The Lord's Presence
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
One of the most beautiful things we see in Scripture is the promise that the Lord is with us.
He has reminded His people over and over again that he walks with them, goes before them and yes, never leaves us or forsakes us.
One beautiful place we see the Lord presence with his people is in Joshua chapter 1.
Can you imagine Joshua as the Lord spoke with him as they prepared to enter the promised land?
The days must have been both exciting and challenging ones for Joshua.
Joshua has always been number 2, he has been Moses servant. he has probably heard the Lord speak to Moses, and without a doubt he has seen great things from the hands of almighty God.
By Chuck Lawless on Apr 02, 2019 01:30 am
But now Moses was dead, he had sinned and the Lord, while allowing him to see it, did not allow Moses to enter. Now, God has called up a new quarterback, Joashua
And it was Joshua’s turn to lead God’s people. It was his task now to lead them into the Promised Land—a land about which he had learned decades before.
The days must have been both exciting and challenging ones for Joshua. Moses was dead, and it was Joshua’s turn to lead God’s people. It was his task now to lead them into the Promised Land—a land about which he had learned decades before. Then, he had pleaded with the people to trust God and take the land; that generation did not, but now Joshua was leading another generation into the land.
Then, he had pleaded with the people to trust God and take the land; that generation did not, but now Joshua was leading another generation into the land.
“I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.” ()“
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”()
Verse 9 Its the Lord’s command...
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”()
“Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.” ()
“Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.” ()
“I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.” ()“
And then God commands him to be strong and courageous....
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
The Lord will give you success, you will inherit the land he swore to their fathers… listen to this how special it is to know that our Lord will keep His promises....
trusting God in the moment of decision leads to his blessings....
And then verse 7....
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
The light of the world was coming, but they would be need to keep the faith and trust God that if they went He would bless their efforts.////
And then consider verse 9....
Let me ask you a question, do those three promises speak to you today?
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”()
“Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.” ()
Let me ask you a question, do those three promises speak to you today?
In what ways?
Go back with me to the first chapter of Joshua chapter 1
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. 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. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 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. 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.”
Joshua 1:
The Lord begins with a single command… Arise
When we follow the Lord, we have to go.. Joshua would have to begin the journey with effort on his part, He and the people would have to arise and start the journey.
Only then could the Lord begin to work and bless their efforts as they make if over the river and journey into the promised land.
And I love what the Lord tells them, it is words full of assurance and words full of blessings as well.
Verse 3… 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
Now we cannot imagine the enormous that image is, every place you put your foot. We own limited portions of land around here, 5, to a few hundred acres.. out west maybe 10,000 or 20,000 acres… but here is the call, to where ever you walk it will be yours… with in the boundaries that the Lord mentioned in verse 4.. but it still is vast...
In a spiritual sense now, where we are walking in his, and so it is vast and numerous but still difficult for us to know....
Now lets go back to those three big promises we mentioned a few minutes ago...
Verse 5 No man will be able to stand before you....
The enemies still awaited there, but Joshua had these promises in his head:
“I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.” ()“
And then God commands him to be strong and courageous....
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
The Lord will give you success, you will inherit the land he swore to their fathers… listen to this how special it is to know that our Lord will keep His promises....
trusting God in the moment of decision leads to his blessings....
And then verse 7....
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
The light of the world was coming, but they would be need to keep the faith and trust God that if they went He would bless their efforts.////
And then consider verse 9....
Verse 9 Its the Lord’s command...
I am with you always, God intendeds to always be with his people.
Verse 9 Its the Lord’s command...
“I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.” ()“
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”()
And he is with you....
“Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.” () Joshua encourages them to follow him and the Lord’s command just as they had followed Moses, they should follow him under the Lord’s leadership.
“Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.” () Joshua encourages them to follow him and the Lord’s command just as they had followed Moses, they should follow him under the Lord’s leadership.
God Himself gave the promise of His presence, and the people later confirmed it. It was in God’s power that Joshua could be “strong and courageous” (, , , ),
No matter what enemies he and the Hebrew people would face. God would indeed lead His people miraculously across the Jordan River, just as He had done at the Red Sea for another generation.
God would indeed lead His people miraculously across the Jordan River, just as He had done at the Red Sea for another generation.
Today, we know that God is with us, too. In fact, He lives in us through His Holy Spirit. With that simple but profound truth in mind, we should allow nothing to keep us from serving God fully. Nothing should frighten or discourage us when the Lord our God in with us.
PRAYER: “God, remind me daily of Your presence in my life.”
READING:
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27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”
1 On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
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. 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. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 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. 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.”
10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 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 shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they 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 shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”