Standing For Something Starts with Standing Alone

More Sermon Starters 19. Sanctify Yourselves

TEXT: “And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Josh. 3:5).

INTRODUCTION: The key to victory is “Sanctify yourselves.”

We have the promise, “The Lord will do wonders.”

I. Consider the setting.

A. For forty years Israel had the “pillar of fire” by night and the “pillar of cloud” by day.

B. Now they are to follow the “ark of the covenant” across the Jordan River (see Josh. 3:15–17). But they have the promise, “Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you” (Josh. 3:10).

II. Consider the command: “Sanctify yourselves.”

A. They were to cleanse and purify themselves. “Come out … and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17). This was within their ability. They could and must put away uncleanness.

B. They were to dedicate themselves to God’s purpose and instructions.

III. Consider the promise: “Tomorrow the Lord will work wonders among you.”

A. God could not work through unsanctified hearts.

B. The Lord will ask them to do things that would paralyze with fear unsanctified hearts. He commanded the priests to step into the waters of an overflowing river. And wonders did follow.

C. A few days later God commanded them to march around Jericho. Unsanctified hearts would have laughed at God’s commands, promises, and methods. But wonders did follow.

D. There were dangers and perils ahead for unsanctified hearts. We need only think of Achan (read Josh. 7).

APPLICATION:

“Sanctify yourselves.” This is also spoken to us.

“The Lord will work wonders among you.” This promise is also to us.

2 Chronicles 7:14 issues the same call to God’s children.

2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1, likewise sounds the command and the promises.

Joshua 3:5 ESV

5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

Last week, our focal text came from the book of Phillipians and centered around the letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Phillipi, a church that Paul started some years prior and wanted to encourage them along their journey.

Paul’s message was one of 1) live a life that is worthy of your callling, and to standing in unity with the same mind, striving side-by-side. The title was to “Stand for Something.”

Sometimes our struggle with standing is rooted in the fact that we haven’t .........

Santification is not just to stand alone/separate yourself physicially, but to to separate your heart for God from your heart for everything else. EXPOUND… don’t put more trust in supervisorss abilities to affect the situation than you do in God abilities!!....Time for WORSHIP, Commitment to GIVING, etc.

In today’s focal text, Joshua (the new leader) tells the people on the night before a key battle (entering into the promise land), to “sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, the Lord is going to do wonders among you.”

Three things I want to look at that will help us apply the scriptures to our lives today.

CONSIDER THE SETTING

For forty years Israel had the “pillar of fire” by night and the “pillar of cloud” by day that they could see and rely on.

Now they are to follow the “ark of the covenant” across the Jordan River (see ).

Before, the awesomeness of the cloud by day and fire by night was a very visible sign of the presence of God that not only they could see, but so could their enemies.

But now, they have but only the promise, “Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you” ().

Before, there was a tornado of fire between them and their enemies, but now there was the just a promise that as long as the Ark is present, know I am with you.

This was why consecration was necessary:

FCF: If God promises you something, that will and should be enough for you…unless you consider God’s promises like the promises of friends and family…EXPOUND: family members borrowing money.

CONSIDER THE COMMAND

They were to cleanse and purify themselves. “Come out … and be separate” (). This was within their ability. They could and must put away uncleanness.

2 Corinthians 6:17 ESV

17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

They were to dedicate themselves to God’s purpose and instructions.

But as long as they co-mingled God’s promises with man’s promises, they were bound the fail....as long as they co-mingled God’s ability to provide with their own, they were destined to

CONSIDER THE PROMISE

“Tomorrow the Lord will work wonders among you.”

(summary

God could not work through unsanctified hearts.

The Lord will ask them to do things that would paralyze with fear unsanctified hearts. He commanded the priests to step into the waters of an overflowing river. And wonders did follow.

A few days later God commanded them to march around Jericho. Unsanctified hearts would have laughed at God’s commands, promises, and methods. But wonders did follow.

There were dangers and perils ahead for unsanctified hearts. We need only think of Achan (read ).

APPLICATION:

A. God could not work through unsanctified hearts.

“Sanctify yourselves.” This is also spoken to us.

“The Lord will work wonders among you.” This promise is also to us.

B. The Lord will ask them to do things that would paralyze with fear unsanctified hearts. He commanded the priests to step into the waters of an overflowing river. And wonders did follow.

issues the same call to God’s children.

C. A few days later God commanded them to march around Jericho. Unsanctified hearts would have laughed at God’s commands, promises, and methods. But wonders did follow.

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

D. There were dangers and perils ahead for unsanctified hearts. We need only think of Achan (read ).

, likewise sounds the command and the promises.

14-17

2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 ESV

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 6:17–7:1 ESV

17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.