January 6, 2019, AM

All right, play with me if you would. Lord as I mentioned a few minutes ago and is this passage talks about Lord when there's a big task in front of us we need courage and we don't need courage unfounded on anything. We need courage because you say you're going to be with us. So Lord help us to learn from this great leader Joshua and what you did in the Old Testament Lord make it an example for how we are to approach the the things that we're supposed to conquer as a church the father give us wisdom and a lord I pray that you would Preach Today that your spirit would give understanding to us as we look into your word. We pray this in Christ name. Amen.

All right. Let's read this passage one more time from Joshua 1 1 through 9. After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord the Lord said to Joshua the son of nun Moses assistant 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 every place that the sole of your foot will try to pawn. I have given to you just as I promised to Moses 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. 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 be strong and courageous for usual causes people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous being careful to do according to all the law of Moses my servant commanded you do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left. Then you may have good success wherever you go 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 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.

All right. We have some parallels to look at this morning. Now. Don't worry. I'm not having delusions of grandeur. Even if you guys voted me to be as your pastor. I don't think I'm Joshua. The parallel that I want us to see the parallel. However, is that these guys we're facing a Monumental task. They were told to go into the promised land and Conquer The Promised Land. They were prepared for the battle ahead. They knew that it was going to be a battle. They didn't enter the promised land like a bunch of tourists, you know, they weren't wearing their little the Khaki cut offs in and there were those bags you wear around your waist that you have binocular cuz you weren't in there is two or if they were going in knowing that they had a battle in front of them. Now there's was a physical fight ours is not ours is a spiritual one fall reminds us of this in Ephesians 6:12. He says for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic Powers over this present Darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly places. Now I see what God told them about the Battle to come. The first thing is they had to work to claim the victory that was already theirs. Joshua 1 1 through 4 says after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord the Lord said did Joshua the son of nun Moses assistant Moses? My servant is dead. Now therefore arise go over this Jordan you and this people into the land that I am giving to them to the people of Israel every place that the sole of your foot will tread. Okay, we'll tread in the future upon I have given to you. So he says the place that you will tread. I've already given to you just as I promised to Moses from the Wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the Great River the river Euphrates all the land of the Hittites of the great sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

What are the things that I am entirely persuaded that we need to do? Is the go out get in front of people. And share the gospel with them. Now there are two huge benefits to this. What is that lost strangers lost people? We've never met are going to hear the gospel. That is a huge benefit. That's something we're supposed to do. The other huge benefit is that once we learn to share the gospel, we will be prepared all the time to do with the Bible says and obey the Great Commission whenever it get whenever God gives us the opportunity. He says be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you and once we learn to do that and become confident in doing that and become practice in doing that, we will be able to share the gospel with anybody at any time. If you have an opportunity to discuss the gospel with your hairdresser, you can do it if you have an opportunity to share the gospel with somebody you work with you'll be able to do it. If you go gather around family and you have this lost cousin and you get to share the gospel you'll be confident. You'll be ready and you'll be able to do it. Now this is not something that I would that I want us to do and they've the Lord wants us to do on a Thursday evening until between 5 and 6. Okay, that that's great. If we set up a time to go out and visit that's wonderful. But what the Lord wants us to do is share the good news with with everybody that we come in contact with us. He gives us opportunity. Now, I've been around those awkward people that kind of grabbed you and your brother. Are you saved? Let me know and you attract I'm not saying that we need to force opportunities. But if we pray for a gospel opportunities I have found that is a that is a prayer that always gets answered if we look for those opportunities and pray for those opportunities the Lord will invariably bring those opportunities to us. Now I realize completely and I hope everybody's listening. I realized completely that not everyone is able to physically go out and do any kind of visitation program. Some people are physically unable to do that. That is okay. Look with me and Joshua 1 14 to 15. God says

to Joshua Joshua tells the people your wives your little ones and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and she'll help them until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you and I also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them then you shall return to the land of your possession and she'll possessing the land that Moses the servant of the lord gave you beyond the Jordan for the sun rise. Now, I have not saying that I ladies can't evangelize. What I am saying is that in this case the wives and the little ones were not prepared to go into the physical battles that the Israelites were facing. all of us who are believers and our of of sound mind are able to enter this spiritual battle on one front or another now, it may be different things. If you can't go walking the streets with us, that's completely okay. Can you come and pray while the ones of us they can get out and walk the streets do so it is a spiritual battle like we just talked about When the Lord answers our prayers about guests and visitors coming in here, we can all be hospitable to them. We can be genuinely welcoming. You can financially support the church war is expensive and we know that so the first thing that these Israelites had to do was they had to go work to claim the victory that was already theirs. The next thing is God promise to be with them. If you look with me and Joshua 1:5. 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 is that passage sound familiar to anybody? Here's a pop quiz. I've been talking about this the past 3 weeks. What is faith?

What's what's Vape? anybody Faith is believing God right faith is believing God. It's not positive thinking faith is believing. God. God said he would be with them and never forsake them. That should have given them all the confidence. They needed when you say if God says I'm going to be with you go in there and take this land. Will you think that would give them all the confidence they could possibly need?

You know somehow sometimes we read about the Israelites and they're determined idolatry in their their their continual lapses back into not obeying the Lord and we have a tendency sometimes or I do to kind of get on a high horse and say man, how could these Israelites be so dumb, how can they keep doing this? Well, I encourage you to get on your high horse here and say how could these guys not know that they can conquer the land when God said he be with them because they will be more impactful when we see that the Lord said the same exact thing to us. All right. Third point is they were to be strong and courageous.

He tells them over and over and over and God is repeating himself. God didn't forget that he just said it. I think he was really trying to drive this point home. In verses 5 through 9. He says no man shall be able to stand you 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 be strong and courageous for you shall cause this people doing hair at the land that I swear their fathers to give them. That's one time only be strong and very courageous being careful to do according to all the law of 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. 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 or have I not commanded you third time be strong and courageous do not be frightened and do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Now The God Who delivered them from the Egyptians with the awesome displays of his power is the same guy that will lead them to victory in the promised land now this generation had not seen that deliverance from Egypt why because they wouldn't go into the promised land the first time they were told to write so all of them except for Caleb and Joshua and Moses of course died in the wilderness and then you know that these people heard about those plagues though Moses was their leader Moses was telling them guys obey the Lord because this is what he has done for you in the past.

You know during that first play God turned water into blood and all the Sea and the rivers of stuff all the stuff in there. I II playing he sent frogs and if you're reading the Bible through this year's stop for a second when you get to the plague of the frog's butt guess you'll notice that Moses says to Pharaoh. When do you want me to get rid of these frogs and Pharaoh says in the morning. So apparently you'll see in the Bible that payroll wanted one more night with the frogs and then they'll be gone the next day. So the plague of frogs was next and then the Nats and then the Flies and then does v v playing the Egyptian livestock die not the Hebrew last night, but the Egyptian livestock. Then the six play they had boils and sores the seventh plague was Helbig. Terrible kill you kind of hell. State flag was Locust that ate everything in the land the Knight plague was Darkness the Lord could even keep till the sun went to shine and would not to shine and then the 10th plague was the death of the first born and that's where we got the Passover from God said that I'm going to kill all the firstborn but if you will take the blood of the lamb and cover your house and it cover the doorpost in the levels of your house the death angel will pass over you guys. That's the same same thing with us. We are passed over in our judgment if we have the blood of the Lamb covering us and so these Israelites new or they certainly should have known that the battles of had defended far more on their obedience to the Lord. Then on their Mike, it wasn't their fighting prowess that helped him take the land. It was their obedience to their lord. And let me tell you that our Victory depends so much more on our obedience to the Lord than any other thing. You know, we we need to go out and visit people. We need to have a visitation program but more than a visitation program. We need each and every individual in here to be equipped to share the hope that is within us the Bible tells us to be able to do that. We want to be able to do that confidently. Now this is why our next point is they were to read learn and obey the word they were to be obedient. How do you be obedient? Well, you learn you read it you learn it and you will be the word. And Joshua 1 7 through 8 pieces only be strong and very courageous being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you although that was there scripture? Okay, do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left. Then you may have good success wherever you go. Do you want this church to have good success then let's pay attention to the law. The Bible 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. Do you remember the story of Jericho once I got into the promised land they found this one this big city that was wild up secure as could be and there was an insurmountable wall there. God told him to do something really weird that I had nothing to do with overcoming a wall, right you told him to March around it for days on end and then a March around and blow trumpet now y'all know I'm a musician and instrumental music and all that kind of stuff. I've heard some loud trumpet, but I never heard any of that would blow all down. So God told her to do some things that make any sense. I think we we have significant barriers to overcome as well. You guys know that this church and I I don't I don't mean any insult but I think we realize that we have sort of an older congregation and that is a little bit of a challenge to grow a big old church. So that's one obstacle that we have. Another is the demographics of our area right the people in this building for the most part don't look like the people on the street here that we that we are on right. So the demographics are are a significant barrier to revitalizing and growing this church. We also have the expense of maintaining a really big building. That is a barrier that we have to overcome.

So the key to Victory is not ingenuity. It's not great preaching. It's not a certain type of worship music. It is obedience to the Lord. So may I ask you what do we do? I don't I don't see a point in preaching unless we see what we should do about the truth that we learn, right?

So what do we do? We'll just like these guys. We work to claim the victory that is already the Lord's.

Matthew 28 19 and 20 says go just like they were to go we are to go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. The guys we love what is pragmatic something works? That's what we go with right? That's how we are as Americans. We love the pragmatic.

God's plan is the best plan. So I think that obeying his command is the key to revitalizing West Laurel Baptist Church. But even if it's not even if God doesn't Revitalize this church regardless, we are to follow orders right to be faithful where to be personally faithful and faithful is a congregation regardless of what the Lord chooses to do with us. Next thing we need to do is know that God will be with us. Hebrews 13:5 the end of the verse says I will never leave you nor forsake you that sound familiar. We we hear this throughout the word of God. The writer of Hebrews reminds us what God told Joshua. And in the Great Commission Jesus said on the next verse there behold I am with you always. to the end of the age so know that God will be with us. We are to be strong and courageous just like you told Joshua. Let me ask you why or why what's the basis of our courage or the one who is with us? He will never leave us and he'll never forsake us Matthew 20:28 18 says and Jesus came and said to them on Earth has been given to me and you know, we read the gospels and we see Jesus and he's he's powerful and strong but he's also very meet a very humble. But let me tell you what Jesus is doing right now and how how Jesus is right now Revelation 1:13 through 18 describes our Lord who will be with us. In the midst of the lamp stands one, like the son of man was their clothes with a long row by with a golden sash around his chest the hairs of his head were white like white wool, like snow his eyes were like a flame of fire his feet were like burnished bronze refined in a furnace and his voice was like the Roar of many Waters in his right hand e l seven stars from his mouth game of sharp two-edged sword in his face was like the sun shining in full strength when I saw him. I fell at his feet as though Dad but he laid his right hand on me saying fear not I am the first and the last and the living one. I died and behold I am alive for Evermore and I have the key in the keys of death and Hades. So that's the one that is promised to be with us in the battles that we have coming up.

Next thing that we should do is read learn and obey the word of God. How how should we do that? Well, let me encourage you is as strongly as I can to read the word yourself. I know I know people and a one person told me. I've never read the whole word. And this was an older lady cuz I never read the whole word because I'm not sure that all understand all of it. And if I don't understand it, I might get kind of confused about stuff and I don't want to I don't want to learn some things wrong. I just I want the preacher to tell me what to think about this stuff guys. That is a very old old kind of Catholic way of thinking the holy spirit in you will teach you through this through the word. And so we need to eat each individually read and understand the word of God.

Let me ask you to come listen to the preaching of the word as we assemble for corporate worship. That is another way that the Lord gets the word into us. Let me encourage you to engage in small group Bible studies. and also to find a good Sunday School now, let me let me tell you what's the difference some people ask me. What's the difference between Sunday school and small group? So let me tell you what the difference is.

Sunday school is primarily a lecture time like like this is I mean nobody would call preaching a lecture but you know, it's where one guy gets up and tells other people something right and that's a valid good format. And that's what Sunday School principal. He is one person teaches the rest of people got to listen and it's sort of a lecture time. That's good. That's great. Small groups are a little different though in small groups. We sit around in a circle instead of one guy talking to people we all talk to each other and we visit and we were able to glean the wisdom in the experience and the gifting of the Holy Spirit from the whole group. So I'm not telling you hey, this is better. I'm telling you this is different and it's really good. So in the upcoming weeks, I would ask you to consider becoming a part of a small group and if you say I'm in Sunday school. Amen, that's wonderful great being Sunday School. Also, I would encourage you to be in a small group. We are going to Lord willing start some new small groups and we'll tell you when we do and will encourage you to investigate those.

I realize that there may be some here today that say You know, I don't I don't really want to work to claim the victory. This is the Lord's. Yeah, I know that God will be with us. I don't really want to have to be strong and courageous and I don't really want to read learning obey the word if it tells me to do things that I'm not comfortable doing, you know, you may so well, I'm kind of an introvert. I don't really want to go knock on anybody's door. I don't know. And yeah, I could come up here and pray but man, why do that cuz I can stay home and pray right? There's some of you that I will try to encourage to be involved in this and use it for like no because Why you don't want to search to close? If it does what's the worst case scenario, right you drive another point seven miles down the road and you go to First Baptist, right? Let me give you something to think about. Some of you may be thinking a while attend. I might even give but the stuff you're asking for is a little bit radical. If this is your attitude first, let me say that I understand that because we've been asked for years and years and I don't mean this church. I mean we Southern Baptist have been asked to come fairly Faithfully to give that's it.

That is not what the Great Commission asked us to do though. The Great Commission asks us to go and make disciples. And so we've gotten a culture in our in our southern baptist churches and then are American churches at large that say Hey, if you're showing up man you are doing what you're supposed to do. If you're showing up and giving then you're going above and beyond what I'm saying is we got us if we want this charge to survive we've got to show up. We got to give and we've got to go and make disciples.

Consider this okay as you contemplate whether or not you're going to be involved in the Outreach of this church. What does it say about our love for our savior and his bride if we don't do what we can to save this church? We can work together. Joyfully motivated by love rather than Duty let's think about that. Ultimate ultimately we do what we want to do. Jonathan Edwards brilliant Pastor in Theologian and and scientist all kind of things a lot of people think he was the greatest intellect ever born on the North American continent. Anyway, he he writes extensively on the bondage of the will and how we do what we want to do and if you read that for an hour, you'll you'll go. Yes, I believe it. Okay. I'm going to quit reading this then buddy why he proves that that we do what we want to do. Sometimes, you know, if I'm walking outside if somebody comes up with a gun and says, give me your wallet. I don't want to give him my wallet right but I do want to give him my wallet more than I want to get shot. Right? So I'm going to do what I want to do with his hand in my wallet. Okay, so I could maybe guilt some people maybe get some people into doing a visitation program. I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that at all. Here's the difference. If I were to come home one evening and say to Melissa Melissa get get good looking clothes on let's go. We're going to go out on a date with what I want to do more than anything in the world is sit down with you you eat dinner with you. Listen to how your day was talk with you. Okay. She she like that when she died have a good day. She'd have a good day. You know happy wife happy life, right? That's a real thing. Okay, so we would have a good time. But if I came home one day and I said Melissa, you didn't get dressed cuz we're going to go eat and she said okay why I said well, You know, I promise to love you until death Parts us and you're not dead. So let's go. I don't think I'd get the same reaction, right? I don't think she'd be as happy. I don't think I'd be as happy so we can do what we're supposed to do out of a sense of obligation or we can do it. We're supposed to do out of a sense of love for our Lord and for our neighbors. So let me encourage you and that is the way we ought to go about this. I'm just a just a moment to say. What that gospel is that we're going to take two people Lord willing. Is this Jesus in my place? As I said that you know, we talked about Adam and Eve falling in the Garden of Eden and they did and the whole human race has been cursed because of that but we can't really blame them too much because I ratified their decision every time I send it so I have sent it separated myself from God. God saw that for me by sending his son to die in my place and offers me Christ's righteousness if I will accept that by faith. So if you've never done that today, that's that's Point. That's first order of business. We need to make sure that that is settled these guys if we don't have hope we can't give them ho The first thing is if you don't know for sure, but if you were to die today you go to heaven. I want you to come here in a minute when we sing and I want to get that settled. If you do know that that I want us to consider for a minute and this is subject to change what will here in a few minutes how we vote. But if I'm going to be here, I'm going to ask you to do a visitation program with me and I understand if you can't physically go out. It's okay God Sovereign. He knows you can't go off the street, but you can come up here and you can pray and you can give and you can contribute another way, but we've got to get out of these doors and into the face of people to share the gospel of them, but I'm going to ask you to do that. I'm also going to ask you to join a small group. Why because I want your giftedness to benefit the body. Soap under that over the next couple of weeks pray about that see what the Lord would have you do and then if you have anything you if you have a prayer need that you want to come up and ask me to pray for I'd be honored to pray for you. All right, brother Jimmy where we can sing. Play My Life leave me Lola Stand Together.