COMMITMENT FOLLOW-THRU-I—Joshua 17:14—18:10
One day Adam & God were walking in the garden together when Adam complained to God that he was terribly lonely.
God said I have just the solution.
I will create for you a creature that will cook all your food for you. She will keep your things in order at all times, If you ever need clothing she will make them for you & wash them for you. She will admire everything about you & be devoted to your every thought. She will give you children & raise them to follow in your footsteps. And no matter how tired she gets from the latter, she will respond to your every whim with unbridled passion.
Adam was impressed,
How much will this cost me God?
God said "an arm & a leg"
Adam thought for a moment & said ‘What can I get for a rib?’
Adam’s follow-thru left him in the lurch.
Our follow thru can either make us or break us.
Joshua exhorted the tribes of Israel to follow-thru with the commitments to their inheritance.
God’s people must follow-thru with the commitments to their inheritance in Christ.
Who are those who follow-thru with their commitments?
6 descriptions of those who follow-thru with their commitments.
‘Realized’—Conceived/Seen as vividly real.
1—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED POSSESSIONS(17:14-15)
—Explanation:(17:14-15)
Satisfied with our blessings
:14—“Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot & one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”
:15— “And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest & clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites & of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
—Argumentation:
Php. 4:11—“Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
Mat. 13:44-46—“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found & hid; & from joy over it he goes & sells all that he has, & buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, & upon finding one pearl of great value, he went & sold all that he had, & bought it.”
Acts 3:6-7—“But Peter said, “I do not possess silver & gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; & immediately his feet & his ankles were strengthened.”
2Cor. 12:9—“And He[God] has said to me[Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you,...”
—Illustration:
Land on Faith Rd. & Julian Road/Hundreds of acres of scrub pines/German Co. recently purchased 200 acres/Owner Realized his Possession
Land owner with untapped resources/
—Application:
?You Realized your POSSESSIONS?
?You Realized your Commitments?
2—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED VISION(17:14-18)
—Explanation:(17:14-18)
Vision to see obstacles as removed.
Maximize Potential of your possessions.
Ephraim & Manasseh saw only hardship & difficulty ahead.
They never saw their inheritance only their labor/toil.
We must see beyond the difficulty!
:14—“Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot & one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”
:15—“And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest & clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites & of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
:16—“And the sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, & all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean & its towns, & those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”
:17—“And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim & Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people & have great power; you shall not have one lot only,
:18—“but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, & to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron & though they are strong.”
—Argumentation:
Prov. 29:18—“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
—Illustration:
Those with Vision plan for it & work toward it
Wesley Thompson’s dam on the creek/Built despite hardship/Realized Vision
Me attending Seminary/Despite study involved/Realized Vision/
Tornado victims/Rebuild despite hardship/Realized Vision
—Application:
?You Realized your VISION?
?You Realized your Commitments?
3—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED POWER(17:15-18)
—Explanation:(17:15-18)
:15—“And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest & clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites & of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
:16—“And the sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, & all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean & its towns, & those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”
:17—“And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim & Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people & have great power; you shall not have one lot only,”
:18—“...but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, & to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron & though they are strong.”
*Jos. 11:6—“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel; you shall hamstring their horses & burn their chariots with fire.”
—Argumentation:
Ex. 15:2—After crossing the Red Sea—“The LORD is my strength & song, And He has become my salvation...”
1Chr. 16:11—“Seek the LORD & His strength; Seek His face continually.”
Deut. 20:4—“for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’”
2Cor. 12:9-10—“And He[God] has said to me[Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Eph. 6:10—“Finally, be strong in the Lord, & in the strength of His might.”
1Cor. 4:19-20—“But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, & I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.”
—Illustration:
My computer search capabilities/Discovered them earlier this year/Context search/Any word combination in any file anywhere/
My computer/3.5 in. floppies/Zip disks/Fantastic!/Realized Power
—Application:
?You Realized your POWER?
?You FOLLOWED-THRU on your COMMITMENTS?
Conclusion
Action:
People who follow-thru on their commitments are Those with Realized...
POSSESSIONS
VISION
POWER
Presented 03/18/01pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, Ga 31797
