Abiding in the Land
Abiding in the Land
Joshua 1:7-9: Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
· Israel is at the edge of the Jordan River. Moses is dead. After 40 years in the desert they are ready to enter the Promised Land. All of the children of Israel that came out from Egypt are gone except Joshua and Caleb, the two spies that believed God’s promises. The vast majority didn’t enter in because of unbelief.
· As God was with Moses, so He would be with Joshua, he wasn’t going forward alone, and so He will be with us. He is with us wherever we go. This is the promise of His Presence.
· The Lord chose Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land because he believed God. We need leaders that are anointed by the Lord to lead us into the Promised Land that also believe God.
Ø God commanded Joshua to speak the word, meditate on the word, and obey the word and He would be successful. God was not withholding anything from Joshua. He was to be courageous, and not to be afraid.
· God is not withholding anything from you. We can have as much of God as we can take. But we have to believe God to experience His promises
Joshua 3:14-17: So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
· I believe that Joshua and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River in the same place that John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
· The moment the Ark of the Covenant entered the river the water backed up all the way to the city of Adam, a picture for us about our baptism; the curse is backed up to Adam as we enter our Promised Land. We are separated from Adam
· It was also here that Elijah and Elisha passed through the waters of the Jordan on dry ground and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Ø When we go through the waters of baptism, we are separated from who we were in Adam and we are forever placed in Christ. We are now “of God” and our identity is changed. We are in the world but no longer “of it.”
· This was God’s plan for them, a separated life. This is where God wanted them to be, they weren’t to ever go back.
· This is true with our walk with the Lord, there should be no going backwards. This was a different people than those who left Egypt. Only Joshua and Caleb were left form the original group because they believed God.
Joshua 4:8-9: And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
· The twelve stones would be a reminder to the children of Israel that they had crossed a line… and they were never to go back again into the deserts of Arabia.
Ø The Lord wants us to “not to forget to remember” important victories we’ve had. He also wants us to “remember to forget” our failures. We need to learn to forget as well as learn to remember. Do this in remembrance.
· He wants us to rehearse our victories, and not rehearse our failures and our regrets if we want to move forward in our Promised Land.
· We need to have markers in our lives to remind us of what God has done, so that we don’t go back again. You should have a marker for when you were born again. This spiritual experience was real. There is a struggle, there is some pain, and then the labor, and then you came into God’s glorious light.
· The filling or baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some casual experience, it was a spiritual line that was crossed. Just like the children of Israel were a surrendered people to God when they crossed the Jordan River, so you have surrendered yourself to the Lord when you asked for the baptism of the Spirit.
· There should be markers in our lives to remind us of how God is leading us so that we don’t ever want to go back.
· I would say that if you don’t know that you have crossed a line…then you probably have not. An “experience” is the reality of crossing that line. This is similar to our other Christian experiences, if you do not know that you have consecrated or surrendered yourself to God, or when--then you probably haven’t.
· Our conversion, our filling with the Holy Spirit, and our surrender to Him, are all landmarks and monuments to our encounters with Him. If there are any areas of your Christian life where you are not sure if your experience is real then make sure that you know that you know.
Joshua 5:5-7: For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised. 6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord—to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” 7 Then Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.
· Circumcision was the mark of God on His people. It had begun with Abraham, and it was the sign of the covenant God had with Abraham and his seed. During their time in Egypt, God did not require the children of Israel to be circumcised.
· But now, it was necessary for the children of Israel to renew this vow to their God. It would be a sign of God on His people that they were different from the other inhabitants of the Land.
Ø We are to be separate from the others around us.
· The idea here is that they could not come into the Promised Land and be like the people of Egypt. They had to be completely separated from everything that was of Egypt. And God has separated us from the world around us. If my conversion is not separating me from the world around me it is not a genuine conversion.
· People should recognize that there is something different about me. My conversion should lead to a transformation, not just cleaned up a little bit.
Joshua 5:10-12: Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. 11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.
Ø For forty years, God had given His people manna from heaven, but now as they entered the Promised Land they were maturing in their walk with God.
· The manna had only been temporary until they could eat the fruits of Canaan. How many times had they complained about eating manna?
1 Corinthians 3:1-2: And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal.
· The purpose in bringing the children of Israel into the Promised Land was bringing them into maturity. This is a problem with today’s Christians. They are living as if they were still in the wilderness, still eating baby food.
· A sign of immaturity is boredom, our gospel churches try to entertain the congregations with programs that have their roots in the world.
· Our worship time with the Lord has become scripted and well-practiced with music and drama that is similar to the world. Then the people can have coffee in their coffee shops, and buy swag in their stores to satisfy their shopping desires; been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt!
Joshua 5:13-15: And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Ø Our Promised Land is a “holy place.” We must treat it as holy. It’s our place where we can sense and know the Presence of the Lord. This is basic to our new life… to have a sense of “holiness.” It seems like the church has lost a sense of reverence. It is common to try to bring our God down to our level where nothing is holy, but the Lord is wanting us to rise to “holiness.”
· Now in the Promised Land, Joshua has a genuine encounter with the Commander of the Lord’s army. This person is none other than Jesus, Himself. As soon as the manna ceased, the Bread of Life shows up!
· The moment the Commander showed up Joshua worshiped Him. Jesus was Joshua’s commander, and he is also our Commander
· There were going to be difficult times ahead and Joshua needed to know how keep an ongoing relationship with this Commander!
· The message was simple, take off your shoes and worship Him. This new Land was going to be a Land of worship and praise. The key to knowing the Commander is through worship and praise.
John 4:23-24: But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
· God wants us to worship Him because He knows that it is against our selfish nature. Something wonderful happens to us when we will worship and praise Him.
· Literally, the atmosphere around us changes; demons flee, sickness and disease are healed, our desires are changed, addictions fall off, freedom and liberty breakout because He inhabits the praises of His people.
· 2 Corinthians 3:17: Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
· Real praise and worship requires us to lose our self-consciousness and enter into a God-consciousness. Our flesh cannot enter into worship, we can only enter in in the spirit.
· In real praise and worship we are raptured into His Presence and we get healthier, we are transformed more into the image of Christ, and miracles happen. This is the Promised Land; God’s Presence with us in a very real way.
Acts 16:25-26: But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
· Paul and Silas were beaten and put in chains in the deepest part of the prison. There were many reasons for them to fall into a “pity party,” but they had learned some valuable lessons on their journey, the power of praise.
· Maybe you need a miracle today. Maybe your complaining and lack of thanksgiving are keeping you from getting your miracle.. Try thanking, praising, and worshiping the Lord. Change the atmosphere around you.
Let your fragrance be pleasing to the Lord, not like a dumpster on a hot day.