It's Time - Joshua 3

so father God we we receive that today that it is well whatever my lot thou has taught us to say god that's hard but by faith Lord God walking in the strength that you supply we say it is well with our soul so father would you would you replace bitterness with joy would you replace complaining with praising may we live that out that it is well no we're not asking to live in a state of denial but you are the truth we we may have some facts but you are the truth you as the truth override whatever it is we may be facing and experiencing so father God we receive that word today and now speak to us Lord God from your word I pray father that the seed of your word would fall on good ground that it would take root and that it would bear and produce great fruit use me I pray in Jesus name Amen you may be seated if you have your Bibles I want you to meet me in Joshua chapter 3 if you are new with us this morning we've been making our way through the book of Joshua this is week four of our series walking through the Book of Joshua week 1 was an introduction week 2 was chapter 1 week 3 was chapter 2 last week we pressed Paul's to give a state of the church address and want to continue to lift up before you that we are looking for an army of covenant partners who are going to roll up their sleeves and just invest their gifts their time their treasure into helping this church become all that God has called it to be so if you're here you would call abundant life your home we would make an assumption that you are serving in a specific area of ministry if you aren't want to encourage you to do so you can sign up for an area of ministry to serve so many of you signed up last week and we are grateful for that I also want to remind you that we are having the homegoing celebration service of elisa picker this coming saturday 11 o'clock i believe that's right right here at the church won't encourage you to be a part of that we're expecting a huge crowd so please get here early if you can but we're going to grieve but we're not going to grieve as those who have no hope if you know ELISA you know is more alive today than she ever was she's in the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so we look forward to celebrating and hopefully you will make plan here for them Joshua chapter 3 picked me up in verse 1 let me read this story to us then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from she team and they came to the Jordan he and all the people of Israel and Lodge there before they passed over at the end of make note of this phrase three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people as soon as you see the make note of this phrase Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests then you shall set out from your place and follow it yet there shall be a distance between you and it about two thousand cubits and length so that's just over a half mile do not come near it and or that you may know the way you shall go for you have not passed this way before then Joshua said to the people consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you and Joshua said to the priest take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on before the people so they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people the Lord said to Joshua today I'll begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel that they may know that as I was with Moses so I will be with you and as for you command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant when you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan you shall stand still in the Jordan and Joshua said to the people of Israel come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God and Joshua said here's how you shall know that the Living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites the Hittites the Hittites the perizzites the girgashites the amorite sand the Jebusites behold the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan now therefore take 12 men from the tribes of Israel from each tribe a man and when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Lord the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of the Jordan the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heat so when the people verse 14 set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant before the people and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan in the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water parentheses now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvests the water's coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away at Adam the city that is besides Aerith on and those flowing down toward the sea of the air above the salt sea were completely cut off and the people passed over opposite Jericho now the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground and the midst of the Jordan in all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan the word of the Lord thanks be to God if you know anything about history you know that the Thirteenth Amendment when it was ratified it marked a historic occasion in our nation's history that amendment officially abolished slavery when that happened the gates of plantations all throughout the south or thrust open and so many slaves took advantage of the freedom that was provided for them this is a no-brainer what may shock you is the realization that there were also many slaves not most but many who in their own ways said thanks but no thanks there were many slaves who actually decided to stay in bondage to stay on the plantation the reason for this is because these slaves had calculated that they felt ill-equipped for freedom they knew that in some way shape or form freedom came with a price tag that these slaves right wrong or indifferent their opinion they found a little bit of comfort in not having to figure out things like shelter how you're gonna get fed and how you're going to get clothed and so these slaves history would tell us decided to not take full advantage of their freedom because they were unwilling to pay the price that freedom came with it is a truth to life that for every promise there is a price tag for every dream there is a cost we see this right here in our text lurking on the other side of the Jordan is the people's promised land years centuries before God had showed up to Abram the father of the Jews and he says listen I I want to make you a promise man I've got a great promise I'm going to bless you and I want to bless those that bless you I've got a great land carved out for you then Genesis closes and the people are when Exodus opens up they're in bondage and God shows up and he says to Moses through a bush that is burning but not being consumed he says listen time to make good on that promise I want you to go down Moses until Oh Pharaoh let my people go it's time for my real 13th amendment I'm the great Emancipator I'm setting you all free and now we come to our text and it is finally time for them to walk in the promises that God has laid out for them but in the sovereignty of God God says yeah I've got a promise for you it is a land flowing with milk and honey I've got good things laid up for you if there's a destiny I want you to walk in but boy before you can get it it comes with a price tag you are you just gonna walk in that bad boy free and easy you're going to have to trust me to lay claim to what have ordained for you and that price tag is called the Jordan River if you study your Bible from cover to cover see this is what I want to say be very discerning who you listen to preaching lies on podcasts or radios be very discerning who you watch on TV I'm not saying all of them are bad my goodness we're on radio Mondays through Fridays got a fax to 2:00 2:30 tune in 1100 a.m. but I'm not saying all of them are bad but you've got to be discerning what you receive into your spirit and there are these prosperity preachers these prosperity heretics that that what would have us to believe that the promises of God are easy if you read your Bible you will see from cover to cover that yes God has good things laid up for you that yes God has a future and a hope for you that yes God has come to give you life and life more abundantly but it does not come easy so God says to Abram and Sarah I've got a promise for you I don't want to make of you a great multitude that's the promise price tag infertility you're gonna have to trust me God shows up Joseph gives them a dream I promise you I'm going to put you in a position of power and influence so that the whole world flocks to you price tag you're gonna get light on betrayed forgotten about it comes today that one day promise I'm anointing you first samuel 16 you're the next king but that doesn't happen for 15 years and oh by the way there's someone kind of blocking that promise right now that you're gonna have to learn to deal with his name is Saul even New Covenant believers God says I've got a promise I've a features one I've gotten inheritance laid up for you but that came with a cost when Jesus Christ died on a hill called Calvary the biblical record is clear every promise has a Jordan River every promise has a price tag now I just want to come to you neighborhood real quick and and I just want to just bring this down and real real substantive way now we even talk about our church we talked about this last Sunday in and I'm just believing God that God's got greater in store for abundant life there are incredible things and we want to reach the bay for the glory of God but you better believe it ain't gonna come easy there's a price to it there's a cost to it as some of you are sitting right here and you you came out here because you had this dream maybe God put this dream in your spirit and you wanna you want to do a startup in fact just the just the other week I sat down with a young man from Africa and he's doing this startup out here in the bay it's about drones that jump I don't even understand that but but he's got this idea for this startup and he's just flying back and forth and and there's a price that comes with that and how am I gonna raise the money and who's gonna fund this and what does that look like dreams come with costs so many people want a great marriage they just don't want to put in the work you ain't gonna have a phenomenal marriage and do nothing comes with a cost soon we all are sitting here and you're gonna go to a job on Tuesday or Wednesday this week and you you don't walk in there knowing that's not what God's called me to do you're gonna walk into that job and you know in your spirit this is not what God's called me to do and you settled for that and the reason why you keep going to that job that God hasn't called you to do is because you're unwilling to pay the cost that comes with a career change you may have to go back to school you may take temporary print a pay cut I told you this couple weeks ago I talked to young guys all the time God's called me to preach wonderful what are you doing about it well I'm waiting on God God's waiting on you see what I'm getting at here the essence of our text and Michael shared this year the week the essence of our text is you don't get to the promised land unless your feet get wet first and our problem is we don't want wet feet faith it's our problem you want what you want cheap and easy you want you you want to be able to microwave godly kids ain't gonna happen just work you've got attendant you're gonna put in the time you want to microwave a great marriage you want a microwave financial success you want a microwave a new business that doesn't happen there's a cost so here's God I mean the people can probably see the promised land but boy there's a challenge in fact our story opens up on a very interesting no there there there by the Jordan River in fact every story has what we call a protagonist and the antagonist a good guy the bad guy the bad guy in our text really isn't a guy it's it's the Jordan River that's the opposition that's the foe in our text in fact later on I think roundup verse 15 it tells us a little detail about Jordan River this already monstrosity of a river that has carved out of one of the deepest gorges geographically in our world verse 15 tells us that it is that time of the year when its banks overflow so already a huge task has just now become even more huge even more gigantic it's it's about scholars tell us the time of year is about March or April the year of the grain harvest the rains have come it's an El Nino year here and all of this has happened the the snow is melting off of Mount Hermon it's sending a fresh precipitation into the Jordan River and the text tells us that this thing is overflowing and then now roundabout verses 1 and 2 it tells us that they are in camp right by the banks of the Jordan River for three days imagine the conversations that are happening to just kind of walking back and forth just looking at this thing and they've got to be intimidated three days up close and personal with their challenge three days staring at what seems to be the impossible three days looking at the impassable I can even imagine some of the conversations Jorge how we go how are we gonna pull this bad boy off I don't know Frank but I put my toe in it and it's kind of cold and my toe didn't hit the ground so I went in a little bit more and next thing I know the waters are all the way up past my knee and my feet still hadn't hit the ground I don't know how we gonna pull this thing off maybe they were praying about it day one day two they didn't pray as fervently maybe day three they stopped praying all together they were encamped the text says face-to-face with their opposition let me just stop right here and come to your neighborhood what Jordan rivers have you gotten up close and personal within your own life what Jordan rivers have you camped out in front of in your own life what impossible things in your life have you gotten so cozy with that you stopped praying about what are those things that that when you first faced it you you prayed about it you journal about it you memorize scripture about it but God didn't move on your timetable fast enough so that dream and yours once delayed has now gotten denied and it is dead because your Jordan River has become bigger than your God for three days up close and personal with this Jordan River now here's my question God you promised the Promised Land couldn't you have figured another way around this bad but couldn't you have made it easier I mean why did you have them come in through the south or through the west why make them go through all this rhythm what you promised it to them why not make it easy well there's several reasons for this and I'll get into some of those next week but let me just give you one remember if there's one word that sums up the Book of Joshua it's the word fight we learned week one that the promises of God never come easy if they did come easy you would develop spiritual amnesia and assume that it was you who did it and God wouldn't get the credit so what God has to do is he's got to put you face-to-face with some opposition that is bigger than you that is bigger than the resources that you have so that the fight now becomes so big that once you get through it you have sense enough to know it wasn't me and what my PhD or my MBA it was nothing but the Lord if the Lord had not been on my side where would I be there's another reason our text says that in the promised land are seven nations occupying God's promises for his people and they not going Israel's come in so let's put up for sale signs know they won't have to fight so what God wants is he he kind of wants a a preseason game so that they get a victory under their belt so that when they go to fight on the battlefield there's already a reservoir of winning and confidence they can draw from to take on the next opponent it says if they could go if God can get us through the Jordan River Jeff your sites ain't nothing Perez is ain't nothing Canaanite ain't nothing if God can get us through that he can I'll get us through this God wants to use the vets in your life to get you with through the this is that you are experienced it may be bad grammar but it's good theology one of the things that I'm thinking of right now my sister can attest to this I mean our our parents are deep people of faith I don't know of of a set of individuals who have more faith than our parents I mean my sister could tell you growing up we would have family devotions and dad would pull us in when when various things would happen and I remember one time a car broke down and okay we got Truscott for a new car and I don't know how that's gonna happen we ain't got money but God's got to provide and we pray and they had this unshakable faith to them they just knew God was gonna show up and get him through this they would pull us into financial difficulties and challenges that they were having in in in organizational different they pull us into that stuff but but but they weren't popping tongues or Maalox or antacids they weren't losing sleep at night you could hear dad snore in a couple rooms later right after he told you don't know how we gonna meet next for next month's mortgage but but there was this confidence in dad where'd that come from when their first year of marriage they are living in Camden New Jersey and they didn't know how they were gonna make rent they had a unexpected bill that left him with only 50 cents to make it off of they prayed went to the mailbox at school they were college students married 21 and 20 went to the mailbox couple days later and there was a check for hundreds of dollars from an organization dad had preached for months before had forgotten to pay them and now decided to give them the money at the most opportune time dad had the sense to know that wasn't coincidence that was Jehovah Jireh showing up in his life watch this now watch this now and win happened dad would always go back to that story when I had 50 cents and didn't know how I was gonna make it God got me through that so that I remember that I don't forget it I remember that and that'll now get me through this what's your that what was your Jordan River where you said man I didn't know how I was gonna make it through I prayed and God showed up we'll hold on to that sweetheart don't get spiritual amnesia put that record on repeat and let that pass victory give you the confidence to make it through present tense battles so how do I get through my Jordan rivers our Texas here's three things you have to do have to do Jordan's coming it's coming it could be a health crisis it be something going on your family it could be some kind of change or some kind of experience your you're dealing with on your job maybe a career change you're looking at your Jordan River is going to come how do you practically get through it our text says three things you have to have if you're gonna get through it the good guy in our text the bad guys the Jordan River the good guy in our text is found roundabout verse three it's what's called the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord I want you to underline that phrase the Ark of the Covenant it was a plain little box made out of what's called acacia wood on the top of this box were two cherubim or angels that were facing each other made out of gold inside that box was a what was a tablet filled with what's called the law it also had Aaron's rod that budded and a pot of manna that represented God's provision for his people miraculously every day for 40 years now this Ark of the Covenant of the Lord simple box would watch it now to the Israelite the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was representative of God's presence one scholar said it this way a the ark look at it with me was such an intimate symbol of the Lord's indwelling that to speak of the ark is tantamount to speaking of the Lord now here's what God says God says verse 2 at the end of three days the officers went to the camp and command the people as soon as you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests then you shall set out from your place and follow it here's what God's saying don't you just jump into that Jordan River without me don't do it you're going to have to wait on me you're going to have to follow me in fact in just a few chapters Israel is going to get whooped this d1 program is gonna get whooped by high school team called AI and the reason why they get get whooped is because they went to the battlefield without God God says when your jordan river comes don't you go without me you make sure you follow me I'm leading you so the Ark of the Covenant what with Michael Jordan was to the Bulls what tom brady is to the Patriots what LeBron James is to the Cavaliers I can't I got to stop that I'm in the bay the Ark of the Covenant is to God so God says the way you're going to get through is you must follow my presence you must follow my lead that's the only way you're going to get through my presence is everything went one of my mentors went one of my mentors actor Tony Evans dr. Tony Evans III intern with him when I was in college and dr. Tony Evans he tells this infamous story of the time growing up in Baltimore he loved to play pickup games of football absolutely loved to play they'd play these epic games out on these barren fields on Saturdays he says man we we couldn't sleep the night before man we we get into these battles of forces this one Saturday man we were so excited man we couldn't wait to get there some of us had walked miles to get to this field and and we get there and there's exactly 22 of us praise God there's 11 guys on each side can't wait to play man we start picking up the teams and laying out the rules and then somebody goes go great great we're ready for the kickoff football these jokers had gone to the game and forgotten the most essential thing the football and there can be no game without the football and the same way God says there can be no victory without my presence my presence must lead you now watch this now somebody might be thinking there's somebody I might be thinking well what does this be for be pastor that does that mean I gotta go out and I gotta find the Ark of the Covenant I mean I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark they can't really you know Uno's where that bad boy is what are you saying to find the Ark of the Covenant watch this never know if you are in Christ a new covenant believer what happened when you got saved is God put his presence inside of you which means all of us right now we are the Ark of the Covenant if you are a believer God's Spirit is in you which means you carry his presence which means what makes you special ain't you it's the God living inside of you my sister lives in Memphis and for years we Cory and I lived in Memphis pastors for about 12 years and if you know anything about Memphis we're known for for something called Graceland anybody ever been to Graceland anybody here and by here yes see a couple hands Graceland Graceland um that's the house where Elvis Presley lived and and Graceland is in a section of town called White Haven because back in the day it was exactly that it was it was a white haven the Jews knew blacks couldn't couldn't live over there well let's just say things done changed and that neighborhood is not what it was so when you go to Graceland it's it's in a bad neighborhood and if you've been inside the house ain't unspecial about the house they got shared carpeting I didn't mean to offend anybody who's got shag carpeting by the way they got shag carpet and Elvis had it on his walls shag carpeting on his walls he's got a room the most hideous room I've ever seen called the jungle room his decorator should have been fired on the spot this is the most hideous house but watch it every August during Elvis week they come from all over the world and they line up down the street to get into this house now why do they come they don't come because of the architecture they don't come because of how its decorated they come because that house once had the presence of Elvis Presley living inside of it they don't come for the externals they come from who live they come for who lived in there likewise what makes you special ain't the color of your skin what makes you special is not the length of your hair what makes you special is that the school you went to its who lives inside of you so God says when you get to your Jordan rivers don't you dare go without me I must lead you so if we're gonna get through it we must follow his presence see some things got in calling us too we callin ourselves so I got it I got it discern who's calling me here secondly it's gonna get quiet in here he says you want to get through your Jordan River follow my presence secondly verse 5 look at it consecrate yourselves and it's gonna get quiet in here I haven't talked about this since I've been here the idea of the word consecrate it means to wash it means to purify it means to make clean it's gonna get quiet in here the idea of the word consecrate which is an imperative in our text the idea of an imperative means it's a command so God ain't suggesting when he says this he ain't recommending he ain't giving us tweetable advice to consider he's actually commanding you he says if you want to get through the Jordan River before you step up in this bad boy consecrate yourselves the idea of the word consecrate watch it now literally it was used of washing garments weak wine in here but it was also used to speak of how I steward it my sexuality it's quiet watch it Exodus 19 says this so Moses went down from the mountains of the people here it is and consecrated the people and they wash their garments and he said to the people be ready for the third day here it is do not go near a woman so here we see this one text cleansing of God of garments biblically speaking in Revelation it says that when we get to heaven will be given white garments yeah they have white garments is clean garments the idea of white clean garments it is the idea here it is now of holiness here's what he's saying you will never get through your Jordan and walk in my promises while living in sin let me be clear I am NOT talking about sin I'm talking about a person living in sin did y'all get that we all sin I'm talking about a person who says over here God's got blessings but over here i'ma do me do you see the difference there you cannot lay claim that God's promises and live in sin IIIi was pastoring one time that's pastoring in LA and had a couple at the church guy called me up says pastor me and my girlfriend got a new house and we would be honored pastor if you came and did a house blessing for us I said let me let me let me get this straight when you say you and your girlfriend got a new house that means y'all living together yeah okay and you want me to bless that house let me just and let me be clear on what you mean when you say you want me to bless us well pastor if you could just take some oil and if you could just go to all the rooms I said brother I'm grace oriented but if I'm hearing you right you want me to bless what God has decreed to be sin it's quiet in here it's quiet in here hear me you're here today you don't know Jesus or you're here today and you're living your cohabitating with someone there's grace there's grace but watch it we cannot effectively walk in God's grace unless we know what we're getting grace for and you cannot know what you're getting grace for unless you come to terms with your sin paul says where sin increased grace much more increased so that when we talk about a culture of grace we must also talk about a culture that calls sin sin I've seen in my own life there is a correlation between the anointing of God on my life and the power in which I minister in and my commitment to walk in holiness you cannot claim the blessings of God and do life on your terms so God says I want you to think long and hard about this i'ma get you through your Jordan but before you put a pinky toe in that bad boy consecrate yourselves hypothetical situation let's let's suppose Corrie and I come to one of our sons maybe when they're in their 20s and we say to them look man we're so proud of you proud of you we want to set you on a trajectory of of prosperity and your your 20s now and your mother and I hypothetical situation we want to give you a down payment well into the six figures on your home we've got some resources excuse me we've got some resources set aside for you laid up we've been saving forever but these resources are to be used for down payment on a house they get excited son goes out hears that and goes through the loan process but gets denied bad credit why because maybe he made some bad decisions which means he can't access what mama and dad have put away for him unless he first deals with the bad decisions he's made you with me on that God has a perfect will for your life but we will never access it until we lean on his Holy Spirit and consecrate ourselves what areas of your life have you put up no trespassing signs to God what areas of your life have you said God you can have that you can have that you can have that you can have that but you can't have that God says you'll never get through your Jordan rivers unless you follow my presence and consecrate yourself let's go home on this one if you study our text verses 1 through 13 God's giving instructions are the coven's going to go ahead of you follow it don't get too close stay 2,000 cubits behind it well over a half mile you don't you do priests are gonna do this officers gonna do this here's what I'm gonna do I'm gonna hold this thing back here's how this works in fact really the opening three chapters are instructions instructions instructions instructions instructions instructions chapter 2 sending out the spies investigating they're having a strategy session they're in the war room they're planning this bad boy out spies come back give a good report they've investigated they planned they prepared strategy strategy strategy strategy strategy now look at verse 14 so when so when you know this means planned planned planned planned planned laid out those plans now the people of God says we're ready to act it's time to do it I need to stop right here come to someone's neighborhood because someone here today you wrestle with what I call the paralysis of analysis you've been strategizing spreadsheet and planning and the words LL Cool J you've been waiting intubate enfold so long you've been talking about and talking about and talk about you've been dreaming about what could be what could be what could be what could be and God is saying to you what is your soul wind gonna come talk talk talk talk talk talk top top top top top top top top top top top now it's time for you to step into your own Jordan you know what he's getting out here courage at some point you've got to say we've done talked about this bad boy long enough we've analysed it we flipped it over we've looked at it upside down now it's time to cut and it takes courage what is courage the courage is needed whenever there's a gap between God's call in your capacity God's call will always be bigger than your capacity if it wasn't bigger than your capacity you wouldn't need them courage is needed when God's dreams are bigger than your resources at some point you're gonna have to look yourself in a mirror and say god this looks crazy but I'm following your presence I'm not a perfect person but I'm trying to live by the power of your spirit and the way that you're calling me to live I'm concentrating myself God I am trusting you I am following you so when we need what the Finns had as we close in 1939 Finland came up against the Russians no one gave Finland any kind of a shot the Soviets were the Russians they had three times as many soldiers they had 30 times as many aircrafts they had a hundred times as many tanks but to everyone shock in all Finland held them off how did that happen look at what Angela Duckworth says the Finns have something called Sisu it is a compound of bravado and bravery of ferocity and tenacity of the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit and to fight with the will to win she calls it Sisu God calls it courage you will never occupy God's promises until you put God to the test and you exercise courage just a few moments we're going to come to the table and you're gonna take the bread in the cup but I want you to remember that when you take communion today you are remembering Christ's courage for you Jesus Christ went to his own Jordan River the cross followed God by saying nevertheless not my will but your will be done Sisu courage you are a Christian adopted into the family of God because of the courage of Jesus Christ and in some way shape or form to adequately follow Christ now takes courage as we follow the courageous one oh dear friends you are more than conquerors whatever is before you if God be for you who can be against you you can do this but you're gonna have to trust God follow his presence consecrate yourselves have courage God as we leave the worship service today we leave resolved to face the Jordan rivers of our lives we leaned into your presence commit to holiness and refuse to quit by exercising courage we will get through our Jordan rivers as we follow you amen you are sin god bless you have a great week [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Abundant Life Christian Fellowship

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Length: 45min 9sec (2709 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 03 2017