A Call to Action

Strong and Courageous

We are in a series for this summer from the book of Joshua that we’ve entitled Strong and Courageous. Last week, Pastor Gene talked about Rahab’s strong and courageous faith. He said, “Courageous faith always leads to action.” We are going to leave Rahab for a few weeks. We’ll come back to hear the rest of her story and how her courageous faith resulted in deliverance for her entire family. But before we can talk about Rahab’s actions in faith, we need to turn our attention back to Joshua and the nation of Israel. Rahab lived in Jericho and she mentioned to the 2 spies that the people of Jericho were in a tizzy because of the nation of Israel. It was well known in the area that Israel’s God was fighting for them. So many of the city-nations in what would become God’s inheritance to Israel, the Promised Land, feared when Israel was on the move. I know the usual custom is for us to stand and read the entire passage for the sermon together. But this particular chapter is written to build up until the grand finale. So I would like to just read a bit and then point out some truths from that bit and then read a bit more. You may stand if you are so convicted, but I won’t be prompting you to stand as we go. Look with me at the end of Joshua chapter 2 and the beginning of Joshua chapter 3.

Joshua 2:23–3:1 ESV

Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.” 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.

Joshua 2:23-3:

Strong and Courageous

As soon as the 2 spies return to Joshua and give their report, Joshua leads the nation to get into position. Remember, right now, Israel is on the east side of the Jordan River. Jericho is on the west side of the river. Joshua leads the nation to move closer to the Jordan from where they were camped when the spies went to Jericho. And this is where we will really engage this story. The time has come for Israel to take the land. Their wanderings in the wilderness are over. Moses saw the Promised Land and died. Moses’ right hand man, Joshua, is now in the lead. And he sees that God is leading them to take the land beginning with the city of Jericho. Now, before we go on, I want you to realize just what an undertaking is about to take place. In , we read that a census was taken of the Israelites at the Jordan by Jericho. That would be this gathering of people in . And tells us there were 601,730 men counted at that census. Women, children, and old or lame men were probably not in that number. So it is a conservative estimate to say that there are at least 2 million Israelites at the banks of the Jordan getting ready to take the Promised Land. That number of people will get more important as the story unfolds. Look with me at

Joshua 3:2–4 ESV

At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 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. 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.”

Joshua 3:2

On your mark!

After 3 days of camping by the Jordan, the leaders call the people to look for the ark of the covenant to move. The ark represented the very presence of God for the people. So, in essence, the people were told, when God moves, you follow. But they were to keep a distance of 2,000 cubits which is about a half-mile. Why would they have to stay back? Because 2 million people needed to see where God was leading. And they would know God’s leading because the priests were carrying the Ark and everyone could see it. So, they are prepared as a nation to see where God would lead. But their hearts weren’t ready to follow where God was leading. Let’s read a little further

Joshua 3:5–6 ESV

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

Josh 3:5-

Get ready!

From telling everyone to watch for the ark to preparing their hearts. The nation is told to “Consecrate themselves.” They were to take care of anything that would hinder their ability to follow where God would lead. They were to set themselves apart for God’s service. Then the priests are told to pick up the ark and and start moving. God is on the move. Will the people do what they have been told to do? The Lord speaks to Joshua. Look with me

Joshua 3:7–8 ESV

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. 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.’ ”

Get set!

God tells Joshua that it is time for him to truly take the reins of leadership of the nation of Israel. They all knew the stories of how God used Moses to deliver Israel from the hand of Pharoah. Their parents had told them about the journey in the wilderness, about the manna for food and water gushing from rocks. Now, God says, Joshua will be the God-ordained leader of the nation. And the whole nation will know that is true by the end of the day. The priests have the ark and are moving and God tells Joshua to tell them to go the banks of the river and then that they will stand still in the Jordan. Think about it. The river is rushing by and they are supposed to take the Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God, into the river and stand still. Do you know how hard it is to stand still in a rushing river? But God has said that He will be demonstrating His power today. And Joshua turns and speaks to the people

Joshua 3:9–13 ESV

And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 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. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 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.”

Josh 3:9-

Get set!

Joshua says, “You are about to see God do something that will prove to you that He is going to to be your deliverer. He is going to show you that He will be with you to take the Promised Land. He will prepare the way. You only need to go where He tells you to go.” And notice, Joshua tell them that the water of the Jordan will stop flowing. They don’t have to worry about standing in a rushing river because the waters will stand up in a heap upstream. Wait a minute. I think I remember another time when water did something strange. And Moses was in charge back then. They were leaving Egypt and Pharaoh and his army were chasing them on chariots. We read in

Exodus 14:21–22 ESV

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Exodus 14:21-22

That’s right! God split the Red Sea and the people had walked through on dry ground and the next morning, the sea closed up and drowned all of Pharaoh’s army. And here, Joshua says God is about to do a very similar thing. The big difference being no one is chasing them this time.

I can imagine some conversations somewhere in the midst of that 2-million person crowd. Did they believe that God would do what Joshua said? If God did that how should they respond? How would you respond? Let’s keep reading

Josh 3:14-17

Joshua 3:14–17 ESV

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, 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), 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. 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.

GO!

Can you see the priests carrying the ark approaching the flood washed shore of the river? Half-a-mile back is the nation of Israel almost holding their breath as the priests lift up their feet for the last time on dry ground.....or so they thought. As they place them down, suddenly, the water all rushes downstream like it a sink draining. And the priests feet come down on dry ground. And they continue to walk on dry ground down into the bed of the actual river. When the get to the middle of the river the priests stop and the nation passes by on dry ground. I want you to understand the magnitude of this miracle. How many of you remember the floods of 2011? Do you remember how dangerous it was to get anywhere near the river? Now, the Jordan River is not as wide as the Missouri. In fact, when it is not flooded, the Jordan is about half as wide as the Floyd River. But here is the thing. If we use the Floyd River for comparison, If God were to do to the Floyd what He did to the Jordan, the waters of the Floyd would have to stop all the way out at Merrill so the bed could be dry here in Sioux City. That’s the distance the Jordan stopped. The geography of this passage tells us that the Jordan was stopped 19 miles upstream from Jericho. Do you see how incredible this is? And it had to be that far because some 2 million people needed to cross over to the other side. And they did cross over. On dry ground. This is just an amazing demonstration of God’s power. And it is also a great demonstration of God’s people having strong and courageous faith that resulted in obedience. And that brings me to Heartland Community Baptist Church on Father’s Day in 2018.

On your mark! Get ready! Get set! GO!

Here we are. Standing on the edge of Sent Summer. The first of the 5-Day Clubs starts tomorrow. We told you this day was coming. We are on the mark.

Are we ready? Have we consecrated ourselves? Have we done the serious work of allowing God to examine our lives and convict us of un-confessed sin? Even more importantly, are you here today and you don’t know that Jesus is your leader? Listen, in order to be ready for God to do a mighty work through you, you need to belong to Him. How can you know you belong to Him?

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Won’t you give your life to Him today? Then you will be ready for Him to do a mighty work through you.

Are we set? Our prayer has been that many kids would be saved through our efforts this summer. I expect God to do a mighty work when His church takes the Great Commission seriously. Do you?

Now, as I bring this message to a close, we need to recognize that it is time to GO! God has prepared the way. 5-Day clubs are meeting in apartment complexes over the next few weeks. Then, July 23-27, Sports Challenge will take over our campus. We’ll try to catch our breath in August and then Kids Rock fires back up in September. Here is what I believe God is saying to Heartland today. The way has been prepared. Back in ancient Israel, 2 million people walked on the way God had prepared. Do you see how God has brought us to this point? We are on the mark. Are you read? Are you set? Then what is keeping you from stepping up and stepping in strength and courage? This is the Strong and Courageous series and God is calling you to action. Don’t ignore Him.

Our take away today: Step out in strong and courageous faith to walk in the way God has prepared for you.