12/11/2022 Graduation: Elevation That Demands Revelation!

Grace Place Atlanta COGBF 4700 Mitchell Street Forest Park, GA 30297 Website: atlantacogbf.org Email: info@atlantacogbf.org Phone: (404) 241-6781 Wayne D. Mack, Pastor / Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes December 11, 2022 Graduation: Elevation That Demands Revelation! Joshua 3: 1-4 NKJV 3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” 1 START Here . . . GM GP Today, I am finally making good on a promise that I made months ago time after time in the early part of the year, during graduation season. That promise was that we would honor and celebrate our graduates as we do each year. But this year proved somewhat challenging for me due to our piece meal return to in-person worship in the diminishing days of the pandemic. Well, this morning, I’m happy that we the occasion to honor our grads – at long last. Our known 2022 grads are Ashton Williams, Charity Haynes, Olivia Payne, and Kelsey Lonon. I believe we have others, and besides that I want to be sure that we haven’t missed any graduates that may have gotten lost in the pandemic shuffle. We will do our due diligence to acknowledge every graduate. I’m so proud of each of you. Some are here, others tuning in virtually. In today’s message, I want to encourage our grads through a message that was revealed to me through the Scripture from the life and experiences of Joshua. This morning’s message is one that has application beyond our present graduates; it has meaning for all who continue to explore and embark on new ventures. 2 But the spotlight of today’s service is on our 2022 graduates. In a message entitled Graduation: Elevation That Demands Revelation!, I want to share a nugget of wisdom and encouragement that will bless graduates to experience the ultimate blessing of their grand accomplishment. To be clear, life is full of graduations. In fact, we never stop graduating. Believe it or not, we’re always graduating. Some graduations are formal and others are just a natural part of life – like job changes, marriage, divorce, pregnancy, raising a family, moving into new places or new cities, retirement, or striking it rich. These things are all graduations of some sort or other. But with every graduation, especially high school and college graduations, there’s a principle and practice from the Word of God that I want to alert our grads today. That principle and practice is found in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 3, verses 1-4 (NKJV). Listen to how it reads: 3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 3 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” I want to make a few points around this passage as it teaches us something quite special about what is the spice of graduating. It says to graduates that your Graduation is an Elevation That Demands Revelation! Let’s return to the classroom for a moment and get a few definitions, then a short lecture from Professor Joshua. To begin, let’s define two key words in the message title: Elevation and Revelation. Elevation or Elevate is defined as . . . Elevation = the height to which something is elevated; Elevate is = to raise or lift (something) up to a higher position; 2: to raise in rank or status; 3: to improve morally, intellectually, or culturally; 4: to raise the spirits of : ELATE 4 Revelation is defined as . . . Revelation = : an act of revealing or communicating divine truth. : something that is revealed by God to humans. : an act of revealing to view or making known. : something that is revealed, disclosed; it is to make information known with an implication that the information can be understood.” Now, let me give some insight on the essence of graduating or graduation. A graduation is the essence of “what’s next.” We may even go so far as to say that a graduation is the essence of “What’s Next, not what’s NOT!.” Graduations are a symbol and a sign of preparation, progress, accomplishment, achievement, and advancement. You don’t graduate for nothing – as an empty gesture without purpose. You graduate for what’s next. You’re setting yourself up for something more significant. . . for a manhood, womanhood, a promotion, a better job or career, fulfillment of a dream, or obtaining a credential that is essential to your goal, or to serve in a certain role or capacity. Did you know that there are essentially only two types of graduation: 5 This is important because whether you know it or not, every graduation elevates you, even catapults you into new territory. No matter how much learning you gain in a formal training or academic setting the real world setting is a different place. It is a different application station. For instance: • High School/College Lab different than a J&J Lab, or Proctor and Gamble Lab • College Medical training vs. Hospital Operating Room • Crunching numbers in statistics vs. KPMG Graduations all about strategic positioning. Graduations elevate you into new, unfamiliar territory. And because of that, a wise grad should know you’re gonna need God on your side. Such was the wise instruction God gave to Joshua to give to the people who were on the verge of graduating to new territory. His instruction: Don’t Get Ahead of God. Since you’ve never been this way before . . . let God do the leading. Leave Room for God; Let God lead. Joshua 3:1-9, 17 3 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. 6 2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, 3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. 4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about half a mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.” 5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” 6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the people. 7 The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’” 9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the Lord your God says. 10 Today you will know that the living God is among 7 you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground. Three final points: • V. 5 – Keep yourself Pure; Consecrate, sanctify • Vv. 7 & 8 – Follow God’s leaders as they follow Christ • V.9 – Hear and Obey God’s instruction for you. Keep God in Front . Graduation: The Essence of What’s Next! But what’s next is incomplete without God. That’s why every graduation in life needs a revelation … from God. 8