Faithful to Lead
Joshua: The Faithfulness of God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 12 viewsJanuary Bible Study: Session 3
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Personal Introduction
Opening ILL: Great is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas Obediah Chisholm was born in a crude log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky. From this humble beginning and without the benefit of high school or advanced education, he somehow began his career as a school teacher at the age of 16 in the same country school he attended.
After accepting Christ as Savior, he was ordained as a Methodist minister.
Chisholm’s health was unstable, and he alternated between bouts of illness and unemployment. He did everything from journalism to insurance to evangelistic work.
Shortly before his death in 1960, Chisholm wrote: “My income has never been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. But I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.”
After 30 years of serving Christ, he wrote a poem upon reflecting on the third chapter of Lamentations, a passage that had encouraged him over the years. His words were later set to music and made popular by George Beverly Shea at the Billy Graham Crusades. The words of the hymn go:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not
As thou hast been Thou forever wilt be
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside
Chorus:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Transition: This week, you have been studying the faithfulness of God.
Why is understanding or remembering the faithfulness of God so important in our lives?
This morning, we will begin by seeing the importance of faithfulness in the lives of leaders.
TURN: Joshua 3
Before the Israelites could move ahead to take possession of Jericho, they had to deal with an impossible obstacle: the Jordan River.
The Lord demonstrated His miraculous power over the river in a way that would never be forgotten.
PRAY
Leaders must first follow.
Leaders must first follow.
1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD YOUR GOD
Teaching Item 7: The Ark of the Covenant
The Israelites had learned to revere the ark as a symbol of God’s presence with His people
Its lid, known as the mercy seat, served as God’s throne.
It was a centerpiece of their worship resting in the inner most sanctum of the Tabernacle, a place called the Holy of Holies
The Ark played a crucial role during the Day of Atonement
Within the Ark were…
The stone tablets of the Ten Commandments representing God’s proclamation
A jar of the manna from the wilderness journey representing God’s provision
Aaron’s rod used by both Aaron and Moses to bring about several miracles which played a role the Israelites emancipation from Egyptian slavery representing God’s power.
CARRIED BY THE LEVITICAL PRIESTS- descendents of Aaron who were responsible for, among other things the care of God’s Ark
FOLLOW IT- procession would not be led by military leaders
2000 CUBITS- 1000 yards
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
CONSECRATE YOURSELVES- “sanctify, set apart, or make holy”
In this context, this spiritual preparation involved ritual cleansing, washing of one’s clothes, and abstaining from sex.
Would have made more sense for Joshua to tell them to sharpen their swords and gather their supplies, but this was spiritual preparation for a miraculous spiritual victory won by the Lord
APP: As Christians, we too are called to consecrate ourselves, but no through ritual cleansing, but through Spirit-powered repentance.
Colossians 3:8–10- 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Consecrate Yourself, PSG p38
6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ”
God was going to “endorse” Joshua as the leader of His people
Joshua would not promote himself
What do you think this endorsement meant to Joshua moving forward?
To the people who were called to follow him?
Leaders are set apart by God for certain roles.
But our willingness to trust and obey the Lord is vital to our effectiveness.
9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD OF ALL THE EARTH- the God of Israel was God Creator and Sovereign ruler over all the earth
…THE WATERS COMING DOWN FROM ABOVE SHALL STAND IN ONE HEAP- and over all creation
14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
TIME OF HARVEST- this time of the year would have made for powerfully rushing waters and flooded banks.
Waters would have normally been about 100 feet wide and 5-10 feet deep
AT ADAM- about 16 miles upriver
17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Like the parting of the parting of the Red Sea, what happened at the Jordan River, would serve as a cherished reminder of the faithfulness of God, fulfilling part of His promise to Moses and the patriarchs before him.
APP: Just as the Israelites were required to obediently trust in the faithful promise of God and follow the Ark as their way into the Promised Land,
we as Christians are called to trust in the faithful promise of God and follow Christ to receive God’s promise of Salvation and heaven.
Transition: Leaders must first follow.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Closing ILL: Chip
A teacher who wants to be a principal.
Got is admin degree.
Works hard.
Takes on extra responsibility, like coaching.
Has tenure and experience in the system.
Has applied many times for a leadership position.
But keeps getting turned down, because he doesn’t know how to follow.
He always constantly complains about those over him and rebels doing things his way regardless of instruction otherwise.
He has never served under anyone, anywhere that knew better than him.
Transition: Leaders must first follow.
The Bottom Line: Only leaders who follow the Lord are worth following.
Pray for God to bless them in their leadership roles and in their roles as followers who trust in the leaders God places among them.
