Grace World Outreach Church
Pastor Daniel K Norris
Joshua 3:1-5 ESV
Joshua 1:6-9 ESV
“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
― Walt Disney
How do you find the faith to move forward when you’re in-between your past and your promise?
3 places Faith is Found, Forged and will Flourish
1) Faith Found In His WORD (Josh. 3:1–13)
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 (your enemies). 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.”
a) Found in the Waiting
“Then Joshua rose early in the morning” (Jos 3:1)
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35 ESV
“not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)
In this season of quarantine what key disciplines of yours have been disrupted?
“Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE”
b) Found in the whisper
“Come Here and Listen to the words of the Lord” (Jos 3:9)
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
If faith if found in the hearing of His whisper, who's whisper have you been entertaining?
2) Faith is Forged in my walk (Josh. 3:14–17)
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.
a) Forged in the Weight
“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 (.5 mile) in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go”
As a leader of your home or ministry are you bearing the weight of spiritual responsibility for those entrusted to you? What does that look like?
b) Forged in the Water
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (Jas 2:25–26)
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you (Jos 1:3).
Where do you need to put your foot down?
3) Faith flourishes with our witness (Josh. 4:1–24)
4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (Jos 4:1–10)
a) Flourishes in the telling
8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.
When is the last time your share your testimony with someone on the outside looking in? How does your testimony encourage those on the inside looking out?
b) Flourishes in the transition
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.
The monument in the depths of the river reminded them of the transition. The past, the old life was buried and they were now in a new thing, a new way, a new creation life.
What things from the past do you need to let the water cover?
UNITE714 | Week 8 Prayer
#UNITE714Dates: 5/10-16
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 (ESV)
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Hebrews 12:12-13 (ESV)
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 (ESV)
THE PRAISE
Living God, we humbly come before You in confidence, knowing You are a merciful and loving Father who hears our prayers from Heaven. We unite before You as the Church, a spiritual house of “living stones,” a “holy priesthood.”
In the midst of this pandemic, we bring You our sacrifice of praise. We thank You for mitigating the effects of COVID-19. We realize that without Your divine intervention and protection, the devastation wrought by this disease would be far greater. We are thankful today that what is impossible with man is possible with You.
Lord, today, we choose to praise You!
In the face of pressure, panic, and pain, we choose to look beyond our circumstances and lift our hands to You. Comfort us in our weakness. Lift us up into Your presence as we worship Your Holy Name.
Lord, today, we choose to praise You!
Your Church unites to lift up sacrifices of praise. We are confident our world will experience a fresh outpouring of Your divine presence and love. This will result in the conversion of untold millions. You, and You alone, are worthy of our honor and worship.
Lord, today, we choose to praise You!
This we pray and commit in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.