Taking on the Land Before Us

Joshua 1.6-9

There has been a stirring in my heart the past 7 or so weeks. It has been increasing almost daily. The LORD has used events to put me in the mix of our culture. At the town pool, at Target, at Barnes and Noble, an other places, my eyes are being opened.

I want you to join me on this journey! It is not coincidental that we are beginning the Book of Joshua, rather it is in God's perfect timing. This is God's time for us!

Like a mighty army moves the Church of God. It has become increasingly apparent to my soul how we are like Joshua and Israel.

Far too often today things are dismissed with great potential. So often this happens with the church. China and Africa are proof of this. Incorrect assessments are made. This has happened throughout history.
*Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for "lacking imagination" and "having no original ideas."
*Albert Einstein was not able to speak until he was almost 4 years old and his teachers said he would "never amount to anything."
*Colonel Harland Sanders began KFC with his first Social Security check. Up to then he had a string of failures at various attempts to start a restaurant business.

Joshua was 80 years old when he began to lead the nation into conquest of the land the  LORD God had promised them. Into the Promised Land, being right in the middle of God's work while in his 80's.

Joshua and Jonah are books of Destiny.
Joshua is focused on new beginnings, Jonah on judgement and endings (at first).

God's Word to Joshua as he prepared to lead Israel into the Promised Land is for you and I this morning. For the LORD to bring us into new territory, we need to understand His heart revealed in Jonah 4.11
But Ninevah has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right and from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?

We are called to be witnesses for Him.

1. Be Strong.  v.6
Ephesians 6.10-13 our strength is from the LORD.
4.13 become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Jesus shows us how to share our faith. I love John 3&4!
Strength to take on the land. The landscape is ever changing today.
Our strength, our help is in Christ Jesus. He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit for power to be His witnesses.

2. Be Courageous.  v.6
...we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us Romans 8.37
8.31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Joshua 2.24 how we need to trust in the LORD for a demonstration of the Spirit's power
I Corinthians 2.1-5
Not a drive or push but being led by the Spirit.

3. Hold God's Word in High Esteem.  vs.7-8
John 15.7 Abiding, remaining
The Presence of God daily by His Word dwelling within.
On your lips, in your heart, lighting your path

4. Don't be Terrified.  v.9
Sharing our faith can be terrifying! These days we are shocked by what we see.
Remember the LORD is going before you.

5. Do not be Discouraged.  v.9
Seven nations held the land of Canaan with strongholds of chariots of iron.
Sharing our faith today is a real spiritual battle.
Resist the temptation to retreat.

What a time to be a witness for Jesus Christ! Let's go!

Teach Us To Number Our Days

Psalm 90.1-12

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. (Deuteronomy 33.1)

This Psalm contrasts the striking difference between Eternal Almighty God with human life.

Colossians 1.15-20

The dialogue between Gandalf and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings is what the essence of this morning's message is all about.
Frodo: I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide: All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

God- Everlasting to Everlasting -v.2
Everlasting prior to the creation of the world.
Everlasting into eternity - forever and ever.   Timeless

Human Beings- us. Finite time here on earth/ Infinite (time) in eternity. God breathed into man's nostrils and he became a living soul. God has placed eternity in the heats of human beings.

Psalm 102.25-27 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your Hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.

1. Our Days Are Numbered By the LORD.
Psalm 39.4 Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days, let me know how fleeting is my life.
We are all terminal.
Psalm 31.15 My times are in Your Hands.

The LORD knows the span of our life. He has purpose in His Grand Plan for each of us. When we find Him at the center of our lives, when He is LORD of our will and our heart we begin to live like we never have before and discover why we are here. He has prepared things in advance for us to do. He has created us to be a part of His Mosaic. The word coincidence is no longer a part of our vocabulary because as we grow in our knowledge of Him we see His Hand upon us and realize that He knows all things and He is working in all things for our good and His glory.

Therefore...

2. We Need to Learn How to Number Them.
That is what Moses is praying here in Psalm 90.12.

Teach= observe, recognize
Learning to number our days begins with just that- realizing our days are numbered.
Step one- we are not here on this earth forever
Step two- there is an "urgency" in this

What does it mean to "number' them?
To weigh out, allot, ration

*Weigh them out- chart your course as you would if you live the full span.
Realize what's gone and what's left.
Maximize what is left while leaving the past in God's Hands (literally)

*Ration them- Spend them with being alert and aware that once a day is spent you can never get it back. Stretch out those days so they can be filled with God's goodness.
Dannielle, my swimming instructor, "Stretch out those arms! Reach forward."
Paul Limmer, my coach, "Full stride" We cover more ground by working less.
Dannielle, "Relax." Coach, "Nice and easy."

The recognition of life's brevity and God's Eternity is part of learning to number our days.


3. We Need Wisdom In our Time Usage/Spending.

Time is the great equalizer. Money and talent vary from person to person but we all have time in the same measure. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

Colossians 2.2-3
Don't waste time. Invest it! Make changes.
The Morning Watch- Oswald Smith
Do things that are eternal. They will outlast you! For example: pray.

If here on earth we number our days aright, we'll be so thankful in eternity. On the other side.

The Prince Among His Brothers

Deuteronomy 33.13-17
Psalm 105.1-23

I love to study the life of Joseph! From faithfulness to his great heart of forgiveness to his humanity, Joseph is a wonderful example of love for the LORD.

When Moses was blessing his descendants, the two tribes which came from his sons, were referred to Joseph as "the prince among his brothers (Deuteronomy 33.16) I pray I will live that way before the LORD. The titles men give to us mean very little. What we are known in heaven as is the only thing that counts!
Abraham, a friend of God
David, a man after God's own heart
Joseph, the prince among his brothers- One who is separated, consecrated, called aside, built aloof.

Don't be concerned about titles on earth. Set your heart on things above.

Now about Joseph...Psalm 105

1. God Got Joseph Down to Egypt as a Slave Psalm105.17
His ways are beyond our finding out! They are mysterious and wonderful but not without pain and suffering at times.
We see God's Sovereignty at work here.
He gave Joseph the dreams.
His purpose included relocation to Egypt so he could save his family, ensuring God's Promise to Abraham.
He had His Hand upon the whole 13 years of separation and suffering.

God's ways are not always what we would chose for ourselves.

We see Joseph suffering through God's will.
God combines suffering and His sovereignty. Seldom, if evere His purposes immediately. He reveals them in His time.

It is difficult when there is no one to relate to- feeling alone in suffering. So often people grieving have this sensation of being alone and not having anyone who understands.

So Joseph is separated from his family, lied about to his father by his brothers and in Egypt- far away from home, sold as a slave, lonely, homesick, heartsick and yet amazing faithful to the LORD and his earthly master. Potiphar put him in charge of his whole household.

Then literally he hit bottom. Potiphar's wife's false accusations landed Joseph in prison.

2. Wait For God's Word to You. vs.18-19
God spoke to Joseph in dreams.
He speaks in many ways. To Martin Luther it was the words, "The just shall live by faith." To many missionaries it has been through a pull to a certain country or language. To us it can be in any number of ways: dreams, visions, God repeating a thing a number of times. When my daughter, Theresa, went to Kenya to work in that AIDs orphange a decade ago it was through hearing about the HIV problem in Africa in a number of media sources. She said, "Everywhere she turned she was hearing or seeing it."
Psalm 119.49-50
Remember Your Word to Your servant, for You have given me hope.
My comfort is my suffering s the: You promise to preserve my life.

We have all had God speak to us. He does this at special times like our baptism or our confirmation when we were given a verse for life. He does it through people and places.

Sometimes His Word is in our hearts with a deep sense of purpose, no audible words
Psalm 27.14

While you wait...
3. Humble Yourself and God Will Raise You up In His Time.  vs.20-23
He makes all things beautiful in His Time!

The Ceprocia Moth- the struggle is necessary for it to fly. Without the struggle it would die.

Joseph went from the prison to the place of Pharaoh in an hour!

Joseph accepted his position as a slave and as a prisoner. He was humbled by this but exalted to a position of honor, yet he continued to serve Pharaoh, people and his God.

Those who have servants as leaders are blessed people. Pity those who do not.

The prince among his brothers. May it be said of you!

Open Hearts For God's Word

Deuteronomy 32.1-4

Like an unfathomable mine, God's Word is rich beyond measure with wisdom for every day and hope for eternity. I love the things the Bible has to say about itself. God speaking about His Word:

For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even tot he dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4.12


All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3.16


Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy spirit. II Peter 1.20-21

I love the things the Psalmist writes in the 119th Psalm about the Word of God:
v.89  Your Word, O LORD is eternal. It stands firm in the heavens.
v.105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
v.9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word.
v.11 I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away but My Word will never pass away."

Isaiah (55.10-11) wrote As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flower, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so it is with My Word that goes out from My Mouth: It will not return to Me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah and Moses both use this analogy of the Word of God being like rain.

Primarily this means:

1. God's Word Has Come Down From Heaven.
Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit II Peter 1.21
From the Throne of God, the LORD spoke. The Holy Spirit came upon these men and the wrote down what the LORD was saying in their hearts.

David wrote Psalm 23 out in the fields of Bethlehem, as he took care of the family's sheep. Up the road 6 miles Jeremiah years later wrote Lamentations from outside the Wall of Jerusalem as the smoldering ruins of the city filled the air and broke his heart. Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi from Roman Imprisonment. John wrote down The Revelation of Jesus Christ to show His Servants what must soon take place. He wrote it on the Island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. It was on the LORD's Day he received this.

All of this came to earth to these men and others who wrote what we know as the Bible from the LORD God Almighty.

The Word of god came down to earth from heaven
From the Father and the Son, through the Spirit it was given.
It has stood the test of time, His sure and certain Word,
And blessed the hearts of all who obeyed it when it was heard.

2. God's Word is Like Rain.
It waters our hearts and our souls.
like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants Deuteronomy 32.2
When there are is  grass and tender plants, the ground has been broken up to receive the  seed and the rain. This is so the rain can get down to the seed and help it germinate and form root. It brings vitality and strength to the life of the green grass and plants.
We open God's Word- we humble ourselves.
We pray, "Search me O God, know my heart, try me know my thoughts. See if there be some wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
We ask God to break up any fallow ground in us and we are asking Him to make us receptive to His Word. We should remain broken before the LORD. God is looking for broken people- those are the ones on Whom He pours His Spirit out on. They are the ones who take in His Word.

Too many contend rather than surrender. Just  take this matter of forgiveness. What God's Word says about it.

3. Take in the Word of God.
Lamentations 3.22-23 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.
Take it in each day- meditate on it at night. If you can't sleep pray and bring up God's Word.
Come to Bible Study.
Be ready to receive it each LORD's Day by beginning on Saturday night.

Have an open heart for God's Word!

The Church's Love For Christ

Acts 19.1-22, Ephesians 3.14-21, Revelation 2.1-7

Churches are born and they develop and unfortunately many end up in need of correction, to return to their roots and become a vibrant light again.

Churches go through stages. The Ephesian Church is the one and only church in God's Word we can see from its inception, an epistle written to it and a message from Christ to it in that stage of correction.

Interestingly often when churches are studied these days you see the tracing of its attendance and finances but seldom is the issue Jesus had with this church addressed. It is ALL important.

The Ephesian Church had, in the words of Christ to it, forsaken its first love. Before delving into this let's go back to its beginnings to see what it was before this message of Christ Jesus was given to it. What was its first love?

1. The Ephesian Church was born in a great move of God. Acts 19.1-22
Water baptism of believers and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit were in its early days.
John the Baptist spoke of both. Jesus did as well. In fact His final instructions before He went into heaven in those last days before the ascension contains both.

The account in Acts 19 of the beginnings of this church start with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some have called this The "Ephesian Pentecost". By v.10 we are told that everyone in the Province of Asia heard the Word of the LORD. The gospel was explained to everyone, to each person, so they could understand it... the Baptism with the Holy Spirit which Jesus spoke about in Acts 1 to empower the church to share the gospel. The apostles needed this to carry out  Jesus' command to go into the all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. They needed this to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. We do too!

The Baptism with the Spirit gave (gives) instantaneous power and boldness, vision and the ability to speak God's Word with great boldness. God confirms His Word with miracles, signs and wonders.

So this church in the city of Ephesus was used by God to evangelize the entire province.
Being filled with God's Spirit gives power and over a period of time there is the fruit of the Spirit which develops. That fruit is love.

2. Paul, the apostle, prayed for their growth in love. Ephesians 3.14-21
Rooted and established in love- v.17
Power to grasp the enormity of the love of Christ.-v.18
to know this love and be filled with all the fullness of God -v.19
knowing the unknowable, His love higher than the heavens, reaching tot he sky!

By the time John receives The Revelation of Jesus Christ with the message to this Church at Ephesus some 30 years have passed and Jesus after commending them for their deeds, hard work and perseverance, not tolerating wicked men, testing would be apostles, enduring hardship and not growing weary- they were a very good church, ahead of many, yet-

3. The Ephesian Church had forsaken their first love. - Revelation 2.1-7
first= in time and place and rank. Out of their love for Christ they their priorities in good order- correct order- their motive and actions were on target. We know they were strong witnesses- they held to the truth. the Word of the LORD spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19.20

What happened?! that Christ told them this!

Simply could have been their heart was not as affectionate for Him as in the beginning.
What were the early days of  our church like? No building, Main Street Memorial Building, Smith Street What brought us together in 1945?

Perhaps other issues became more important than witnessing- spreading the Word. It could be that they had become bitter and angry- perhaps they had gotten caught up in getting rich quick schemes?

The height from which they fell - Love is the highest place a church can come to. You cannot improve on love!

Perhaps God's Word and prayer wasn't as important as it once was- maybe they stopped teaching about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit- we have all seen that happen.

Jesus gave them a solution Remember- Repent- do the things you did at first.

Tough Questions For Difficult Times

Deuteronomy 31.14-18
Psalm 77

Life's experiences, both good and bad, are addressed in the Psalms. In the closing of his farewell message to the nation of Israel, Moses spoke of Israel's rebellion in the future and how it was going to impact their relationship with God. God would judge them and this would lead to questions, one of which would be, "Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?"

When life brings difficulties, questions arise. When the LORD is disciplining us deep questions come to mind.

Because of Israel's national sins, God brought His judegement upon them. The LORD's rebuke or correction is never a pleasant thing. It is done out of love but when we are experiencing it it is painful.
Revelation 3.19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
Hebrews 12.11 no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Pain, difficulties, whether from the discipline of the LORD or the enemy coming against us as he did with Job and Joseph, always causes questions to arise.

Psalm 77 contains many of these questions:

1. How Long is it Gong to Last? vs.7-8
On earth the feeling of the absence of the LORD's favor, love, promises, mercy and compassion can seem like an eternity.

The Psalmist Asaph is grappling with these issues in light of time and eternity. When we experience pain and difficulties the sense of time seems to be swallowed up by them. That is why when we are in deep grief we can find it hard to remember what happened in segments of time.

Sometimes words like, "You'll get through this," have little meaning because to us the pain seems endless. That is what Aspah was feeling. He is expressing in this lament what David struggled with when he wrote in Psalm 6.3 "My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?"

2. Is This A Lapse on God's Part? - v.9a
Forgotten = cease to care, ignored our plight, has no pity.
We know from God's Word that there is never a laspe of His part!

Some have expressed feelings of spiritual frustration, many times, when someone they love is suffering. When there does not seem to be any reason, answers are hard to come by tot he questions which keep coming day after day.

3. Has God's Anger Overtaken His Compassion? -v.9b
Has He turned His Face away? II Chronicles 7.14 is Gods Prescription for a Sick Nation.

In the case of Israel, in the case of America, we can see that when we experience difficult times and these tough questions arise we ought to ask these things and turn to His Word.

In individuals we can experience that dark night of the soul, like the 10 years David spent feeling from Saul, the 13 years Joseph spent in Egyptian prison, for nothing they had done, rather they were faithful before they suffered and faithful during it. Job sustained horrible losses but it was not a result of disobedience.

I am sure it seemed like an eternity to them at the time. We don't know much about Joseph's thoughts during his nightmare but David graphically describes the depth of his struggle and the questions that arose. We know of Job's trials. In all of it he did not sin by charging God foolishly.

Solutions, not answers to the questions, rather hope for the soul are given in the remainder of Psalm 77. You will read similar things in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 this week.

Appeal to God- v.10
Remember His deeds, miracles of long ago v.11
v.20 Like a Shepherd He leads us- not always easy for the sheep.

There are examples and songs of those who suffered and their perspective on it.

William Cowper is one of those.

Rainbows

RAINBOWS



Genesis 9.8-17

In our scripture reading in Deuteronomy this week we read about Moses leading the people of Israel in a renewal of the covenant. (c.29)

This morning we are going back to Genesis, to the first covenant God made. It was just after the flood, Noah and his sons and their wives had come off the ark. God promised that He would never again destroy the earth by water.

Each covenant has a sign:

Old Covenant- circumcision

New Covenant-baptism

Covenant with Noah and his sons- the rainbow

The rainbow is a sign in the sky from God to the earth and it inhabitants.

1. Exactly What are Rainbows?

They are what happens when the sun shines through the rain. The rain acts like a prism and separates the light into different colors.

Let's go back to the first one: Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth." (Genesis 6.6) God destroyed the earth's inhabitants with the flood. People had grown so wicked that God wiped them out. He was grieved that He had created man. But Noah found grace in God's eyes. Noah came out to find everyone he had known save the 7 people on the ark were gone without a trace. Cities were gone. The terrain was different. There were not the birds flying around like before. The animals came out and the earth was starting over in many ways. As wicked as the people were Noah had preached to them. You cannot truly preach to people unless you love them. There was the loss of all theser souls. Like Jeremiah he did not have a single convert.

Rainbows are a symbol of God's love. The Son of God works in our sorrows.

Hallelujah, What a Savior! was written by Philip Bliss

Philip was one of the most prominent hymn writers of the late 1800's He wrote at a time when many hymns were being written. Great moves of God were taking place at that time. The China Inland Mission led by Hudson Taylor was underway. D.L. Moody was going around the world with the Gospel. George Muller was supporting both as well as 10,000 orphans in England. Denominations which formed the evangelical movement were in their seed state.

Bliss worked on a farm growing up and in lumber camps, but eventually he became a music teacher. He sold his first song at age 26 and later worked for a hymn publisher. It was Moody who urged Bliss to become a song evangelist, and so he did beginning in 1874. He wrote Hallelujah What A Savior in 1875. In 1876, while traveling through Ohio, Bliss and his family were involved in a horrible train wreak. He went back into the fiery train to save his wife, bu they both died.

Deuteronomy 29.29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God... Why would this happen to this wonderful write of hymns at age 37, such a young man? I don't know. Yesterday Tim Smuck spoke at the funeral of his 5 week old daughter, Sophie: "My heart is broken, but my faith is not." Bliss hymns are part of the rainbow. Tim's words are as well. Tears shining God's love because the Light is coming through!

2. When are Rainbows Seen?- v.13

Mostly in the evening.

They are seen in the rain (in the storms of life) when the sun peeks through or even fully shines. Beauty comes when God shines through our storms and trials. Bitterness comes when we shut out His light and love.

Psalm 19.1-5- could David have had the rainbow in mind?

The Beauty of the LORD coming t us in our pain.

3. Who Sees Them?

Those who learn to dance in the rain

Those who don't mind getting wet!

Those who look to heaven.

God has Jesus' story in the sky: Creation, His Birth, Ministry, His Death, Ascension and His Return Rainbows remind us that the LORD is faithful to all His Promises.

4. What They Look Like From Heaven.

A ring, an unbroken circle- God looks down from His Throne in love, His Great love, higher than the heavens!

In the storms look for the rainbow!