Weights

Introduction

We are somewhere around the year 1446 BC.

Moses has led the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt.

They spent a year at Mount Sinai where Moses received God’s commandments.

They spent forty years wandering in the wilderness.

They just finished conquering the Amorite kings Sihon and Og.

Moses has just died.

The book of Joshua is a book about receiving God’s promises.

God has a Promised Land for them, and they are now ready to receive it.

Joshua was able to gain wisdom by Moses experience and also his own!

There was no amount of knowledge that could have given him the wisdom that he needed through his journey!

He watched Plague after plague sent down on Pharaoh

Joshua was there when God took them out of Egypt

Joshua was there when the Red Sea was parted and all of Pharaohs men were washed away.

He was there on Mount Sinai when the law was given to them.

He was a participant of the 12 spies that were sent out!

Him and Caleb were the only two that returned with a good report!

He spent the next 40 years with moses wandering in the wilderness!

During those 40 years he experienced Gods provision over his life….Poviding mana

Joshua was the one to lead Gods chosen people into the promise land!

What is the promise land?

It is all that God wants us to have in this life!

It is something that we must fight for

We see the typology of the leaving Egypt

Egypt = Our sinful life

Red Sea = water baptism

wilderness = early years in Christ

Rock in the wilderness = Is christ…The living water

Crossing over the Jordan=leaving the old man behind and entering the new 1 Cor 5:17

Promiseland= Life in the spirit

Picking up spiritual weapons so we can take what is ours

This is when we see walls fall down and giants getting conquered.

God has told Joshua that it is yours but you must battle for it!

Q: Are you willing to battle for what God has said is yours ?

Q: How do you battle even if the weight is heavy?

God’s Commission to Joshua

Joshua 1:1-2 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.

This is a continuation of the last chapter of Deuteronomy written by Joshua!

After death of Moses

Lord spoke to Joshua - God is now speaking to Joshua

Joshua was trained up by being a faithful servant to Moses!

The bible says those who are faithful over a little will be ruler over many!

If you want to be used by God, you need to learn to be a servant.

(Mk 10:42–45 NLT) —42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

:2 go over this Jordan

The people have been camping for a few weeks in the Plains of Moab , across the Jordan River from the city of Jericho.

Have you been faithful in the small things?

Does the weight seem to heavy to carry sometimes?

Joshua 1:3-4 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.

Joshua has the promise to take the land…..but they must walk in it!

We have victory over the flesh but we must walk in it!

We have to possess it.

God could of wiped out all of there enemies

verse 4

He marks out the territory of the land he gave them 300sq mi.

The most that they have claimed is 30sqmi

The boundaries of the Promised Land were quite large.

When you look at the boundaries that God points out, it looks like this, crossing into modern Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, possibly into the Sinai Peninsula currently connected to Egypt.

Q: Is that the amount of spiritual blessings that we have taken possession of!

Q: Are we only living at 10%

Q: What if we had an attitude of not being satisfied with our spiritual walk?

Live it

I think that God has a “Promised Land” for us.

He has a kind of life that He wants for us to live. It’s a life of freedom from slavery, slavery to sin. It’s a life of living in a land of milk and honey – a life of fruitfulness.

(Ga 5:22–23 NKJV) —22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.

In order to “possess” the land, you need to first “walk in it”.

This isn’t some sort of make believe life that we live as Christians.

We don’t just close our eyes and wake up one day with all these blessings from God.

There is a sense in which the land must be “taken”, must be fought for.

The land very much belongs to us, but we must learn to take it.

Part of that involves trusting in God.

Part of that involves swinging your sword and defeating a few enemies.

Joshua 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

:5 so I will be with you

I imagine that Joshua might have been a little intimidated to follow in the footsteps of Moses.

Those were some pretty big sandals to wear.

In reality, all that matters is that God is with us.

We get too caught up with comparing ourselves with other

people when we need to really focus on the main issue – Is God with me or not?

:5 I will not leave you nor forsake you

The writer of Hebrews quotes this verse and uses it in a different way:

(Heb 13:5–6 NLT) —5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

On my side

Whether your battle is with a Canaanite city, some sort of addiction, a person at work, or financial difficulties, we need to remember who is on our side.

(Ro 8:31–39 NKJV) —31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This doesn’t mean that I always get “my way” in every battle”.

Sometimes the work that God wants to do in my life involves me “losing” a battle or two, as long as His work is actually progressing in my life.

Sometimes I don’t need that raise or that new car, what I need is to learn to be content with what I have – and that’s the victory.

The real goal is about not being separated from God’s love, even if I’m facing a battle!

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

verse 6

Joshua called to boldness…..God is calling out his weakness

We all have weaknesses

Joshua struggles in being timid!

Courage - is resistent of fear……..

Mark Twain = Courage - scared to death but sattling up anyways

Joshua 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

God is exhorting him!

He is asking Joshua to be obedient

Don’t turn to the right or to the left!

right is adding to it

left is taking away

Q: When have you seen people add or take away from Gods word?

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

He promises that we will be prosperous if we obey!

Three things he must do and we must do!

1) We must not let Gods word to depart!

Mouth

The book was to not depart from his “mouth”. I think God’s word should affect our mouths. I think it ought to be something that comes out of our mouths. I think it’s a good thing to be sharing the Scriptures with people, to learn to answer people with things that the Scripture says.

2) meditate on it let it turn in your mind

Mind

Joshua was to “meditate” on God’s Word.

It should be a part of our thoughts.

For some of us, we need to cleanse our filthy minds with the water of God’s Word.

We ought to spend time “chewing” on God’s Word.

3) Do all that is written in it

Hands

Joshua needed to let God’s Word affect what he “did”. We are fools if we only talk and think about God’s Word and don’t do the things it says. Jesus said that you are like a foolish person building his house on the sand – you won’t survive the storms. (Mat. 7)

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they were good at knowing the Scriptures, but their lives didn’t match what they knew.

Are you going to be satisfied with scraps or do you want to be prosperous

Q: What does a life look like prosperous and good success as a Christian?

Our American Christianity has perverted the word “prosperity” to the point where all we think about is financial prosperity.

Finances can be a part of it, but I have a hard time thinking that the King of Kings was financially prosperous during His ministry:

(Mt 8:20 NKJV) And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

God wants us to have a prosperous “life”. He wants our lives to be fruitful.

(Jn 15:7–8 NKJV) —7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

God tells Joshua to allow the Word to affect these three areas of his life:

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Here is the third time God says Be strong and courageous.

I believe God is reminding Joshua again and again because Moses, did show some fear and not trusting God.

When Moses was scared of leading because He didnt have the best speech.

When God wants something done he will give you the strength!

Q: What weight is holding you down from not stepping out boldly in what God is telling you to do?

IS

F alse

E vidence

A appearing

R eal

Example: The media has scared us into believing a lie that is not real.

They show us evidence and stats but they are false, but to some it appears real and they live in FEAR.

So lets go out and lead the charge in this day and age being STRONG & COURAGEIOUS.

We think it is hard now to stand up for TRUTH….How about then!

There will never be a comfortable time standing up for TRUTH.

BUT GOD….BUT GOD

If He IS For Us Who Can Be Against US

Let’s Pray:)