Edge of Tomorrow
Notes
Transcript
Change. It’s not a word we like nor is it something we enjoy walking through… especially when it is unexpected.
I’m not talking about move the couch from here to there kind of change. I’m not talking about mow the grass in a different direction change. I’m not talking about a different morning routine, or a different way to work or a different kind of donuts for breakfast kind of change.
I’m talking about the kind of change… that changes your world. I’m talking about the kind of change that causes disruption in just about all areas of life. I’m talking about the kind of change that redefines… normal.
We all know normal… we know what normal feels like.
Defined, normal is the usual, average, or typical state or condition. As an adjective, normal is conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.
Normal is… what we expect most days of the week. Normal is… the life we are often drawn to. Normal is… a place of comfort and convenience. Normal is… our routine, our way of life, and our place of security and a place refuge. The problem with normal is… it can change. The problem with normal is… it can be redefined. The problem with normal is… it can be a thing of the past.
A change in “normal” can be a problem… but it can also be the solution.
This morning, we begin a new series simply called New Normal. It is based off pastor John Lindell’s new book and I believe it is a very timely series for us. Why? Because normal… has changed. In fact I would say normal was thrown out the window, caught in the wind, and blown completely out of sight!
SO MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS! And so much is changing around the world this very moment!
We are still feeling the effects of COVID 19. The pandemic created a new level of fear, encouraged social separation, and even groomed our society for things to come!
The vaccine is a vaccine. I believe it is up to each person to decide whether or not they want to receive it. But the boundaries our culture has set up between the vaccinated and un-vaccinated is a social AND spiritual conditioning for things to come - specifically the mark of the beast.
We are feeling the effects of war between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian refugee count is now over 1 million people and it continues to climb!
Soldiers and civilians are losing their lives. Sanctions are disrupting the world economic system. Threats of escalation… including the use of nuclear weapons… are being broadcast in the news.
I keep telling myself that I never thought I would ever see such things take place in my lifetime and you know what? I am tired of repeatedly telling myself that phrase in recent years!
The question I want to ask you this morning is this… how are you handling the change? Who are you looking to to help you with this change? Do you find yourself trusting in God as we step into this new normal… or are you hoping for things to return to the way they were less than one thousand days ago?
Here’s the deal… normal might be a place of comfort but comfort can become dangerous in and of itself. Normal might be our routine but that doesn’t mean our routine was… good. Normal might be a way of life but that way of life can be misleading. Normal might feel like a place of security and refuge… but that feeling can be deceiving.
GOD IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF SECURITY, REFUGE, PROTECTION, PROVISION, DIRECTION, AND STRENGTH THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE!
As the world changes around us… I pray that our “normal” routine is to remain to the God WHO NEVER CHANGES!
This morning we look back to the Old Testament. This morning we look at a story where normal… had just passed away.
Today we look at the life of Joshua… and we are going to look at a pivotal point in his life. Joshua had a choice to make. Would he do all that he could to restore the “normal” routine of the people who now followed him… or would he step into the new reality that God set out before him?
We find the record of this incredible moment in Joshua 1:1-2
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.
Moses… had died. Moses had led the people of God through some pretty crazy stuff. He was their leader. he was known by all. And now… he was gone.
i can only imagine what Joshua might have been feeling in this moment. The Jordan River was in front of them. Normal… or life as they knew it… was behind them.
Joshua wasn’t standing on the banks of the river to take in the sights. He wasn’t there to listen to the flow of the water or to enjoy the wild beauty of the area… he was there to lead the people from where they were… into a land that they had never been.
The Jordan River… was a boundary. The Jordan River was the end of the world as they knew it.
The people of God had spent a long time wandering in the wilderness. They had learned a lot of hard lesson while they were there. Still, for all the frustration and occasional boredom of those difficult years, there was a certain familiarity and predictability to them too.
Here’s the deal:
You can get used to anything, EVEN THE WILDERNESS, and you can find a certain comfort and routine in dealing with the devil you know.
Remember church… this wasn’t the first time they stood on the banks of this river. They had been here before… but their grasp of “normal” and their fear of what might lie ahead kept them from missing out on the promise of God!
Consider this… when things got tough in their journey… the people wanted to go back to… “normal.” Even if that meant going back to being… SLAVES!
5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
Normal… might just be the thing that is keeping you from experiencing what God is leading you to do. Normal might just be the thing that is keeping you in a holding pattern. Normal might be the thing God is trying to break you free from so you can live in His promises.
As they stood on the riverbank, I’m sure that many of the younger Israelites considered the far side of the Jordan to be as unreachable as the other side of the moon. They only knew about the land on the other side through stories.
But Joshua… he knew about the land from experience. he was one of the spies that had entered the land so many years prior. Since then… he dreamed about it. He wanted it. Even when the other spies said the battle is too great… Joshua and Caleb knew otherwise.
God had led them there… to a new normal… When everybody else said it could not be done Caleb and Joshua were the counter witnesses who said, “It must be done, and with God’s help, we are the only ones who can do it.”
It’s been said from this pulpit for weeks, months, and even years. I see nothing but the promises of God ahead! I see God doing an amazing work here in the heartland!
These promises are not realities that we simply want to visit or vacation in… We want to live… to settle in the promises of God!
In order to do that… we have to let go of the way things were or the way things have always been and embrace what God has set before us.
Joshua now stood at the boundary and had a choice to make… would he stay where they were or move into the new normal ahead?
And that is the question I want to ask you this morning… are you willing to step into the promises of God today… or will “normal” hold you back from experiencing what God has in store?
I’m not talking about visiting the promises ahead… I’m talking about LIVING in the promises ahead!
There are two things I want us to consider as we ponder that question… they are the same two things that were on the mind of Joshua.
The Promises of God.
The Promises of God.
3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
God told Joshua it was time… get ready because you are about to enter into the land… the land that would be given to them by God.
This journey… this venture into a new normal wasn’t Joshua’s idea nor was it some form of human conquest to secure a new territory for the people. This journey was orchestrated and put into motion by God. God was leading the way. God was opening the doors to promise.
This was GOD’S PLAN. And it was a good plan! The passage we just read is incredible! God would give them this land, everywhere they set foot to would become their land.
And… NO ONE COULD STAND AGAINST THEM! That my friends is an incredible promise!
Things were changing… and yes… the people had just experienced a great loss. Moses was gone. But sometimes these kind of changes can be what displaces a person and moves them forward.
If you are like most people, part of your life has been spent in some kind of wilderness. you find yourself walking in circles, turning around at the same dead ends. Perhaps in the face of the onslaught of changes… God is trying to help move you or shift you from this endless holding pattern into a new and promised undiscovered discovery.
God has a plan for you. God has a plan for this church. As I have said before, I feel like we are standing on the threshold of possibilities… I feel like we are ready to cross over into the new chapter that God has for us...
And as we take that step of faith… as we move from what is known into the unknown… I pray that we will NEVER lose sight of God’s promises ahead!
As we take that step, church, we know there will be no going back to where we started. I can only imagine how Joshua felt as he took each step across that river… as he knew they were steps he could never take back.
Joshua crossed that river… led those people… with the promises of God on His mind.
And church… right there is the key. What is on your mind today? Are His promises in the forefront… or are your preferences in control? Are His promises leading the way, or are you more partial to just staying where you are?
2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that God’s promises are yes and amen which means you can take them to the bank. But a person must trust His promises in order to experience His promises. Yes, it might be challenging to step out into a new normal that is orchestrated by God… but the promise that awaits is worth the effort!
Joshua looked to the promises ahead, not to the preferences that were behind. He didn’t hold on to tradition… he looked forward to tomorrow. So he stretched out his foot… and took that first step.
Not only had God given Joshua the promise… He also gave Joshua a pathway to the promise.
The Pathway to the Promises of God.
The Pathway to the Promises of God.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God made something very clear to His servant… something that must never be forgotten in the journey. God instructed Joshua to NEVER turn from the law that had been given to Moses. God’s Word, God’s way was the way in which His promises would come.
This is so very true for all of us today. As we prepare to cross the threshold as individuals and as a church, it is critical that we Stay True to His Word.
His Word is the way. If we try to experience the promises of God in any other way… WE WILL MISS OUT ON THE PROMISES OF GOD.
The journey ahead was impossible for the people of Israel to accomplish on their own. The obstacles were simply too great. However, they served the God who is bigger than all the challenges ahead! So long as they kept their faith in Him, God would lead them to His promises.
Church, when God leads the way, we have to let go, and let God. When our trust is fully placed in God, we must let go of our understanding and fully embrace His wisdom and guidance.
We find such wisdom in His Word. We find such guidance in His truth. God’s Word will NEVER lead us to a place of death. NEVER. God’s Word will lead us to a place of life more abundantly… to a place where death has been swallowed up in victory!
God’s Word will go against the normal flow of our society and culture. God’s Word will lead us in a different direction than the world. But God’s Word WILL NEVER FAIL. Our security, our refuge is found in God and His Word… a Word that will stand to the end of time!
His Word serves as our pathway to His promises! And there is one more thing in our passage that we need to consider as we follow God to the promises ahead...
Following requires… FAITH. Stay true to the faith and DO NOT BE AFRAID!
Look at God’s words again in Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
DO NOT BE AFRAID! Do not allow fear to override your faith!
How fearful have we become in recent years because of all the changes that have come our way? Fear has caused people to shelter in… fear has caused people to turn against. Fear has caused people to divide and to separate.
Yes… the pandemic was a real thing… but church… the damage that has been caused by fear is also a real thing! It is high time we let go of that fear and let faith kick back in!
Consider this:
The land of normal is neither a place of possibility nor a place of battle; it is a place of false comfort based on the illusion that we are more in control than we really are.
If your normal has you more focused on fear rather than faith… then it’s time you allow God to flip that normal upside down! If your normal has you looking inward instead of upward, then it’s time to flip that normal upside down! If your normal has you walking in circles instead of living in His promises, then it’s time to flip that normal upside down! if your normal has you more concerned about your preferences instead of His presence then it’s time to flip that normal upside down!
Our desire to feel like we have it all together, our desire to feel like we are in control, can keep us living in the fear of stepping out into the normal God has for us!
If God is leading you… DO NOT BE AFRAID! Today is not a day for fear but is a day for our faith to shine!
The pathway to the promises of God is a path illuminated by His Word and traveled by faith. And here’s the deal… it’s okay to “feel” afraid… so long as that fear doesn’t keep you from moving in faith.
Faith is NOT a feeling. It is an action. Faith is a response to what God is calling you to do. Faith doesn’t mean that your knees don’t ever knock… Faith means that you keep on walking ahead even when they do!
Edge of Tomorrow.
Edge of Tomorrow.
Joshua was standing on the edge of tomorrow. Joshua was about to lead his people across a boundary into the promises of God.
The old normal would have to be thrown out before they could cross over. Not forgotten, but certainly not controling.
And church, it’s a pattern as old as time and it is something that never get’s easier. Something has to die in order for new life to come. We have to let go. We have to let God.
Consider your faith in God… consider your new life in Jesus.
Your old self had to be “crucified with Christ” before new life could come. when your life is given to Jesus, your old self is nailed to the cross with Him. A new life is born through His redeeming blood and resurrecting power.
i don’t know about you but… I was glad to see that old normal life of sin go away! I am thankful for the new life that I have today in Christ! But the old had to go… before the new could come in.
What are you holding on to… that is holding you back? What “normal” routine has you stuck… has you in a place where you are missing out on the promises of God? What lies of the enemy are keeping you from crossing into the will of the Father?
I want you to understand something very important: in a moment, I’m going to encourage you to step out of your old normal and into the new normal that God has for you. And as you do, I want you to remember God’s Words today, “The Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.” This was true in Joshua’s day… and it is true for us right now.
So church… here we are on the banks of the river. Here we are looking forward to the promise - the promise of God doing something amazing n the heartland - the promise of God doing something amazing in you.
First, what do you need to let go of? What “normal” has been holding you back.
PRAYER - God, I’m letting go and holding on to You.
Second, will you choose to take the step with me? I can’t promise that I know what everything is going to look like… But God knows and that’s okay with me. it’s time to go up and take the country… It’s time to step into His promises.
Prayer - Help us stay true to Your Word. lead us with faith and by Your Spirit.