Entering Canaan
Notes
Transcript
Handout
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
We have seen that God has had a plan.
We saw where because of unbelief many fell under the wrath of God.
However, we also saw because of the faithfulness of 2, Joshua and Caleb, Possession became Possible.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
The Possession
The Possession
Joshua 1:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Joshua 1:3 (KJV 1900)
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Now, the Israelites were now in the wilderness. They had come out of the land of Egypt, they have now wandered in the wilderness for about 38 years, and now they were headed toward Canaan. Canaan is the Promised Land, the land of victory and the land of peace.
In looking at the history of Israel, we must also understand some implications of these events.
Egypt - represents the domain of a lost person.
While in Egypt, the Israelites were under the cruel and harsh power of Pharoah.
Pharoah is a type or picture of Satan.
Egypt is a picture of the world that binds and destroys everyone within its grip.
However, remember, they came out of Egypt.
God provided a miracle, through the death of a passover lamb and the crossing of the Red Sea they broke free from the chains of bondage.
This deliverance is seen in Christ that the Apostle Paul declares in
1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV 1900)
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Ephesians 2:5 (KJV 1900)
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
It wasn’t because of who Israel was but rather because of who God is that He saved them.
From there, they enter the desert that is referred to as the wilderness.
The wilderness is not necessarily bad. The wilderness is a place where our allegiance is proven.
It’s not a bad thing to be led in the wilderness, it is however, a bad thing when we remain in the wilderness or refuse to leave the wilderness.
Moses was placed in the wilderness to learn to trust God.
Israel was led in the wilderness before entering the promise land.
Jesus was taken to the wilderness before he called His disciples.
They have been saved. They have come out of Egypt. But they are wandering around in the wilderness. They no victory, they have no joy, and they have no accomplishment. They have come out of Egypt, but they have never entered into Canaan.
Canaan is a land of victory, a land of peace, and fruitfulness.
So many people get their types and shadows and pictures messed up. Canaan is one of these that is often misunderstood.
Canaan is not a type of Heaven. Even though we sing many songs that depicts Canaan as Heaven, this is not accurate.
The Promised land is not a picture of heaven.
There was war in Canaan.
There was sin in Canaan.
They went in to Canaan and returned from Canaan.
There were giants and failures in Canaan.
None of these things will be found in Heaven.
So, what does Canaan picture?
Canaan is a picture of the believer’s possessions in Christ.
Canaan is a picture of the victorious life in Christ.
The great danger that we are studying on Wednesday night and have touched on during Sunday mornings is that some people come out of Egypt but never possess their possessions. They wander aimlessly and defeated in the wilderness just waiting to die.
They neglect their salvation.
They begin to doubt God.
They miss God’s rest.
They remain immature.
They withdraw from a relationship with Christ altogether.
Canaan Meant Parole.
Canaan Meant Parole.
Canaan represents the life of freedom.
They were known as slaves but God released them from slavery and gave them freedom.
Romans 6:14 (KJV 1900)
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Not only did God give them freedom, but
Canaan Meant Provisions.
Canaan Meant Provisions.
Up until this time they had been in the desert.
And do you know what they had in the desert to eat? What? Manna.
And do you know how many times they ate it? Three times a day.
And do you know how many days in the week they ate it? Seven days a week.
And do you know how many weeks in the year? Fifty-two weeks a year.
You know how many years? Forty years.
Manna in the morning, manna in the evening, and manna at suppertime! I want to tell you they’d had it up to here with manna! Really, they were sick and tired of it! They said, “Our souls loathe this light bread.” (Numbers 21:5) That’s what they called it. They were sick of manna.
But you see, Canaan was a land of corn and wine. Canaan was a land of luscious grapes and pomegranates. Canaan was a land of milk and honey. It was a land of abundance. And so, the land of Canaan not only meant pardon, but it meant provisions.
Canaan Meant Peace
Canaan Meant Peace
You see, the book of Hebrews calls it a land of rest.
Now, rest doesn’t mean inactivity. It’s not rest from work; it’s rest while you work.
It’s the difference between burning the wick or burning the oil.
A Christian is to have a rest; his life is to be marked by rest, the believer’s rest. Jesus said,
Matthew 11:28 (KJV 1900)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
But before they entered into Canaan, they knew no rest. They had come out of Egypt, but they didn’t know any rest.
Canaan Meant Presence
Canaan Meant Presence
You see, up until this time, they’d had sermons about Canaan; they’d had descriptions of Canaan. The Lord had told them what a wonderful land Canaan was, but they had not yet experienced it.
Now, here’s the key to the whole thing: God has already given you victory. Did you hear me? God has given you victory. You say, “Well, why don’t I have it, then, if God has given it to me? God has given it to you, but you haven’t taken it. You have not yet possessed your possessions. The key to all of this is verse 3—look at it: God says,
Joshua 1:3 (KJV 1900)
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Now, notice they weren’t even in the land yet. They hadn’t even crossed the river Jordan yet.
Not, “I’m going to give it to you.” “I’ve already given it to you. It’s yours! Now, go! Take it!”
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He bowed his head and He said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) The victory was won. Jesus at Calvary said, “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31) Did you know the devil is already defeated? You say, “Well, he doesn’t act like it.” He hopes you don’t find it out. He is already defeated. Jesus on the cross defeated Satan. Jesus, by the power of His redemptive death, has given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you now have the victory. Christians don’t pray for victory; they pray from victory. Victory has already been won. The land of victory is yours.
That land is your land, but you are going to have to put the foot of faith upon the promises of God and say, “This is mine; I claim it.” And until you do, you’ll never know the presence of God and blessing. We need to possess our possessions.
Not only do we see a possession, but we see
The Promise
The Promise
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
And remember, all these things happen to them for examples to us. (1 Corinthians 10:11)Now, look at this promise, and let’s analyze it.
First of all, we see the promise of
Power
Power
Joshua 1:5 (KJV 1900)
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
There’s power to do everything that God ask you to do.
Living victoriously is not your responsibility; it is, rather, your response to God’s ability.
When you understand this—when you understand that God doesn’t call upon you to do anything, but God makes a promise that what He demands of you He will do through you—then you’ll learn to live the victorious life. And God is saying that you’re to be more than a conqueror. That’s what Paul meant in the New Testament when he said in Romans chapter 8, verse 37,
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
“more than conquerors”—super conquerors.
Not only does God promise Power, but also His
Presence
Presence
Joshua 1:5 (KJV 1900)
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Now, that’s wonderful—a continual, constant presence. You see, what the Lord was saying is, the promises didn’t die with Moses. God made a promise to Moses, but He reconfirmed it to Joshua; and the promises didn’t die with Joshua. This book is not what God has said; it is what God is saying.
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Oh, how wonderful—how wonderful—to know that not only is there the promise of His conquering power, but there is the promise of His continuing presence! Now, friend, if you’ve got His power, and if you’ve got His presence, you’ve got all you need to take your Canaan. There is a land of victory, and not only should you possess your possessions, but you should plead your promise. “He hath said, I will not leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Not only is there a possession, and not only is there a promise; but therefore there
The Preparation
The Preparation
Joshua 1:6–7 (KJV 1900)
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
Now we have said that God gives the victory, and there’s nothing we can do to get the victory; God already gives it to us. And yet there this verse that tells us that we’ve got to be strong, we’ve got to be courageous, and we’ve got to be obedient.
Here’s the secret—are you listening? Everything God demands of you, God supplies for you. Every command is a promise. Behind every command of God is the omnipotent power of God to carry out that command. You see, God doesn’t want you to be strong in your strength. God doesn’t want you to be bold in your strength. God doesn’t want you to be obedient in your strength. You see, you have to understand verse 7 in the light of verse 5 and in verse 6, where our Lord is saying, “I’m going to be with you. I’m going to strengthen you. I will not leave you.” And because of that, He tells us to be strong. Do you understand? It’s not my strength. It’s His strength in me.
Strength and Courage are a choice. You decide to be strong and courageous just like obedience is a decision.
God has given us
The Plan
The Plan
Notice now He’s already said, “You must obey me.” And now He’s going to tell him how, you see. Here is the plan that leads to possession:
Joshua 1:8 (KJV 1900)
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Proclaim the Book
Proclaim the Book
We are to proclaim the Word of God. Look at it again: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.” (Joshua 1:8) The Word of God is to dwell in us richly. But not only is it to be in us; we’re to be speaking the Word of God. There is power in the Word of God.
Remember
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Are the words of your mouth edifying?
Not only are we to proclaim the Word of God—
Joshua 1:8 (KJV 1900)
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
We are to ponder the Word of God.
Ponder the Book
Ponder the Book
It’s not simply enough to quote it; we are to turn it over in our minds.
This word meditate has the connotations and the overtone of our word humming. You know, do you ever go around with a little ditty in your mind, a little tune that you just can’t get out of your mind, and you just hum it? It’s a little tune you can’t get out of your mind. The Word of God is to be like that. It’s like something that you just hum, that you go over and over and just keep the Word of God in your heart and in your mind. You see, it must be absorbed in your system before it can do you any good.
We are to take the Word of God and let it dwell in our minds. We’re to chew on it. We’re to hum it. We’re to meditate upon the Word of God. And we are to ponder it.
Now, watch. Here’s the plan to pursue.
Number one: Proclaim the Word of God—use it as your authority, as your sword, as your power of attorney.
Number two: We are to ponder the Word of God; we are to meditate, and we’re to let the Word of God dwell in us richly.
And, thirdly—and here’s where the rubber meets the road—
Perform the Book
Perform the Book
Joshua 1:8 (KJV 1900)
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
The proclamation and the pondering of the Word of God are to produce in us the obedience to the Word of God. We are to proclaim it; we are to ponder it; but we are to perform the Word of God. This is the way to possess your possessions. You are to enter into that land with the title deed—the Word of God—and the sword—the Word of God in your hand, practicing, obeying, the Word of God.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Now you can say all you want about loving Jesus, but if you don’t keep His commandments, you’re a liar.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Are you ready to Possess your Possessions?
17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.
Don’t you think it’s about time that you possessed your possessions? Don’t you think that it’s about time that you started putting forward the foot of faith and saying, “This one is mine. My Lord has given it to me, and I’m not going to let the giants of doubt and despair move me out of this land”?