January 17,
2016 · Chris Goins · Joshua 1:1-9
The PROMISED LAND – Then and Now:
- REST and PEACE, even in the face of challenges.
God’s promise of entering his
rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might
fail to experience it. — Hebrews 4:1 (NLT)
“Give me this mountain… I’ve heard that the GIANTS are there, but if the Lord is with me, I can take them on,
and we will drive them out…” (Joshua 14:12)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.
My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the
power of Christ can work through me.” —2 Corinthians 12:9
- A place of GOD’S ABUNDANT PROVISION and SUPPLY.
The “Promised Land” frequently gets described as “a land
flowing with milk and honey” (Ex 3:4-5; 3:7-8; 3:16-17; 33:1-3; Lev 20:24; Num
13:27; 14:6-9; Deut 6:3).
God said, “I’ve taken a good,
long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for
deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip
of Egypt, get them out of that
country and bring them to a good
land with wide-open spaces,
a land [flowing] with milk and honey…
—Exodus
3:7-8 MSG
The expression – “a
land flowing with MILK and HONEY” – means at least three things:
- The land was FERTILE. In other words, when you planted stuff there, it would GROW…
- The land was FRUITFUL. Not only did things GROW there, they actually MULTIPLIED…
- The QUALITY of the FRUIT produced was exceptional…
IMPORTANT THOUGHT: One thing
in the Bible gets compared to MILK
and HONEY repeatedly! What is it?
The WORD of GOD… It gets compared over and over
again to MILK (Heb 5:12-13; 1 Cor
3:12-13; 1 Pet 2:2-3) and HONEY (Ps
119:103; 19:9-11; 81:16; Ez 3:3).
Why? Because
God’s Word always produces GROWTH, FRUIT and QUALITY!
It
is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it
always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I
want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. —Isaiah 55:11 NLT
All
praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are
united with Christ. —Ephesians 1:3 NLT
By
his divine power, God has given us everything
we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this
by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his
marvelous glory and excellence. —2 Peter 1:3 NLT
He
who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also,
along with him, graciously give us all
things? —Romans 8:32 NIV
- The realization of DESTINY and PURPOSE.
Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is
written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[a] 14 He redeemed us in order
that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ
Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. —Galatians 3:13-14
NIV
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua
son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is
dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the
Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you
set foot, you will be on land I have given you… 5 No one will
be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I
was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these
people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave
you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then
you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book
of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to
obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all
you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not
be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:1-9
FIVE
PRINCIPLES FOR STARTING YOUR NEW SEASON:
1. LEARN from the PAST, but refuse to LIVE in it!
After
the death of Moses the Lord’s servant… God said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead… …the time has come for you to lead these
people…into the land I am giving them…” —Joshua 1:1-2 NLT
"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new
thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
IMPORTANT THOUGHT: If you don't get anything else out
of today’s message, I want you to get this:
God is a lot more interested in
your FUTURE than He is in your PAST.
2. Let GOD (and GOD ALONE) DEFINE who you are and what
you’re about!
After the death of Moses...the LORD spoke to Joshua son of
Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. …the
time has come for you to lead these people... into the land I am giving
them.” —Joshua 1:1-2 NLT
Be
strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these
people to possess all the land…—Joshua 1:6 NLT
3. God’s PROMISES, POWER and PRESENCE are the ultimate
GAME CHANGERS.
“Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these
people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.” —Joshua 1:2 NLT
4. GOD’S WORD is the only GAME PLAN that will bring you
into your “Promised Land” and keep you there!
Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave
you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then
you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study
this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will
be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and
succeed in all you do.
—Joshua 1:7-8 NLT
“Nothing has
a greater impact on spiritual growth than reflection
on Scripture. If churches could do only one thing to help people at all
levels of spiritual maturity grow in their relationship with Christ, their
choice is clear. They would inspire, encourage, and equip their people to read the Bible…” —Greg Hawkins
and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal about Spiritual Growth
Four Recommended Bible
Reading Plans
I have used all of these plans and
have them all to be very helpful. This year I am returning to The ESV Study
Bible Plan.
The ESV Study Bible
Plan
M’Cheyne One Year
Reading Plan
Reading God’s Story: One-Year
Chronological Plan
NT, PS, PRO In One
Year (New
Testament, Psalm and Proverbs)
5. MOVE in the direction of your DREAM with STRENGTH and
COURAGE.
This
is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For
the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go. —Joshua 1:9 NLT
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