The Provision of Peace (Memorial Day)
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· 8 viewsSummary of Gospel Project Torah and Joshua, God supernaturally made the way to the promised land - people rebel anyway
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Introduction
“Memorial Day Tribute” Video with two men and the boy...
Just in case you lost track of the importance of Memorial Day and thought it was just about a three day weekend or enjoying a picnic. Those are some of the ways that we celebrate Memorial Day but they are reason for the day.
“Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring people who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.”
The flags, the day off of work, the family gatherings, the decorating of the graves of loved ones all are meant to be a reminder to us here in America that the freedoms that we enjoy here were not free. They were costly. Many men and women have given their lives for the freedoms that we enjoy, and even today around the world there are men and women who are laying their lives on the line for our freedoms.
The freedom to gather together in this building like we are doing here this morning
The freedom to say things here in this place that other people might not agree with (outside or in here)
The freedom to have a say in the way our government acts and the laws that they propose
The freedom to bear arms, to equal justice, to own land, to raise a family, to education, and employment.
These freedoms were not free, on “Memorial Day” we remember the sacrifices that some of our neighbors, friends, family members and fellow Americans made for us.
A day to remember, a Memorial Day.
Tension
This is such a fitting weekend to bring an end to our study in the Gospel Project for this year, because we are going to look at the book of battles. The book of Joshua. We are going to be moving into the book of Philippians for the summer months, but as we conclude this section of Scripture we find the very story that these men were sharing with the son of their faithful friend in the video.
In my absence last week, one of our Overseers Jesse stepped in to do what Overseers are called to do and teach the church. He did a great job sharing a message of personal testimony over what God has been teaching him over the past many months and I wanted to thank you Jesse for that message as I am sure the church family was blessed by hearing your heart for God’s Word.
Last “Gospel Project” for the year, moving into Philippians
And the week before, on Mother’s day, we just dipped into the book of Joshua to learn from the life of the blessed mother Rahab, that is not how we remember her. She is the one who in faith, harbored the Israelite spies and then became the great, great grandmother of King David.
This morning we will be taking things a step further into the book of Joshua, specifically we are going to look at the nature of the battles that were fought throughout the book and the relationship between the peace that God brings us and the battles that He leads us into.
Because all of us want the peace of God in our lives, but what if the peace of God is found in following Him into a battle? That is what we are going to look at today through the book of Joshua. So open up your Bibles to the book of Joshua, it starts on page 178 in the Bibles in the chairs. I’ll pray and then we will dive into this book together.
The current residents however, do not recognize God as God so they are judged for this by God and Joshua leads the people in the execution of this judgement. They devote everything to destruction.
Except, when they didn’t (Achan at Ai) they were defeated. So they determined who disobeyed God, and executed judgement on him and then they again were right with God and could move forward into promised land
Truth
Remember Joshua is the new leader of God’s people having been appointed the LORD through the previous leader Moses. Moses humbly led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt to receive the Law on Mount Sinai only to refuse to follow God into the land that He had promised them. 12 spies were sent it. 10 spies said that it could not be done. 2 spies said that because God is leading us into it we will certainly do it.
Those 2 spies were the new leader Joshua and the faithful Caleb. Listen to what they said about the task that laid before God’s people that day:
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.
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.”
But the people did not trust God. They saw only the size and strength of the enemy. They lost track of the size and strength of their God. Even though God had just done miraculous things to prove himself.
Why would these 10 spies lead the people in fear over the size and strength of the people in the promised land? Isn’t God going to give them this land as a gift? He is, but they knew that they would have to follow the LORD into battle to have the gift that He has promised them. That kind of changes the stakes doesn’t it?
It reminds me of a couple of years ago when Rachel and I were looking for a house to buy. Anyone who has ever looked for a house knows that after a while they all start to blend together a bit and you have a hard time remembering which ones you have looked at and which ones you haven’t. There was this one house that I kept forgetting that I had already looked at. I would go online and see this great little house nestled out in the country at a price point much lower than anything else that we have looked at. It seemed perfect. I would start to get all excited, hoping that this might be the one and then I would read (again) in the description that the house must be moved by the buyer.
Well that changes everything doesn’t it. All of the sudden the house that seemed like a gift was now going to take a lot more than I was willing to put into it.
was perfect becomes a hard pass because I saw that I would have to take steps that I was not willing to take in order to live in this house. The place looked great, but it was going to cost me more than I was willing to give toward it.
That is exactly what the Israelites decided. God was going to give them this great place to live, but they had to take steps that they were not willing to take. In their case, they had to trust that since God was leading them into this battle, the outcome was certain.
This brings us to our first them this week, that
God promises victory for His people over their enemies Joshua 10:1-8
God promises victory for His people over their enemies Joshua 10:1-8
The first time the Israelites stood on the border of the promised land they did not trust in God’s promise of victory, did they? Somehow they lost track of the size and strength of their God, and only saw the size and strength of their enemy. Even though God had just done some many miraculous things to prove himself.
But the people did not trust in God’s promise of victory. They lost track of the size and strength of their God. Even though God had just done miraculous things to prove himself.
God had rescued them from their enemies in Egypt where they were slaves for hundreds of years
God had pushed back the waters of the Great Sea so they could pass on dry land and then drown their enemies in the sea.
God had pushed back the waters of the Great Sea so they could pass on dry land and then destroyed their enemies when they tried to
God had given them his law so they would know how to keep from becoming an enemy of God themselves.
God had given them manna, quail and water in the wilderness to save them from the enemy of death through starvation
...and still they refused to believe the two spies Joshua and Caleb when they told them to not fear their enemies, “their protection is removed from them” because God is fighting for us. So they wandered in the desert for 40 years until their children returned to the border of the promised land. Now Joshua the spy has become Joshua the leader.
- Crossing the Red Sea
But these children have more than just the stories of their parents when it comes to how the LORD fights for his children. Along with his promise of victory, God gives them their own experiences of his provisions against their enemies.
They too are given food in the wilderness to save them from the enemy of starvation
- Mountain Trembling at the sound of the LORD
They too are given the law so they would know how to keep from becoming an enemy of God themselves. (Deuteronomy)
They too were rescued from enemy nations. When Amorite Kings came against their caravan their victory over them was heard throughout the known world and struck fear in the hearts of the men at Jericho.
They too experience God pushing back the banks of a great body of water. Joshua chapter 3 records how God showed the whole nation that He was with Joshua as He was with Moses by parting the Jordan River at flood stage so they could cross on dry land. It was after this mighty act of God that Joshua assembled the Memorial Stones that the video was talking about.
They too experience God pushing back the water, this time the waters of the Jordan River at flood stage so they could cross on dry land.
God’s promises are rooted in his continual faithfulness to his people. Their parents rebelled, but the children of the children of Israel responded differently . They were willing to follow the LORD... even into battles against great odds. What they found in those battles was that
God fights for His people in miraculous ways ()
God fights for His people in miraculous ways ()
Not only do they experience the daily provisions of manna, quail and water they also prevail over two Amorite Kings and if you remember from two weeks ago the people of Jericho are so fearful of the Israelites that the text says their was no fighting spirit left in any man.
Not only do they experience the daily provisions of manna, quail and water they also prevail over two Amorite Kings and if you remember from two weeks ago the people of Jericho are so fearful of the Israelites that the text says their was no fighting spirit left in any man.
- Plagues that wiped out their enemy
- Crossing flooded Jordan River
Probably the most familiar of these battles for us would be the battle of Jericho. “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho…and the walls came a tumbling down”.
The first battle with a miraculous
It is true that “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho”, but he did it God’s way and that is why the walls came a tumbling down, but there was still a battle to be fought afterward. The people of Jericho were counting on their massive walls to protect them and they watched the army of Israel marched around the city one time for 6 days until the 7th day when they marched around it 7 times and on the 7th time this happened...
but listen to what happened immediately after the walls were brought down....
- Crossing flooded Jordan River
20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
Joshua 6:20God’s instructions where for the entire nation of Israel, some one million plus to
God didn’t cause the walls to crush the city in such a way that it conquered all the inhabitants of Jericho. God simply removed the protection of the people, just as Joshua and Caleb said that he would some 40 plus years earlier. Why did God do this? So that the people could go up... and capture the city. Since the entire wall fell to the ground the army of Israel had the place surrounded and every warrior just moved straight in to capture the city. God fought for his people in a miraculous way, but the people still had enter into the battle. They still had to “go up…and capture the city”.
The next two battles were against a much smaller city called Ai. The first time they went out against Ai, Israel lost because some of the people had secretly sinned in the previous battle against Jericho. God would not bless the people with another victory when they had not obeyed Him in the last. After they dealt with that sin, God sent them to Ai again, with the promise that this time they would be victorious. This time the LORD gave Joshua a different battle plan.
While Joshua led a large portion of the fighting men to face the army of Ai head on, a smaller ambush was secretly waiting behind the city. Then Joshua and all the men retreated again as if they were loosing as before and the text says that every man from the city left the city to be a part of the great victory over these legendary Israelites. Then God instructed Joshua to hold out a javelin, much like his predecessor Moses did with his rod, and the secret ambush moved in and took the city. You can read all about it in chapter 8 of Joshua, but again what we find is that God removes the protection of their enemies so that His people could be victorious in the battle He led them up into.
The last battle in Joshua that we will look at is found in chapter 10. This time a coalition of 5 different Amorite kings and their kingdoms come together against Israel. Listen to how this battle took place:
The last battle in Joshua that we will look at is found in chapter 10. This time a coalition of 5 different Amorite kings and their kingdoms come together against Israel. Listen to how this battle took place:
7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
Joshua 10:
God fights for His people in miraculous ways…but he still calls us to follow Him into the battle. These men had just marched all night and they just kept going and when they met the enemy God fought for them in throwing their enemy into panic and then fought for them even more as they were running away to try and regroup.
How appropriate to be talking about “Mighty Men of Valor” on Memorial Day weekend. These men were not mighty men of valor who were sitting in their lawn chairs watching God do his thing, they had drawn their swords and were following the LORD into the battle. Listen to the nature of the next stage of this battle, after Joshua and his men had marched up all night...
12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:12-
God had promised them the victory. He removed the protection of their enemies by providing hailstones from heaven and daylight for the battle, but the people still had to work hard to accomplish what the LORD was bringing them into.
Abraham already lived here but moved away to Egypt where his family became a nation and now they are moving back.
- Jericho walls tumbled down,
The current residents however, do not recognize God as God so they are judged for this by God and Joshua leads the people in the execution of this judgement. They devote everything to destruction.
- Hailstones came down on enemy,
Except, when they didn’t (Achan at Ai) they were defeated. So they determined who disobeyed God, and executed judgement on him and then they again were right with God and could move forward into promised land
- God kept the sun in the sky so they could finish the battle
The people still had to battle for it, even though God had already given them the victory.
The people still had to fight
“Work as if everything depended on you, pray as if everything depended on God” - D. L. Moody
“Work as if everything depended on you, pray as if everything depended on God” - D. L. Moody
I think that is a good description of the Christian life once we have entered into it. We are utterly dependent on God’s hand. We cannot do this Christian life on our own. We need God to remove the obstacles that come against us, but after He has, we must follow Him into the struggle. We must follow him into the battle for that is where we find our peace.
This is where we find our last theme for this week, and for the Gospel Project this year is:
Ephesians 6:10-
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.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
And our last theme for this week, and for the Gospel Project this year is:
But the people did not trust God. They saw only the size and strength of the enemy. They lost track of the size and strength of their God. Even though God had just done miraculous things to prove himself.
- Crossing the Red Sea
Crossing the Red Sea
- Mountain Trembling at the sound of the LORD
- Plagues that wiped out their enemy
20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
Deuteronomy
Moses (law) could not lead the people into the promised land, only Joshua (“the LORD saves”) could. You need a deliverer.
yo-ho-shu-a יְהוֹשׁוּעַ
יְהוֹשׁוּעַ
J
Joshua’s commissioned with the promise that the LORD will be with Him
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.”
How Joshua declares his loyalty (even though He knows that the people will rebel)
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,
:
26 And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.
God gives His people land and peace.
God gives His people land and peace.
Crossing the Jordan at flood is much like Crossing the Great Red Sea
After these battles, the LORD led Joshua and the people into several more with the instructions to “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, for I will with for you and you will prevail”. After the record of conquest of both Southern Canaan and Northern Canaan we find this great summary verse:
Truth
They conqured the northern and southern canaan in this way and then there was peace
23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
Remember that the Gospel Project initiative is designed to show us how the Bible is not a series of disconnected stories but one long narrative. In each section of Scripture that we have looked at there has been a myriad of connections back to this big story. Many months ago we learned of the 3 fold covenant promise that God gave to Abraham and affirmed again and again in the lives of his descendants. Three things that He promised them:
Remember that the Gospel Project is designed to show us how the Bible is not a series of disconnected stories but one long narrative that points to Jesus. In each section of Scripture that we have looked at there has been a myriad of connections back to this Meta-Narrative as it is often called. Months ago we learned of the covenant promise that God gave to Abraham and affirmed again and again in the lives of his descendants. Three things that He promised them:
Remember that the Gospel Project initiative is designed to show us how the Bible is not a series of disconnected stories but one long narrative. In each section of Scripture that we have looked at there has been a myriad of connections back to this Meta-Narrative as it is often called. Months ago we learned of the covenant promise that God gave to Abraham and affirmed again and again in the lives of his descendants. Three things that He promised them:
1. They would become a great people We saw the fulfillment of this when they left Egypt way back in Exodus. What started with just Abraham and Sarah (who were supposedly too old to have any children) has become more than a million people who proudly wear the name the Sons of Abraham. They have become a great people.
And they have. What started with just Abraham and Sarah has become more than a million strong .
2. They would have a great place The book of Joshua has finally brought us to this one. Abraham once sojourned through this land that Joshua is now standing. The Lord promised Abraham this land. Abraham’s family had to leave the land because of the famine, they went to Egypt, grew as a nation and now they are back to possess what is rightfully theirs according to the promise of the LORD YHWY. And so the second part of the promise of God has been fulfilled.
3. They would experience God’s presence in such a way that it would bless the entire World. This has begun, but it has not been completely realized yet. We have seen small glimpses of how God’s presence has been a blessing but it has not been fully actualized yet.
The people experience the powerful presence of the LORD at the foot of Mount Sinai as they were given the law.
The people experienced the presence of the LORD as they followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night throughout the wilderness.
The people are now experiencing the presence of the LORD as they follow the ark of the covenant that goes before them in battle.
Faith is about Feet! are they moving
Soon, the Old Testament record will tell of the establishment of the Temple where the people will experience the presence of the LORD as He dwells with them in the holy city of Jerusalem.
And if the people would faithfully continue in a right relationship with the LORD then the Presence of the LORD would so affect their nation that they would forever stand out as a city on a hill where the entire World would be blessed by being able to see what a right relationship with our Creator God looks like. This was the idea, but we already know that this will not happen. We don’t just know it because we are living thousands of years later, but because God had already revealed it to Joshua.
This was the plan, but we already know that this will not happen. Remember at the end of the book of Deuteronomy when God promises Joshua that he will lead the people into the promised land but that it will not be long until the people of God will rebel against Him and follow other gods. This is what God says in...
Remember at the end of the book of Deuteronomy when God commissions Joshua with a promise that he will lead the people into the promised land but that it will not be long until the people of God will rebel against Him and they will follow other gods. This is what God said in...
20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
God told Joshua that this would happen…and now they have all begun to settle in to the land of milk and honey…so what do you think is on Joshua’s mind?
But that too is not the end...
Moses was the humble servant leader of God’s people, he met with God face to face and was given God’s law, but the Bible says that the law is powerless to bring salvation. There is one greater than Moses.
Joshua was the mighty warrior leader of God’s people, he followed God into battle and saw him do amazing
You have probably heard it before. You see it on plaques, posters and framed art in so many Christian homes. And it is a great quote, one that we should remind ourselves of…but lets not forget that Joshua said these things knowing that eventually the people of God would reject them. This is what Joshua says:
The current residents however, do not recognize God as God so they are judged for this by God and Joshua leads the people in the execution of this judgement. They devote everything to destruction.
Except, when they didn’t (Achan at Ai) they were defeated. So they determined who disobeyed God, and executed judgement on him and then they again were right with God and could move forward into promised land
All of Canaan wasn’t fully occupied by Israel for 500 years until Solomon...
23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
Joshua
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
All of Canaan wasn’t fully occupied by Israel for 500 years until Solomon...
26 And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.
Flavors Joshua’s famous instructions here
Warming to Moses and Joshua
20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
Flavors Joshua’s famous instructions here
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua
You can hear the warning in the heart of this leader can’ you? Stay true to the LORD, don’t forget Him. You have the power to choose, choose Him!
It was a powerful and inspirational plea. And the people were inspired! In fact in the very next verses they corporately declare the same thing. “We also will serve the LORD!” And listen to how Joshua responds to the people
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
Joshua 24:
Gospel Application
(Way to kill the moment Joshua)
yo-ho-shu-a יְהוֹשׁוּעַ
Holy - set apart you cannot fool him or
Jealous - He will not share his people with other gods -
He will not accept your disloyalty - because Joshua knew that it would happen.
Gospel Application
J
Joshua’s commissioned with the promise that the LORD will be with Him
Now you might say, wait a minute. I thought that God does forgive our sins? Why would Joshua say that he will not forgive their sins?
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.”
This is one place where the connections between the Old Covenant and New Covenant is so important to understand. This is why we so desperately need both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament the only way to be right with God was to bring your sacrifices to the Tabernacle or eventually the Temple. You had to continue to do this every time you sinned. The forgivness of your sins was not full or complete, you had to go back again and again and again. But the New Testament tells us that this was only a picture of something to come. It was only a place holder, put in place until something sufficient could be done for all sin.
1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Do you understand what this means? Do you understand how grievous this is? It means that the stain of sin that every person wears will eternally keep us from fully experiencing the presence of a holy God that we were designed to enjoy.
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
have your sins taken care of was to offer sacrifices.
For each sin.
Every time.
If that sounds overwhelming to you that is because it is. And even if you were the most disciplined and dedicated person in the world there is just no way that you could ever offer enough sacrifices for every thought word or deed that you have done against the perfect righteousness that a holy God must demand. Our sinful and selfish natures will always get in the way of this.
Do you understand what this means? Do you understand how grievous this is? It means that we are stain with sin in such a way that we cannot experience the presence of a holy God.
But that is what God promised Abraham. God promised him that his family line would bring the presence of the LORD into the World in such a way that it will bless every family. Well if you started reading the Bible in Genesis and stopped in Joshua then you would never see that promise fulfilled. They do become a great people. They do have great place. They have experienced some of blessing of the presence of the LORD, but nothing sufficient enough to forgive their sins.
But the presence of the LORD will come, and it will come from someone from the family line of Abraham. It was not Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses or Joshua. You have to go all the way into the New Testament to find in the Gospels the genealogies that trace the family line so much further all the way to the parents of the one who was born Emmanuel - God with us. His life death and resurection is the perfect sacrifice that reaches all the way back to Abraham and all the way forward to you and I.
Later on in Hebrews chapter 10 it says:
The teaching of is sandwiched between two other verses that make this so clear for us:
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Hebrews 10:10-12
Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins, and He has done it. The third part of God’s covenantal promise of Abraham was forever fulfilled through Jesus Christ. It is only through the salvation found in Jesus Christ that we can experience the Presence of God that was promised to Abraham. That salvation can never be earned by any of our sacrifices or any of our battles, but only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus
Landing
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Landing
The third part of God’s covenantal promise of Abraham was forever fulfilled through Jesus Christ. It is only through the salvation found in Jesus Christ that we can experience the Presence of God that was promised to Abraham. That salvation can never be earned by any of our sacrifices or any of our battles, but only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus.
Do you have that faith in Jesus Christ? Do you believe what God has told us about who He is and about who we are? That we were designed to have a perfect relationship with Him, but our sin separated us from His holy presence and we can do nothing about that on our own. But Jesus can. And Jesus did. And when we believe what God has told us about this then that is the faith that brings salvation.
9 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. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
If you have not done this yet guys, then today would be a great day. If you have any questions on it then please see myself, one of the other Overseers or someone else that you know has this kind of relationship with God through Jesus. We would love to talk to you about it.
If you have done this, then you have access to the presence of God in ways that should be a blessing to you. Are you living in that blessing? I don’t mean are you “wealthy, healthy and slappy happy”. I mean are you following the LORD into the battle. That is where the blessing of God’s peace is experienced. It is not found in an absence of any struggles, it is found as you follow God into the mission that He has given us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. That mission has an enemy and that enemy will attack anyone who is trying to serve the LORD. He will fight for us, but we still have to work to do in the battles.
Let me close with this reminder of how we are to prepare for battles from
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Ephesians 6:10-1
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:
Joshua was right about us too. We are not able to serve the LORD either. He is too holy for us on our own - but because of Jesus we can. We can experience the presence of God through the Holy Spirit and that is a blessing both to us and to our world.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
They were given a taste of what living in a right relationship with God looks like, but they were constantly messing it up. We too have a taste of a riht relationship with God that we were always meant to have -but we don’t have it fully yet! We too keep messing up. Thank God for Jesus, the blessing that blesses the entire World!
We too have a taste of the relationship with God that we were always meant to have -but we don’t have it fully yet!
They were given a taste of what living in a right relationship with God looks like, but they were constantly messing it up. We too have a taste of a riht relationship with God that we were always meant to have -but we don’t have it fully yet! We too keep messing up. Thank God for Jesus, the blessing that blesses the entire World!
Finally entered the promised land - now what?
Warming to Moses and Joshua
6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” 13 Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.
20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
J
Never got back to God moving, but we also must move theme - do I need to?
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:10-
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
“Biblical faith is acting like it is so even when its not so in order that it might be so simply because God said so” - Tony Evans
And no I am not secretly working for the recruiting offices of our Armed Forces here, although I am indebted to those who do serve to keep my family safe and to secure the freedoms that I enjoy here, but I am talking about a different kind of battle. One that is won or lost in the spiritual world even as it is played out among God’s people here in the physical world. The Apostle Paul spoke of this battle in this way in the book of Ephesians, He says:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.