Sermon Tone Analysis

Opening passage: Joshua 1:1-7 (NKJV)The Cost of Progress

Your Presenter: OrLando Yarborough III

· Opening passage: Joshua 1:1-7 (NKJV)

· Good Morning.

Welcome to the Black Church at Yale.

We have three leaders who make the everyday decisions for our church--students Lauren Okine, Jailon Henry, and Marvin Durogene.

My wife and I collaborate with them, and together with our BCAY members, we lead.

In school year 1972-73 BCAY was founded by students and has continued to be student-led/initiated.

(This academic year marks our 50th anniversary.)

· I am OrLando Yarborough III.

My wife Rashele and I are alumni of Yale's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

My wife, additionally, is an alum of Yale School of Medicine.

I came to Yale in 2003 as a graduate student, earned my master's, and in 2010 earned my Ph.D. in Genetics.

· At BCAY, our vision is to see you land, learn, and launch your best life.

I know that life is in and through Christ Jesus.

· In our opening text, Joshua 1, we enter the story of the Jewish people, the people of Israel.

They are on this multi-generational, multi-year journey with God and with each other.

(Their journey is both an individual journey of faith (with individual consequences and outcomes) and a collective journey of faith (with collective consequences and outcomes.))

· In this journey over years, generations, and geographical regions, several things are happening, some simultaneously:

· 1. Population-wise, the Israelites are growing from one person to a people.

From Abraham to the nation of Israel/Israelites/Children of Israel/Jewish people.

· 2. Faith-wise, they are going from being without God to knowing God personally...knowing God in a hands-on, intimate way.

· 3. Society-wise, They are transitioning relationally/culturally from being strong and free to being enslaved and oppressed, to again being free, and now, shortly, becoming victorious.

· 4.

And geographically, from living among themselves as a family to living in a foreign land, and now heading to live in their promised land--the land of Canan--just across the river Jordan.

This land God promised their patriarch Abraham to give to Abraham's descendants.

This would be a land of abundance (milk, honey), rest and peace from their enemies, and where God's presence would be.

· The Israelites' journey was multi-dimensional...numerous aspects worked together...they were experiences that were formative and formational to the Israelite people--these experiences took Abraham and Sarah's family, multiplied it, and formed them into the people of God.

· The journey began with Abraham saying, by faith, "Yes, God, I believe You, what you say, and will follow You forward."

· (A footnote: it amazes me how God can meet me right where I am and take an experience I thought had nothing to do with Him and use that experience to draw me closer to Him and closer to His will for my life.

(If you know what I'm talking about, say, Amen.)

· God has validated for me what the Apostle Paul taught the believers in Rome

· Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

· 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

· God can redeem every experience and move us closer to Him.)

· The opening text picks up at a dramatic moment in time.

· Rewinding some: The Israelite people were a family that entered Egypt.

After some time, after a change in leadership, the new Pharoh of Egypt decided to enslave and oppress the Israelite family.

Instead of diminishing under that pressure/oppression, the Israelite family grew and multiplied into the Israelite nation.

After 400 years of bondage, the Israelites escaped Egypt, miraculously traveling by foot across the Red Sea on dry ground.

They wandered in a wilderness for 40 years, trying to get themselves into the right relationship with God to move forward into God's promised land for them.

· The Israelites have come so far, counting by years, from their time of enslavement, yet their attitude has kept them from progressing further(--hence, the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years).

· Today now, is their season to go forward, to progress.

But they have experienced tragedy.

· (And I think about us today.

Yes, we are progressing (I look at you, and I see progress)--for some progressing in things personal, professional, academic, work-related, perhaps financial...as a church being in person, as a university being able to have Family and Friends Weekend once again, graduations once again.

Yet, a lot has happened (with you) leading up to today.

Accompanying this progress is, perhaps, much loss...sacrifice.

Yes, we praise, but I also want for you to know that it's okay to mourn/grieve...and to acknowledge all you've been through.)

· Israelites, beyond enduring 400 years of enslavement, a whole generation of warriors--of adults--have died during the Israelites' 40 years wandering the wilderness.

To top it off, now Moses has died--Moses who led the Israelites from bondage to freedom.

· In the wilderness, a generation is gone; the Israelite children have grown up and now are poised to progress towards what God promised their parents and fore-parents.

· We enter the conversation where God is establishing new leadership--Joshua.

This experience is sort of a "change of the guard,"..yet it is more than ceremonial or symbolic.

God is re-establishing leadership for Israel and reconstituting a path forward.

Opening Passage: Joshua 1:1-7 ; 10-11; 21:43-45 (NKJV)

Opening Passage: Joshua 1:1-7; 10-11 ; 21:43-45 (NKJV)

Opening Passage: Joshua 1:1-7; 10-11; 21:43-45 (NKJV)

· Joshua 21:43-45 (CSB) 43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there.

44 The LORD gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their fathers.

None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the LORD handed over all their enemies to them.

45 None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed.

Everything was fulfilled.

· Topic: The Cost of Progress.

(The Reward of Faith.)

· (Let us pray.)

· ((In the end) I know that you are going to get your degree.

I know that your family is going to make it through.

I know that you are going to progress towards the thing to which God is calling you, particularly this will be true the closer you walk with God personally, as a friend group, as a family, and we as a church body.

I know you are going to progress.

I am confident in my God for that.

But what I want to validate for you today is that the journey can be tough and the price you pay to make progress can be steep.)

· (There is a cost to progress--a cost that should not be ignored.

A cost that God acknowledges even while acknowledging the rewards of your faith.)

The In-between Space

· In between God establishing Joshua as leader and the children of Israel fighting battles to claim their promised land, God directs the Israelites to do several things.

Four of which I will highlight for you today.

1. Prepare Your Testimony

· God instructed:

· Joshua 4:1–6 (NKJV)

· I don't have to know you well to know that you have stories to share...about where you have been and what you have done, and how you have overcome.

Moreover, you have testimonies of God moving in your life.

· I want to encourage you today to clarify your story.

Don't let a season and experience with God get away from you without capturing what it means to you.

· Because you are going to need to remind yourself and remind those around you and those who will come after you what your journey has been and who your God is.

· People look at me now and think that life has always been easy for me but they don't know the sleepless nights and troubled thoughts.

They don't know what price I paid to progress or what relationships I lost to make it through.

· Similarly, people will look at you and assume you didn't pay much to get to where you are.

· But I recognize that you sitting here today may reflect sacrifice, determination, tremendous loss, hopeful gain, pain, hurt, joy, discomfort, devotion, and disagreement.

· I don't want to sit up here and pretend everything has been a walk in the park.

Even when things worked out it came at a cost.

Yes, you are here, but what did you have to leave behind to get here?

What did you have to pickup to make the trip?

· Look at your neighbor and say, "If you knew my journey..."

· -you just might help me praise Him.

· -you just might help me cry.

· -you just might help me shout.

· (Someone said dreaming is cheap.

Executing that dream costs you something.)

· Don't let a season pass without capturing your testimony.

· One of the first things God had the children of Israel do when they made progress toward their promise was prepare their testimony.