Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction: 2 former teachers

About freshness and vitality…

Story: Lose of a close friend, Mrs. Simpson who was 90 yrs old

The last time I saw her we were at a Ctn Christmas party.

“Hey Hendricks, what are the 5 best books you’ve read recently.  Let’s don’t waste time here.  Let’s get into a discussion.  And if we can’t get in a discussion let’s get into an argument.”

She died…before she died she sat down and wrote out her goals for the next 10 years.

Fully alive!  Some are fully dead but won’t be buried for 40 years.

Maybe this is one the serious problems we have in interesting young people in Christ and Christianity.

ILL:  Skiing – helicopter skiing.

On slopes in CO – incredible day.  Got on the bus by myself and I looked at a man carrying a woman who was about 18.  I watched and the man sat in a seat on the bus and he put his arm around on her so she wouldn’t fall.  She couldn’t communicate without difficulty.  She was happy and intelligent.  She has a problem, probably from birth and her father took her out for a day of skiing.

I skied all day long and never thought of what it would be like to have a body that doesn’t respond.  The brain is working.  Muscle memory.  Muscle coordination and took it all for granted.

She was, for lack of a better way to explain it,  spastic.  From a human viewpoint it is tragic.  But I thought of a bigger tragedy.  A spastic church that doesn’t respond to its head – Christ and they are doing their own thing.

 

Joshua 1-3

Introduction

A.        Their Story and Our Story

//ism  Hebrews

Hebrews 3:7-13; 4:6-13  LATER!

B.        The Big Picture

Genesis 11 – Tower of Babel.

God created the nations and set their boundaries.

Genesis 12 – God chose one man to become a supernatural nation to bring salvation to all the nations.

“Through you I will bless the whole world”

The written Word of God

The living Word of God – the Son of God.

I.          Their Moment in History

A.        The Community

1.         They were In A Time of Transition

            And if not transition, always in process.

No leader is irreplaceable.  And nothing is off limits to God!

We have many brothers and sisters

But only one Teacher

Christ is the only One who is irreplaceable in our lives.

We are in a race together.

But each has his own race which he / she must run keeping

Their eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith.

Are we committed to the Master and his mission and vision

Or are we committed to the personality of Paul, and …

Most of us do not like transitions

They knock down the paper walls on which we lean our

Lives and in which we find false security.

We forget that most of the walls we lean on to find security

Are none load-bearing walls.

Any none load bearing wall can be moved, torn down

And placed somewhere else or in the trash.

It is only the load bearing walls that give us security.

And in the Ctn life that wall are the person and promises of God.

The people of God are to keep their heads turned toward the Son!

They are to keep their eyes looking into the future.

Those who look back turn into salt or die in the dessert.

They get spiritually stalled and held back.

We love each other deeply, from the heart.

The life flow between brothers in Christ is thicker than blood.

In Christ we do become “kindred spirits”

But don’t forget in your search for “home” that we aren’t home and that we won’t be until we are at home with Christ.

Get your head in the game

And turn we head and eyes and heart toward God’s future for you.

2.         They are facing the fight of their lives

~ Get ready to cross the Jordan River

From a human standpoint this is quite a challenge

Their attachment to God brought great risks.

They were on the offense, not the defense!

Joshua 2:9-11

“Matthew 16:18 “I will build My church ; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”  (Job 38:17; Ps 9:13; 107:18; Is 38:10; 28:15-19)

Christ’s cause will prevail!

“gates of hell” = refers to physical death

Not even Satan’s assault on Cx at the cross could stop God’s plan”

1 John 3:8  “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

Let me ask you something.

Do you think that the battles they face were any more real than the battles we face?

Do you think that future welfare of their nation and their families were any more threatened than your future and your marriage and your  family and your nation?

 

Is the treat to you and your family less real today?

Their story is about conquering enemy territory.

Is our story any less about waging war against the gates of hell and

Destroying the works of Satan?

3.         They were armed With the Promises of God

God’s word will take us deeper into areas in which we have to trust Him.

Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts as you did

Go therefore and …and lo, I am with you

You shall be my witness

Love your wives

Submit to your husbands

Make a contribution

The command came with a promise from God.

“into the land I am about to give you”

“I will give you every place where you set your foot”

“no one will be able to stand against you”

The power to risk is in the promises of God.  (Piper)

These were ordinary people with an extraordinary God.

God’s community will prevail

No opposition, not even widespread martyrdom can prevent the triumph of God.

Luke 21:16-18  “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends , and they will put some of you to death , and you will be hated by all because of My name . “ Yet not a hair of your head will perish .”

 

Paradox: some will be put to death…but not a hair of your head will perish!”

“Go ahead and risk it all.  For some, it will cost you even your life but don’t worry, you will not parish.”

 

That was for them.

What about us?

Matthew 6:25, 31-33

Luke 18:28-30  “Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” And He said to them, “ Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children , for the sake of the kingdom of God , who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come , eternal life.”

 

God is still present and He has still made promises.

The power to risk is in the promises God has made.

But that power is unleashed through faith.

Their parents walked away from God and his promises.

They were faced with the same choice.

And now, we too, are faced with the same choice!

 

Hebrews 4:2  “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

 

Hebrews 11:6  “Those who come to God must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek Him.”

 

Are you arming yourself with the promises of God?

If not, why not?

Is there a connection between fear and discouragement and the promises of God?

B.        The Leader(s) Heart

Things unseen matter most!

1.         Joshua Had to Make a Decision

 

2.         Joshua had to make a commitment

to obey and

to go deeper

 

3.         He Had Obstacles

~ Self –will (have I not commanded you?)

~ Fear

~ Mental and Emotional Discouragement

 

C.        Life Principles 

1.         ‘Faith Rest’

“the Lord your God is giving you rest!”

Taking God at His word and

Taking action depending on Him to keep His promises!

2.         Band of Brothers That Stick Together

One for all and all for one

Citizen soldiers – Christian soldiers

War time mentality

“the gates of hell” will not prevail

Offensive war against the Kgdom of Satan

Airborne Rangers Theme:

“You go out together, you stick together, you work as a unit, and you come in together,.  If you don’t come in together, don’t bother to come in!”

If Jesus couldn’t do it alone, how can we?

If the Apostles couldn’t do it along, how can we?

“The genius of community is that everybody’s critical to the team no matter what his or her role.”

Are you standing alone or have you decided to throw in your lot with God’s knights in Gospel armor?

In your heart have you made the decision give up your spirit of independence to stand shoulder to shoulder with God’s people who are engaged in the fight of their lives?

Specific Applications:

1.         You must be born again

“that whoever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life.”

Are you a spiritual explorer

            Not committed to Christ or any non-God.  Just browsing.

Are you an observer?

            Attend worship and passively take it in but have no intention

To make a commitment to follow Christ?

Or, are you a participant?

            You’ve made a commitment to Christ.

 

 

2.         2 Peter 3:18 // 1 Peter 2:1-

Have you made a personal commitment to do what is necessary to grow spiritually?

 

Are you tackling your problems and weaknesses.

Having a problem is not a problem.  Not tackling the problem is a problem.  What problem of yours are you working on?

Have you participating in the means of growth?

Spiritual disciplines

            Bible study

Prayer

Meditation and memory

Faith

Stewardship

Solitude

“God uses all of these in a sovereign grace to shape and mold you.

Once I get people involved in Scripture memory we begin to see supernatural things happen.  Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time.  That’s where the battle is.

God provides everything we need for life and godliness. Don’t give me that jazz that you don’t have the power to overcome addictions! It’s His promises.  It’s His Word.  He doesn’t lie.”

Is Christianity living or is it really alive?

How many man (talking about males) do you know over 55 that are still tracking for J.C.

The tragedy is that we’ve so bought into our society that we are enamored with retirement.

“I have just 4 months until retirement”

Blow out their aorta on the way to Sarasota.

People are out of a job and out of purpose.

What are you going to do?  Play golf.  Is that how you are going to spend the rest of life.

Have you made a commitment to do your Christian life “in community”? 

Discipleship can only be done “in community”  Acts 2:42

Are you working on “the great commandment” in your life?

 

Accountability

            Soul-keepers.  Hebrews 12

The key is honesty. What do you want me to hold you accountable

for? What good is  it if you are not honest.  If you can’t be

honest enough in accountability then you  don’t have

character.

 

3.         Have you made a commitment to hear the voice of God and step out in faith in whatever area that is in your life?

 

In what area have you heard the voice of God and you are depending on the promise of God to get you through?

Are you exposing yourself to the possibility of lose for Cx?

Or, are you enamore with safety and clinging to security!

Are you self-centered or Christ centered learning to take Him at His word?

Hebrews 3:7-13 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, … Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Heb 3:7-13

 

Hebrews 4:2 “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

 

Matthew 28:19-20“ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit , teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo , I am with you always , even to the end of the age .

 

Are you learning to adopt a wartime lifesyle?

John 21:17-19He said to him the third time, “ Simon , son of John , do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “ Tend My sheep . “ Truly , truly , I say to you, when you were younger , you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished ; but when you grow old , you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go. ” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “ Follow Me!” Jn 21:17-19