Facing Uncharted Territory: Facing Uncertain Times with David Jeremiah

let me ask you a question what do you draw on  a map when you come to the edge of the world   as you know it do you know that back during Roman  times map makers would often write the words quote   here are the Lions to mark the areas that they had  never before explored later during medieval days   adventurers would draw dragons and sea serpents  and other ominous-looking fictional animals on   the edges of their maps the sketches of dangerous  beasts and mythical sea creatures invoke the harm   that sailors feared to encounter when entering  previously uncharted territory well you know   today it seems that is where we find ourselves  on the edge of the world as we know it anxious   to find out what lies ahead and it reminds me of  another time when a nation of some three million   people face their own uncharted territory the  stories told in Joshua chapter three and it may   be the best passage in the Bible to get us ready  for what's ahead you see Joshua and the people   of Israel were about to experience the greatest  moment in their nation's history the land which   almighty God had promised to their father Abraham  was now in sight in the book of Deuteronomy Moses   described that land in these graphic terms here's  what he said for the Lord your God is bringing   you into a good land a land of Brooks of water of  fountains and springs that flow out of the valleys   and hills a land of wheat and barley of vines  and fig trees and pomegranates a land of olive   oil and honey a land in which you will eat bread  without scarcity in which you will lack nothing   a land whose stones are iron and whose Hills you  can dig copper this land that Moses wrote about   was a special place that God had promised to his  people it was actually called the promised land   and throughout her history the people of Israel  looked forward to the day when they would occupy   this special territory forty years before this  moment Israel had been on the verge of going   into the land and God had sent 12 spies into the  land unfortunately for that generation when the   spies returned to Kadesh Barnea 10 of them were  overwhelmed with the what-ifs of entering the   promised land in numbers chapter 13 we read these  words and they gave the children of Israel a bad   report of the land which they had spied out saying  the land through which we have gone as spies is   a land that devours its inhabitants and all the  people whom we saw in it are men of great stature   God was pretty angry with that generation because  of their unbelief and he promised that they would   never see the land and so in Joshua 5 6 we read  and the children of Israel walked 40 years in the   wilderness till all the people who were men of  war who came out of Egypt were consumed because   they did not obey the voice of the Lord so after  40 years of wandering in the desert because of   their disobedience the people of Israel are now  standing on the border of their fulfilled dream   behind them lay the wilderness and the graves of  their disobedient parents who had not believed   God but before them awaiting their possession was  the land that flowed with milk and honey the land   of promise the Bible tells us that between the  Israelites and the fulfillment of their dreams   stood the Jordan River now the Jordan River was  not usually a frightening body of water I mean   most of the time it was about 100 feet wide but  during the spring harvest season the river rose   to the flood stage it overflowed its banks and  instead of being 100 feet wide it was 1 mile   wide if you could pick one time in the year when  you did not want to cross the Jordan River it was   during the spring harvest season and that was the  time that God determined for his people to cross   over it seems as if God was making this just about  as hard a faith test as he could can you imagine   the thoughts that were going through their minds  wandering in the wilderness was all they knew and   now the Lord God is telling them to go to a land  that they had only heard about from their fathers   I mean yes it was a good land but it was also a  frightening land they had heard the stories of   the Giants that were in the land they had heard  that in this land there were fortified cities   where the people were armed and dangerous in fact  for the first time in their history they had heard   about iron implements of warfare and now God had  placed them at the Jordan River during the flood   stage oh how God loves to put us in situations  where it is visually evident that we are powerless   to succeed without him it's been his pattern and  if you read the Bible that's why he removed more   than 30,000 soldiers from Gideon's army that's  why they heated the furnace seven times hotter   for three Hebrew children that's why they poured  buckets of water on Elijah sacrifice that's why   Jesus didn't show up until Lazarus had been dead  for four days you see without intervention there   was no way three million people could ever cross  over the Jordan River when it was at flood stage but the Bible says the people of God were  commanded to cross over a little cross over is   a phrase in the Hebrew language it means not just  to go from point A to point B it means to go from   what is known to what is unknown the Bible tells  us that the Israelites were brought to the bank   of the Jordan River and God left them there for  three days before he let them cross some scholars   believe that God did that on purpose so that the  people would have three days of visual reminders   that they were about to experience a miracle  from God you know it's awesome to consider   these thoughts on the threshold of tomorrow we're  going into uncharted territory ourselves let's   face it we do not know what this year holds for  us so many things have happened in this surreal   year that we couldn't possibly have anticipated  what happened they did and there are going to be   things that will happen this year that we could  not have possibly anticipated either we have no   control over them so how do we get through the  Jordan rivers of our lives as I processed this   Old Testament story I discovered three things  that God did to help his people get ready for   this new chapter in their lives these are truths  that worked for them that apply to us and I will   tell the story as it was told in the scripture  but I want to apply it with our outline as if it   is all about us today because I promise you it is  first of all when we face uncharted territory we   have the provision of God behind us the place to  start when facing uncharted territory is the past   look over your shoulder at what God has already  done in your life in fact Moses asks the people   to do just this in the book of Deuteronomy here's  what he wrote this is in Deuteronomy chapter 8   and verse 2 and you shall remember that the Lord  your God led you all the way these forty years in   the wilderness to Humble you and test you to know  what was in your heart whether you would keep his   commandment or not now the word remember is a word  which means to mark out to set aside to underline   to highlight so what had God done for his people  what did they have in their memory bank that   they could count on to give them encouragement  as they looked at the future well for 40 years   God's people had been wandering in the desert but  God had miraculously cared for them their journey   in the desert was one miracle after another they  entered the desert by way of the Red Sea crossing   which was a miracle and every day for the entire  40 years every day that they were in the desert   they had been supernaturally led by God they were  led by a pillar of cloud during the day and by a   pillar of fire during the night and whenever the  pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud would move   the people would move and when it stopped they  would stop the people of Israel knew exactly what   to do and where to go every single day you see  God had miraculously sustained them in ways that   you and I could not possibly comprehend I want to  read a couple of verses that you will find hard to   believe especially if you're in charge of buying  the clothes for your family Deuteronomy chapter   8 and verse 4 your garments did not wear out on  you nor did your foot swell these 40 years and   Deuteronomy chapter 29 and verse 5 and I have led  you 40 years in the wilderness your clothes have   not worn out on you and your sandals have not worn  out on your feet God gave them clothing and shoes   that lasted for 40 years I mean where can you buy  that today God was providentially caring for his   people yes they were under judgment for their  unbelief but God in His grace and in His mercy   was still bearing them up in his loving hands  and caring for every need they had there was no   grocery store there was no clothing store if God  had not miraculously provided for them they would   have perished in the wilderness some time ago I  clipped an article out of a magazine written by   an army general who was interested in this episode  of the children of Israel in the wilderness the   general tried to figure out what it would have  taken to care for three million people in the   wilderness for 40 years according to the US Army  quartermaster general Moses needed 1,500 tons of   food per day that would fill two freight trains  each a mile long and that one dollar per meal   per person the cost of food alone would have been  9 million dollars every day in today's standards   and since they were in the desert they would need  firewood to cook the food this took 4,000 tons of   firewood which bit would be more freight trains  each a mile long every day and they would have to   have water if they only had to have enough water  to drink and wash a few dishes not even bathe it   would take 11 million gallons per day that is  enough to fill a train of tanker cars around 2   miles just to bring water but God didn't use any  freight trains every day he dropped their food   right in front of their tent every day a special  delivery was waiting for them and for 40 years   they ate manna the manna wasn't all that tasty  but it sustained them and God faithfully supplied   it every single day and he supplied their water in  miraculous ways too in fact the basic needs of the   Israelites had not one time failed to be met by  God for 40 years during their wilderness wandering   you say pastor Jeremiah why is that important well  the people of Israel were standing on the bank of   the Jordan River and their hearts were filled  with fear about the unknown just like many of   us are right now as we try to figure out what's  going to happen next in the midst of this virus   but behind them was the memory of the provision  of God that he had made for them every year   for 40 years sometime over this next week I want  you to do something for me I want you to write   down ten things God has provided for you last year  keep that list in place where you can get to it on   an occasion when you get a little discouraged or a  little afraid or your wonder if God is involved in   your life go back and see what he's done he hasn't  changed and he isn't gonna change his love for you   today is just as secure as it was yesterday  you can count on it so the first thing that   we have when we face uncharted territory is the  provision of God behind us secondly we have the   presence of God beside us once again reading from  Joshua chapter 3 verses one through three here's   what the scripture says then Joshua rose early in  the morning and they sent out from acacia Grove   and came to the Jordan he and all the children of  Israel and they lodged there before they crossed   over so it was after three days that the officers  went through the camp and they commanded the   people saying when you see the Ark of the Covenant  of the Lord your God and the priests the Levites   bearing it then you shall set out from your place  and go after it now if you study the Bible you'll   notice that when things are repeated a lot that  happens to be the focus of what's being said and   the central focus of Joshua chapter three and four  is the Ark of the Covenant the Ark of the Covenant   appears in those two chapters by name seventeen  times and it is alluded to by the pronoun it five   times so in those two chapters 22 times you will  find a reference to the Ark of the Covenant now   in the desert the pillar of cloud and fire were  visible signs of God's leading his people they   were not to move until the sign was evident but  the presence of God was always symbolized by the   Ark of the Covenant now the Ark of the Covenant  was a box about 45 inches long and about 27 inches   deep and and wide and in this box the box had  a lid on it and there were gold rings on each   corner of the box and these rings were there so  that the poles which carried the box could be   pushed through those rings in the Box could be  picked up and carried on the shoulders of some   of the Israelites but I started to say inside of  this Ark were copies of the law God gave to Moses   also inside was a portion of the manna from the  desert which God had provided and the rod of Aaron   that budded these were the contents of the Ark  of the Covenant the Ark was associated with the   light and glory and direction and presence of God  and if you study the Old Testament you know the   history of the Old Testament that when the Ark  of the Covenant was removed from the people of   God defeat was experienced but when the Ark was  brought back then victory happened you will see   this referenced in verses 10 and 11 of chapter  3 here's what it says and Joshua said by this   you shall know that the Living God is among  you and that he will without fail drive out   them before you the Canaanites and the Hittites  and the highlights and the perizzites and the   girgashites and the amorite and the jebusites  behold the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of   all the earth is crossing over before you into the  Jordan now this piece of furniture this Ark of the   Covenant reminded the Israelites that the Living  God of all the earth was with them and would go   with them wherever they went and don't miss this  as the people of Israel were getting ready to   cross over the Jordan River they were given very  specific instructions about the distance we know   that word don't we the distance they should keep  between themselves and the Ark of the Covenant   Joshua chapter 3 verse forces it this way you show  there shall be a space beach you in it about 2,000   cubits by measure do not come near it that you may  know the way by which you must go for you have not   passed this way before now the Bible says 2,000  cubits that's a distance of about 3,000 feet or   1/2 mile in other words the Ark of the Covenant  was to stay far enough out in front of this horde   of people that as they headed toward the river all  of them could see it and if the ark had been too   close to the people at the front end of the March  it would have been hidden from the people at the   rear end of the March and then the perimeters of  the March so the ark had to be seen by everyone   not just the leaders in the front but by everyone  you see Almighty God was teaching a lesson here he   was teaching that leaders are important but each  of us need to keep our eyes on God individually   it's not enough for us to see God through the eyes  of others we need to see God through our own eyes   especially when we're facing uncharted territory  when God leads us into the unknown we better keep   him in our sight if you don't the raging Jordan  rivers in your life will fill your heart with fear   and discouragement like Peter who was walking on  the water remember he took his eyes off the Lord   and he began to sink that's what happens to us  in our circumstances - I want to show you three   more things about God's presence with us in our  times of transition the best way to do this is to   read three passages from Joshua chapters three  and four let's read Joshua chapter three verse   6 then Joshua spoke to the priests saying take up  the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the   people so they took up the Ark of the Covenant  and went before the people Joshua 3 6 here's the   next one Joshua 3:17 then the priests who board  the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firm   on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan and all  Israel crossed over on dry ground until all the   people had crossed completely over the Jordan and  the last verse Joshua 4:11 and it came to pass   when all the people had completely crossed over  that the arc of the Lord and the priests crossed   over in the presence of the people now folks  watch carefully as the Israelites were preparing   to take this journey through the Jordan River the  priests with the Ark of the Covenant representing   the presence of God were to go ahead of them but  they weren't to go all the way through the REE   all the way through the riverbed to the other  side the scripture says they went to the middle   of the riverbed and they stood in the middle of  the Jordan River while all the people of Israel   passed before them the Ark of the Covenant came  in behind them and followed them into the banks   of Canaan God through his ark was going before  them he was staying with them in the midst of   their journey and he was following up behind them  when the journey was over and that's exactly how   God works he goes before us he's the captain of  our salvation he goes with us he's a manual God   with us and he follows after us protecting us from  behind what a wonderful picture of the presence of   Almighty God in your life and mine during this  very stressful time I make Isaiah was thinking   of this event when he wrote these wonderful words  isaiah 40:3 one through five but now thus says the   Lord who created you O Jacob and he who found you  O Israel fear not for I have redeemed you I have   called you by your name you are mine when you pass  through the waters I will be with you and through   the rivers they shall not overflow you when you  walk through the fire you shall not be burned   nor shall the flame scorch you for I am the Lord  your God and I have loved you fear not for I am   with you the provision of God behind us and the  presence of God beside us and the promise of God   before us here's what the next verses say watch  this from the scripture as soon as the priest   bearing the ark put their feet into the river the  water stopped flowing and stood like a wall about   20 miles upstream that wall of water was probably  in place for an entire day as the soft bottom of   the river became clay the Israelites walk through  the Jordan River on dry land and they didn't have   to clean their shoes off when they arrived  on the other side the crossing of the Jordan   River mirrors what happened to the Israelites on  their way into the wilderness as they came through   the Red Sea God was sending a message to them by  making these two experiences very similar the God   who had begun this journey with them forty years  ago had not changed and he was still delivering   his people how do we take this teaching and  incorporate it into our own lives the God who   goes before us the God who's with us in the midst  of it and the God who follows after us how do we   take this teaching and put it into operation  well let me suggest some things as we draw to   a conclusion in this message first of all just  as then this is a time for consecration remember   Joshua said to the people sanctify yourselves  for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you   and you know it's a very interesting thing when  you talk about being sanctified I remember as   a young pastor we used to have a lady in our  church who used to stand up every time we had   a testimony meeting and say she was saved and she  was sanctified and she would sit down and I wasn't   really sure what she meant what does it mean to  be sanctified well the word actually means to be   set apart like the seventh day was set apart to  God or the firstborn son was set apart to God or   a certain kind of people among the Israelites were  set apart unto God to sanctify means to set apart   uniquely for the Lord to dedicate it to him to  make it totally his so when Joshua told the people   to sanctify themselves he was commanding them to  prepare their hearts to get ready spiritually he   was telling them to confess their sins to put  away their foreign gods to get out of the bad   habits they may have cultivated in the wilderness  and they began walking with God in the purity of   heart men and women is we're experiencing this  time of sheltering what better thing could we   do than to take some time to examine our own lives  and to make sure that everything is right between   us and God I believe God wants to do great things  in our lives but he will not pour out his blessing   if we are not prepared to receive it so first  of all we are in a place where this is a time   for consecration secondly this is a time for  courage before God piled up the waters of the   Jordan River and great heaps and left a path wide  enough for three million people to cross over into   the promised land he gave the Israelites these  instructions Joshua 3 verse 13 and it shall come   to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the  priests who beared the Ark of the Lord the Lord   of all the earth shall rest in the waters of the  Jordan that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut   off the waters that come down from upstream and  they shall stand as a heap now please hear what   happened the priests were to rest the soles of  their feet in the water of the Jordan before   God would part it Almighty God was not going  to do what he promised to do until the people   obeyed him their obedience probably didn't make  a great deal of sense to them at the time but   the Bible says they walked down to the river and  when the priests put their feet in the swelling   Jordan at that moment that they exercised faith  God performed his miracle you know folks many   people hit a dead end in their faith journey  because they're waiting for God to go first   if the Israelites had waited for God to part the  Jordan River they would still be waiting faith is   taking the first step before God parts the river  son was asked once what they did with the promises   of God in the Bible and they said I underlined  them in blue if God is going to bless your life   let me tell you something friends you have to  do more than underline his promises you have   to believe them you have to believe God's promises  and then act upon them if you're going to know the   blessing of God you have to have the courage to  obey God's promises are not for underlining God's   promises are for obeying and when we obey God's  promises he works wonders in our lives many of   us are seeing that illustrated in profound ways  during this coronavirus time as we move through   this pandemic and we begin to think of its impact  and its effect many people are asking what's going   to happen now and as I talked to people some  are predicting the worst I mean the world will   never be the same they say we'll never go back to  normal of the pessimism about the impact of this   pandemic is almost as bad as the pandemic itself  so I've been thinking about this a lot and one   night last week I couldn't hardly sleep I almost  didn't sleep at all asking this question what do   you say to people who predict such a dire post  pandemic life well I'm not a prophet and I'm not   the son of a prophet I do have a prophet's name I  cannot tell you what God is going to do with this   time of sheltering but I can tell you what God has  done during and after times of sheltering in the   past and once you review the truth of history as  I describe it below I think you'll know what he's   going to do this time - God sheltered Noah and  his family for one year in the ark until Noah   emerged to become the father of all the nations of  the world God sheltered Jacob in the home of his   uncle Laban when he needed to escape the wrath of  Esau his brother and 20 years later Jacob emerged   with a new family new wealth and a new identity he  became Israel the new name for God's chosen people   God sheltered Joseph from his seventeenth year  to his thirtieth but his slavery and became the   school where God prepared him for greatness God  sheltered Moses in a remote desert for 40 years   but Moses came forth to liberate the Jewish people  from Egypt God sheltered Naomi in the barren land   of Moab until she nearly became bitter but she and  her daughter-in-law Ruth traveled to Bethlehem to   participate in one of the greatest love stories  of history God sheltered David for 15 years after   he had been anointed king of Israel and when  David finally assumed the throne he was a man   after God's own heart and he gave us many of the  Psalms God sheltered Elijah by the brook Cherith   and after the sheltering he stood alone against  the prophets of Bale on Mount Carmel God sheltered   Jonah for three days and three nights in the belly  of a whale and when the sheltering was over Jonah   went to Nineveh and preach history's greatest  revival God sheltered Daniel for seventy years   in Babylon where he wrote this Old Testament book  bearing his name outlining the future of God's   dealings with his people God sheltered Esther  while in the palace of the Persian king and she   saved her people from destruction God sheltered  the disciples in the upper room for ten days until   the Holy Spirit descended in dramatic fashion to  form and fashion the church God's sheltered Paul   in the Arabian desert for three years and when  he came back he turned the world upside down   God later sheltered Paul in a Roman prison and by  the time the Apostle was free he had written the   prison epistles Ephesians Philippians Colossians  and Philemon God sheltered the Apostle John on   the Isle of Patmos and the book of Revelation the  greatest prophetic document of all time was given   to us lastly and most incredibly God's sheltered  Jesus in a tomb for three days and on the third   day Jesus came forth in power to bring salvation  to the whole world so no I don't know all the   details about what God is is going to do but what  I do know is what he has done and that is what we   can count on the God who sheltered his people in  biblical days won't stop now so come what may I'm   trusting in the sheltering God to be my refuge and  so can you men and women our God is a start-over   God he created his world so that every 24 hours  we start a new day and every seven days we start   a new week and every four or five weeks we start  a new month God could have just run all that time   together in one package with no breaks and no  places to start over but he did not do that in   his compassion and grace he made places for us to  begin again and I think at this time when God has   pushed the pause button on the whole world he's  given us a chance to start again to start over   Jesus Christ came into this world so that you  and I can start over the Bible says if anyone   is in Christ he is a new creature when we accept  Jesus Christ into our hearts we call it being born   again and when we follow Jesus in our lives old  things pass away and behold all things become new   so as we stand on the threshold of restarting  what an opportunity God has put in our hands   does it matter what you were doing before this  pandemic hit you you can start again this can   be your defining moment Jesus is calling you he  wants to save you he wants to bless you he wants   to use you and fill you with a sense of purpose  and joy the Bible is filled with promises he wants   to come true in your life but listen promises  aren't made for underlining promises are made   for believing and obeying will you believe God's  promise will you accept what he has said as true   will you if you have never done so before accept  Jesus Christ as your Savior will you believe that   he has promised that whoever comes to him he  will never turn anyone away if you have never   received Jesus Christ person we will you take  the opportunity of this moment wherever you are   whatever situation you may find yourself in to  just come to this virtual altar and bow your head   and close your eyes and pray this prayer after  me dear God I know that I am a sinner and that I   have failed you in many ways that I cannot live  up to your holy standard because it is perfect   but I believe you sent Jesus Christ into this  world to be my savior and I want to receive him   today this weekend I want to receive him as my  Lord and Savior invite him into my heart accept   his forgiveness of my sin and I want to become a  follower of Jesus Christ Lord God please forgive   me and Jesus Christ I accept you as my savior  if you have prayed that prayer if you have made   that decision there's a place somewhere on your  screen where you can click that you have done   so it encourages us to know that you've done it  and if you want more information to help you get   started I hope you will let us know how we can do  that there's a place for that on the screen now we   head out for a new week many new challenges  many predictions many things that we won't   understand but let's take what we've learned  in the lesson from the Bible let's listen to   the promises of God let's don't just underline  them let's live in light of them with gratitude   and Thanksgiving may God bless you and give you a  wonderful week of victory in your walk with Christ

Channel: David Jeremiah

Views: 417,141

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Length: 35min 1sec (2101 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 28 2020