Misunderstandings

What is some of the motivation behind the responses of the leaders of the tribes across the river?

When we encounter Jesus, there is an opportunity for growth. Take the opportunity to turn toward Jesus today and everyday.


[Jos 22:10-34 ESV] 10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size. 11 And the people of Israel heard it said, "Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel." 12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them. 13 Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel. 15 And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, 16 "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 'What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the LORD? 17 Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the LORD, 18 that you too must turn away this day from following the LORD? And if you too rebel against the LORD today then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the LORD's land where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.'" 21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, 22 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance. 24 No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.' So your children might make our children cease to worship the LORD. 26 Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."' 28 And we thought, 'If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, "Behold, the copy of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you."' 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!" 30 When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the LORD. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the LORD." 32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled. 34 The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, "For," they said, "it is a witness between us that the LORD is God."

What was the motive of the tribes on the West of the Jordan? Fear - The fear that they would be considered rebellious for building an altar. The altar of witness was built on the western side of the Jordan.

The eastern side?
They don't want to be forgotten and excluded from the blessings of God. They don't want to be left out of the nation of Israel. They were concerned that future generations would be rejected by the 10 tribes across the Jordan. They didn't want to be excluded from worshipping God.


Touch point:
- Bob Ruble's necklace to Alex.
[Pro 27:17 ESV] 17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Sometimes we need a reminder of what we have with each other and with God.

We do things to make sure that we keep these relationships strong.

This is a story that you can celebrate for both sides in that they did not go to war with each other. They decided that the unity of Israel was worth it.

Think about Personal Holiness:

[1Jo 1:9 ESV] 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We are going to sin from time to time; however, God is faithful to forgive our sins. Many of the commands that God gives us are corporate commands. We have to think larger than ourselves.

[2Ch 7:14 ESV] 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

[Eph 5:25-27 ESV] 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Christ cleans His Church as well as each one of us individually. What we do affects those around us. We have a direct effect on the community of people around us even if they never find out what we did.

Christ considers us part of a body, people see us collectively because we are a reflection of Christ.

[1Co 12:26-27 ESV] 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

We received Christ's blessing or curse together collectively. When one person does something (Achin) that causes destruction, that person affects so many.

Challenge - Being accountable and devoted to each other.
1. Get rid of all excuses - When there's conflict with someone else, excuses come up.
* It's not worth it, I am offended, means that I am lazy and don't want to do the hard things in life. What God wants is for you to come along side each other.
* They won't listen anyway. God is constantly making plans to guide each of us. It's not our job to convince anyone.
* There's no hope.

Get rid of the excuses in Jesus name.

Show us who we are to move along side and be a blessing to.

In this situation, there was a misunderstanding and the tribes on the west of the Jordan explained their motive. Nothing was done wrong and what was done was good. The tribes blessed each other and the representatives went back to their perspective tribes.

Be humble enough to receive each other and be willing to put aside differences to make reconciliation a priority. Count each other worth the cost so that we can be whole and stand in front of God as restored and Holy before Him.

Throughout the whole of scriptures, there are stories of God's mercy and restoration; however, there are also warnings where these things do not happen, but it is God's right to deal with those situations.

Consider how to deal with unrepentant sin:

[Mat 18:1-35 ESV] 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. 10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. 15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."


God wants us to examine ourselves. What is he saying to you right now?

Is there someone who you are holding at a distance?
Have you caused offense against someone?
Do you have some heart issues to work out?
What is God's plan?
Is there something that you need to share with your spouse?

Reflect on these questions and consider how you should respond.

Real Power

Real Power for Us or our Adversaries?

Joshua 5:13-6:27

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14 And he said, "No [Neither, None]; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15 And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him." 6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." 7 And he said to the people, "Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD." 8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD following them. 9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, "You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout." 11 So he caused the ark of the LORD to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. 12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. 15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD." 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. 22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her." 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. "At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates." 27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

First, God's Army Shows Up

Joshua 5:13-15

The commander of the army of the Lord comes to Joshua as neither for or against Israel or Jericho.

As in the supernatural revelation to Moses, God desires to be known and when he or his emissaries appear, the ground they stand on is Holy.

This is a revelation of God's authority, and reinforces that Joshua must walk with the Lord and not try to take Jericho on their own strength. We also must recognize God's authority and power over every situation we find ourselves in.

"Are you for us or for our adversaries?" NO. Joshua is asking the wrong question. There is another option, God is for himself, He is for our redemption and the redemption of those who are against Him. This includes Muslims, Hindu, Pagans, and any other people group that sets themselves up against the Lord. We should be asking, "How do we fit into God's plan, or What is God's plan?"

A Plan

Joshua 6:1-5

This is a strange plan and not normal. When we are fully surrendered to the Lord, we will do crazy things for His glory. For example, people are dedicating themselves to serve the desperate and destitute. IE - Elmira - Love Your City

Joshua 6:6-27

Obey - Israel obeyed God's plan because they trusted Him. The Wall fell, except for Rahab's house and everyone in it. This place stood until Joshua and the spies went to her.

Pentecost - Power Revealed

Sometimes, we have to wait for God's power to be revealed:

Luke 24:45-49 - 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Acts 2:1-4, 14-21 - 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. ... 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

We truly can't grasp the fullness of God's identity. Fortunately, He always provides himself either in the word, flesh, or spirit.

We are clothed with God's power through His revelation to us. His power is revealed for the salvation of the whole world. This revelation is solely for the purpose of transforming us into his ambassadors.

In Acts 2, those that are gathered are praying and seeking after God. They are praying on the day of Pentecost, the day that God's law was revealed to Moses and Israel.

The Law is God revealed, Christ is God's law personified, and the Holy Spirit is God's law perfected in those who trust in Him.

In Acts, those that were gathered began to speak so that those around them might understand who God is in a language that they understand.

God grabs hold of each of us differently. He is not caged or predictable to us. His ways are far beyond what we can understand.

In the cases Pentecost and Jericho, God instructed His people to wait. After they had waited, God gave each group what was needed according to His perfect plan. They obeyed the command they were given.

Obedience is a demonstration of our love and trust in God.

"Abide in me and you will bear much fruit"

"If you love me, you will obey my commands"

It is important because when we obey and trust, it reveals our heart. Outwardly, people see one thing, but God is concerned with our inner being. He wants to fill in the missing parts of our inner being. That which we are lacking, He will provide.

He will provide

* Anointing
* Love
* Passion
* Obedience
* Clarity

Act 2:14 - Peter addresses the crowd that they would know that the group is not drunk, but fulfilling the prophecy of Joel.

Joel 3

1 "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 "What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken." 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war; stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior." 11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD. 12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. 17 "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. 18 "And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Shittim. 19 "Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. 21 I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the LORD dwells in Zion."

Those that heard Peter were enabled to understand what he was saying and they were compelled to respond and consider what they had done in the mob's cries for Jesus' crucifixion.

Things do not always go according to our plan -

The stoning of Stephen resulted in his death, but Saul was marked and encountered Jesus a time later. Paul went on to make the most significant impact on the world for the Kingdom.

When we make God our priority -

We are promised that God will fulfill our plan through us whether we are martyred just like the millions throughout the last 2000 years, or successful like Billy Graham who led thousands to Christ through his crusades.

No matter the result, God's fruitfulness comes when we are faithful.

God Gives Us Power for:
* Taking the Land
* Us to be blessed by being witnesses of the Power of God
* The revelation of God's power

Don't give God lip service -

Joshua warned Israel that once they crossed into the promised land, they should not enjoy the fruits of the land without first acknowledging God's blessing over Israel.

God's blessings are given so that we are a blessing to the nations, to the broken and the lost around us.

If we want God's miraculous power, we have to get outside of ourselves and understand that we are called to reveal truth and life to those around us.

Marriage -

Marriage is simply a way for God to reveal himself to those around us. When we don't recognize this, we start to loose out on God's blessing. It is not our calling to have a great marriage for our own satisfaction, it is our calling to have a great marriage to bless those around us.

What are you being called to?
* Can you do this in your own strength?
* Where do you need God's supernatural power?
* Prayer?

Guide Stones - Remembering the Past

[Jos 5:1-15 ESV] 1 As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel. 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time." 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. 5 Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. 9 And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. 13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14 And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15 And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

The nation of Israel now has momentum due to God's blessing. They have crossed the river Jordan and the nations now fear them and their God.

However, God has them circumcise the son's of the generation that came out of Israel. They were to rest until they were healed at Gilgal.

Recall the prayers of the promise -

Sometimes, when a vision is given, we are to just walk in the promise. There may not be obvious effects of the promise, but the scripture is full of those who have gone before. Some of them had to wait years for God's promise to be fulfilled.

Sometimes, we get caught up in other things and fail to pass on or remember what God has blessed us with. Israel did not uphold the circumcision of all the males of the nation. This is a symbol of the chains of slavery being broken. The fact that the descendents of the generation that was freed from Egypt did not uphold the covenant caused the new generation to not be able to enter into the promise of the land beyond the Jordan. They had to commit to uphold the covenant of the circumcision before being allowed to continue into the land beyond the Jordan.

As the mana ceases, was there worry? The nation ate the produce from Canaan during the Passover celebration. You have to wonder if anyone still continued to look for the mana after the form of God's provision changed.

Sometimes we get caught up in the way that God provides for us, or the way that we have experienced Him and we cannot accept Him in a new way, a new experience, or a new form of provision.

Think about how Jesus was criticized for not fasting. He was bringing something to of God to the people and they refused it. They would not allow God to do something new. They would accept a new move of God. They were not positioned to be ready for God's prompting.

We must take care of the foundation of our faith in order to be ready for Him and His blessing to appear in our life. Unless we are ready to cut off everything that is a hindrance to Him, we will not be ready to experience blessing.

God's desire is for us to cut off all that hinders, especially the sin that so easily entangles.

As  we make this commitment, there is freedom to receive blessing, and to go where we would not have gone before.

Strong and Courageous - Belief

What does strong and courageous look like?

Carrying someone out of darkness?
Willing to go against the gates of Hell?
Being the one voice that speaks truth contrary to what is being said in the work place?

What does strong and courageous look like in Joshua 3?

Joshua Chapter 3


[Jos 3:1-17 ESV] 1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, "As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before." 5 Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." 6 And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'" 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God." 10 And Joshua said, "Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap." 14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.


In this last chapter strength and courage took the form of

- Belief that the waters of the Jordan would stop
- Belief that the waters of the Jordan would stay until thye had passed
- Obedience in the Lord's command
- The priests had to stand in the water in order for the river to be stopped. (While it is at flood stage)

This miracle marks Joshua as God's prophet as Moses was. In the midst of the miracle, the enemy does not want us to walk in the miracle. The enemy will do whatever is necessary to pull us away.

vv. 2 - 5: The command goes out to the camp to follow the ark at a distance.

Before the miracle happens (many miracles in the Bible) there is a preparation, a first step that the nation gets ready for God to move.

1. Consecration of the assembly - being prepared to be holy and set apart for a purpose. Part of our calling in Jesus is to take up his call daily and following him. We are to die to ourselves and live in Christ.
2. Wait - The postponing and procrastination that we normally do is not what we want to do when we know that God is about to move. They were told to wait until they saw the ark moving before them.
3. Watch - You don't know where you are going, don't get ahead of God. We a really good at obeying, but we need to watch for the move of the Lord. Think of Peter and the boat. Keep your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.

The stopping of the Jordan river parallels Egypt with differences

1. When the priests feet touched the water, it stopped in Adam about 16 miles north of where they were.
   - We don't know how God performed this miracle, but what is important is that what he said would happened, happens.
   - This implies that it took some time for the water to receed. It likely took 3 - 5 hours for the water to receed.
   - Are there similar times in your life where God told you to move and you obeyed, but nothing seemed to be happening?
        - Think of Joseph who had to wait many years and deal with misery until finally, he was shown favor and became the savior of Egypt and Israel.

All authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to us by Jesus. (The great commandment)

Jesus is with us in the storm and the trials.

Ps 40 - I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

Is it God's will or my will?

As God has shared what you are called to do, will you step forward in faith, knowing that He is always faithful

Will you trust God even when you cannot see his full plan?

Testing

The testing point of every fruit of the spirit:

Love
Patience
Peace
...



[Mat 1:1-6 ESV] 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

Recognize Rahab - She is listed among the genealogy of Christ. His familial history is not clean and pure.

 - Tamar - Tricked Judah into sleeping with her as a prostitute and she has a child.
 - Ruth - The Moabite - Came from Lot's daughter.
 - David - Father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah whom he murdered.

Scripture does not hide or cover up people's brokenness.

We are so fractured beyond fixing, that we truly need God to fix us.

Jesus discussed this about Martha as she wept at his feet. He shared the story of the forgiven debtors - the one who has been forgiven much, loves much. The point isn't who has more sin, but who has more gratitude for the love God has poured out on us.

[Jos 1:9 ESV] 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

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[Jos 2:1-24 ESV] 1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, "Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." 14 And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16 And she said to them, "Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way." 17 The men said to her, "We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear." 21 And she said, "According to your words, so be it." Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us."

Rahab - She has some integrity to the glory of God. We know that she is a prostitute. We know that the whole of Jericho is fearful of the Israelites. Jericho has heard of the things that Israel has experienced since they left Egypt. Rahab's life is a life of hopelessness and desperation. She fears for her life; however, it is a wonder why she is chosen to be a part of the story.

[Heb 11:31 ESV] 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Why did Rahab welcome the spies? Why didn't anyone else welcome them? Why didn't the king try to negotiate with the spies?

Joshua 2:11 - Rahab declares that the God of Israel is the God of the universe and recognizes him. Rahab treats the spies kindly and lies for them. Why is this OK?? There is a greater grace in the midst of this situation, where they must be protected. Faith is expressed in works.

Rahab is humble, she prepares the way for the Lord's coming. Rahab is one among many who are broken people who are included in the Faithful hall of fame in Hebrews 11.

We should follow Rahab's example and walk in the fear of the Lord. Appreciating His greatness and power by submitting to Him. Loving your neighbor as yourself -

Jesus highlights two gentiles Naaman, and Ruth who were blessed by God.

Once we walk in the place of humble obedience, we will see evidence of grace. We will be able to see the work of God in those around us, despite their flaws and sins. We need to take everyone out of the box we have put them in. Stop looking at the people around you in regard to their circumstance and look at them in regard to what God is doing in them or will do in them.

Strong and Couregeous

What is Strong and Courageous?


Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:10-18

10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, 'Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.'" 12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 "Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.' 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise." 16 And they answered Joshua, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous."


Joshua is reminding the half-tribes of their promise to Moses. However, they re-affirm their commitment


[Num 32:1-42 ESV] 1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock." 5 And they said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan." 6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the LORD has given them? 8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them. 10 And the LORD's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.' 13 And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. 14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel! 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people." 16 Then they came near to him and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east." 20 So Moses said to them, "If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised." 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, "Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord orders." 28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, "If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan." 31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, "What the LORD has said to your servants, we will do. 32 We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan." 33 And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 34 And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. 39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair. 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.


Philippians 2

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2 is the commission of discipleship to the Philippians. This passage and the passage in Joshua regarding the half-tribes, reminds us that we not only covenant with God, but with each other. We are to help others while we wait to take our rest in Him. If we rest after we have accepted Christ, we have not yet begun to follow Him.

Count the cost -

Israel - Their are going to go into a hostile place where the enemy is at the least antagonistic and at the worst, they want to kill the Israelites. Ruben, Gad, and Manasseh are committing to help their brothers take the land that God promised them, knowing that they may die (or even be wiped out) in the process.

Us - Our risk in helping others grab hold of their possession. When we agree to help others, we are going to face obstacles from the enemy. We are going to have to put forth effort. We are going to encounter tensions between them and us. We are to persist in love, but we also need to know that we will have to battle with the enemy.  Discipling another is not easy. Philippians has the rest of the story - Phil 2:4 - 8 - think about the things that Jesus did in obedience so that we might have a way to be redeemed. He was willing to give up his inheritance (being with his father in heaven) for each of us. His earthly reward for this effort was betrayal, mocking, jeering, scourging and finally crucifixion.

We make excuses when we are asked to disciple others.

I am not worthy

I have sinned

I am fearful

It costs too much

I might have to give up my stuff

I might loose my job

Are we not commanded, be strong and courageous? Isn't everything that we have God's?

Because of Jesus' work on the cross, we are qualified to do this work. Even though we are yet sinners, Jesus chooses us daily and will die for us everyday to say us.

Will you obey the call to disciple others?

Who are you supposed to be discipling?

Who are you being discipled by?

John Wesley's Questions for Accountability

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
4. Can I be trusted?
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the Bible live in me today?
8. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
9. Am I enjoying prayer?
10. When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I disobey God in anything?
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
17. How do I spend my spare time?
18. Am I proud?
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
22. Is Christ real to me?

We Cannot Do It

Jesus' death and resurrection was the first step in making us holy and righteous in his eyes. We were first commanded to be fruitful and multiply. We see this in the book of Acts through the spreading of the word and many were added to the number of followers of Christ daily. The original commitment to Abraham was that God would bless him and his descendents would be numerous, greater than any nation on earth. We have been called and restored in order to be a blessing to the nations and take part in God's plan. We are commanded to go and make disciples of all nations, the great commission. God knows that we are dust, we are not nice, we are not good, but He is good and we are good through His power. We are pure because he is pure. We are called because He called to us.


Be we are afraid of God's plan, of failure. Jesus tells his disciples (and us) over and over again that He has overcome the world.


Reference Deut. 1 and Deut. 19 - only the children of Israel will enter the promise land. Even Moses was not going to enter for not obeying God. A new leader was brought up and Moses encouraged him.


Deuteronomy 31:1-9
1 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, "I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, 'You shall not go over this Jordan.' 3 The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken. 4 And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

Joshua 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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 courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

In order to be strong and courageous, the first step is death.


- All those who did not believe, represent for us, our old self. A people that doesn't trust that God can do beyond what we can see. At the end of the day, they did not trust God with their life. We have to die to this old self.

When we die, we flourish. Jesus is the seed that allows us to flourish. Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, nothing can grow from it.


Gal 2:20 - 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Die DAILY.

Before we can even start thinking about following Jesus, we have to die.


Unless we die, we live in our own strength. Unless we acknowledge God, we cannot live well.

What is strong and courageous?

- God's provision of his presence

- Being strong and courageous revolves around God's word. The way that God is made known to his people. For those that were before Jesus came, they had the law. They were commanded to meditate on it so that they would be careful to do what it says. James says that faith without works is dead. We can believe in Christ and his death, but unless that faith drives us to action, we are still dead.

We are to be focused on the word, God promises that he will be with us.

Matt 28:18-20 - 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus wraps that command to make disciples in the promise of his presence. We are to be in a relationship with God.

We are not to be slaves to the law or the word - Galations - "Who has bewitched you??" In relationship with God, we are meditating on the word and doing the word. We only can know Jesus through his word. Every area of live, His word should be on our lips. There is an issue if we have nothing of the gospel in our thoughts when we are together. To know Jesus is to know his word, to understand who he is, to be transformed into his image. We should not hold the knowledge of the word in a legalistic sense, only to undrstand who God is and know how we should act.

We are not called to be free of tribulation, free of the lost, moralistic pharasees. That has failed many times before.

Have you died?

Today is the day to die to your self. Jesus is worth it. I am all in.

Be strong and courageous by being doers of the word. Jesus did not do anything unless he first saw his father doing it first - John 17

Are you strong and courageous? Are you abiding in Jesus' love and allowing yourself to be purified by his holy spirit.

Get ready, Jump in, Read Joshua 1 & 2:
Joshua 1

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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 courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." 10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, 'Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.'" 12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 "Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.' 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise." 16 And they answered Joshua, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous."

Joshua 2

1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, "Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." 14 And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16 And she said to them, "Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way." 17 The men said to her, "We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear." 21 And she said, "According to your words, so be it." Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us."