“Bold Venture as a Dynamic,
Joshua
3:1-5
In Joshua 3:1-5 we read these verses:
“Early in the
morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the
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Forty years
earlier under the leadership of Moses, God led His children out of the bondage
of
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You probably remember the story—12 Israelite
spies went into
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But it was
also populated by tribes of people who would be less than happy about hundreds
of thousands of Jews moving into their territory.
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There were
Giants living in the land and the Israelites chose to see themselves as
“grasshoppers”.
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Have you ever
seen yourself as a “grasshopper”, a “worm” or something less than how God sees
you as a Child of His, a co-heir in Christ?
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Much reward
lay ahead, but at a price.
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Joshua and
Caleb were among the 12 spies.
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They had
urged the Israelites to enter and take the land. But the other spies were
afraid and said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are”
(Numbers
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The bottom
line is the people of
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So the Jewish
nation took the path of least resistance and chose not to enter
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As a result, they wandered aimlessly in the
desert until those who had protested had passed away. It was a hard lesson to
say the least.
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Now, it is
two generations later. Leadership has passed to Joshua, and the people once
again stand at the entrance to
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But to enter,
they must cross the
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Part of the
Israelites (the tribes Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh) want to
stay and raise their children on the east side of
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They have
huge herds of animals, and the area is rich with grazing land.
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They agree to
assist in clearing
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This is
interesting because
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For the
children of
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The decision
not to cross over was unwise for several reasons:
Crossing Over into
1. It was a
wrong decision not to cross over the boundary line because the side they wanted
to live on represented the side of affluence.
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I am bringing
this into present-day terminology and present-day living.
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As you look introspectively, as individuals,
and corporately, as a church, are you living on the east side of
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Their
motivation may well have been making money and raising cattle, but they simply
did not want to move.
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They
represented what we call an “inwardly focused” group.
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We cannot, as
a church, be an inwardly focused congregation. We have to be outwardly focused
if we are to follow Jesus!
2. It was
wrong not to cross over because it represented “borderline Christianity”.
Which
chair do you sit in?
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A lot of
people today want to be born again, but they don’t want to be bothered.
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They want to
be saved, but they don’t want to consecrate themselves to God.
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It’s
interesting to note that much later the Reubenites, Gaddites and the halftribe
of Manasseh were not receptive to Christ and His coming.
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I believe
this reaction reaches back to the time when these people refused to move to the
Promised Land.
3. It was
wrong not to cross over because it represented the side of compromise.
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We cannot
straddle the fence. Sin is sin, hell is hot, heaven is real, it is Christ or
Antichrist, it is the Word or the world!
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Either you
are going in the right direction or you are going in the wrong direction! You
cannot dwell on the side of compromise.
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You have to
get in all the way or get out. God says to be either hot or cold; He doesn’t
want you lukewarm.
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So don’t
straddle the fence, spiritually speaking, either individually or corporately.
4. It was
wrong not to cross over because it represented spiritual barrenness.
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Every time I
read John chapter 15, I am reminded that as Christians and as a congregation,
we are to bear fruit.
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On the other hand, Jesus says He cuts off
every branch that does not bear fruit.
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If we refuse to let God build His Church and
do a mighty work among us, He’ll find a congregation that will.
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God is going to build His Church.
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Some of the
Israelites chose the side of spiritual barrenness.
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They were
against progress. They didn’t want to pay the price.
QUESTION: Are
you willing to pay the price?
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Over the
years I have spoken about financial giving. During those messages, many choose
to “cross the
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They decide to tithe because they understand
there is a price to pay if Christ’s Church is to move forward.
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Others choose
not to and stay on the east side of the
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The question
is: “How do we cross over
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Let’s look at
Deuteronomy 6:23.
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It says, “He
brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised
us on oath to our forefathers.”
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This is the mark of an outwardly-focused,
forward-moving group.
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The writer of
Hebrews (4:1) says, “Since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let
us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.”
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The message
is still pertinent today!
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Some may
choose to stay on the east side of
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God provided
for those who crossed over so many years ago.
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He will do
the same for us as we follow His leading as individuals and as a congregation.
Conditions for Entering the Land Were Twofold
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The first was
consecration.
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In Joshua 3:5, he tells the people,
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord
will do amazing things.”
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Does that
sound like renewal and revival? Praise the Lord!
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The second
condition was commitment.
Joshua 1:3
says:
“I will
give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses” (Joshua
1:3).
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When I read
that verse, I think of the time when we quickly outgrew our facility in
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We met in two
movie theatres and a school in a four year span.
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We were
looking for a church building to call
home that would be big enough to do ministry in for years to come.
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As a church
family we prayed that God would open the door.
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We came to
this facility and walked around – we prayed that God would give us this
property and He did!
“Every
place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”
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Could we take
hold of that as a promise from God for our congregation and say that everywhere
we walk, everywhere we move, in every Sunday Service, youth activity, Wednesday
night gathering, choir meeting—every event of this church—we believe God’s
presence will be with us, moving and dwelling and working and doing amazing
things?
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That’s
progress! So let’s claim the land. Let’s stake out the territory for God.
Hebrews
Goals for Our Church
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In every age,
there comes a time when a church must move forward to meet the needs of the
hour.
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There is no
congregation that does not have an opportunity to make a positive difference in
society.
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I believe we
are that church.
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I believe
this is our moment. This is the hour God wants to do amazing things among us
and through us.
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I would like to share with you a few goals for
us as a congregation:
1. The
goal of becoming a growing church both numerically and spiritually!
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A church may
have been a growing church, but it must keep growing.
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I praise God
for the past, but we must look to the future.
2. The goal of becoming a caring congregation.
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You may say,
“But we already care. We do so much.”
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But I am
asking us to care more for each other.
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I want us to
be a church that prays for each other.
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I want us to
be a church that takes care of the church building and the resources God has
entrusted to us.
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I want us to
care more about world missions, to send Work and Witness teams, and build
churches around the world.
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I want us to
see the vision of caring more for our community and even getting involved in
church planting ventures.
3. The
goal of becoming a lay-driven church.
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This is a
congregation in which every new member declares a ministry, in which every
existing member finds a ministry and fulfills it to the glory of God.
4. The
goal of becoming a teaching church.
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The Great
Commission of Christ is to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them . . . and teaching them” (Matthew 28:19).
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Building a
church requires more than leading persons to Christ—although this is a vital
part of what we do.
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We must go
further by teaching, modeling, and mentoring those who are new to the faith.
Equipping them to share their faith and their lives with others.
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LET ME KNOW
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEADING A SMALL GROUP OR HOME GROUP DURING THE WEEK.
Conclusion:
As a dynamic, visionary church proclaiming the Word of God, we must purpose to
make disciples by doing the following:
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Exalting Christ
in all aspects of ministry
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Encouraging
believers toward spiritual growth
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Equipping
Christians for ministry and
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Evangelizing
the world for Christ.
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We must
gladly herald the message of salvation to a needy world so the message of
Christ is heard and people are saved and discipled.
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We can be a
dynamic, visionary church if we thank God for what He has done in the past and
begin looking Forward in Faith to what He is going to do in the future.
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Moving into
the Promised Land isn’t a cakewalk—the valuable things in life worth
accomplishing seldom are—but I guarantee you, it will be a blessed, rewarding,
fulfilling experience, and God will be honored.
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The question
is, will we take the step? Will we trust God to lead us Forward in Faith
on this exciting journey?
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John Maxwell
says, “In every age, there comes a time when a church must come forward to meet
the needs of the hour.”
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We as a
congregation stand at this point.
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We can choose to walk with God to do great
things for the Kingdom, or we can ignore God’s leadership and leave it to some
other group of dedicated men and women who will respond to the call.
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Will we
settle for aimless wandering in the desert, or will we set our eyes on God and
enter the land of promise?
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In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, God gives instructions to the
Israelites regarding what they should do after they entered the open door into
the land God had given them. In verse 2 we read,
Take some
of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put
them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord
your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
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Verses 5 through 10 provide instructions about what
the people were to say as they placed their firstfruits offering before
the priest. Verse 11 tells them to join the Levites (worship leaders) and
aliens in a time of rejoicing.
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The firstfruits offering was an expression of
thankfulness to God for His faithfulness in the past and a testimony of faith
for what He is going to produce in the harvest to come.
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In the same manner, I believe God is calling us to
bring Him a firstfruits offering this Sunday. Now it is time for us to
bring our firstfruits offering to the “dwelling place of God.”
In
practical terms, I am suggesting the following:
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If you have pledged to give a weekly gift,
consider giving at least that amount.
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If you have pledged to give a monthly amount,
give at least that amount.
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If you have pledged to give three annual gifts
or a one-time gift, give at least