Strong & Courageous / Joshua 1:1-9

today's scripture reading is from Joshua 1 verses 1 to 9 after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord the Lord said to Joshua the son of nun Moses his assistant Moses my servant is dead now therefore arise go over this Jordan you and all this people into the land that I am giving to them to the people of Israel every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you just as I promised to Moses from the wilderness of this land this Lebanon as far as the Great River the river Euphrates all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the Sun shall be your territory no man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life just as I was with Moses so I will be with you I will not leave you nor forsake you be strong and courageous for you shall causes people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them only be strong and very courageous being careful to do according to the all the law that Moses my servant commanded you do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may have good success wherever you go this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on a day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous and then you'll have good success have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not be frightened and do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go this is from the Word of God all right thanks NAT and good morning everyone good to see you happy Cinco DeMayo Sanko doesn't say Cinco DeMayo that's right may 5th if we have any friends from Mexico here welcome it's great to have you also thank you for just dealing with all the stuff outside road closures and and so on always the first Sunday in May is Vancouver is the Vancouver Marathon and so I I ran the Vancouver Marathon thirty years ago today 30 I've been resting ever since let me tell you I've been resting because I'm scared of overuse injuries right so I just want to make sure that I don't do anything you know rash well think about doing something in a decade or something from now we begin a new series today on The Book of Joshua Joshua why Joshua why would we do that well one of the reasons is because we teach through books of the Bible here and so we had to pick something but there's that's not why I asked the question I asked the question because Joshua it's full of things like war and conquest and bloodshed I mean it's chock-full of it it's not only about those things but it's full of it and so why would we go there I mean why would we take the chance of diving into this I mean Joshua is one of those books that people point to as as reason for not liking the God of the Bible none other than then the Neo atheist Richard Dawkins points out some of the events in this book and he he asks the question if you're gonna believe in a god why would you believe in a God like that and I get it I mean Joshua in the book of Joshua God calls Joshua and his people to annihilate others and Joshua Joshua records all of it he hides none of it and you can't hide it hide from it therefore as you go through it and we won't hide from it we will we will deal with it along the way for we must but but that's not all that Joshua is about and nor is it its main point and so maybe an abridged his history lesson would be helpful at this stage if you go all the way back to Genesis 12 God calls a man named Abram he has his name name change name change to Abraham eventually but he is the individual that the Jewish people originated with Abraham has a son named Isaac Isaac has a son named Jacob Jacob was an interesting individual bit of a conniver bit of a deceiver wrestled with people and wrestled with God quite literally he wrestled with God one night but he was always having a tendency of walking in faith there's this wrestle and so God says I'm gonna change your name to wrestles with God Israel the name of Israel means wrestles with God well Jacob / Israel he has 12 sons they become the 12 tribes of Israel early on these sons didn't necessarily get along with each other especially they had a had a tough time with a younger brother named Joseph and so they sell him off one day Joseph ends up in Egypt which is a good it's a story that ends well but it started hard for Joseph but eventually he becomes second in charge in Egypt which is great because God's favor was on Joseph and as the result of that God's favor for a period of time was on Egypt Joseph made the really smart decision to to stalk away a lot of food because a famine was coming and so he did that and if you go up to the to the family of Jacob they're north of Egypt and they've run out of food and so Jacob the daddy says hey guys I want you to go down to Egypt I hear they have food see if you can get some food and bring it back and so some of the brothers go down long story short they get reunited with this brother that they sold off Joseph everybody moves to Egypt the family Jacob's family and they begin having a lot of kids lots of kids what it's great down there for a while because Joseph is in charge at least second in charge God's favor Pharaoh likes Joseph but eventually and obviously Joseph dies the Pharaoh that knew Joseph dies the new one doesn't know about Joseph doesn't know the history all he knows is my country is full of these Hebrew people millions of them and he's he's worried and so what he decides to do is put him into slavery and and to rule over them with with heavy hands and eventually the people cry out and God hears and God remembers you see all the way back with Abram who became Abraham God entered a covenant with him and promised him a land and promised that Abraham's lineage of lineage would explode and so he remembers that Covenant he made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob not that he'd have forgotten it but he was about to bring it to pass he was gonna fulfill it and so he calls a man a man named Moses Moses was raised in Egypt for 40 years he was raised in Egypt but one day he had a bad day and he killed a guy right we all have bad days he kills a guy and he gets out of town for 40 years 40 years he becomes a shepherd at the age of 80 god calls him to go back and to lead his people God's people out of slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt and lead them to the promised land and so that's what happens 10 plagues are sent upon Egypt the last one Passover leads to leads to the Exodus they go through the Red Sea they begin this journey toward this promised land this land that's gonna flow with milk and honey it's gonna be great so they make their way there they get just to the outskirts of it and God says to Moses I want you to send 12 spies to check out this land you see this land had people in it in fact some of the worst people that our world has ever seen lived in that land at that time the land of Canaan in city states all over the place so he sends the 12 spies in they go and they check things out for how long 40 days keep that in mind for 40 days they check out the land they come back with a report a report to Moses Moses asked them how'd it go what'd you see what do you think ten of the twelve say this is the biggest mistake of our lives what are we doing they're huge we're like grasshoppers to them we've made a mistake why did we we should have stayed back in Egypt but two of them two of them say no we've got this we can do this that those people that are so big they'll become our food so to speak well walk all over them because God has promised us this land one of those individuals is a man named Caleb the other individual a man named Joshua so they start talking right no let's take it Moses let's take it God's gonna give it and the ten other spies go nuts on them in fact what they do is they go to the people of God and they start telling the people this is a huge mistake we're going to die here and the people get angry at Moses Caleb and Joshua and decide that they want to kill them by stoning them God intervenes protects them but God is angry God says I'm going to annihilate the people Moses intercedes and says for your name's sake God for your name's sake for your name's sake to the nations that know about you and your people don't do it God relents but he says for every day that you spent in that that lands find it out those forty days you're gonna spend a year in the wilderness journeying around in the wilderness of 40 years and in addition to that everybody who's aged 20 and over are gonna die in the wilderness so the only people are gonna answer after that forty year period will be people who are 20 and under now and so they journey they go back into the wilderness walking walking walking walking walking complaining complaining complaining grumbling grumbling grumbling that's what they do and Moses is fed up with it and one day after they complained yet again about not having enough water Moses goes to God and he's he's upset he's ticked God says Moses here's what I want you to do give the people the water that they want go to that rock over there speak to the rock and water will come forth Moses doesn't like the idea because Moses is upset at the crowds he's upset with his people and he thinks God's being a little too gracious and he doesn't trust him he disbelieves in other words so he goes back to the people who want the water and he says alright you rebel so you want water I'll give you water and he goes up to the rock the rock II was supposed to speak to and he takes his staff and he hits it not once but twice and lo and behold water still comes out bad day for Moses though because God says to Moses Moses because you disobeyed me because because you did not believe in me because you thought it was being too gracious and because you called them rebels my people you're not going to enter the promised land either Aaron along with you Aaron his his right-hand man is spokes spokesperson and that's what happens Aaron dies before they enter the Promised Land and Moses - although he gets to see it God allows him to see it but he doesn't allow Moses to enter which brings us that's the first really that's the last four books of the that's pretty much all five that brings us to Joshua that brings us to Joshua so as we as we go to Joshua the Jew the Jewish people needle another leader and who does that turn out to be well it turns out to be Joshua before Moses death and you can read about it in the last chapter of Deuteronomy Moses Commission's Joshua to replace him and that's what the book of Joshua is about at least in part it's about it's about a book it's a book about new leadership it's a book about new beginnings but before we look into the to the nine verses that that were read for us who is Joshua exactly I mean we've heard a little bit about him but let's dive a little bit deeper if you're taking notes let me highlight six features of Joshua before we look at her nine verses the first he was an Israelite and therefore he had been a slave as worn wears be the oldie but gold he says he had been a slave before he had been anything else and that's telling for it's one thing to know your history but another thing altogether having lived it especially when you've lived through some pretty dramatic events Joshua had Jojo in other words had we heard about their history he had he lived through some like I said some some really stupendous times but horrific times as well he had existed under the tyranny of Pharaoh and thus had been saddled like so many others with that excruciating task laid on him by Pharaoh and on his countrymen he would have also seen the ten plagues that God brought upon Egypt forcing the Jewish Exodus and he would have lived through the crossing of the Red Sea and he would have seen the Egyptian army destroyed there and therefore Joshua would also have experienced firsthand the power and the protection and the faithfulness of God towards his people and his promises fulfilled along the way so so that's one feature note that he he was an Israelite who had lived there during that time tied to this and it's not a small point a second feature of Joshua to note was that he was a firstborn son he was the firstborn son of a father named nun and UN you can see that at the beginning of of Joshua why is that important that he was the firstborn son well it's important for he would have been in danger during the night of the first Passover where the life of every firstborn was taken who didn't have the blood of a of a sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their home and thus I think it's safe to conclude that Joshua's father nun and his mother too had been faithfully obedient and Joshua was saved as the result his parents faithfully obeyed God now when I save say that I don't want to take too much from this and and we all know firsthand that that a parent's faithfulness to the Lord doesn't guarantee that their kids will follow thereafter but it does go without saying that the the odds as it were go up greatly when our sons and daughters see mom and dad boldly and publicly placing their faith and trust in the Lord yes I think we can take that from I think that would have impacted impacted Joshua and it served him going ahead that's the second feature firstborn son another feature of Joshua to point out is that he was a soldier probably trained by the Egyptians but upon leaving Egypt he is called to enter many battles the first battle that the nation of Israel the Jewish people encounter enter upon going through the Red Sea is a battle recorded for us in Exodus 17 against a group of people called the Amalekites now if you believe as I do that the story of Israel is our story - meaning meaning their account of beings being set free from slavery going through the waters of baptism journeying in the wilderness as being led by the spirit until you eventually get to the promised land and how do we get into the Promised Land as does the law enable us to enter the Promised Land know who is Moses Moses is affiliated with a lot of things but he's affiliated with the law most of all the law doesn't get you into the promised land who does Yeshua Joshua Hebrew name for the Greek name the New Testament name Jesus the law doesn't get you in Jesus does Jesus is the better Joshua if that's you that their story is a picture of our faith journey then what I would like to offer is that the battle against the Amalekites is meant to serve as a type for our battle against the flesh but it was a type simply a simply a type is an Old Testament foreshadowing of a New Testament truth and therefore I'll give you an example of one before I get to ours Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 10 that the rock that Moses struck I just talked about that the rock that Moses struck if his staff was Christ meaning the rocks truck served as a foreshadowing of Christ that Jesus is the one who was struck wrongly in anger in disobedience and yet he still quenched his people's thirst that's a type so going to ours like that the Amalekites serve as a foreshadowing to that that as we are set free from slavery and pass through the waters of baptism and start journeying in the wilderness as being led by the spirit our biggest enemy our biggest foe is our battle against the flesh and the Amalekites serve as a type for the flesh as Paul writes in Galatians 5 the flesh and the spirit are opposed to each other so that's what happens you become a spirit person you enter a war a daily war spirit waging war against the flesh now why do we equate the flesh with the Amalekites well we talked about Jacob Jacob a moment ago he had a brother twin brother who was actually born first his name was Esau Esau was the brother who sold his birthright he actually despised his birthright what did he sell it for a Bulls do a bolus too in other words what he did is that he chose the immediate satisfaction of the flesh over the inheritance to come and that's what Esau represents the writer of Hebrews refers and equates him with unholiness and immorality so what's the deal at ISA ISA had a son his name was Ella fast Aleph as had a son the grandson of Esau his name Amalek the father of the Amalekites the first enemy of Israel listen for the account of that battle you can read it on the screen behind me it's a longer text but it's it's great the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites Rafa deem Moses said to Joshua choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands so Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered and Moses Aaron and her went to the top of the hill as long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning but whenever he lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning when Moses hands retired they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it Aaron and Hur held his hands up one on one side it will excuse me one on the other so that his hands remain steady till sunset so Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword and that's how we battle the flesh - with the sword and the spirit and good friends holding us up this battle led to the introduction of a new name of the Lord Jehovah Nissi which means the Lord is my banner you see Joshua fought valiantly Bali Utley that's true Moses held his hands up faithfully with friends to help but it was the Lord he gave victory for Moses wasn't holding up a staff ultimately but the Lord Himself but there you go job Joshua was a soldier that's one example but there's more to note about Joshua for he wasn't only a soldier for Moses but a servant of Moses which is a feature to highlight next he was he was a servant he was quite the servant Joshua served Moses faithfully we've just heard some examples and instances of such this battle against Amalek and I I remind you of him being one of the spies who came back and he was a faith-filled spy he came back and he encouraged as he did he with Caleb said in contrast to the other ten let's take it we got this it's ours because God said it was they don't don't miss that by the way what Joshua was in that to Moses but this is a very personal comment but there are a few things there are a few things more precious than someone undergirding your faith with theirs that's that's the rule that Joshua served with Moses there are many other examples of Joshua's service but one of my favorites is recorded in Exodus 33 again it's a longer text but let me read it for you we read now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp far off from far off from the camp and he called it the tent of meeting and everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp whenever Moses went out to the tent all the people would rise up and each would stand at his tent door and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent when Moses entered the tent the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent the Lord would speak with Moses and when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent all the people would rise up and worship each at his tent door thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend when Moses turned again into the camp his assistant Joshua the son of nun a young man would not depart from the tenth tent I love that image it was Joshua's responsibility to stay at the tent and guard it and he did faithfully tent guards are hard to find today aren't they you know what I mean like they're just hard to find yeah Moses go back I got this on this one commentator writes Joshua was jealous not only for the glory of God but also for the honor and authority of Moses he was a good servant man all of this was grooming Joshua for things to come that all of us of the previous battles his his faith faithful servanthood the things he had observed that things he experienced firsthand all of it was necessary and it couldn't be rushed for it was setting him up for next things it was setting him up for the next stage of his life I can't tell you how important this characteristic of Joshua is that this faithful service serving under someone I mean let me let me explain this one of the biggest mistakes I see in young leaders coming up in the church today and that's my context I think most of you know that I spent time most of my time in church this church and other churches I meet with leaders church planters denominational leaders and so on and and the biggest thing I see in that with young church leaders today coming up is that they lack patience they see a need and there are many needs around us and they sense a call and I don't doubt that they are and they may even have big gifts but in that they automatically conclude because I have I see a need to have a call and have gifts that I'm ready to lead and many times they are not and the reason why is that they haven't yet gone through the battles we are called to wait upon the Lord for there is strength and Nessen necessary training that comes the weight and only in the weights that's as important as any other training one can receive and when I say wait upon the Lord I'm not saying we don't do anything Joshu it was busy man I'm just saying we don't rush to the next step we don't pack up the tabernacle until the spirit starts moving as I have said ad nauseam over the years call doesn't mean immediacy and the need doesn't remove the importance of being well trained and training takes time and doesn't simply come with a degree or a gift set doctors get degrees but not without an intense internship along the way tied to this if one is unable to serve under another with joy faithfulness and honor then they're not ready to lead either that the best leaders are those who have had a season serving well under another garden tents taking on the flesh stand and guard I remind you as well that one of the fruits of the spirit is patience which is another feature to note about Joshua he was spirit filled in Joshua's commissioning we read and Joshua the son of nun was full of the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him so the people of Israel obeyed Joshua and did as the Lord had commanded Moses I I have run across many people in ministry perhaps you have run across the same in your line of work who have much education I mean they got the initials and some but lack wisdom education doesn't necessarily lead to wisdom they lack wisdom oftentimes and courage Joshua had both but what brings wisdom and courage well time and experience yes but the guidance and the in filling of the spirit most of all if you read through the prayers of Paul he will often pray that that the churches that he planted and the churches that he was affiliated with would grow in their knowledge and their understanding or the application of their knowledge in other words give them wisdom give them the spirit of wisdom Joshua had that which brings us to the final feature to note about Joshua he was a he was a successor he was groomed and chosen by Moses himself he was the successor of Moses it's not it's not easy being a successor but can you imagine succeeding Moses of all people what a daunting task I mean there's an adage in sports that says you don't want to be the coach who replaces the successful coach you want to be the coach who replaces the coach who replaces a successful coach in other words when you take over for someone like Moses excuse me but you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't if you do something great well yes good but it's not what Moses would have done it's not as good as Moses and that's why I love what God tells Joshua in chapter 3 you can read this on the screen behind me as well the Lord said to Joshua today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all of Israel that they may know that as I was with Moses I will be with you in other words hey hey Joshua it wasn't Moses it wasn't Moses I chose to exalt Moses and now Joshua I'm choosing I'm choosing to exalt you it's it's your time which finally brings us to our text that's all introduction I just want to spend a couple of moments in the first nine verses with all of this is backdrop now we have a taste of this guy named Joshua with all of it as a backdrop what does God tell Joshua now that he has succeeded Moses he tells Joshua be strong and courageous actually he tells Joshua three times in these nine verses in verse five six gives me seven and finally in verse nine Joshua be strong and courageous Joshua be very strong and courageous Joshua be strong and courageous and I like that for my guess is that Joshua in spite of who he was and and all that he had lived through was feeling a tad apprehensive and so God in His grace says be strong and courageous but but he doesn't just tell him he tells him how and why Joshua be strong and courageous first because of my presence in verse five I will I will not leave you or forsake you in verse nine for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go Joshua I'm here with you man I'm here with you I will never leave you I will never forsake you it should remind us of last week's great comission where Jesus said the same and with you ii be strong and courageous because of my promise look at verses two and three one more time Moses my servant is dead now therefore arise go over this Jordan you and all this people into the land that I am giving to them to the people of Israel every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you just as I promised to Moses it's a promise Joshua the lands yours we too have a Promised Land coming yes any-any faithful leader of God's people will lead his people toward that Promised Land that's what faithful leaders do a promised land that's our journey as well and last Joshua be strong and courageous because of my word Joshua meditate on it don't let it depart from you be careful to do everything according to what's written in it if you do you'll be successful you will prosper I promise so - with us and how many books of the Bible did Joshua we'll have five the first five that that's it and therefore if this is true for Joshua how much more for us who have the full cannon of God's written law sixty-six books and the empowering Ministry of the Spirit of God and the fulfilling work of Christ on the cross same call and so that's why that's why we're going through the book of Joshua because some of you are in a place of weight currently and you're anxious Joshua calls you to patience and because some of you are currently serving under another Joshua exhorts you to do so honor and because some of you are living in fear and doubt currently Joshua instructs you to be strong and courageous and reminds you that God is with you will never leave or forsake you and finally because because some of you are are leading currently and Joshua Joshua reminds you that whatever success you've had is because of the grace gracious exultation of God and that others will come after you and he will exalt them to to God be the glory amen to God be the glory I would like to invite Matt Menzel up on the stage and have him join me I thought it was cried out after the first I almost made it I almost made it I said in my intro that the Book of Joshua is about new leaders and and new beginnings today that is true for us as well it's with much sadness and yet with great joy and gratitude that I am announcing today that I am stepping off from the staff at Westside which will be effective July 1st it's important for you to know a couple of things perhaps most importantly that my relationship with this man is great and my relationship with the elders of this ministry is great so why am i leaving because the Lord told me to go and as I said last week if the Lord calls you to go you go where am I going I have no idea I don't know I will continue to do some part-time training work like I've been doing for the last while with multiply but but I don't know what's next I just know that my time time has done here what's also important for you to know is I'm no Moses I am no Moses but he's been my Joshua a faithful son in the Lord and a soldier in a servant spirit-filled and officially on January 1st of this year he succeeded me but now he just won't have me around to bother him anymore and so that's a good thing but he has been that that to me and and tenth garters are hard to find he's he's been that to me and so my my time has done God's leading me somewhere he's leading my family somewhere my wife she's not here today only because she's speaking at a woman's retreat up and up in Salmon Arm and she passes on her greetings but this is obviously tremendously emotional for her and obviously my two sons as well my son for two and three when Westside started and now one is graduating whole lifetime spent here and so I ask that you pray for us I'll be gone for the next couple of Sunday's doing some training I'll be back in June for a couple of Sundays and preaching one last time at the end of June and then we're gonna rest a little bit and then continue to seek God's face so I by the way before I think Matt wants to share some things by the way some people would think and this is God's providence the reason why you're teaching Joshua is because of this we actually chose Joshua before any of this had been settled upon just God's sense of humor and and and Matt was very gracious to me and saying why don't you do chapter one it's a very gracious of him to do that I Love You Man yeah so a few things will speak into this more there's lots to talk about obviously with this and we'll talk about this more next week too there are just a few things I want I want to say right now and I want to make sure you hear for me today three things the first thing is that I mean Norman or planning west side 2005 Mother's Day so that's fourteen years that's fourteen years next week and from the day that norm called or the Lord called norm to plant Westside we called norm not just deleted church but to cast vision for a ministry and norm has done that faithfully he might not think he's Moses but he's Moses to me because he is a servant of the Lord he's been a servant of the Lord and and he's casted vision well for this ministry and he continues to do that today he casts vision today and when the Lord week Missy and I came here to plant a church we came here just to hang around for a year or two and then leave and and and when norm asked me to stay on and we felt that maybe the lowest-cost to do that I went through a bit of a personal crisis of you know what does this mean for me what does mean for you know the things you've called us to do and the Lord very clearly spoke to me and I share this with norm years ago but the Lord very clearly spoke to me and said my job is to be for norm what I would want somebody to be for me if I was leading and and so following this man's lead has been the greatest privilege the greatest joy of my life and I'm doing that today today I'm following his lead because I didn't want this we didn't want this all I've been saying to norm is he's been leading us through these progressions is no no no the whole time but the Lord speaks to this man and he's a servant of the Lord and so he's leading from day one till today the second thing is leaders don't often lead this way very few leaders is very difficult to find a leader that will cast vision beyond himself or herself that's a very hard thing to find and that's what we're watching today we're watching a leader who is so much a servant of the Lord that he's casting vision beyond himself without that next step in place and and I actually just think that's divine providence I think the Lord we can't wait to see that neck and we can't wait for partnership with what they would in that next step but from from from for right now Norma's calling us not just me us us as the body of Westside he's calling us to do the very same thing that he's done for the last 14 years to be strong and very courageous that's what we're being called to do as a family following his lead and he's leading with great courage great conviction that few have and then the third thing is just I think it's the most important thing this is not norms doing this is not my doing it's not that doing of the elders it's none of our doing it's not our plan this is not our plan it says nobody's plan this is the Lord's doing this church belongs to Jesus this is Jesus Church nobody else's church is his church and so today as work none of us like change you know change is hard for most of us but as we're as we're moving into a season of change now that the question in front of us as a body is simply do you wanna do you actually want to worship a Living God a God who's living and active and does what he wants with what's his because that's what's happening he's doing what he wants with what's his and so change or no change the call for us is do you want comfort or do you want to worship a Living God and so I'm very excited to stand here and say that even though it's brought out some of the greatest fears in my life and the greatest insecurities and different things I want to worship a Living God and Westside Jesus is a Living God he's a living and active and he's leading us now and so norm I want to pray for you we want to pray for you would you stand please as we pray for norm and his family yeah thanks brother and Lord I want to I want to pray for our brother right now and I want to use the same words that he spoke over me the same words Lord that he spoke over me and in January hmm be strong and courageous have I not commanded you and norm I just I just feel the Lord just impressiveness that he is with you wherever you go that his success in your life has not done it he's not run out he's with you wherever you go but be strong and courageous and Lord we thank you we thank you for our brother we thank you for his family we thank you for Nicole we thank you for the way that you've raised them up the way that you've used them Lord the way that you've used them in our lives I thank you for the phone call in 2012 where norm wouldn't let me wouldn't let me leave the country I thank you God for your Providence in and I thank you for the way that you've used this man for the for the way that he's been a father to me a brother to me a friend to me a mentor to me and lord I just I thank you that that will not change and so father we lift the the funk family to you and we ask you Lord to fill them now fill them with your spirit fill them to overflowing God lead them lead them to what you have for them is as norm responds like Abraham did when you said go to a land you do not know Lord we ask that as norm steps out that you would you would make the path in front of him straight that you would bless them beyond measure that this Lord that the story of the last 14 years would pale in comparison to the next 14 God we ask for your grace we ask for your your mercy to be poured out on us now we ask for partnership god I ask that you bind us together bind us together God that even though we we were called to different things now Lord that those different things would be we would do them together still in love and unity with great friendship great partnership and Lord do more in this city in this country please go then we could ever ask or imagine do it now lord please please Gunn you are stirring something up in Jesus we've known that's happening we didn't expect this we didn't know this was coming but we trust you and just like the Israelites as they stood between the Red Sea and the Egyptians and you called them forward God we we want to we want to just recognize and just declare right now that we trust your goodness we trust your sovereignty and control we trust your love and we trust that you're working all things together for good to those who love you so father lead and lead Norma Nicole and bless them bless the boys it's good so in Jesus name be strong and courageous amen [Applause]

Channel: Westside Church

Views: 6,081

Rating: 4.8285713 out of 5

Keywords: westside church, jesus, vancouver, church, gospel, mission, truth, grace, bible, teaching, preaching, sermon

Id: llxm4J9cjQo

Length: 48min 10sec (2890 seconds)

Published: Mon May 06 2019