Olympians Lesson - Mission -Im-possible

Intro

We can do some pretty incredible things with our bodies can’t we? Let’s look at this quick video of this girl doing this crazy thing with her body.

Show Video

Pretty cool isn’t it? We can do a lot of cool things, but there are also a lot of things that we can’t do at all? Anyone here able to do anything really cool with their body? Like fold your tougue? Or lick your elbow? Or jump through your arms?

When you think about it, those things don’t seem that hard right? But for most of us, those things are impossible. When you think about it though, who cares whether you can lick you elbow! It’s really not that big of a deal. Tonight we’re going to look at something that Joshua and the Isrealites faced that was way to hard to even consider a possibility. I really think that what we can get learn from this lesson is a really big deal.

Lesson

This is the second part in this series called, “Mission Possible: God’s Battle Plan”. We’re looking at the life of this man named Joshua, who was a great leader whose story is found in the bible. We’re going to look at a story in the bible where God made the impossible possible. Before we go there, let’s first see what we all know about Joshua and the Israelites.

Who can tell me who Joshua was? [Allow the children to respond. Answer: God’s chosen leader, the leader of the Israelites, etc.]

Who did Joshua replace? [Allow the children to respond. Answer: Moses.]

Who were the Israelites? [Allow the children to respond. Answer: Descendants of Abraham, God’s chosen people.]

Where was Joshua trying to take the Israelites? [Allow the children to respond. Answer: To the land God promised them, the Promised Land.]

In the Old Testament in the book of Joshua, God promised to use Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the Promised land. Joshua and the people knew God wanted them to have this land, but there were many obstacles in their path. Who here know’s what an obstacle is? It is something that gets into our way.

(Play Jordan River Video)

The first obstacle that they faced was the Jordan River! This stood between the people of Israel and the land that God promised them. Anyone ever seen a rushing river? This river is like the video that behind me, it wasn’t a calm or smooth river, it was a scary, mud filled rushing river.

The bible tells us even that the river was at the flood stage. We have a river kinda in Bermuda, that gets flooded whenever it rains heavy, and you might hear about cars getting stuck in this river, well Mills Creek, whenever we have a ton of rain. So not only did Joshua have to lead his soldiers over the river but he had to lead little kids, old people, their animals and their stuff. Can you imagine a little old lady trying to make it though the river we just saw?

Many really smart bible experts think that the total number of people who crossed the river was more than 2 million. That’s a lot of people isn’t it? Talk about an impossible situation. But you know what guys, when God makes a plan, [God always makes a way]!

God told Joshua that he wanted him to cross this dangerous river to get him and the people into the Promised Land. So he knew that it was God’s will for them to get there, but he also knew that this task that he had to do seemed really impossible. But Joshua knew that when God makes a plan, [God will always make a way]!!!! He trusted and believed that God will help them!

So let’s jump into the story, says, “3 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia GroveI with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2 After three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

3 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia GroveI with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2 After three days the officers went through the campk 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,l you are to break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yardsJ between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

I Or left Shittim

k

l ,; ; ; ; ; ,

J Lit 2,000 cubits

Christian Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. Print.

Joshua was really careful to make sure that he crossed the river the right way. He called all his important soldiers forward and told them that they need to follow the Levite priests across the river as they held the Ark of the Covenant.

VISUAL 1

Who knows who the Levites were? (There were one of the tribes of Israel and these folks were given the job as the priests. They were the only people allowed to cary this special Ark of the Covenant)

VISUAL 2

The Ark of the Covenant was a special piece of woodwork that was decorated in a lot of gold and represented that God’s presence was with the Israelites. The Israelites were to take it with them wherever they went.

Let’s read some more of our story. , “5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.” 6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,m because the Lord will do wondersn among you tomorrow.” 6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses. 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.”

m ; ; ; ; ; ; ,;

Joshua told the people to get ready for the amazing thing God was going to do! And when God makes a plan, [God will always make a way]! He tells the priests that they are to take the Ark of the Covenant and to go and stand still in the River. He made sure that by doing it this way that the priests went with the Ark before everyone else. This meant that before anyone else went into the river, that God went before them?

n ; ; ; ; ;

How do you think the priests felt when they got close to the river? They were probably really scared weren’t they?

o

We’re going to read a little more of the story and we’ll see that even if other people were scared that Joshua wasn’t!

p ; ; ; 1Kg 11:38; ; ; ;

, “10 He said: “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earths goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.” 14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenantv ahead of the people.”

L Lit waters of the Jordan

10 He said: “You will know that the living God is among youq and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusitesr 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earths goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.t 13 When the feetM of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”u

Christian Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. Print.

14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenantv ahead of the people.

Joshua told the people that the living God was with them! He said that as soon as the Priests stepped foot in the river that it would stop flowing so that the people can cross on dry land! How do you think that can happen? Well there is only one answer, when God makes a plan, [God will always make a way!]

r ;

So do you think the people made it across the river safely? Would you be willing to step into that raging river we saw earlier?

s ; ; Zch 6:5

Well lets keep going in our story. , “15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah—the Dead Sea—was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”

t

15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.w But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far asA Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabaha—the Dead Sea—was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,b while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

Did you hear it in the story? As soon as the priets carrying the Ark touched the river it stopped and the place where they crossing dried up. says, the Priests carrying the Ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the JOrdan river while the Israelites crossed over on dry ground. Their mission was accomplished! When God makes a plan, [God will always make a way!] Guys there is nothing that is ever too hard for God!

M Lit soles of the feet

w ; ;

After they crossed the river Joshua told the priests to collect 12 stones from the dry river bed and to stack them on top of one another.

u

A Alt Hb tradition reads mass at

Joshua told the people that these rocks would be a memory for the people forever. And when the children with them grow up and see these stones they will ask what it means. And they would be told by the older people of when God went before the people into the Jordan river and made a way for them to cross it into the Promised Land. It would let them tell future generations that when God makes a plan, [God will always make a way!]

v

a

We’ve learned so far that Joshua had this amazing and impossible task before him. and we learned that God went before him and the Israelites to make this impossible task possible! There are times where we don’t like the feeling of people going before us, especially when that means they get something or get to do something before we get a chance to do it. But there are some times where it is good for someone to go before us!

Christian Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. Print.

b

VISUAL 3

Christian Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. Print.

When you have no clue where you are going, it helps to have someone lead. It isn’t possible to follow someone unless they go before you. I was driving some youth to a water park a few months ago and instead of following the people who knew where they were going I tried to take short cut and almost got lost! It reminded me that it is super important to be able to follow someone who knew where to go.

VISUAL 4

When something is scary, and you aren’t sure it’s safe, it really helps if someone goes before you so that you know there is nothing to fear. I just started skiing and I went with a friend who knew what they were doing. So it really helped me to not be scared to know that if I followed what they did I would be ok!

VISUAL 5

When a path has a lot of obstacles, its nice to when someone goes before you to clear the way.

God had a plan for the Israelites to cross the flooded river. No obstacle would keep Him from fulfilling his promises. When God has a plan, [God will always make a way.] God needed to go before the Israelites so that He could show them the way, to show them that there was nothing to fear and to make sure to remove the obstacles that were in their way.

CONNECTION

Guys God has a plan for your life just like he had a plan for the Israelites. In Joshua’s day, God spoke right to Joshua and told him what He wanted Joshua to do. God doesn’t speak directly to us like that today. But He’s given us some really awesome tools that His Word, the Bible, so that we can hear from him all the time. God tells us his plan for our lives through the bible and through spending time with him praying.

Who knows what they want to be when they grow up? Those things are really cool! That might be exactly what God wants for you to do, or God might have a different plan for you. The important thing is to be willing to follow whatever God’s plan for you might be.

The more we look for God’s will by reading the Bible and praying, the more you’ll find out that God’s plan is your plan. We should trust God with everything, knowing that he’s going to go before us and prepare the way. When God makes a plan [God will always make a way].

Another really cool thing about what the future looks like being a follower of Jesus is that if you have a dream to be something that right now seems impossible, that if it is God’s will, God will make a way for it to happen. Or maybe you don’t think you have the skills thats needed, they might seem impossible to have. You might think that God could never use you in that way. But God makes the impossible possible guys. We know that, when God makes a plan [God will always make a way].

CHOICE

Joshua knew that God would fulfill His promise and plan to lead them into the Promised Land. He trusted God would go before them to make a way. Even though the situation seemed impossible, Joshua believed God. He believed that, when God makes a plan [God will always make a way].

So how about you? Do you trust that God has a plan for your life? Do you beleive that when God makes a plan, God will always make a way? Will you choose to let God go before you when things seem impossible?

As we pray ask God to help us to see what his plan for you is. Ask him to go before you and to help to be able to trust Him.

LETS PRAY!

END!

NEXT STEPS

Remember that after the Israelites came across the Jordan River on dry land, they made a pile of stones to remind themselves and their children that when God wills, God will always make a way. Each of you will be given a stone to help you remember the lesson. When you see or handle the stone each day, remember that when God wills, God will always make a way. If you are facing a hard or difficult situation, remember that God goes before you. He makes the impossible possible. You can trust Him to make a way. Next week, come prepared to tell your PT coach how the stone reminded you to trust God.