Feb. 06, 2022

“STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD”

“FAITH MOVING FORWARD”

JOSHUA 3:1-17

In the Christian life you’re an overcomer or you’re overcome, a victor or a victim. 

Moses said it perfectly:

Deuteronomy 6:23 “Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.”

Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.”  

The to “go on to perfection” is by “faith.”

Numbers 13:30 “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

That’s faith! But the people said, “We are not able.”

Numbers 13:31-33

That is unbelief, and it cost the nation of Israel forty years of discipline in the wilderness.

Victory comes by faith:

1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

They all believed God’s promises and did what He told them to do. They were men and women of faith, and God honored them because they believed His Word.

Joshua 21:45 “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

Joshua 23:14 “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.” 

1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.”

But we can fail to live by the grace of God and not enter into all that He has promised us:

Hebrews 3:7-19- vs.18-19 “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”

God has brought us out that He might bring us in, but too often we fail to enter because of “unbelief.”

In Joshua 3- God illustrates two essentials for moving ahead by faith and claiming all that He has for us:

1.   The Word Of Faith- Joshua 3:1-13

Like Moses before him, Joshua received his orders from the Lord, and he obeyed them by faith.

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

It has been well said that faith is believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence. 

Living faith always leads to action.

James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

*The Officers Message To The People- Joshua 3:1-4

Joshua 6:12 “And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.”

Joshua 7:16 “So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.”

Joshua 8:10 “Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.”

Moses was the same: Exodus 24:4 “And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Exodus 34:4 “So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.”

David: Psalm 57:8 “Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.”

Psalm 119:147 “I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.”

Psalm 5:3 “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”

Hezekiah: 2 Chronicles 29:20 “Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.”

Jesus: Mark 1:35 “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

It’s impossible to live by faith and ignore the Word of God and prayer for faith is nurtured by worship and the Word:

Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Exodus 33:14 “And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

*Joshua’s Message to the People- Joshua 3:5 “And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 

Psalm 51:2 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.”

Psalm 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Psalm 77:13-14 “Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? 14You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.”

Daniel 4:3 “How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.”

*Joshua’s Message to the Priests- Joshua 3:6 “Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.”

*The Message of the Lord to Joshua- Joshua 3:7-8 “And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day 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. 8You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.”

*Joshua’s Message to the People- Joshua 3:9-13

But Joshua’s God was more than just the God of Israel. He was the “living God” (3:10) and “the Lord of all the earth” (3:11,13). 

Psalm 97:5 “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”

2.   The Walk Of Faith- Joshua 3:14-17

Unless we step out by faith and “get our feet wet,” we’re not likely to make much progress in living for Christ and serving Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

Psalm 47:4 “He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah”

We can never stand still in the Christian life; we either move forward in faith or we go backward in unbelief.

God brings us out that He might bring us in, and He brings us in that we might overcome and claim our inheritance in Jesus Christ.