COMMITMENT FOLLOW-THRU TOO—Joshua 17:14—18:10
Georgia Highway patrolman on road from Ochloknee to Meigs/Behind three miles of traffic/Officer takes I-75 to Meigs & meets traffic/Clocks the lead car at 3 MPH/ Pulls the driver over/
Officer sees 5 elderly ladies all but the driver are wide-eyed, white as ghosts & fingers clamped on seats/
Driver says, “Officer, I don’t understand, We were just coming from Cairo to visit some friends. I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"
"Ma’am," you were driving considerably/dangerously slower than the speed limit
"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly ... 3 miles an hour!" the woman says a bit proudly.
The Patrolman, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that "3" was the route number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman apologetically thanked the officer for pointing out her error.
"But before I let you go, Ma’am, I have to ask ... is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken & they haven’t muttered a single peep this whole time.
"Oh, they’ll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Ga 188."
The lady’s follow-thru was commendable.
Likewise our follow thru in spiritual matters is commendable.
Joshua exhorted the tribes of Israel to follow-thru with the commitments to their inheritance.
We must follow-thru with the commitments to our inheritance.
Who are those who follow-thru with their commitments?
3 descriptions of God’s people who follow-thru on their commitments are those with...
1. Realized Possessions
2. Realized Vision
3. Realized Power
‘Realized’—Conceived/Seen as vividly real.
4—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED PRESENCE(18:1)
—Explanation:(18:1)
18:1—“Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, & set up the tent of meeting there; & the land was subdued before them.”
“SHILOH”—Considerd to be the name of Messiah in Targum
Gen. 49:10—“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
Jer. 7:12-15—“But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, & see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. “And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the LORD, “& I spoke to you, rising up early & speaking, but you did not hear, & I called you but you did not answer, therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, & to the place which I gave you & your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. “And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the offspring of Ephraim.”
Ps. 78:58-61—“For they provoked Him with their high places, And aroused His jealousy with their graven images. When God heard, He was filled with wrath, And greatly abhorred Israel; So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men, And gave up His strength to captivity, And His glory into the hand of the adversary.”
Abandoned in Eli’s time & eventually transferred to Jerusalem.
“TENT of MEETING”—Tabernacle—Tabernacle(tent)=God’s temporary dwelling among men—Meeting God.
Ex. 25:18-22—...“And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, & in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. “And there I will meet with you; & from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.”
Lev. 1:1—“...The LORD called to Moses & spoke to him from the tent of meeting...”
Lev. 16:2—“And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.”
Num. 7:89—“Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.”
Ps. 99:1—“The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!”
1Sam. 4:4—“So the people sent to Shiloh, & from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; & the two sons of Eli, Hophni & Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.”
Jn. 1:14—“And the Word became flesh, & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace & truth.”
“The LAND was SUBDUED”—No general resistance from Canaanites.
—Argumentation:
Ps. 16:8-9, 11—“I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, & my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely....Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Ps. 42:5—“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.”
1Chr. 16:11—“Seek the LORD & His strength; Seek His face continually.”
Hos. 5:15—“I will go away & return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt & seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
—Illustration:
Air in tire
President Bush/Invited to home/Special preparations insure his visit/Realized Presence
—Application:
?What are you doing ot establish God’s presence in your life?
?You Realized God’s PRESENCE...Established His presence?
?You FOLLOWED-THRU on your COMMITMENTS?
5—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED CONNECTIONS(18:2-3)
—Explanation:(18:2-3) Link/Worth
:2—“And there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.
:3—“So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?
—Goading/Exhortation/Punched up
:5—“And they shall divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, & the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north.
—Respecting those who 1st led allotment
:6—“And you shall describe the land in seven divisions, & bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.”
*The remaining 7 tribes hesitations postponed the national design/purpose.
Likewise, our hesitations/indecisions can postpone the designs/Purposes of a larger co-dependent/cooperating group.—GBC-SBC-IMB-Grady County Christians...
—Argumentation:
1Pet. 4:7—“The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment & sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.”
1Cor. 12:13-14, 21, 26-27—“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”....“And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”....“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”
—Illustration:
Survivor/Diving in water/Group success depends on individual/Realized Responsibility
—Application:
?You Realized your TIME...God’s Time?
?You FOLLOWED-THRU on your COMMITMENTS?
6—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED REPRESENTATION(18:4)
—Explanation:(18:4)Authority
:4—“Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, & that they may arise & walk through the land & write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me.
—Argumentation:
2Cor. 5:20-21—“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
—Illustration:
Committees/Teams:
—As those represented, We must accept what is presented before us as representatives.
—As those representing, We must be diligent to our task.
—Application:
?You Realized your REPRESENTATION?
?You FOLLOWED-THRU on your COMMITMENTS?
7—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED ACTION(18:8-9)
—Explanation:(18:8-9)
*Directed toward Committees/Teams:
:8—“ Then the men arose & went, & Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go & walk through the land & describe it, & return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.”
Work/Labor/Toil/Sweat
:9—“So the men went & passed through the land, & described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; & they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.
a. Recording
b. Reporting
—Argumentation:
2Cor. 4:7-11—“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God & not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
Eze. 20:9—“But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.”
—Illustration:
Need balance & rotate tires & alignment/Degrade steadily until something is done/Realized Action
—Application:
?You Realized your ACTIONS?
?You FOLLOWED-THRU on your COMMITMENTS?
8—People who follow-thru on their commitments are those with
REALIZED DIRECTION(18:10)
—Explanation:(18:10)
“And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD, & there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.”
—Argumentation:
Ps. 119:35—“Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, For I delight in it.”
Jer. 10:23—“I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.”
Prov. 16:33—“The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.”
Isa. 11:1-4—“Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”
Ps. 119:133—“Establish my footsteps in Thy word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.”
—Illustration:
Control Tower at Hartsfield airport/Deadly if pilots don’t heed/Realized Direction
—Application:
?You Realized your DIRECTION?
?You FOLLOWED-THRU on your COMMITMENTS?
Conclusion
Action:
People who follow-thru on their commitments are Those with Realized...
PRESENCE
CONNECTIONS
REPRESENTATION
ACTION
DIRECTION
POSSESSIONS
VISION
POWER
Presented 03/25/01pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
