FBC at a crossroads - riverbank

Introduction

Good morning, thank you for joining us today. Today I will be giving the lesson, and as FBC approaches this current transition, you will be hearing teaching from the elders for the next few weeks. I don’t want to minimize the hurt you might feel after last week, or the shock. All I can offer to you is that the elders of FBC are open to having discussions with you, that we are hurt and shocked as you are.

But like I said, I don’t want to minimize these very real emotions, the reality is that we are still Fellowship Bible Church, we are still very much rooted in the word of God, we still believe we are on a God-given mission to bring the Kingdom of God here on earth, and we still very much stand on the grace of God. A grace that is not earned or deserved, but is a gift of a loving and compassionate God.

Moses my servant is dead

That said, this morning we are going to reflect on another group of people that found themselves with a change in leadership, before undertaking a monumental task put ahead of them. Turn to Joshua, chapter 1.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel

The people of Israel here in Joshua were a different group of people that were delivered from Egypt. Through Moses, God delivered his people from oppression in Egypt, parted the sea to deliver them from Pharaoh's Army, provides as they wander in the wilderness. At Mt Sinai, God comes down onto the mountain with cloud, thunder, lightning, trumpets, quakes. God speaks with Moses, gives the law to Moses. Moses goes up on Mt Sinai and the Israelites turn to Aaron.

English Standard Version Chapter 32

Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.

Are you kidding me, in front of the smokey, thundering, lighting and fire trumpet mountain, “lets make some gods”. They make a golden calf, sacrificed to it, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

These people are toast, right? I’ve seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, and I imagine something like that happening. God tells Moses to leave him alone.

English Standard Version Chapter 32

I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you

But Moses intercedes, he makes the case asking, what will the other nations say.

English Standard Version Chapter 32

O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people

Moses and God have a conversation and God relents.

I mentioned that this is a different group of people. Later on, the Lord tells Moses to send 12 spies into the land of Canaan, 12 spies, one from each tribe. The spies go and find grapes, pomegratnates, figs. They cut down a single cluster of grapes that is so big it takes two men to carry it suspended from a pole.

The 12 spies returned with a report about this bountiful land, but also that the land was inhabited by a strong people, including giants. Ten of the spies reported that Israel was not able to to go up against the people in this land, but two of the spies quieted the people and said:

English Standard Version Chapter 13

Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.

The people of Israel instead listened to the 10 spies, and grumbled against Moses. They wanted to rebel against Moses, elect a new leader and go back to Egypt.

The two spies who gave a favorable report about the land were Caleb and Joshua.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” 10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

God says to Moses

English Standard Version Chapter 14

How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.

And then Moses intercedes again for Israel, reminded God that his is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression. And the Lord relents again.

But the consequences of this rebellion is that this generation would die in the desert. Caleb and Joshua were exempted from this.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers

The other 10 spies were killed by a plague, and this caused the people of Israel to change their minds. They were ready to go to battle, but it was too late. Moses warned them against it, but they went into battle without the Ark of Covenant and Moses, and they were defeated.

So here we are, 40 years later, at the banks of the Jordan, the children of that generation now have a new leader.

God tells Joshua to arise. This call to action, reveals that now is the time for Israel to proceed after 40 years of waiting. Following God will require listening, patience and obedience.

Go with God

English Standard Version Chapter 1

3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

Joshua has seen how good the land is first-hand, he knows what battle is like when the Lord goes before you when he is with you. Joshua has recently witnessed God give Israel victory over the Amorite kings, King Sihon and King Og. Og was a giant, the account in Deuteronomy 3 of his bed described it as being 13.5 feet by 6 feet.

Joshua and Caleb were not phased by giants and strong armies, they called them out as what they were, “bread for us.”

A Haiku ???

I wrote a Haiku for this.

When God goes with you, there are no giants, just bread. Without God, you’re dead.

Appointed

Joshua is a leader that has been appointed by God and Moses. There was no power struggle when Moses died. And the people of Israel were ready, when Joshua does to command them before they cross the Jordan, they are ready.

English Standard Version Chapter 31

So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken. 4 And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Be strong and courageous

Be strong and courageous:

Trusting that God will use you

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them

God is instructing Joshua to follow a call that has been given to him. It is a call to lead Israel on their destined conquest of the promised land. The calling here is clear. As Joshua tried to persuade the Israelites 40 years ago, when God is for your there is no enemy too big. To follow God, you need to trust him

Devotion to the book of the law

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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.

Only by following God will there be any victory. God does not want us to break out on our own, he desires our obedience and our devotion to him. Joshua was told to be careful to do according to all the law that Moses commanded. When Israel breaks with God’s commands, they experience curses and death, when they follow God’s word, they experience blessing and life.

God is the source of life, to turn from him is to turn from life. When in a dark room with a light on the far side, if you turn from the light there is only darkness. This isn’t a malicious God holding a stick, withholding good things when his people turn away, this is the source of all good things calling his people to come experience them.

So how do we find that source of life? God tells Joshua to not let his Book of the Law depart from his mouth, to meditate on it day and night. When all you do is talk about something, you can’t help but think on those things. When you meditate on things, it flows out in your actions. Hearing alone isn’t enough, for the word of God to benefit you it needs to be meditated on, in your mouths and on your tongues. We share how we have seen God work, “yay God” stories, and if we talk about what God is doing, it we meditate on it, you will find it difficult to prevent yourself from doing and following. And when you follow God, you will have successful and prosperous life. Be careful that you don’t associate the world’s definition of a prosperous life to following God.

James

English Standard Version Chapter 1

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go

By very nature of the word, “follow” implies that the Lord will be with you. It is not that the Lord will follow us, but knowing that when following God, he makes the way before you open. Yahweh is the God who fights for us, he fights the battles, and he invites us to come and see what he is doing. Don’t be frightened or dismayed by giant obstacles that you feel you can overcome. God knows you can’t overcome them on your own, he never asked you to overcome them. How can you be following God when you are focused on fighting some side battle. Just like when the sea was parted, God goes ahead of us. Sometimes he allows us to experience discomfort, but those only make your faith stronger. Take joy in those moments knowing that God is showing your how your faith is growing!

I want to close with this. When you hear a challenge like this to follow God, to keep his word in your mouth and heart, to not be afraid, it is easy to come to the conclusion that you have a lot of work to do. Gotta roll those sleeves up! And I’m not saying a walk with God is a passive thing, after all to follow is an action.

But here is a spoiler alert. Joshua crosses the Jordan, sometimes they follow God and experience success. Sometimes they break with God and don’t Ultimately Israel fails to be faithful to God, again, and again, and again. Israel is ultimately carried away into captivity because they keep turning to other gods. Not even Moses can intercede enough times for us. In fact, the only reason Moses had success in intercession is because of God’s mercy. But God is also just.

This is what God’s justice looks like. Next chapter, Joshua sends 2 spies into Cannan, and to Jehrico. They go to the house of a prostitute named Rahab where they are discovered by the King. And instead of turning these men over, Rahab deceives the king and hides the spies. She tells the spies that the whole town has heard of what the Lord has done, dried up the sea, delivered Sihon and Og to the Israelites, and their hearts are “melted.” She confesses the the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens and the earth beneath. She then asks for deliverence from the coming doom that awaits Jerhico.

And God relents for Rahab. When Jerhico is destroyed, Rahab and her family is spared, and she goes and lives with Israel.

You see, God, from the very beginning, he knew that once sin had entered our hearts, no amount of law, or miracles, could fix this mess. God shows in his word his faithfulness, his loving-kindness, but also his justice. If we meditate on the Law of God, we can come to no other conclusion than the one the Apostle Paul came to, all have sinned and come short. This law that God has given, while it holy and perfect, because of sin in our lives, all it can do is proclaim we deserve death.

But because of God’s mercy, he has provided a way, and over a thousand years after Israel went into the promised land, God sent his son Jesus.