction He was leading them in.
“They had not been this way before”... the Scriptures tell us,
And do you know something - neither have we!
As we stand now in great anticipation looking forward to the year 2022,
The simple reality is we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
We don’t know what lays ahead...or what challenges we might face.
We don’t know where God will lead, or all that is in stall for us this year.
Just as it was for Israel – so too is it now for us...
Because “...we have not passed this way before”!
I wonder – does that scare you?...or does that excite you?
Because make no mistake – we are about to embark upon...
A New Year and a New Direction with our Lord today.
And our journey with Him begins with an unknown path.
AN UNKNOWN PATH
There all those many years ago...
Standing on the shores of the river Jordan,
Israel was facing “The great Unknown”.
Now there is absolutely no doubt that God had brought them to this place.
This was not a chance happening.
Remember the Children of Israel had previously been slaves in Egypt…
And when God heard their cries, He a sent Moses to deliver them.
It took the Lord’s limitless power, ten plagues and a number of miracles...
To humble Pharaoh – but eventually God’s people were released and set free.
At the end of it all, not only had God demonstrated His glorious power,
But He had faithfully delivered Israel from Egypt...
And led His people safely across the wilderness.
And this was no small feat.
The Lord guided His people by a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
He feed them with Mana from Heaven.
He even gave them the Tabernacle and the 10 Commandments
So that they could worship Him and so that His presence could dwell among them.
We all know the biblical stories right…
And now, after all of that - we find God’s people on the verge of a new beginning.
But as they stood on the boarders of the Promised Land…
They faced a life changing decision.
Do they go back the way they came?...
Do they keep walking those old same familiar roads?...
Or do they launch out ahead with the Lord in an entirely New Direction.
God had brought them to this place in their walk and relationship with Him...
Because He wanted to Bless them!
He already delivered them from slavery and oppression,
And He had provided for their every need in the wilderness...
But still there were more blessings for them to experience.
God had promised them peace and rest in the Land of Canaan,
But there was a journey they needed to undertake in order to get there.
A journey on an unknown path – which lead them in an entirely new direction.
And “...they had not passed that way before!”
A CRISIS OF BELIEF
Ironically, it was here on the edge of greatness with God,
And standing on the very verge of overwhelming blessing with the Lord
That Israel found themselves at a crisis of belief.
Even with overwhelming evidence of God’s power and might
And countless miracles now behind them...
God’s people still had to choose the ultimate path they were going to walk.
Were they going to walk the same way of their Past...
Or walk a new way according to God’s Promise?
Were they going to plot an old course...
Or were they going to traverse a new path?
Ultimately Israel had to choose - were they going to walk that same familiar road...
Or were they going to launch out in a New Direction with God?
And today – we too are faced with the same decision.
Let’s not forget, Israel had been here before – hadn’t they.
They had already stood on the boarders of the Promised Land,
They had already been presented with this extraordinary opportunity
And chance to be blessed greatly by God.
All they had to do was have enough faith to step out in a New Direction with the Lord
But when that time came to cross over the Jordan…
They didn’t have the heart to take those first steps…
Or to walk that unfamiliar road.
Now some forty years on – we find Israel in the exact same place!
After wandering in the wilderness of their own choosing for many years,
After Walking around and around on roads they had already travelled before,
God is now ready to give His people yet another opportunity to be blessed.
And do you know what – God is willing to give us that same opportunity today.
Don’t you just long for God’s Blessings in your life this year?
Then here’s what it’s going to take,
It’s going to take you walking a new path and heading in a New Direction with Jesus.
Are you ready for that?
For Israel, many years had passed...
But the same choice still lay before them.
Do they keep doing what they have always done…
Or do they walk a new road and head out in a New Direction with the Lord?
There is no question about where God wanted them.
There is no doubt about the path He wanted them to walk.
He wanted them to cross over the Jordan.
He wanted them to enter into His Best.
He wanted them to experience His Blessings.
He wanted them to walk in a New Direction with Him,
And do you know something – God wants the same thing for us today.
THE HARD CHOICE
Now sometimes I think we have this tendency...
To think that the right choice for Israel - was an easy one to make.
But the choice is always easy - when you’re not the one having to make it.
The choice is always an easy one - when you are looking at it from the outside,
And you’re not the one who has to commit to it.
Friends - If this were such an easy decision
Why then did the first generation of Israel fail to make the right choice?
Why had this been such a struggle for so many of God’s people in the past?
Well the answer is found in the last part of Verse 4:
“…For ye have not passed this way before.”
This important statement should not be lost on us.
The place to which God had led the people was an unfamiliar place.
The territory into which God was leading the people was unfamiliar territory.
The children of Israel were on the verge of the unknown.
The people of God were about to walk on unfamiliar soil.
They were being called to a place where they had not been.
This was a place to which the officers of the people said,
“…you have not passed this way before.”
I wonder, can you at all relate that statement in your life?
Have you ever just said – “Lord, I don’t know what to do...
because I have not experienced this before.”
Have you ever said something like this...
“Lord my work situation has never been like this before.”
“Lord my marriage has never been in this place before.”
“Lord my faith has never been stretched like this before.”
“Lord my health has never been such a struggle before.”
“Lord my heart has never been so hurt before.”
“Lord my life has never seemed so directionless before.”
“Lord my finances have never been so uncertain before.”
“Lord my shortcomings have never been so obvious to me before.”
It is a scary feeling coming face to face with the unknown and the unfamiliar.
To recognize that you are heading into unchartered waters.
To contemplate the prospect of going to places that you have never been before.
But let me tell you something – sometimes that is exactly where God wants to lead, And the Lord is willing to journey there with you – because He wants to bless you.
THE WAY FORWARD
Brethren make no mistake – that’s the spiritual journey...
We are all now being called to undertake with the Lord this year.
And I want you to be absolutely clear of this truth right from the start...
We have not passed this way before.
This year will have new challenges.
This year will bring a new set of circumstances.
This is a new year and a new place we as God’s people now find ourselves in.
But even so brethren, I believe that God is the one who has led us all…
To these spiritual crossroads.
And His challenge to us this year is clear...
We can all keep doing the same things - like Israel had done in the past,
Or we can choose to cross over into 2022 with Him
And together launch out in new direction.
So what’s it going to be?
And you say - “But how do we do that?”
How do we cope with these new hurdles?
How do I come to terms with these unfamiliar feelings and situations?
What do we do, given the fact that We have not passed this way before?
After all – a new year will bring with it a great many new challenges.
Well In our text today we find three wonderful answers to this dilemma.
In these Scriptures we see the principles that we need to apply to our lives
When we find ourselves confronted with this spiritual challenge
Of going where we haven’t gone before...
And dealing with circumstances we have never dealt with before.
1) GO AFTER THE ARK (Follow God).
The first instruction given to the children of Israel is found in verse 3.
And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
“Go after the Ark” - Follow after the Lord!
The Israelites were instructed to go after the Ark when they saw it on the move.
So what then does this have to do with us?
Well the Ark of the Covenant sat within the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle of course stood as God’s house and His dwelling place...
During the earliest times of the Old Covenant.
The Tabernacle was mobile and could be moved from place to place,
Which was perfectly suited to Israel’s migration...
For many years around the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
Now it was ultimately the Ark of Covenant, a key treasure kept within the tabernacle,
That represented the presence and glory of God among the people.
That’s why the officers said to Israel you need to “Follow the Ark”.
You need to go where God leads - and you need to be where God is.
You need to follow Him - because where God goes that is where you must go.
The Ark represented the presence of God among His chosen people.
Under the Old Covenant this was the way in which God chose to dwell
In a special sense among His covenant people.
And where is it that God chooses to dwell in a special sense
With His Covenant people today? - It is in His Church.
It is within Scriptural, Local, New Testament Assemblies, located all round the World.
It is in the Church that God meets with and communes with His people today
In a very intimate way – as we seek to Worship, Honour and Glorify Him.
Ephesians 3:21 - Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
So what must we continually do - when we find ourselves
Passing down a way and a path we have never been before this year?
What should we do when we are confronted with an unfamiliar situation
That threatens to engulf us?
We make the decision to Be where God is – And to dwell where He dwells
And today God’s presence resides within the Church.
The sad thing is that as many of God’s people
Find themselves in a place like the children of Israel,
…Having not passed that way before,
Ironically the first thing they tend to let go of is being in the presence of God.
They try to take care of their problems themselves
When all they should be doing is sitting in the presence of God.
Everything else becomes a priority…
Other than what needs to be the number one priority,
Choosing to be in God’s presence and simply being where He is at.
Guys when it comes to traversing the great unknown–God’s House is the place to be
The officers instructed the people to look to where God was…
And to follow in His footsteps and remain in His presence.
They instructed the people that when God moved…
That they should follow His lead and move along with Him.
They should not go before He left…
And neither should they wait around after He had gone.
We do that too often don’t we?
We go off on our own before God tells us to go
And we end up going where He doesn’t want us to go.
Or, we sit around and simply let God’s best pass us by.
Why was it so important that Israel follow the ark?
Why was it so important that they followed God’s lead and remain in His presence?
Well the children of Israel were going into the unknown - remember.
They did not know the landscape.
They did not have the right path to follow.
They needed direction - and God was the only one who could provide that.
I hope you get what I saying here.
We all need to continually place ourselves before the presence of God
Because it’s in the presence of God that we will get the direction we need.
For the children of Israel this was critical – because they didn’t know the way.
The only path through the Jordan would be the path that God directed them through.
The only way they could find the right path was if they were in His presence.
Follow the ark - be in God’s presence, and you will discover the right path…
The right way to walk… and the right choices to make.
That was the first command and instruction...
God gave to His people as they faced the unknown.
In this New Year – as we face a New Direction – God’s command remains the same We need to continually be in His presence – and we need to Follow Him!
2) SANCTIFY YOURSELVES
The second instruction that was issued to the children of Israel is found in verse 5.
Let’s read that now together
5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
This term sanctify means: “to make clean”, or “to make pure”.
Now for the children of Israel, this meant that
They were to make sure they were ceremonially clean…
In line with the guidelines laid out for them under the Law that God gave Moses.
Now why did they need to sanctify themselves?
Well the answer is a fairly simple one.
Under the Old Covenant if something was not ceremonially clean...
It could not be used in service for the Lord.
If an object of worship was not clean then it could not be used in the worship system.
If the priests weren’t ceremonially clean then they couldn’t officiate in the tabernacle.
If a person or an object was unclean - it was unable to be used to glorify God.
That is why Joshua said to the people make sure that you are pure,
Make sure that you are clean…
Because God wants to do some wonderful things in and through your lives.
In other words – you need to become a people through whom God can be glorified.
Don’t you want to experience some wonderful things at the hand of God this year?
Don’t you just want to stand in awe and wonder at the things God accomplishes
As we surrender to Him?
When we find ourselves saying as the children of Israel were saying,
We have not passed this way heretofore,
When we find ourselves in circumstances that are unfamiliar and scary
Then it is imperative that we are sanctified,
That we endeavor to make ourselves pure and clean…
And people who are separate from the rest of the world.
Paul writes to Timothy, If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. - 2 Timothy 2:21
How Does One Become Sanctified?
Now Paul was actually reiterating through this verse…
What Joshua was telling the people.
If you’re clean and looking to live a pure and Holy life,
Then you will be in a position to be used by the Master.
So how then do we sanctify ourselves? How do we make ourselves clean?
Well the cleansing process for the Israelites required some washing…
And abstaining from touching or eating certain things
Which were deemed to be unclean.
This was largely an outward process – but was to reflect
What was going on in their hearts.
The cleansing process we are encouraged to enter into however by Paul,
Is not so much a physical one but a spiritual one.
The Hebrew author tells us that we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10
So then we are not made clean through any outward practice,
But rather through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
However just because Jesus died on the cross…
Doesn’t mean that we are necessarily sanctified.
Just like how Jesus died on the cross
Doesn’t mean that you were automatically saved.
You still have to do something.
That something is REPENT.
We make ourselves clean by repenting.
We make ourselves pure by repenting.
We do the repenting and God does the cleaning.
We do the repenting and God does the purifying.
And when we have our hearts right before God – then God can work through us.
God then can take a life that is sanctified and He can bless it
And He can direct it… and He can do wonders with it.
Brethren, as God’s people today and as the disciples He has called to serve Him,
We must slowly come to the realization that…
We have not passed this way before.
It is critical that we Sanctify Ourselves.
Get our hearts sorted out with God.
Because when we are right with Him
He can work in us and through us to reach out to others in this new year.
He can “accomplish and do wonders among us”!
As we face a New Year with New Challenges,
And a New Year with a New Direction…
Brethren it is imperative that we sanctify ourselves
For the following and service of the Lord.
This is the second Command God gave to His people.
3) HEAR THE WORDS OF GOD
The third and final instruction Joshua gave to the children of Israel
Was both simple and yet incredibly profound.
It is found in verse 9.
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
Listen to what God has to say on this matter.
Why was this so important for the children of Israel?
As we read on, we see in verse 10 that God’s words to the people
Were concerning the fact…
That He would win the victory for them.
The road they were going to walk may have been unfamiliar,
And there may have been an expectation of many battles ahead…
But God’s Word reminded the people that in the end they would obtain victory.
With the Lord - they were going to overcome the inhabitants of the Canaan Land.
With God’s help - they were going to succeed…
Despite all the obstacles…despite every challenge…
Despite the new direction God was calling them in – God’s Word reassured them.
Think about it – this journey into the great unknown…
Must have been the peoples greatest fear.
Who were they going to meet?
What opposition were they going to face?
How were they going to overcome?
Well God simply reassured them with His Word.
Ultimately, He reminded them that they were not going to be journeying alone
And that He was going to be with them.
Remember, this was really where Israel failed the last time…
They neither listened to, or believed the promises of God.
It was their fears of the unknown that stifled their progress.
They all saw the road ahead – but they couldn’t help and wonder…
How big their opposition would be?
They couldn’t help but question How many hurdles they would need to overcome?
And they doubted whether they could really navigate safely down the road ahead?
However, the Word of God was clear – it was clear then and its clear now saying:
“You don’t need to overcome all this on your own…
Because I have already paved the way ahead – and I will be with you!
How important was it for the children of Israel to hear these words
Before they entered into the promised land?
It was very important - because God’s Word gave them perspective.
God’s words gave them strength.
God’s promises gave them confidence.
His promises gave them faith for the journey ahead.
Look whenever you find your life in a place where you’re saying,
Lord I have not passed this way heretofore,
Then start pouring your heart and mind into this book (The Bible).
Search the Scriptures and listen intently to what God has to say to you,
Because it is here, with His words, and with His promises…
That you will find the strength and stability to be able to walk into the unknown
And navigate through to the other side intact.
It’s now the 2022 – and you may find yourself saying:
“Lord I have not passed this way before.”
“Lord I don’t know the way and I don’t know how to overcome the obstacles ahead”
Well don’t think your alone and don’t stand in any doubt
Because this is what God has to say to you from His word:
(i) Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)
New Year and a New Direction – I am here God says!
(ii) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33)
In every test and every trial – you can overcome through me Jesus says.
(iii) 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)
Our faith in Christ will always provide for us a great victory. To which Philippians 4:13 declares: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Joshua instructed the people that they were to come and listen to Gods words to get the courage, strength and assurance they needed to proceed.
You know, it was important that they heard those words
And it was important that we hear these words.
You see, even though God promised Israel that...
He would overcome their enemies in the Promised Land,
And that He would help them overcome every obstacle they faced,
They still had to walk the road and be prepared to fight the battles.
Those battles raged for the best part of seven years…
Before there was peace and they reached their journeys end with the Lord.
For us – I don’t know what the year 2022 might bring.
I don’t know where the spiritual road we are called to walk is going to lead.
What I know is that God’s promises are true - and that they can be relied on!
Now that doesn’t mean that there are not going to be any difficulties...
We need to navigate and work through.
What it means is that in the midst of those difficult times
God is there and we have His promises to hold on to.
What it means is that God will be with us – no matter what we might face
And that He will stand with us and guide us through it all..
In accordance to His will and His best – Just like He did with Israel.
CONCLUSION
So then – on the dawning of this new year 2022 together,
Don’t be afraid to acknowledge what the Children of Israel did many years before:
Lord we have not passed this way before.
As an Assembly we are heading to a place where we haven’t been…
We are being confronted with circumstances we’ve never faced…
We are looking to walk an unfamiliar road...
Into unfamiliar territory as we try and navigate this world together.
And Yet its ok – because ultimately it God is the one who has led us to this place.
Just like with Israel He has a plan and He knows how to guide us.
(i) Follow the Ark – Remain in God’s presence and follow Him.
(ii) Sanctify yourselves – Be repentant, get your heart right with God.
(iii) Hear God’s words – Be reassured and strengthened by His promises.
The formula is a simple one - and it is one that works.
“Lord I have not passed this way heretofore.”
(i) Be in my presence – because there you will get the direction you need.
(ii) Be in my service – then God will be able to bless you and use your life.
(iii) Be in God’s promises – because there you will find assurance, strength and faith to go on.
Will you join me acknowledging that...
“Lord I have not passed this way heretofore.”
Will you stand with me in knowing that even though
This is a New Year – bringing with it a New Direction…
We must walk together with God.
He knows the way...
And that He knows the path that He wants to lead us down this year.
The question is are we prepared to take the first steps with Him.
Don’t be afraid to embrace this New Year – and to walk a New Direction with God!
