Joshua 23:1-3 Preparation
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· 11 viewsYou have seen what the Lord has done for you, He fought for you
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Joshua 23:1-3
Joshua 23:1-3
King James Version Chapter 23
And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: 3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.
I remember when I was ordained, the preacher preached a charge to us. Before being ordained I had the pleasure to serve with other men in my church at that time that were seasoned men of God, that had been on visitation, lead Bible studies, prayed out loud, ministered to hurting families, loved on people in times of sorrow and death. These men helped prepare me to be a deacon.
Joshua is giving the leaders of Israel their final charge, their marching orders.
Joshua had been a good leader, he was obedient to God, he was an a soldier, a fighter, Joshua was the man God wanted him to be.
Joshua was 110 yrs. when he died. He poured himself into the nation of Israel.
God has given us the saved a charge.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
“When God wants to accomplish something, He prepares a servant for the task and prepares the task for His servant,”
God invested 80 years in Moses to prepare Moses to minister for 40 years in the wilderness.
Preparations is key: When I begin to do my lesson each week, I don’t sit down at my computer and begin to write out my lesson.
I have to get prepared.
1. I pray and seek God’s guidance, I ask the Lord to help me understand His Word, I ask the Lord of His discernment and grant me the wisdom and knowledge of His Word.
Then as I am reading God’s Word, He speaks to me, He brings out things in a verse that I wouldn’t have seen if I had read without consulting Him…
So in my preparation everything you see and here is God, it’s all from Him.
God prepared Joshua thru suffering, submission and delay.
Why would God use suffering, submission and delaying, as ways of preparation for a task? Because, He’s God, He can take a bad situation and use it for His good.
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
It shall not return unto me void,
But it shall accomplish that which I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Suffering: Joshua was born a slave, he grew up hearing his people praying asking God to deliver them from their bondage of slavery.
God’s patterns life like this, you must first suffer before you can experience glory.
When we suffer while in the Will of God, what must we do?
We must depend on His Grace to get us through this suffering, but with this suffering it brings a maturing / growing effect on us.
When we suffer it sometimes it makes us bitter, because we think we don’t deserve to suffer or our suffering is unwarranted.
When we allow our suffering to be mixed with God’s grace and our faith, our suffering builds godly character. You become more like Christ.
We celebrated Easter last week, we celebrate Easter because Jesus died on the cross and rose again in 3 days.
The nail scars in Jesus hands and feet are are reminders that suffering and glory go together.
Submission: Joshua was leader of the Israelite army while under Moses, Joshua submitted to Moses and did as Moses asked. Joshua was obedient to Moses, and that obedience prepared Joshua to lead the nation of Israel.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
Adults know right from wrong, we know their are consequences to our actions.
As a child I had to learn, I had to submit to what my dad said. He was the head of the household and what he said was law. If I was told to clean my room, take out the trash, help my brother mow the yard, that’s what was expected. I didn’t realize it then, but my dad was teaching me how to be a man, to be responsible, to follow orders from an authority figure.
Being submissive isn’t a bad thing. It’s what we submit to that sometimes causes us pain and heartache .
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Submitting to the Lord, has rewards.
Delay:
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Faith and Patience: They don’t sound like they go together.
As leader of the nation of Israel, Joshua had to demonstrate both Faith and Patience.
By faith the nations of Israel passed through the Red Sea on dry ground,
By faith the walls of Jericho came down, after 7 days of marching around the city, that also took patience.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The life of Joshua should encourage us to be obedient and trust the Lord, have faith in His Word, His promises.
Joshua’s obedience to do God’s Will not only increased his faith, but the faith of a nation.
Remember what God told Joshua in the first chapter, “Don’t turn from My instruction, don’t turn to the right or left.” God was saying trust Me and Me only, and I’ll bless you every step of the way.
Patience: Sometimes patience is asking someone to sacrifice an arm or leg.
Our current situation has made us become a nation of patient people. No gatherings larger than 10 people, you must stay 6’ apart.
If you’ve ever been to CBBC you know that’s not what we did in the past. We’re a loving church family, we hug, shake hands, stand over one another and pray at the altar.
I miss my hugs, I miss Ann and Sue going around and hugging and shaking everyone’s hand, and Sue will kiss you on the cheek.
During this time of quarantine I’m learning to be more patient. I’m looking forward to the Sunday we will be able to worship together again.
What is patience teaching me? What should I do during this time of quarantine and patience?
I’m being taught to trust the Lord. I am reading and studying, listening to other messages, praying more, God is preparing us for a task.
Lost people are looking for answers, many people are asking why is God allowing this to happen? Many people want some kind of assurance, they’re seeking hope.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
They shall run, and not be weary;
And they shall walk, and not faint.
(Read Words to Teach Me Lord to Wait)
Teach me Lord to wait down on my knees
Till in Your own good time You answer my pleas
Teach me not to rely on what others do
But to wait in prayer for an answer from You
Teach me Lord to wait while hearts are aflame
Let me humble my pride and call on Your name
Keep my faith renewed, my eyes on Thee
Let me be on this earth what you want me to be
That is a prayer of patience.
We’ve experienced sufferings, we’ve been submissive to God’s Will, we’ve had delays, we’ve shown our faith and we’ve had patience.
So now what? We praise and glorify God.
Why? let’s go back and look at vs. 3 of Joshua 23.
3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.
The suffering I’ve had to endure don’t compare to the suffering Jesus had on the Cross. With my sufferings comes a promise of joy, hope, peace, comfort and love. All promises from His Word.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
I’m here on earth for a little while, I will experience trials, but my trials don’t compare to what God’s got in store for me in heaven for eternity.
Do you know what task the Lord is asking you to do? Ask Him.
Next week: 1 Peter 1