Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. 2At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4“However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
7Now 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. 8“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.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Pick a number, any number. (Pause) How many picked a number between 1 and 10? How about 10 and 100? Did you pick a number larger than a million? If you didn’t, why didn’t you?
In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated Google while still graduate students at Stanford University. According to Fortune Small Business magazine, Internet users perform over 150 million searches a day on the Google search engine. The Google search engine can access over 2 billion pages in 74 different languages. One study recently showed that Google users used the search engine 13 million hours in one month. Compare that with Yahoo, which came in second with 5.4 million hours.
How did they get so big? I don’t have the expertise to answer that question, but I can tell you that it began with their initial vision. The word googol is a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. While most people are likely to pick a number like 14 or 98, Brin and Page decided to pick a googol—1 with 100 zeroes.
Jim Reese, chief operations engineer of Google, says this about thecompany’s founders: "It takes a lot of confidence and courage to go ahead
and do that [be huge]. It’s rare to find people who think on such a grand scale and are able to create a great product at the same time." (From “Preaching Today - Citation: FreshMinistry.org (11-5-02))
Now then, let me ask you this – how big are you willing to dream? What are you willing to believe God for? Are you willing to believe that God can increase the size of this church by 20 over the next year? Why not 40? Or 70? Are you willing to believe that God can lead us to 5 people who will receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior this year? Why not 10? Or 20? Are you willing to believe that we can disciple these new believers so that they become growing, reproducing Christians? Are you willing to believe that we can begin ministering to broken homes, seeing families restored? Are you willing to believe that as a congregation we can give $10,000 dollars to the Great Commission Fund to see the gospel of Jesus Christ taken throughout the world – and at the same time continue to meet the budget needs right here in this church?
Are you willing to believe that we can do all of this right here at Christian Union Church in Stratton Nebraska in the year 2003?
You know, as I have studied the Scriptures, I am always impressed by the people who lived and saw times of remarkable outpourings of God’s blessings. People like; Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and the Apostles. These are people who experienced what it was like to live in the midst of great acts of God. They didn’t just dream about them – they experienced them.
I believe that we too can live in the midst of God’s miracles.
For the past month, as we have been going through the book of Joshua, I have been talking about moving into the Promised Land – the Land flowing with milk and honey – the land of participation – not anticipation; The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles.
So far, we have considered what we will need to do to be able to make that move. This morning, let’s take a look at the landmarks that we have to pass along the way – the things that will tell us we are moving in the right directions. The things that will tell us that we are moving in the right direction – getting closer to our destination. Every trip is measured by landmarks. When I traveled to India – every time we landed at a different airport – I knew that I was that much closer to my destination;
We began in Omaha
St. Louis
New York
Frankfort, Germany
Singapore
And finally – Bombay – our destination
Our trip into the land of big dreams and miracles is also measured by specific landmarks. Here they are:
The landmark of necessity
The landmark of participation
The landmark of obedience
Let’s consider the first landmark; the landmark of necessity.
Joshua 1:1-3 says; Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. 2At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
What is Joshua saying to these people? He is telling them – you cannot go into the Promised Land by yourself, you need God to lead you. 40 years prior to this, the people had tried to cross the Jordan without God and had been destroyed in the process.
Perhaps, one of the best things that can happen to us is that we find ourselves in a situation where it is impossible for us to get out of on our own. A place where we are completely dependent upon Him. That is where the Israelites are. They can’t go back to where they came from – they are hated and will be destroyed. They can’t go forward (at least not on their own) – nothing has changed in the last 40 years. The land is still swarming with great armies. The men there still make the Israelites look like grasshoppers in their presence. The are stuck – between the proverbial rock and a hard place. And so Joshua reminds the people that they must follow after God.
Sometimes, we need to be reminded of the same thing – we need to learn to depend on God.
You know – living in the 21st century is an amazing thing. The technology that we have today is almost unbelievable.
• Computers
• Fax machines
• Cell phones
• Laser printers
• Satellite communications
It has gotten to the point where what God said of the people of Genesis 11 is true today; “anything they put their mid to, they will accomplish it.”
Today, we can go to school and learn;
• Medicine
• Engineering
• Business
• Various trades – electrical, carpentry, mechanics – whatever
• We can even study for the ministry
But, do you know what has happened? And this is the problem with technology and education – they have advanced so much and have become so good, that we have learned to depend upon them and we no longer depend upon God.
Now, understand, I am not saying that we need to become like the Hamish and do away with technological advances. I believe that technology and education – in most cases – can be a good thing; as long as we recognize them as tools for God’s service.
For too long, we have been looking to the tools to do the work instead of the master carpenter. That is why I said, “one of the best things that can happen to us is that we find ourselves in a situation where it is impossible for us to get out of on our own.”
In trying to move the church forward, we devise plans, prepare charts, and establish programs. God looks over these nice plans and programs and says, “Nice ideas, good plans, but you left something out – ME!”
Not until we become completely dependent upon Him can we expect to cross over the river to The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles. This morning, I would ask you – are you completely dependent upon God in your life? Or, do you have the attitude that says – I can handle my life. I have my house, my car, my computer and my job – if anything goes wrong, then maybe I will turn to Him – but I don’t need God right now.
What about all of us corporately – as a church? Are we dependent upon our programs – our outreach events, our Joy Club, our Sunday School, our Youth Group, or even our Pastor – to make this church a strong and growing church? Or are we going to be completely dependent upon God? When we can look within ourselves and say “Yes, I am – we are – depending upon God for our every need – then we have passed the first landmark and are definitely on our way to The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles.
But, there is a second landmark that we must pass along the way. The first landmark was the landmark of necessity . . . the second is the landmark of Participation.
Once we realize our neediness, our dependence upon God – we must also realize that God isn’t going to go without us. God is calling us to participate in the move.
You know, there are times when God won’t move;
• When we try to do it ourselves – like the Israelites 40 years before this trying to go into the Promised Land alone – God didn’t go with them.
• He also won’t move when we think that we can tell Him what to do.
• And finally, God won’t move when we are unwilling to go forward and participate with Him. That is where the Israelites are at this point.
When we are willing to listen to God and participate in His will, then we can expect great things. Think about some of the promises God has made to His people;
• 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us; “when my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Notice – God is calling us to participate – we must first humble ourselves, pray and seek His face and then He will heal our land and forgive our sins.
• The same is true in Malachi 3:10 - “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. First, we must participate – we must bring in the offering and then God will open the windows of heaven and pour out the blessing until it overflows.
• Notice what God says in this situation, “Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.” God is not going to stop up the waters of the Jordan until the priests have stepped into the water – that means that they must participate. We think that the waters parted and then the people went forward – but that isn’t the case – the people went forward – willing to participate and then the waters parted.
The same is still true today. If we want to see God bring blessings and work miracles in our midst, we are going to have to participate. The fact of the matter is,
• We will not see anyone come to Christ until we begin witnessing.
• We will not see people healed until we begin to pray for them
• We will not see our young people become strong Christians until we begin to mentor them
• We will not grow in our walk with the Lord until we become students of His Word
You see, we can talk about and even pray about revival all we want – and believe me, as you well know, I believe we must be praying for revival. But, until we are willing to participate, God is not going to move.
The question then becomes – what does God want me to do? I am not here to tell you what to do – that is God’s place. But what each one of us must do is find out what He wants us to do. Begin, by going to prayer. Ask God how He wants you to fit into His program –
• Maybe he wants you to lead a Bible Study
• Maybe he wants you to be witnessing to a neighbor
• Maybe he wants you to be mentoring a young believer
o Maybe it’s a young – newly married woman who needs a mature woman to help her understand what a Godly wife is – or a young man and a mature believing man
o Maybe it’s a teenager who needs someone to help him/her understand the Scripture
• Or, Maybe God wants you to be giving more to the mission
• Maybe he wants you to be a care giver to an elderly man/woman in the community
Whatever it is – begin to seek it out in prayer
But, don’t just wait for a sign from heaven – begin trying different things – if you are praying and doing – God will be able to lead you exactly where he wants you to be. Remember – God won’t move without you.
So, begin trying to witness to the neighbor – pray for them, reach out to them and tell them . . . Look to see if there is a young person in your life that you can mentor . . . begin by offering to pray for them – approach them and ask if they would like to meet with you once in while – offer to help them through the difficult struggles of life – you’ll be surprised at how God will direct this kind of situation.
This moves us directly into the third landmark on this trip to The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles. First was the landmark of necessity – the second was the landmark of participation and the third landmark is the landmark of obedience.
Listen again to the words in Joshua 3:14-17; 14So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Not only must we participate with God as we move into The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles, it must be obedient participation. This may be the most difficult landmark to pass by. Why? Because it is marked by faith and appears to be contradictory;
• We must give our money in order to receive blessings
• We must be last in order to be first
• We must serve in order to be honored
• We must step into the water in order to cross on dry land
• It means we must walk by faith and not by sight.
I don’t know if you have ever seen the “Indiana Jones” movies, but there is an interesting scene in the third movie that illustrates this truth. “Indy” is trying to locate the famed “Holy Grail” – the cup that Jesus used in celebrating the communion with his Apostles. In the movie, in order to get to the Grail, he must cross a great chasm. As he looks at it, there is no way to cross from one side to the other. But, he has deciphered the directions and realizes the only way to the other side is to step off the cliff and into the chasm. As he stands there, you can see in his face the reluctance – finally, he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and steps into the emptiness. Suddenly, as he begins to fall a bridge appears before him and he is able to cross safely.
God has promised us great blessings if we – by faith – obediently participate in His work. That means that sometimes we have to be willing to take the next step, even when we are not sure where it leads.
Think about Jesus first miracle – it is recorded in John 2 – it is the miracle of His changing the water into wine. Jesus had been invited to a wedding. While at the feast, the wine runs out. Jesus mother approaches Him about problem. Verse 5 in John chapter 2 is the key to this entire miracle – listen to what Mary said; His mother said* to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” This is the key to moving into The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles – whatever He says to you – do it.”
Imagine what would have happened if
• The servants hadn’t poured the water from the jars – this isn’t wine its water – the miracle would never had happened.
• Israel had waited for the water to stop before stepping into the Jordan – they may still be waiting to cross into the Promised Land.
It reminds me of a dog I used to have. His name was Prince – he was a Brittany Spaniel. Prince loved to go hunting with me. The problem was – he was out of control. He wouldn’t obey – he ran ahead flushing the birds out of range. It was so bad that I couldn’t take him pheasant hunting with me. He wanted to participate but his lack of obedience wouldn’t allow it.
This morning, we need to commit right here before God that as He leads – we will move in obedience to His directions. When we do that, then we will have passed the third landmark on the way to The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles.
So, are we ready to go? Do you recognize the three landmarks? Have you passed them personally and have we passed them corporately? Do you, do I, do we realize how dependent we are upon God? Are you, am I, are we, ready to participate in God’s plan for our lives, for our church and for our community? And finally, are you, am I, are we willing to be obedient – to take the step of faith – and do whatever it is that God has called us to do? If we can answer those questions in the affirmative, then we are ready to cross into The Land of Big Dreams and great miracles. I look forward to going across with every one of you.
