Can You Trust God? (General Adult)
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
God reminds Joshua of the promise He had made to Moses
Joshua 1:1–3 (KJV 1900)
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, 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. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Joshua reminds Israel of the promise that God had given to them
Joshua 1:10–15 (KJV 1900)
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; Until the Lord have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.
Friend, let me remind you that God has given us countless promises
He promised eternal life for anyone who believes in Christ
He has promised perfect peace to the minds that trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 11:28, John 14.27)
He has promised to guide and direct our every step (Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:105)
He has promised to never leave us (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5)
He has promised to provide for us (Phil 4:19, Psalm 23:1)
He has promised to be our strength when we are weak (2 Corinthians 12:9)
He has promised to protect us (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
He has promised us victory (1 Corinthians 15:57, Romans 8:37, 1 John 5:4)
He promised us forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
He promised us unconditional love (Romans 8:38-39)
And the list could go on
Maybe just like the children of Israel, you need a reminder of God’s goodness and His promises.
Maybe just like the Israelites, you too are about to go into battle or are already in a battle or storm in life.
Remember what God has promised to us
We have a hope that we can cling on to
Keeping in memory God’s promises will reassure the believer that nothing is impossible with God.
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
God is not a man, that he should lie;
Neither the son of man, that he should repent:
Hath he said, and shall he not do it?
Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
He will help you through whatever you are dealing with
I want to ask you a question.
I don’t want you to answer out loud
You all probably know the answer
But I want you to really wrestle with the answer for yourself tonight
Here is the question: “Can you trust God?”
Let’s follow the narrative found here in the book of Joshua in order to unveil your honest answer.
The Crossing
The Crossing
The scary
Joshua 3:9–13 (KJV 1900)
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
Before they even had come into the Promised Land, God seemed to be commanding the Israelites to do something scary
We see no hesitation
They were just reminded that God had already given them this land so whatever God tells them to, He will give them the ability to accomplish
Who God calls, He equips
Joshua 3:15–17 (KJV 1900)
And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
The priests had to step into the water BEFORE the water was stopped
They were carrying the ark!
They didn’t want to slip down the bank causing the ark to fall
This was during the flood season of the Jordan
But they simply trusted God
Their feet stood on dry ground
You may think that God is asking you to do something impossible
something out of your comfort zone
something that doesn’t make sense
But I’ll ask you the question, “Can you trust God?”
God may be working on your heart right now or has been working on your heart for quite some time about something
Maybe you have been fighting God on something He has already made clear to you.
But you’ve been too scared to follow his leading
“CAN YOU TRUST GOD?”
There is no one more trustworthy than Jehovah
There is no one more reliable than the Creator, the Self-Existent One, the Almighty, The Great I AM, The Good Shepherd, The Way, the Truth, The Life.
If you can’t trust Him, you shouldn’t be able to trust anything or anyone!
Maybe some need to voluntarily give up something important or beloved.
A job, a hobby, a vice, you name it
You know God has made it clear, but you’re scared.
How would I function without x, y, z?
What would others think of my decision?
You are talking your way out of it because you don’t trust God
Are looking for your satisfaction from a job or from the Father
Do you think your temporary pleasure will give you more fulfillment than God Himself?
It is never a good thing to do the opposite of what God has said
Maybe God has been working on you in terms of giving tithes and offerings
But you’re too scared to follow His leading
How will I pay my bills? How will I put gas in my car? How will I afford groceries
Can You Trust God?
We don’t see the priests questioning God’s command.
Were they probably nervous
Did their hearts probably beat a little faster as the began to step down into the flowing Jordan?
I would be shocked if they weren’t nervous and if they didn’t have rapidly beating hearts
But they trusted God.
How do I know that?
Because they put their feet in the water!
There are people here that need to just put their feet in the water and trust God
Can You Trust God?
The stones
And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
They needed something that reminded them of
God’s power
God’s goodness
God’s love
God’s sufficiency
God’s care
God’s trustworthiness
These stones would be a reminder to the generations to come how good and powerful God is.
The moms and the dads would be able to share with their kids and grandkids what God did for them at this moment and at this spot
But do you know what happens when you recount God’s goodness to others?
You are reminded yourself of how good God has been
When the days came when they started to doubt God was there, the stones would be a reminder
Young person, once you do finally put your feet in the water and see God do amazing things, take note of it.
Set up some memorials to remind yourself in the days and years to follow
The victorious Christian life is hard
You will need those memorials to encourage and remind you that God is powerful
But not only to remind yourself, these memorials are a great tool to teach others and tell them how great your God is.
The safety
Everyone made it over on dry ground
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
This may have seemed like a monumental achievement (and it was) but it was just a taste of what God had in store for the Israelites in the weeks ahead.
God’s people must be prepared before they can be trusted with victory.
Warren W. Wiersbe
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
If you can trust God in the smaller things, God will continue giving you greater things
It doesn’t work the other way around
So Can You Trust God?
The Battle
The Battle
The instructions
Joshua 6:3–4 (KJV 1900)
And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
Joshua 6:10 (KJV 1900)
And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
God’s instructions were very simple and clear
Walk around the city once for 6 days and 7 seven times on the 7th day
Don’t talk or make any noise with your voice
God’s instruction to us is very simple
Do all things without murmurings and disputings
Be not conformed to this world
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Thou shalt not covet
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
We could continue listing God’s simple instructions to us
We know they are simple
But they were not easy
The Israelites’ instructions were simple but not easy for them to swallow
In our eyes, it is a ridiculous plan for war
You may have questions and doubts...
But can you Trust God?
The obedience
Joshua 6:11–16 (KJV 1900)
So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.
Yet the Israelites obeyed every detail of God’s commands
Were they questioning in their own minds this battle plan?
possibly
Were they nervous that their lives would end this week?
Maybe
Was a lot at stake for them?
Yes
But they chose to trust God and is omniscience rather than their limited knowledge
What about you?
Do you know more than God?
Do you really think your plans are better than His plans?
Do you truly not trust God enough to obey His instructions?
Some still are fighting God in the mind even now!
You know what God wants you to do
You know that He can help you through whatever he is asking of you
You know that with Him by your side, You will be safe and secure
Can you trust God?
The Victory
Joshua 6:20–21 (KJV 1900)
So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
When the Israelites obeyed God, God was able to work and do what no man would ever think possible
History never tells of another army general who attempted this battle plan
Why?
Because it is insane
But do you know what more is insane
What is even more insane is when God’s children decide to not trust their Father
It’s more insane when the sheep thinks it knows more than the shepherd
It’s insane when the our tiny brains think we understand better than the All-Knowing
It is insane when we who are fragile and weak think we can handle our battles and our enemies better than the Almighty can
I’ve asked several times tonight, Can you trust God?
But I want to ask a different question…Will you trust God?
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful,
Trust Him, for his will is best,
Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place of rest.
Will you trust God?