"Taking Your Promised Land" - Joshua series, message # 1
Promise! Even the word is full of hope. Don’t you love a promise, especially when you know that the promise maker is also a promise keeper?
Years ago a good man named Phil Herrick told our family, "I’m going to send you all to Disney World in Florida!" At the time I didn’t know Phil very well so when he made such a big promise I cringed a bit.
Several months later, he surprised me in a Sunday morning service by taking the pulpit supposedly to make an announcement about a church function and instead launched a pastor appreciation effort that culminated in our family enjoying a Florida vacation when the kids were little.
Promise made, promise kept!
God has promised us a life that is filled with His Presence and peace, a life that overcomes the shadows of sin and death with the brilliant Light of Jesus. God holds out the promise of a life that is said to be ’abundant’ and marked by freedom from slavery to sin. It is not just a better life for the present, but is fully realized in the gift of eternal life when this earthly sojourn is over.
The question is- how do we ’possess’ that promised life?
Some quickly say, "just receive it by faith."
True enough, but is there no responsibility for you and me? Well, the answer is both yes and no! If by ’responsibility’ we imply that we somehow save ourselves from sin with religious efforts and being very, very good, we are wrong. This promised new life is THE work of Christ, provided fully at His expense, the result of the gracious love of our Father.
That said, we cannot ignore the Bible’s command to us that we ’take possession’ of this new life.
We need to choose, on a daily basis, to live in a way that opens up our lives to the flow of the Spirit. Paul says, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Phil. 2:12-13 NIV The NLT urges us to be "careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear."
How do we possess God’s promises?
The book of Joshua is a series of lessons for us. It is the story of Joshua’s leadership in moving the Israeli people from wandering in the wilderness into the Promised Land. From the choices and decisions they made to possess God’s Promises, we can take many valuable lessons. These are not just general words of encouragement for the Christian life. I read in this ancient story of conquest very specific challenges for us as we work out the implications of God’s salvation in our own lives!
Text - Joshua 1:1-9 PRAY
_____________________
Look to the future! {Read v. 1-2}
"Moses is dead!" Joshua had served Israel and Moses as a Vice President for 40 years! He was accustomed to taking orders, to implementing the vision of another. There is absolutely no reason to think that Joshua had anything but real affection for Moses. But, 40 years of history was OVER! The partnership that had worked so well for so long was OVER!
Joshua might easily have let himself be paralyzed by grief, by sentimentally longing for a return to the time when someone else was carrying the burden. So God shocks him into action with a stark declaration - "Moses is dead! Now get ready."
Which direction are you facing in life - yesterday or tomorrow? It’s a key question for those who want to possess the promise! Yesterday holds onto to a lot of us, sometimes with wonderful memories of great victories or pleasurable moments that we want to re-live again and again; and sometimes with powerful regrets or terrible pain that we try to ’fix’ over and over again! Both the victories and the defeats of yesterday are history- we learn from it, but we are foolish to try to relive it.
I love being a Dad! Nothing I have done in my life compares to the joy of raising my kids. I didn’t realize it 15 years ago, but I was deeply attached to Jay, Sean, Chrissie, and Maribel. I found joy I cannot adequately describe in sharing their lives. Sometimes I grow nostalgic for those wonderful days. What I’d give to have a few moments with them around the table at ages 4, 8, and 10 again! I can bearly stand to watch the old videos because the powerful emotions they evoke hurt so badly! But, what a fool I’d be to try to re-create that time in my life. It’s over! I could pack up and move to live closer to my adult children, but I would be pursuing a mirage. They will never be 4 or 14 again! I love them now as a friend and a sometime mentor, as adults who have their own families! There is a future for me as a Dad. It’s different, but different; as I must constantly remind myself, is not bad! In order to discover the joys of this stage of my life, I must be willing to let go of the past.
Some of us are well into mid-life and we’re still trying to ’fix’ our high school experiences. The cruel words that someone hurled at us in the hallway are stuck and we spend a lot of energy trying to prove that we’re not stupid, ugly, or a dweeb! Here’s the strangest part of all that- most likely the one who hung the label on us forgot it the next day while we held onto it for the next 20 years!
Yesterday’s gone! Jesus put the necessity of facing the future in a word picture that makes it pretty clear.
"Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family." But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God." Lk 9:60-62 NLT
Define the promise! {Read v. 3-4}
Joshua had a specific promise, a clear vision, to guide his efforts. "Cross into the land... march through it, taking what I’ve already given to you...."
This great leader never called for a vote or a retreat again! He knew what God’s promise was and he determined to live in it! He had seen, first hand, the result of being wishy-washy, double-minded about God’s directions. 40 years before, he was one of 12 spies that went into Canaan to check it out in preparation for conquest. When he returned, he and his buddy, Caleb, gave a glowing report of the land that they thought they were going to own in a few months. Then, the ’yes, but’ guys spoke up. "It’s a great land, but..." They proceeded to magnify the problems, focus on the difficulties even as they minimized God’s promises. You know the way that worked out. The Israeli’s wandered around in the Sinai wilderness for 40 years while that whole generation died off and were buried in the desert that they preferred over God’s promise!
To possess the promise of God, define His Will and then own it!
I was called to this life of ministry 35 years ago. At the time I gave my life to Christ. I’ve complained too much, failed too often, but despite good times and bad times, by the grace of God, I’ve never quit! I certainly do not wish to imply that I have achieved anything like sainthood. What I did was to KNOW God’s plan and His promise. The call of God is THE priority choice of my life. It is much easier to say no to distractions if you’ve made a priority decision.
How can we know the will of God?
We know what He wants for us by synthesizing five components.
1. A solid working knowledge of the Scripture
Who God is, how God works, and His general will for people are spelled out in the stories and teaching of the Bible. Are you a student of the Word? Are you engaged in regular study of the Bible beyond this Sunday worship service? Do you interact with the Bible in some way everyday?
2. A life that includes prayer
Prayer is simply conversing with God. People tell me, "Pastor, I don’t know how to pray." I ask them, "Do you know how to talk to others?" Obviously they do, they’re talking with me at the moment. So, talk with God... in your own words, discussing the issues of your life.
Of course a mature prayer life is needed but one never learns to pray well if they do not start to pray, even poorly!
3. The counsel of wise, godly friends
The myth of the super-hero does not apply to the Christian life. I need you, you need me, and we all need each other. God’s will is sharpened as we share life with others and become authentic, talking through our fears, our doubts, and even our arrogant assumptions!
4. Circumstances
God is ruling the affairs of life! He is perfectly capable of orchestrating situations to create a place where His will and your life intersect! I’m not suggesting that you put this at the top of your list. But to ignore the circumstances of your life will only frustrate your pursuit of the plans God has for you. Sometimes God’s most firm "No" is that unyielding closed door that you simply cannot force open.
5. Your desires
If you have a surrendered heart that God’s Spirit has given new life, then take note of your desires. One great and enduring myth about God’s will is that it will make you miserable! I know Christians who are afraid to say, "I love what I’m doing." They think that it is somehow unspiritual to admit that life is good, that they are fulfilled by their life. The center of God’s will and purpose is the most fulfilling place to be. He shaped you and me, prepared us with experiences, gave us certain skills and abilities. When we put them all together and do what He plans, we will - even in the exhaustion of battle - say, "this is why I was created!"
I recently wrote to a friend who is also a minister... I quote:
These are the best days of my life! I think I’ve moved beyond the ’need to succeed’ and I am more content in simply doing ministry for ministry’s sake than ever before. I love the fact that here there is so much potential here to grow a multi-faceted ministry and the resources with which to get it done.
... Bev is in a great time of life, too. She is in her fourth year of teaching first grade, a dream she deferred to raise our family. I am really proud of her. She’s just great with those little ones...
How did I come to that place? Surely it is grace, but there was also my priority choice to do God’s will as He made it known to me day by day which allows me to enjoy the rewards of blessed life.
Stay in His powerful Presence! {read v. 5}
Obedience is fundamental to enjoying the Presence of God. If you’re openly rebellious against Him, the Spirit will withdraw His comfort from you. If you resist the conviction of the Word, you will grow distant from God’s presence. If you nurture ungodly attitudes like pride, unforgiveness, greed, or sensuality - God’s Spirit will not be near to you!
God encouraged Joshua to be ’strong and courageous.’ What he about to do was going to ask for every bit of strength he had, and then more! There was no way Joshua could do it alone, or by his own skills. Take a look at the explanation God gave to Joshua about living in His powerful Presence.
{Read v. 6-9}
"Don’t wander!" is basically how God says it. It’s easy to wander from our attentiveness to the right way. Temptation seduces us with a sweet song. Baubles of life captivate our eyes and we conclude we ’just can’t live without them.’ We easily grow envious of the position of someone else concluding that if we had what they have, then we could live a more happy life. "Don’t wander!"
Powerful peace is found in the Presence of God. His Spirit produces a serenity that allows us to rise above situations that cause others to panic and thus, to be filled with fear or to fall apart.
I am aware of so many moments in my life when I have let life’s circumstances steal God’s peaceful Presence, and thus His power, from me. When I attempt to exert control over situations, when I try to impose a ’peace’ of my own design, things usually get worse!
Have you shared that experience? In the middle of a stressful day, have you ever exploded, only adding to your own stress and that of others? In the middle of a crisis, have you tried to force a solution and created more chaos with your efforts? I am guilty!
But when I take time to re-center myself in the Spirit asking that He come into my mind and heart - peace follows. Often the situation remains exactly the same, but I am changed. Don’t misunderstand what God desires of you.
God was not inviting Joshua to a nice retirement community on the Mediterranean Sea. He wasn’t offering Joshua a rocking chair. He was handing him a commission in His army, a challenge to possess the Promised Land and build a new nation!
His will is not that you detach yourself from reality, that you run away from life, or escape into denial. He wants us to be fully engaged with life, bringing order to chaos, healing to the broken, resisting evil wherever it makes its ugliness apparent. But, in the spiritual warfare of this Christian life, He also wants us to be people who live in His Peaceful Presence!
___________
Want to possess God’s Promises?
It’s not in our text, but we must embrace Christ as your Lord and Savior, by faith! That’s the entry point to grace!
Then, there is our part which includes:
Looking to the future!
Defining the Promise and the Purpose of God! and finally,
Staying obediently where He can lead us by His powerful and peaceful Presence.
______________
Next week - Jericho, Impossibility or Opportunity?
2005© Jerry D. Scott
Washington Assembly of God -- 33 Brass Castle Road -- Washington, NJ 07882
www.WashingtonAG.net
