"PREPARING FOR THE PROMISES"
Notes
Transcript
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray for our Nation
Pray for our First Responders
Pray for the people coming into contact with the virus
Pray for Parents specially Single Parents.
Carol and I have been talking with and praying for this Single Mom’s and Dad’s
It’s a very hard situation in general
But with this virus, it has definitely taken a different tone.
KIDS CRAFT
AS YOU KNOW WE HAD OUR FIRST ZOOM CALL YESTERDAY AND IT WAS AMAZING
SEEING CAROL MINISTER TO OUR KIDS WAS SUCH A BLESSING
IT WAS SUCH A GREAT WAY FOR THE KIDS TO CONNECT AND I HOPE YOU JOIN US
THE NEXT ONE IS NEXT SATURDAY 10AM
ALL THE INFORMATION IS AT VCLB.ORG/KIDS
OPPORTUNITY
As many of you know Randy works at Los Alamitos Medical Center
As a sign of appreciation, Vision Long Beach is going to provide lunch for his floor.
With this Virus, it has been a bit overwhelming.
It’s been hard for all of them
So we are going to buy them lunch and show them that not only are we praying for them
We are with them and for them.
I’ve been praying about opportunities to practically help those on the frontline, and I believe this is one way.
We may also be blessing a grocery store
And a local Senior Center.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTNER WITH US
THERE ARE VARIOUS WAYS YOU CAN GIVE:
GIVE VIA OUR APPLICATION
GIVE VIA THE WEBSITE VCLB.ORG/GIVE
OR YOU CAN SEND US A CHECK
LET’S PRAY FOR THE OFFERING
He has actually been promoted from Med 2 to the ER and this is his last week there
LAST SUNDAY
LAST SUNDAY
We completed our first live stream and covered the beginning of Joshua Chapter 1
We saw Joshua get commissioned to lead the people of Israel into the promise land
We saw the Lord comfort him in the midst of fear and lack of strength and courage
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK
We are going to continue through Joshua and finish Chapter 1
I will most likely continue gleaning through this book as we navigate through this season.
I believe these topical sermons are good for us in this season, and I hope they encourage you
THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS
Have you stopped and wondered why?
Why are we in this season?
Why so much uncertainty?
Why do
Why so much instability?
Why has God allow this?
Anybody ever felt like that?
Anybody ever felt like that?
TURN TO
TURN TO
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, 13 “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, 15 until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
PRAY
PRAY
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
:10-
CHURCH, ONE THING THAT I AM ALWAYS REMINDED OF IS THIS:
THERE IS ALWAYS A SEASON OF PREPARATION FOR WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED HIS PEOPLE
FOR THE ISRAELITES, IT WAS EGYPT, AND THEN THE WILDERNESS
FIRST EGYPT
Egypt was a place of bondage
A place of literal slavery
A place of uncertainty
A place where the Israelites realized what it’s like to be ruled by someone other than God.
Egypt acted as a season of preparation for an exciting journey through the wilderness.
THE WILDERNESS
This was a place of miracles
This was a place of super natural provision
This was a place that should have built greater community within the people
But a place where many complained about the supernatural provision of God.
IN THESE TWO PLACES OF TRIALS, THE TRUE COLORS OF MANY MANIFESTED BEFORE THE PEOPLE
During the pressure
During the crisis
During the testing
WE SAW TWO REACTIONS
Some challenged the Word of God
Some humbled themselves in the sight of God and came under the authority and leadership of A Sovereign God.
For those who survived, it was time to reap the fruit of their steadfastness
WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT THIS?
And even that took preparation
BECAUSE JOSHUA HAD TO HAVE TWO CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
CONVERSATION #1
JOSHUA ASKS HIS OFFICERS TO GO THROUGH THE CAMP AND COMMAND THE PEOPLE TO PREPARE THEMSELVES TO HEAD INTO THE LAST LEG OF THIS PROMISE
Prepare provisions
For in 3 days you will cross over the Jordan
To go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
FOR ME, THIS PREPARATION WAS EXCITING
THIS PREPARATION WAS SOMETHING THAT BROUGHT A NEW ENERGY TO THE FAITH
BUT THIS WASN’T THE CASE FOR EVERYONE.
THERE WERE SOME
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, 13 “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, 15 until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
JOSHUA 1:12-
FRIENDS, THERE IS SO MUCH ADVENTURE TO BE HAD WITH JESUS
HOWEVER, IT IS UP TO YOU HOW FAR YOU WILL LET HIM TAKE YOU.
FOR THE REUBENITES, GADITES, AND HALF TRIBE OF MANASSEH, IT WAS DIFFERENT.
INSTEAD OF ASKING THEM TO PACK THEIR BAGS, HE ASKED THEM TO PREPARE TO FIGHT
HE REMINDS THEM OF THE DEAL THEIR TRIBES HAD MADE WITH MOSES A FEW YEARS BACK.
One thing to note
This wasn’t an overnight decision
When we look at , we see that this decision was generational
It all started when the spies went into the land and brought back a false report
This settlement continued through a couple of generations
What these 2.5 tribes agreed to do was this
They were going to fight for the Promise Land that God was giving them
But they weren’t going to enjoy it’s benefits
They were going to aide in helping the other tribes walk into the promise land, but they weren’t going to inhabit it.
HOW MANY OF US LIKE TO WORK FOR FREE?
HOW MANY OF US LIKE TO FIGHT FOR NOTHING?
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I’M LOOKING TO FIGHT AND WORK FOR A DESIRED RESULT.
When it comes to my walk with Jesus
When it comes to my girls and my wife
When it comes to the people God has entrusted to me
I’m going to fight
I’m going to work
I’m going to labor
Not for the thing’s that perish but what Paul spoke about in
19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.
Galatians 4
I am working for
FRIENDS, NOT ONLY DO I DESIRE THAT CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU
I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE PLATFORM FROM WHICH WE ENTER INTO THE PROMISED LAND THAT GOD HAS FOR US.
The last thing I want is to create people that do good without ever following Jesus
The last thing I want is to create pseudo disciples who are good citizens but never enter into all that God has for them
The last thing I want is for you to fight for a result that is graspable, but which you never lay hold of.
The last thing I want is for you to fight for a result that is graspable, but which you never lay hold of.
I LOVE HOW PAUL ENCOURAGED THE PHILLIPIANS:
PAUL SAY’S IM NOT DONE
IM NOT PERFECT
BUT I PRESS ON
THAT I MAY LAY HOLD OF THAT FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS HAS LAID HOLD OF ME
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
These tribes new what their God had done, yet they missed out on what He wanted to gift them in the present and the future.
They had been sustained by their God as slaves in Egypt
They had been provided for as Sojourners in the Wilderness
Joshua 1:
They had heard the promises, fought for the promises, but missed out on the result of the promises.
AS CHRISTIANS, THE MAJORITY OF US LOOK AT THIS AS SUCH A POOR DECISION, WHILE OUR PRACTICE SPEAKS TO THE SAME NARRATIVE
WHAT DO I MEAN:
When we do CHRISTIAN THINGS
When we say CHRISTIAN THINGS
When we act CHRISTIAN
But we continue in our sinfulness
Not only do we confirm our hypocrisy
We are just like these 2.5 tribes
Doing the good thing but not growing
You know what trips me out about this?
The decision to not enter into the Land THE LORD WAS GIVING THEM
Was not an overnight decision
It wasn’t a recent decision
It was a decision that was passed down from one generation to the other
Check out
6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7 Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them.
Numbers 32:1
When these two and a half tribes proposed this to Moses
Moses didn’t want them to settle
He wanted them to enter into all that God had for them
Moses asks them:
WHY?
BECAUSE THEY ALLOWED THEIR TRIBE TO INFLUENCE THEIR BELIEFS
THEY ALLOWED A DISOBEDIENT GENERATION TO LEAD THEM INTO SETTLING FOR LESS THAN GOD HAD FOR THEM
THE SAD PART WAS, THEY WERE TOTALLY COOL WITH IT.
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
The sad part about this is that they were convinced they were right in what they did.
They were willing to obey Joshua and to bless Joshua and proclaim truths about Joshua
Doing all the right things, but settling for less than all that God had for them.
CHURCH, WE ARE IN VERY HARD TIMES
FOR SOME OF US, IT MAY SEEM LIKE WE ARE IN EGYPT:
Why are you going to discourage the heart of the children of Israel?
IT MAY SEEM LIKE THE WILDERNESS
Why are you going to continue
IT MAY SEEM LIKE WE ARE NOT BEARING ANY FRUIT
IT IS WITHIN THESE TIMES THAT WE LEARN WHAT “ESSENTIAL” IS
THESE A
IT IS WITHIN THESE TIMES THAT WE LEARN TO PUT OUR EFFORTS INTO WHAT MATTERS MOST.
Quarantined
Worried
Oppressed
Anxious
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Use this season to strip away the unnecessary behaviors that have been entangling you
Use this time to seek the Lord your God, and trust Him.
3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
FOR OTHERS, IT MAY SEEM LIKE THE WILDERNESS:
You are wondering when this will be over
You are tired of the Manna and the Quail and you are starting to forget how Good God is
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Press in deeper
Realize that you are a living miracle
The fact that you are alive and God is providing your every breath is the Truth that God is not done with you.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
FOR SOME YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP AND SETTLE FOR LESS
You are wondering if Life without God is less painful
You are wondering if people would even care if you walked away
3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
You are tempted to quit because you feel like you have been working for nothing
God knows you. Loves you. If you walk away, He wont ever give up on you so don’t waste your life fleeing from a God who has a perfect plan for your life
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139:7
FOR SOME THIS SEASON IS THOSE THREE DAYS
IT’S THE SEASON OF PREPARATION FOR WHAT GOD HAS
GOD HAS SPOKEN TO YOU AND YOU ARE PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD
Be diligent
Be faithful
But most importantly, you who are ahead of the game, don’t forget that there are people among you struggling
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
FRIENDS WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN THIS SEASON
MAY WE BE A SOURCE OF LIGHT
MAY WE BE A SOURCE OF LIFE
MAY WE BE A SOURCE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
WHERE WE ARE BOTH PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE, BUT PRESENT IN THE MOMENT.