INTRO
1. Control
Influence
2. Courage
Joshua 1:6-9
6"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 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 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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 terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Be = Command
Courageous
* God knew Joshua would have to be strong and courageous to reach his flow
* There might be some fear
* But feel the fear and do it anyway
* Fear false, evidence, appearing ,real Kills faith
* And I can't get my 'flow' without faith
* Because without faith I can't please God
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
* When I hear God's word I get faith
* When I obey His word, I get love
1 John 2:5
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
* And love casts out fear
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
* Everyone faces fear of something
* Every generation has something to fear
* The Bible is only 66 verses long when we see Adam have fear
* I knew a guy who said I am never going to fly or swim
* Why?
* Because I don't want to do anything that if you stop you die
* He was already partly dead
* His fear was preventing him from:
„X Experiences
„X Places
„X People
„X Opportunities
* Don't let fear keep you paralyzed
* Doctor Samuel Johnson
o Had a fear of entering a room with his left foot
* Peter-the-Great
o Had a fear of crossing bridges
o He would tremble and cry
* Julius Caesar
o Feared thunder
* A line-man that played for Vince Lombardi said when Coach Lombardi said 'sit down'
o I didn't even look for a chair
* We misunderstand courage
o Courage is feeling the fear but doing it anyway
C - Continue to Pursue God
Joshua 1:3
O - Obey God's Word
Joshua 1:7
U - Unify with Leaders
Joshua 1:10
R - Remember God's Praise
Genesis 17:
A - Act on His Authority
Joshua 1:9
G - Grow in Grace
Joshua 1:4
E - Enter His Word
Joshua 1:8
3. Compassion
Joshua 2:1
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
COMPASSION = A deep awareness of suffering of another
Coupled with the wish to relieve it
ƒ{ Christians are often viewed as the least compassionate people in society
„X Portray a closed circle
* Harder to become a member of a church than of heaven
„X We only have time for church events
„X Church people are viewed as mudslingers:
o Bombing abortion clinics
o Hating homosexuals
o Judgmental
o Arrogant
o Closed minded
o Hateful
ƒ{ Yet Jesus said "love one another"
o "By this all men will know you are my disciples
ƒ{ This verse always gets me in trouble with legalistic 'suchy much' types
„X Two spies
„X Two = witness
„X Spies = mature
ƒ{ Went and spent the night with a prostitute
ƒ{ Today we would throw them out of the church
ƒ{ If we're going to live in "FLOW"...
o Then we've got to have a compassion that gets us out of the "church camp"!
o AND into the lives of everyday people
„X Without our overbearing desire to save them
ƒ{ My friend who owns the tattoo shop
o Remodeling his tattoo shop
o Hanging out at J.R. Cycle
o Doc -- calling me
„X (remember influence)
o Feed the Multitude
„X No ulterior motive
o Bike Giveaway
„X No ulterior motive
ƒ{ Too many hounds of heaven have no life
ƒ{ So they mess up everyone else's life
ƒ{ Many of today's Christians would be
„X Preaching to Rahab
„X Picketing in front of her place
„X Saying she's going to hell
„X Spending time protesting about teaching evolution
* The removal of 10 commandments
* And gay marriage
„X Instead of living where they live
* Let them hear what God is doing
„X And offer a rope!
ƒ{ My unsaved friends always hear of the good things at this church
ƒ{ It's Christians I hear say bad things
ƒ{ Because the spies went to her house
ƒ{ She came to their house.
EXAMPLE: Bikers
Shack town
Tattoos
ƒ{ Don't say what I am not saying
Spy -- trained mature
2 -- protection / witness
ƒ{ Open your circle...
...have compassion
ƒ{ You can't have compassion on someone you're not involved with
„X Food Pantry
ƒ{ She was a:
Call girl - Converted girl
Hussy - Holy
Shady Lady - Shining star
Disgrace - Dignity
ƒ{ From house of shame to hall of fame
Matthew 1:5
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
Hebrews 11:31
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
Illustration:
* The arc de Triumph is a monument in Paris that stands 165 feet tall and 145 feet wide.
* It was commissioned in 1806 after a victory by Napoleon at the peak of his fame and finally completed in 1833.
* All over Europe there are varieties of triumphal arches or columns.
* It seems that faith should have a monument raised to its honor, upon which its mighty deeds should be recorded.
* The writer of Hebrew did just that.
* We have faith triumphing over death...
o Enoch entered not the gates of death, but reached heaven by another road.
* We have faith triumphing over infirmity...
o Abraham and Sarah having a son in their old age.
* We have faith triumphing over affection...
o As we see Abraham climbing to the top of the mountain
o And raising the knife to slay his only son at the command of God,
o Then we see God providing a lamb.
* We have faith triumphing over worldliness...
o "By faith Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt."
* We have faith triumphing over sin...
o "Rahab perished not with them that believed not..."
* Rahab is an example of the grace of God at work, her salvation was not based on her character
* She lived in a doomed city, practiced a sinful profession,
* Engaged in rebellious activities, and lied about her actions.
* But she acted upon faith, and was spared the judgment of God.
o Nature forms us,
o Sin deforms us,
o The world conforms us
o Education informs us
o But faith transforms us.
4. Consecration
Joshua 3:5
Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
Consecration = A setting apart
A solemn commitment to something cherished
To get rid of entanglements (wrong teaching - influence
ƒ{ Lay aside every weight (press toward)
ƒ{ Consecration will turn things around fast
ƒ{ 40 years -- but tomorrow!
ƒ{ So, consecration isn't about giving up more
o It's about getting more.
Note: Joshua 1:3
I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
* Every place your foot touches I will give you
* For 40 years their shoes didn't wear out
* Because he didn't want them to possess the
...Desert
...Dry
...Barren
...Unfruitful land
ƒ{ Aren't you glad you didn't wear out in your dry place?
ƒ{ Too many people are consecrating themselves
o To the wrong people
o To the wrong places
o To the wrong memories
o To the wrong God
ƒ{ And they are possessing
o Barrenness
o Manna -- just enough
ƒ{ But if you will hold on for the promise and separate and consecrate to him
Consecrate = take off shoes
Joshua 5:15
The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take of your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
ƒ{ The last thing before Jericho was take off your shoes
o I didn't let your shoes wear out then
o Because I want to consecrate your now
ƒ{ The fact that you are here at Citipoint today
„X Shows you that your shoes didn't wear out
ƒ{ God didn't want you to possess
„X Old church
„X Legalistic
„X Dry-as-yesterday's-toast religion
„X Depression
„X Poverty
„X Hurt
„X Bareness
„X Just enough
ƒ{ Some need to get your shoes back on
ƒ{ You've gotten comfortable in a place that isn't your "flow"
ƒ{ Some have gotten satisfied...
...with just enough
ƒ{ Get your shoes on...
...because the journey isn't over
ƒ{ Because where you are at is not where you have to stay
ƒ{ What you have is not all you can get
EXAMPLE: Patti says take your shoes off...
...stay a while
5. CELEBRATION (Joshua 4:7, 19,20,21)
* Explain the commercial -- picture of
„X Jordan -- water rolled back
„X Jesus baptized in Jordan
* Sin rolled back
„X 12 stones a witness
„X 12 disciples a witness
* They are building a monument of praise
o Testimony of what God has done.
* If you don't celebrate over what He has done...
o ...He might not do it anymore
* When you get to Jericho...
o Your now better have some praise of what He has done
* Gilgal is not their destination
o It's their base camp
o Praise should be your base camp
* They would go out to war...
o Come back to Gilgal
* Go out to war (Jericho)...
o Come back to Gilgal
* Go out to war (Ai)...
o Come back to Gilgal
* Go out to war (Gibeon)...
o Come back to Gilgal
* Go out to war (Heshbron)...
o Come back to Gilgal
* When they came back to Gilgal they remembered 2 things:
1. The victory they had just won
2. The journey that got them there
* They realize God hasn't brought them this far to leave them now:
* He's the...
o author / finisher
o beginning / end
* Gilgal reminded them of how good God had been to them
* I've fought a lot of battles
* Before every new battle
* I need to get back to Gilgal...and see those stones
* Remembering...
„X Childhood
„X House burning
„X Etc.
* The devil should have taken me out when he had the chance
* The stones were on this side of the Jordan
* The stones reminded them that no matter how far I fall..
o ...I will never cross this line
FLESH / SPIRIT
* There are some things I've done...I'll never do again
6. CIRCUMCISION (Joshua 5:2-5)
ƒ{ Remember Joshua wanted to go to Canaan 40 years prior
ƒ{ But negative, critical, doubting sissies prevented that
ƒ{ Now Moses is dead
o Make you some sharp knives
ƒ{ Joshua said, "it's about time"
o My now has come
o I am ready to cut some people
ƒ{ Joshua invented the Ginsu knives
ƒ{ He was ready to do a Mr. Magee on these
„X Negative
„X Critical
„X Doubting
„X Sissies
ƒ{ That kept him in a dry desert for 40 years.
ƒ{ The truth is that if you're going to possess your now
o Get beyond Jericho
o You need some flesh cut away
ƒ{ Stop being ruled by:
o The flesh
o Feelings
ƒ{ Cut it away and be led of the Spirit
ƒ{ I am a pastor that will preach in a way...
o ...that your flesh won't like
ƒ{ I preach with a:
o Knife
o Sword
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
ƒ{ You need a leader to preach in a way that will punt, pass and kick you into your next dimension.
ƒ{ Note: Joshua 5:13-14
God's not on your side
You need to get on His side
7. CONSUMPTION (Joshua 5:12)
* Notice the transition in their diet
1. The Food of Bondage...
...in Egypt
* Onions -- garlic -- lentils
* The food of captivity
* Because Onions
Garlic
Lentils
...make you stink!
* People in bondage have
o A stink about them
o Stinking thinking
o Eating things / feed on things from
o The past
o Old memories
o Old offenses
o The longer you feed on these things
o The more you put off an odor
o It's the odor of your bondage
o It's the place of not enough
2. Then they got to the desert and had manna
* Manna = what is it
* There will always be a part of your diet that is uncertain
* Uncertainty doesn't taste good
* BUT...it will sustain you while you are walking to a better day!
* Only food for 1 day
* It's the land of just enough
3. Then they crossed over
* Before they could get to their now Jericho
* Now walls coming down
* They had to change their diet from...
o Not enough -- bitter -- odor
o Just enough -- uncertainty
o More than enough -- fruitful -- flow
* Whatever you're willing to break up the ground for
o Let's be ground breakers
NOW JERICHO WAS
„o If you exercise these 7 principals your now will overtake your stronghold and become your was
„o Have you ever wanted your now to become your was?
Now Jericho = present time becoming past time
Joshua 14 Now give me this mountain
„o Jericho was a strong place
„o I want to live in a high place
