The Wandering: Refocused

As I age I start to see things clearer…although sometimes I don’t know what I’m looking at I can see it clearly.

One of the things I’ve started to get clearer glimpses of is what I would call “eternal” moments.

These are points in time when the laughter of my kid, the embrace of a loved one, the sound of a breeze, seems almost surreal and it produces in me an awareness and gratefulness of God’s presence.

It’s in these moments that we refocus…things that matter, matter again…I remember one such moment with Bob…as we spoke over the phone and he lay on the hospital bed and he told me Jesus is our only hope...

TR: Joshua had a moment where he had to refocus and he did so in the moment, with a message, and a mission…let’s talk about the moment

The Moment

Joshua 1:1-9

We must be aware of the moments

Joshua was faced with a moment when, outside of Jesus, possibly the greatest leader in all of scripture died.

And what he did from that moment would forever shape the world as we knew it. His job was to lead Israel into the Promised land

But before we get there let’s think about what he had experienced.

Slavery in Egypt in which he saw loved ones day, beaten, and abused.

The exodus where God mightily delivered the people from Pharoah

Yet only to be followed by Israel’s rebellion and punishment to wander and he saw everyone in his generation, except for Caleb, die over the past 40 years…he was alone.

What would you feel if God told you to press forward and yet most of what you’ve known is heartache and at times even God’s provision seems to only prolong the pain?

What do you do when you feel like you’ve doubled back to the monster that kick your butt before? The monster of fear? Inadequacy? Weakness?

Can you lead? Will they follow? Can you even make it yourself? What if you fail like that last guy did?

Think of the situation Joshua was in…let’s go to Deut. 31:14-23

God met with Moses and Joshua…told Moses “you ain’t going in”, Moses asks, “what about the people”...”yeah they’re going to chase after foreign gods as soon as you die”...”Joshua…you’re up”

That’s not a job description I would want!!!

God made it clear in this moment that although Moses was his friend, only faith and not friends last in this life.

AND THIS IS THE MOMENT…What do you do it for?

Have you ever felt like being obedient WAS the lost cause??? That being faithful was useless? That the moment or series of moments or the situation was just TOO BIG??? TOO FAR GONE??

leading rebellious people, committing to a lost cause, a doomed relationship?

TR: But it is in that moment…that is too grand for our adequacy that we can finally hear the message...

The Message

Companionship

The first thing that God is going to tell you when you’ve come to the end of yourself is “I am with you and will not forsake you” cf. Josh. 1:5

Here’s the stunning truth to the believer…as we awe at the relationship and interaction of God will people in the past THEY YEARNED TO HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE!!!

We spoke about it last week that God went from a animal skin hut called a tabernacle to living within His people!!! You all are the temple of God…each of you a living stone!!!

For the heart of a believer…there is NOTHING more satisfactory than to know that God is with you!!

Listen…God didn’t comfort Joshua with personal affirmations…He didn’t say, you’re going to do alright don’t sweat it…you’ve been preparing for this...

God was doing with Joshua the same thing He’d be doing with Israel, which is the same thing that He’s doing with you...

I remember the first time I went to Worlds of Fun with Malachi. He is definitely not the risk taker. He calculates everything and is perfectly ok with walking away from stuff. However, I wanted to challenge him to ride a roller coaster with me. I eventually talked him into it and it was hilarious and a bonding moment. Now the goal wasn’t about the roller coaster…it was about does he trust me and know that I will be there with him?

It ain’t about the object folks…the promised land, the dependable leaders, the provision, the health, the marriage, the children, the ministry, the job, etc....all of those things are just object lessons meant to teach a deeper truth...

That truth is that God wanted Joshua, Moses, Israel…US to view and interact with whatever is around us through faith in God…through trusting Him…realizing that we’re inadequate to do ANY of it.

Character

But in order to do that we need to develop some characteristics because it’s going to be tough.

We need strength and courage.

Strength isn’t just to muscle through it…that’s not the idea…the section of the Bible that uses this term the most is Nehemiah and in that book it uses it exclusively in 1 chapter…27 times…Neh. 3

Nehemiah is writing in that chapter about repairing the wall…hardening its defenses.

The idea of strength isn’t about just the ability to move heavy things but is the idea of resilience and being about to withstand.

Here’s the truth…just like Nehemiah’s wall, just like Joshua, many of us are broken and in need of strengthening/repair.

Like Jerusalem was done later, our resilience has at times crumbled under life, loss, and we’ve been languishing but we are called to seize onto a truth

The second characteristic is that of “courage” which too could be rendered strong but is more akin to obstinate, hardened, stubborn.

So we see that Joshua was called to be resilient and hardened for what he must face next…but how?

Like I said...”who wants this job description?”

Concentration & Dedication

Joshua 1:8 makes this clear…the only way to be strong…the only way to be repaired, to be brave in a way that the Lord desires is to meditate on the word of God day and night and dedicate yourself to it.

Are you aware of the voices in your life?

There’s an interesting documentary on Netflix called the Social Dilemma…and in it they interview various people that have worked for various social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. What they’ve intentionally done is create an echo chamber for you in order to keep you online longer.

The formidability that the Lord desires to develop in you, just like with Joshua, wasn’t through circumstance but through devotion.

What do I mean? This would attempts to strengthen you through trauma…exposure to pain/suffering/fear and eventually you get used to it. You even grow to expect it, anticipate it, and insulate yourself.

I’m reminded of soldiers coming back from war that suffer from PTSD and how difficult it is for them to reacclimate to civilian life or how hard it is for those in law enforcement to turn off after years of being on the force. In both cases the rates of alcohol abuse, divorce and sexual deviancy are rampant as they attempt to cope with a distorted view of reality.

That insulation also diminishes your ability to connect to others and even connect to God…God rather desires for your strength to not be rooted in trauma/pain but in faith in His word.

This is seen by pursuing success in His way…rather than in yours

TR: Lastly, what are we called to be successful in? War!

The Mission

Go to war

Joshua was very clear what was about to happen…Israel was on a warpath unlike had even been done before.

And His ONLY confidence was that the Lord was with Him. How was he to stay with him? Through obedience to the Word!

Yet there was no mistake…Joshua was not just going to be a spiritual leader but the general of an army!

One of the things that I believe we have forgotten is not necessarily that there is a battle going on but we’ve forgotten WHAT the battle is!

It’s for the hearts and souls of humanity! It’s not for politics, pleasures, or peace…it’s for people!

One of the closing warnings Moses provided the people was...

Deuteronomy 29:18–19 ESV

Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.

Resting in safety and comfort is not a luxury of people living at war with a kingdom of darkness!

Stop expecting peace with this world!

I watched the presidential debate and saw, the two men that so many of the people in this country support, go at it for hours. Mocking, belittling, pandering, twisting facts, using every tactic they could come up with all…just…for…power. I remember watching and praying “Lord…what do you want me to do with that?”....nothing…you’re job isn’t to fix that, it’s to preach the full counsel of God’s Word…speak truth in darkness and watch the Holy Spirit do His work!

See some of us are focusing a whole lot on things…but make no mistake, focus on the wrong thing during a war and that’s how you get taken out!

God had to make sure that His people were clear going forward because they were going to face some resistance.

There’s an entire book of God simply telling them the law again…Deuteronomy literally means 2nd law

LAND IT LOUD

Here’s the question for us though, in this moment, with this message, and the mission that is set before you…what are you focused on? What is your character like and what is the meditation of your life?

The very structure of the passage makes it clear that God wants the focus on the Word of God…not the battle, not the leader, not the fear, not the past, not the future…simply the Word of God and doing it!!!

What is your focus?! What are you obedient to?!…have you comforted yourself by believing that even though you’re stubborn you’re safe?

Pull up the root that is producing poisonous and bitter fruit! Some of us need some divine gardening to take place!

And know that as we move forward…no matter what leaders may come and go, no matter the obstacles we face or the battles that are waged…that WE will remain successful not because we are formidable…but because the Word of God will NOT DEPART FROM OUR MOUTHS NOR WILL IT DIMINISH IN DIRECTING OUR STEPS!!

Know that the Lord our is with us....amen.