HOW CAN I FACE LIFE WITH CERTAINTY?
Ecclesiastes 8:7, Joshua 1:1-11, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
INTRODUCTION:
As we enter into this new calendar year, it is understandable for us to wonder what this year will hold. Maybe you’re facing uncertainty in your job. Will you be asked to relocate? Maybe you have children that will enter school this fall. What teacher they will get? What friends will they make, how they will do? Maybe your are aging a tad and you wonder if this will be the year for a major health breakdown. For myself and my family it’s questions about the new church plant. But everyone is interested in the future, even beyond this year. I think you can clearly see that on the spiritual side in the popularity of the “Left Behind” books by Jerry Jenkins & Tim LaHaye dealing with the issues of what will happen when Jesus comes. How many of you have read at least one of those? But it’s also clearly seen in the myriad number of psychic possibilities we have. There’s the “Psychic Network” the “Psychic Connection,” “Psychic Friends..” I thought I’d put the word “Psychic” into one of the search engines.. I was astounded- There were 1,460,000 hits for that subject! Each site seemed to contain a bi-line trying to coax you to their page.. “I can tell your future.” “We offer palm readings on the net.” I thought that might be somewhat difficult. Then there was this one from a lady that called herself a “Psychic Specialist” “I am not special but have a very special ability. I want to make it easy for you to see that I really can give you advice that will help you. So.. I will answer one question on anything that’s bothering you.. For $25! Twenty-five dollars! I thought she was going to make it easy! But there was more.. “You can take advantage of this offer only once so please choose your question very carefully.” I thought, for $25 bucks, I guess so.
But that goes to show me two things. (1) How unaware people are that God detests such practices: Duet. 18:10-11- “..do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord.”(NLT) God was just as strict on those consulting one. God says in Lev. 20:6, “If any among the people are unfaithful by consulting and following mediums or psychics, I will turn against them and cut them off from the community.” (NLT) (2) I was struck by how many people want to know what’s up ahead, how many are uncertain about their lives. I’m sure that there are those who actually pay $25 to have the woman answer a question about their life. And I know that there are thousands that consult these psychics everyday. Why? Because they are seeking answers. They want to be able to face their days with confidence and certainty. Don’t we all?
What will 2003 bring? How can we live our days confidently without knowing what is around the corner? How do I face an uncertain future? Well, Solomon, in the Bible, some 3000 years ago, wondered the same thing. Look at Eccl. 8:7 that we have printed for you where he asks: "Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?" I believe that if King Solomon would of looked back at how God dwelt with Joshua, one of his most famous ancestors, that he could of received some help on this question. So, let’s look at Solomon’s question, Joshua’s answer & then
Solomon’s conclusion that enabled him to face his days with confidence. Because the great news is that we can face this year and our entire existence with the same certainty.
I. THREE STUMBLING BLOCKS:
To begin I want us to look briefly at three stumbling blocks that can keep us from having the certainty that we need. Often times it is best to remove the barriers we have so we can more easily build the bridges that we need to improve our lives. The Bible is our guidebook when understanding life and it gives us some advice on this topic. So here’s three things that we tend to do when looking at tomorrow that the Bible tells us not to.
1. We tend to presume upon tomorrow! Prov. 27:1 "Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring."(NIV) The N.T. carries the same message in James 4:13-14. “Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” You can’t brag about what you’re going to do next year, you don’t even know if you’re going to have tomorrow. You’re only a heartbeat away from eternity. Not only do you not know what the future holds, God doesn’t want you to know what the future holds. Ask yourself.. “Do I really want to know my future? I don’t. Think back even 10 years ago.. Would you want to know everything that would happen in your life? Why if God were to show you everything it would overwhelm you. You’d know this is the day for that car wreck or this is the day your parent dies, or this is the week that I find out I have cancer. So God in His wisdom doesn’t overwhelm us by showing us the entire future at once.
(2) We tend to panic about tomorrow! Matt. 6:34 "So, don’t be anxious about tomorrow -- God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time."(LB) In other words, just don’t worry about the future. Worry is simply a control mechanism. When you worry about the future you somehow think you’re going to control it. But worrying is stewing without doing. It’s assuming responsibility that God never intended for you to have. The fact is, when you worry, it doesn’t control tomorrow, it just ruins today. Fortunately the future does not come to us all at once. It comes in bite size pieces, in manageable little segments, 24 hour segments, called days. Now, don’t misunderstand. You need to plan for the future where you can, just realize you can’t live in the future. You can only live today. When Jesus taught us to pray He said, "Give us this day our annual bread," No, He said: "Give us this day our daily bread.” I like this little saying because it is so true. “Life by the yard is hard, but life by the inch is a cinch.” Jesus told us in Matt. 6 not to panic about tomorrow, because today has enough trouble of its own to deal with.. Just live one day at a time.
(3) We tend to procrastinate until tomorrow! Ecc. 11:4- “If you wait for perfect conditions you’ll never get anything done!"(LB) Do you have a “wait” problem? If you wait for perfect weather you’ll never grow a crop. If you wait for the perfect relationship you’ll never know love. If you wait for the perfect church you’ll never find one. And if you do, don’t go in! Because you’ll mess it up, for you’re not perfect! Let me ask you- “What has God told you to do that you haven’t done?” Whatever you’re
planning on doing, whatever God has told you to do, it’s time to do it now! Don’t wait! Don’t procrastinate! Don’t put it off! You’re not sure of tomorrow anyway. Procrastination is my sin, It only brings me sorrow , I know I ought to change my life, In fact I will - tomorrow.”
So God says, "Fight the tendency to presume, panic or procrastinate.”
II. THREE SUCCESS STEPS:
Okay, so how do I face an uncertain future? Well, Joshua 1 is God’s pep talk to Joshua. The people were getting ready to go into the land that God had promised them, a land that was to be their inheritance from God that we now know as Israel. A man by the name of Joshua had been given the task to lead them into this new land. Up until this point Joshua had been depending like everyone else on Moses, a man that God used to take the Jews from slavery in Egypt to the threshold of promise. But now Joshua has to lead the nation into the promise land. And he knows that the moment he leads them across the Jordan river he’s going to face seven enemy nations, all of them bigger than him, more trained, with better armies. So here in Joshua 1 they are on one side of the Jordan river getting ready to go in and God says, "Joshua, you need to be courageous." You know what that would tell me? God is saying, “What you are about to do isn’t going to be easy.” You don’t need courage if things are going to be easy. But God doesn’t just say be courageous and then leave him without a clue. Twice in chapter 1, God gives Joshua three things to do and says, “If you do them I guarantee your success.” (Vs:7 & 8) So if we want to face life with certainty here’s 3 promises of success. God says, “Do these 3 things, and you will be truly successful.”
(1) Set up a plan of action. God plans, He doesn’t do things just spontaneously. If you are going to be like God, you need to learn to plan. Planning is a Godly act. Some people think they can go through life, drift through it, and whatever God wants is fine, but God says you ought to plan. Plan your future because you’re going to spend the rest of your life there. Look at vss:1-3- "After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Mosses’ aide: Moses, my servant, is dead. Now then, you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River ... I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses." “Get ready..” Plan, prepare. You have got to prepare to possess what God has promised. Plan to possess it. So Joshua passed on God’s advice to the people.
Successful people set up a plan. They get ready and make the most of their time and life and energy. Do you do that or do you just drift through life? There are two things here mentioned when making a Godly plan. (A) Let go of the past. Notice it says "Moses my servant is dead.” One of the ways you prepare for the future is by letting go of the past. Joshua knew that Moses was dead.. why did God see the need to remind him? Because Joshua and Moses had been real close, and Joshua had counted on and followed Moses. So God reminded Joshua that Moses is dead but God wasn’t! And Joshua wasn’t dead and God says I’ve got a lot to do with your life now, so let’s get going.
Sometimes we have to let go of past relationships in order to possess the future. Maybe someone close to you has died and you’re still holding on to that. Maybe somebody walked out of your life that you wanted to stay. Some of you are still
trying to win the approval of parents who may have even already passed on. Perhaps someone deeply hurt you. Some of you are still allowing people who have hurt you in the past to hurt you in the present. Don’t do it. God says, “Part of planning for the future is to let go of the past. I’ve got a plan for your life. Let’s get on with it.”
(B) Let God be part of your plan. God says throughout these first verses: “I will be with you.. I am about to give it to you.. I will never forsake you.. I have commanded you.” Do you include God in your planning? Prov. 3:5-6- “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.”(NLT) What areas of your life are you depending on your own understanding? Most people if they plan do so in the area of finances. But what about the other areas? Relationships.. Jobs..your spiritual growth.. Prov. 20:18- "Don’t go charging into battle without a plan."(TEV) When you plan without letting God direct you, that’s presumption. When you plan prayerfully, that’s wisdom. So the first step to live life with certainty is to set a plan with God as the center and then trust Him with all your heart.
(2) Seek out God’s Word for direction. Vss 7-8 "Be careful to obey all the law. Do not turn from it to the right or the left that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written it. Then you’ll be prosperous and successful." 3 phrases in this text speak to how we should seek the Bible and if we do how it will provide the roadmap to successful living.
(A) “Don’t turn from it to the right or the left.” What does he mean? Many people start out with God, they want to live the way God wants them to live but somehow they get sidetracked. Sometimes by very good things. Maybe a promotion, a hobby, by a relationship, by a career change, by sports, by an illness, or having more children. Good or bad, if it sidetracks you, it has a negative effect on your life.
How can you have and stay in a deepening relationship with God? How can you keep from being sidetracked? God gives the answer: Seek out your answers for life in the Bible. He created us, He designed us.. He knows how we work best and He gave the Bible to us, a piece of His mind enabling us to live with certainty. I can’t emphasize this enough. Coming to church every week is good, we’re glad you’re here. But it is not enough. That’s like eating one meal a week. How healthy would you be if you fasted 6 days a week and then on the 7th day you pigged out? As crazy as that is, some think that way in terms of their spiritual diet. And they’ve got serious, spiritual indigestion because of it! You need to be in the Bible, feed on it everyday, not just have a big feast at Sunday dinner. If you don’t have a Bible, see me or one of the other leaders, we’ll give you one... if you have one, dig in.. small portions at first, maybe a few verses, but begin to digest His Word.
(B) v. 8 "Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth.” This just basically means what it says next.. “Meditate on it day and night..” The word for meditate here in the Hebrew is the same word as used for a cow chewing his cud. We are to allow God’s Scriptures to ruminate in our minds.. seriously focusing and concentrating on it. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate. Worry is negative meditation. When you get a verse of the Bible and think about it over and over - that’s positive meditation. When you think about something over and
over it gets bigger & bigger and becomes more meaningful in your life. God’s promise of success is based on your knowing His word. Why? Because the Bible is the owner’s manual for life. When in doubt, open the operating manual! The more you follow what the book says, the more fulfilling life is going to be, the more your life will count. The more you ignore this the more pain & problems you have.
(C) V.8b - “do everything written in it.” That’s pretty self explanatory. James 1:22- “Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and don’t do what it says, you are fooling yourselves.”(NCV) Somebody once said, "A Bible that is coming apart is usually owned by somebody that’s not." This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book. Joshua was a busy man leading a nation of a couple million people, but he understood what Proverbs 16:1 says, "We may make our plans but God has the last word!"(TEV) If you’re not in the Bible every day, you may be getting ready to make a decision, to close a deal, but if you’d read the Bible that morning, God may have tried to get you to wait. You always want to get the last word from God before you go make the decision. If you’re not making the Bible an everyday part of your life, meditating on it and talking about it, you might miss that success step that God wants you to take in your life.
(3) So we set up a plan, we seek our direction from God’s Word and finally we step out in faith with courage. I like the word "step out" because faith is action. Faith is not just mental assent. Faith is acting on what you believe. You can believe a plane is safe to fly, but faith is what gets you on board. You can believe a chair will hold you up, but faith is what makes you sit down. It’s an action step. It’s more than just saying "I believe." James 2:19 says, “You believe there is a God? Good! Even the demons believe and shudder.” Even the demons have an action attached to their belief. It means more than just knowing about Him; it means committing yourself to Him, letting God be number one in your life, calling the shots, being the chairman of the board, helping you make the right decisions.
Three times in this chapter God says to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." Joshua needed courage. He was about to take on a very difficult feat. Leading an entire nation into battle to take the land that God has originally given to them. He needed courage.. What is courage? Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is taking a action in spite of your fear. If you’re not afraid then you don’t need courage.
And to do that Joshua would need a certainty about him, a confidence. Notice what vs:9 - "I’ve commanded you to be determined and confident. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord, am with you wherever you go." Did you catch that? “I’ve commanded you to be determined and confident.” Is confidence something you can command? It is if you have someone that you can trust to provide that confidence. If you had to walk a narrow pole over a huge gorge you wouldn’t be confident. But if I laid down a road 12 feet wide with guard rails you’d have the confidence, because you had something to trust. Well, Joshua had someone to trust!
After all he had trusted God to bring them out of the wilderness. The actual time it would take to walk from Egypt to Israel is about 6-8 weeks. But it took them 40 years! They could of been in the promised land 40 years earlier. But they wouldn’t listen to Joshua then.. He looked at the land and with Caleb said, “With God we can do anything and with his help we’ll do this! Sure there are some barriers.. Big people, strong
armies.. But let’s do whatever it takes and God will be with us.” But the people didn’t have his trust and said, “No, we don’t want to do that. We don’t want to go in there.. It’s much safer on this side of the Jordan river. Why, we’re like grasshoppers before those people.” And so God said, “Ok, you want it that way? Fine, take another lap around the wilderness.. A long lap!” And they wandered around in the desert for 40 years until everyone had died except Joshua and Caleb.
So now they are here again and this time God says, literally, “Step out in faith.” When they left Egypt, Moses held out his hand and the Red Sea parted and they walked through it. The Red Sea parted first and then they walked through it. Forty years later they’re coming to another body of water. The Jordan River at the normal time is abut 100 yards wide and forty feet deep. But now it’s at flood stage. God says, "This time instead of Me opening it first, I want you to step out into the water, first. Test Me."
And chapter 3 tells us that God told the priests to take the ark and walk out into the water. The priests walk up to the water, put their feet in and the water is up to their ankles. Nothing happens. So they take another step and the water goes up to their knees. They’re waiting for it to part.. What’s going on.. I imagine they’re getting just a tad nervous.
The Bible says that as soon as they stepped into the water, the water stopped flowing. But you’ve got to read the last of chapter 4 to find out how it happened. 17 miles north, up the Jordan river, God dammed up the water. The moment they stepped in, He dammed it up. But all the water 17 miles down had to rush out from the place God had dammed it up, first. He dammed it up 17 miles to the north but when they stepped in there was a waiting period. They didn’t know He had stopped it up 17 miles up river. It took some time for that to flow down and for the water to go lower and lower. What’s the point? The first step is always the hardest. That’s the step that requires faith. And God wanted to see their trust. God says, “What is your Jordan river?” What is it that looks insurmountable, impossible? Something you can’t face financially, physically, health-wise, relationally, emotionally, spiritually? What is your Jordan River? Where do you need to step out in faith? What is it that’s keeping you in the desert when you could be in the promise land?
Well, Solomon apparently got what Joshua 1 teaches. Because somewhere between 8:7 & 12:13 he found the secret. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter..” He has set his plan.. His conclusion. “..Keep His commandments..” That’s seeking and staying in His Word.. “Fear (revere) God for this is the whole duty of man.. For God will bring everything into judgement.” You’ve got to trust if you’re going to fulfill that duty understanding that God has the final say.
Isn’t it time for you to make that commitment? Set up a plan. Ask Him, “God, what do You want me to do with my life?” Seek out the answers in His Word. Say, “I’m going to read the Bible and get God’s directions on a daily basis for God’s plan.” He’ll have the last word. Then, step out in faith and know, “When I come up on insurmountable problems, God will part the waters. I can’t control the future, but God can.” I don’t have to procrastinate, presume, or panic. In fact, I’ll face the future with certainty because no matter what comes I can learn the lesson from God’s Word.. To.. Trust God.. Don’t panic, and step out on faith.. Do what you can. And you’ll find that life in His hands is certain.
Prayer:
Lord, I want Your plan for my life. Help me to submit my life to You, seek out Your answers, Your directions, Your principles for living from the Bible, to let You have the last word. I want to step out on faith, today. I want You to guide and direct me. I want You to be the leader of my life, the director of my circumstances. I want to trust You completely and give myself to You. That is my prayer, Lord.. May it be the prayer of every heart here.. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
