Courage to Join God
Courage DNBC • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Courage to Join God
Actual values vs. strategic values
Priorities can be put on paper but can only be measured by how well you live them.
WE can say God is a priority but do we prove it with your life.
We can say that family is a priority but what do we chose over family?
True priorities vs desired priorities-- There is a difference!
People of Israel are ready for the battle.
They've been camped outside of Jericho.
Joshua knows The Promised Land is the goal.
What does he want more?
Promised Land- promised by God
Or God.
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”
14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
3 Questions to Examine Loyalty
3 Questions to Examine Loyalty
1. Whose Side Are You On?
1. Whose Side Are You On?
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”
14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
Joshua sees a man standing in front of him.
sword drawn= ready for battle- this is a threatening posture. (Gun drawn)
ILL- Police officer standing by my car with hand on gun.
theophany-
This is God in a form that man can see and understand.
If is an angel worship would not have been allowed.
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
God approaches man this way several times in Joshua.
Joshua asks a question.
"Are you for us or against us?" -
This is a wise question-- especially if we want to make sure we are on the side of God.
He was asking God if he was on their side or not.
We have our priorities messed up when we want God to be on our side. We should be on God's side not asking him to be on our side.
Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God- God is always at work around you. Join Him!
"I have now come"= it is now time/ God showed up!
They were obedient to be circumcised.
They were obedient to keep the Passover.
Now that God is here it is time to move forward.
Picture of surrender by Joshua. He had to align with God.
Theocracy
Once he surrendered he was on God’s side.
Do you desire to be on God's side more than him being on your side?
God is here.
Are we looking for Him? Do we recognize him?
When we are on God's side we have the army of the Lord on our side.
ILL-- King of Syria was pursuing Elisha and his servant.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
We must examine our priorities.
Is our priority to have God serve us or for us to serve God?
On September 20, 2001 while addressing congress concerning the war on terror President Bush said, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
You are either aligned with God or an enemy.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Whose side are you on?
2. Who is Your Leader?
2. Who is Your Leader?
14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
Deeper than just whose side you are on. Who do you submit to?
Worship is submission (last week)- what do you submit to?
addiction
drugs/alcohol
pornography
gambling
wrong priorities- anything you put before God.
Does TV get more of your devotion than God?
Family
Sports teams
"What do you command your servant, my lord?"
ILL- Samuel to God after God called his name. Eli told him what to say. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
ILL- Isaiah when seeing the throne room of heaven. “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
Surrendered.
Joshua joined God's team.
Japanese General surrender after W.W.II.
As leader of Israel- they all joined God's team.
When the leader is leading with the right priorities those who follow the leader have the right priorities.
But he did more than just align himself with God. He worshiped.
This battle just became an act of worship.
You worship what you submit to.
Who is your boss?
3. What is Your Goal?
3. What is Your Goal?
15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Parallel with Moses' burning bush experience.
1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
The place was holy because of who was there.
Did Joshua seek the Promised Land or God?
Promised Land was a gift from God.
Is the gift the goal or is a relationship with the gift-giver the goal?
ILL-- Christmas- how would you respond if the kid who was nice to you all month to earn a present suddenly rejects you after they receive the gift?
Seek God and his grace will provide for your needs.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Even when we do not seek him, God is seeking us.
1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.
God did not wait for us to come to him. He took first step.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
once again God spread out his hands to a rebellious people.
this time to die for there sins.
He came to us but he does not force himself on us. We must open our eyes and see. We must accept the gift.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
CONCLUSION
Are you ready to fall in surrender before the almighty God and join his team?
-Twice in American history the people of our nation had to choose their allegiance.
War of Independence- The people of America were mostly British citizens. They had to choose.
The Civil War- The people of America had to chose which side.
Where is your loyalty?
Where is your loyalty?