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Go To Meeting
April 18, 2015
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Good afternoon, everyone! The lessons of Unleavened Bread should be very much in our mind right now. Now, on the other side of it, we have to face the rest of the year with the lesson of putting leavening—sin—out of our lives. The other lessons that are part of that season:
- we examine ourselves
- we try to find out what it is we need to do, asking God for that
- we put sin out
God delivers us and God is our Redeemer. We 'praise Thee O God our Redeemer'; that's a big part of the Unleavened Bread lesson. Another part is to rely on God! That's the hard part. It's hard for us to rely on God when we're so use to doing things ourselves, to get out of the way and just let God take charge.
Jer. 29 is one of those Scriptures that gets merchandized quite a bit. It has lot to do with how we can get out of the way and see our lives as God sees our individual lives. We have an overall goal—all of us do—but God has goals for everyone of us. He has many mansions—offices and places—for us to do our special work with our special skills and abilities that He has planned for us. He knows what those are, and sometimes we don't.
Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know the purposes… [thoughts and plans, as well] …which I am purposing for you,' says the LORD…" An expected end. He knows; He has a plan for us individually to give us that expected plan, which is eternal life in His Family!
The Sin of FEAR
One thing that we don't consider as a sin, but we focus on and want to put out is fear. Have you ever thought about fear as a sin? We wouldn't list that as a sin necessarily!
There is a great lesson on the other side of the Red Sea when Israel comes up to the 'promised land' and spied it out and gets ready to go in. There's a great lesson for us that continues this idea of putting out sin, and building faith and courage to face life and the troubles that out here for us. 'Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof' it says.
Joshua is getting ready to take the mantel, and Moses is passing that on to Joshua to be his successor and to take Israel on into the 'promised land.'
Joshua 1:6: "Be strong and of good courage, for you shall divide for an inheritance to this people the land, which I swore to their fathers to give it to them." That's one of the plans that God had for physical Israel.
Verse 7: "Only be strong… [God says to Joshua] …and very courageous so that you may observe to do according to all the Law, which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go."
It goes on and says in three places in the first chapter of Joshua, God tells Joshua to be strong, be courageous and fear not. We're going to see that theme as we go through here. What does that have to do with fear?
Joshua's life is a great lesson for us as we try to put out sin, rely on God and fear not. Moses told Israel, as they stood at the Red Sea—they're all standing there, a couple of million people—and here comes trouble, something to fear, doubt, worry and be stressed out over. Pharaoh's army was coming and the Israelites were backed into the sea and had no place to go.
Exodus 14:13: "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not! Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again!'" Here's another thing we need to understand and inculcate into our lives, as we put sin out and draw closer to God through the year.
Verse 14: "The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall be still." The Lord is going to do the fighting! That's a lesson of the Days of Unleavened Bread of deliverance and redemption, and bringing us out of the sin in the world, as Egypt pictured.
The life of Joshua is a very good example for us as we look at this lesson of an individual who grew in faith and courage, and grew in experiences as he got older. I think he was around 85-years-old when he took Israel, on his own, into the 'promised land.'
As he grew he saw a lot of things, he watched Moses and watched God work in his own personal life and the life of Israel and Moses, and Joshua became a man whom we can see was courageous and fearless, putting sin and fear out of his life. He was very faithful, loyal and obedient, submissive and humble to God.
All good things that we're trying to achieve, we'll see the connection with Joshua. Joshua was born in Egypt as a slave in Goshen of the tribe of Ephraim, which today we see as England. He was chosen as Moses' assistant. That would be something to follow Moses around as all these tings were happening—wouldn't it? He was there to observe all the plagues, miracles and the crossing of the Red Sea.
In charge of the battlefield, Moses asked Joshua to come down and be in charge, to be the general in charge in the first encounter with the Amalekites as they crossed the Red Sea. Joshua was down on the battlefield while Hur and Aaron held up Moses' arms. They were victorious as his arms were held up.
Joshua got some hands on training as a general. He was chosen to be one of the spies to spy out the land. The story of the spies, as they spied out the 'promised land' they all knew that it was something that God was going to give them. They were all promised from Abraham and they all knew about it. They were pretty excited about it. Let's see what their attitude was and how they dealt with this.
Numbers 13:1: And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Send men so that they may scout out the land of Canaan which I give to the children of Israel….'" (vs 1-2). Again, God was doing this; this is His plan for these people. He has the same plans and inheritance for us, as well. "…which I give… [a free gift] …to the children of Israel. You shall send a man from every tribe of their fathers, everyone a leader among them.'" (vs 1-2). He was to pick out a ruler or leader to go and spy out the land.
Verse 4: "And these were their names…" After the first six you see Judah and Caleb's name:
Verse 6: "Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh." We know that those two names go together. They were kindred spirits, very courageous, strong, loyal and fearless. They were very much faithful servants of God.
Verse 8: "Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun." That's Joshua; his name gets changed down here a little bit further:
Verse 16: "These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to scout out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun, Joshua." So, Moses changes Joshua's name. That name is the same name, later on, that is interchangeable with Jesus; it pictures salvation. Joshua was a type of Christ, as we can see here he finished what Moses began in delivering the people. He took them in and divided the inheritance, as Christ has prepared for us.
COURAGE
Verse 17: "And Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, and said to them, 'Go up this way, southward, and go up into the mountain. And see the land, what it is, and the people that live in it, whether it is strong or weak, few or many. And see what the land is that they live in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds; and what the land is, whether fat or lean, whether there is wood in it or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.'…." (vs 17-20). He's telling the spies to be courageous; don't be fearful.
"…Now the time was the time of first ripe grapes. So, they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob as men come to Hamath. And they went up by the south and came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the sons of Anak were…." (vs 20-21).
Giants! So, they run into a big problem. This was a big worry! A big fear! Also, the Amalekites were there whom they already had had a fight with. Things weren't looking too good for Israel in the mind of these spies. They came in and they see that it's very plenteous and they pick up the grapes and bring a big bundle or bunch of grapes the size of softballs.
Verse 25: "And they returned from scouting out the land after forty days. And they left and came to Moses and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh. And they brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land" (vs 25-26). Things were looking good. Look at all the fruit that's out there. God is right, it's plenteous, great, flowing with milk and honey.
FEAR & DOUBT
Verse 27: "And they told him and said, 'We came to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey. And this is the fruit of it.'" Here goes the fear and doubt! This happens to us sometimes. Things look good; God promises things, that He'll bless us. But on the surface, physically, it doesn't look good; so we begin to fear and doubt in our mind. We don't trust God and His promises and word.
Verse 28: "However, the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, very great. And also we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the riverside of Jordan" (vs 28-29).
What happens with fear is that it become contagious. He goes out through the crowd and everyone is starting to get nervous and stressed out.
Verse 30: "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, 'Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.' But the men that went up with him said… [the other ten, not Joshua] …'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.'" (vs 30-31). Who said that? Who said they're stronger? They may be bigger, but that doesn't mean they're stronger.
Verse 32: "And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had scouted out to the children of Israel, saying, 'The land through which we have gone to scout it out, is a land that eats up those who live in it. And all the people whom we saw in it were men of great stature.'" They were looking at the physical
2-Corinthians 5:6: "Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in this body, we are away from our eternal home, which is coming from the Lord. (For we walk by faith, not by sight.)" (vs 6-7). Paul was inspired to say that we are to walk as Christians by faith and not sight.
Number 13:33: "And there we saw the giants, the children of Anak of the giants. And we were in our own sight like grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
In other words, we saw ourselves against them. We compare ourselves, "…we were in our own sight like grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
Numbers 14:1: "And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night." They had a whole night to just build up the stress, doubt, worry and fear. This was a bad thing and everyone was talking to one another here and there.
Verse 2: "And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, 'Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or, Oh that we had died in the wilderness! And why has the LORD brought us into this land to fall by the sword so that our wives and our children should be a prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?'" (vs 2-3). 'Why did God bring us all the way out here? Just look at this, He's really teasing us. He brought us right to this beautiful land and now we can't take it.' That's pretty bad!
Verse 4: "And they said to one another, 'Let us make a leader…'" They built a rebellion!
Verse 6: "And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those that searched the land, tore their clothes. And they spoke to all the company of the children of Israel saying, 'The land which we passed through… ['We went there; we saw it, too.'] …to scout out is an exceedingly good land.'" (vs 6-7). They all agreed with that. They saw the grapes.
Verse 8: "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD…" (vs 8-9). 'Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft'; it is a sin!
- Don't rebel!
- Don't murmur!
- Don't complain!
All those are cousins to fear, worry and doubt! Those are all sins listed.
"…neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection has been removed from them… [now is the time to go in and do it, their defense is down] …and the LORD is with us…." (v 9). This is very important to remember as we go forward from Unleavened Bread. He's with us and has already delivered this.
"…Do not fear them" (v 9). Look at all the things that he's saying here, all the points of how to get ride of fear and put fear out. Replace it with courage and faith!
Verse 10: "But all the congregation said to stone them with stones…. [they didn't want to hear that, and along comes God; God shows up] …And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, 'How long will this people provoke Me? And how long will it be before they believe Me, for all the signs which I have shown among them?'" (vs 10-11). Look! Look at all the plagues and things that I've done, all the miracles. I divided the Red Sea. We took down the Amalekites. They just don't believe Me.'
Verse 12: "I will strike the… [Israel] …with the pestilence and will disinherit them…" Salvation is at stake here; not for them but as it applies to us. We are also, if we continue to fear, in danger of actually losing our inheritance and our salvation.
You wouldn't think, just because you're a fearful person… There are different mindsets, different temperament and makeup. Some people are very timid, some are very bold, but everybody fears, you're afraid of something. The purpose of having God's Holy Spirit is to push that out and get rid of that and rely on God.
Revelation 21:7: "The one who overcomes… [with the Holy Spirit] …shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." There's your family relationship. What a relationship to be in the future. Those are the plans God has for us (Jer. 29:11).
Verse 8: "But the cowardly, and unbelieving… [lack of faith and is fearful] …and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."
Christ puts fear first. Why would He put fear first? Lack of faith, unbelieving and is a sin! It pushes us away from God, and actually breaks the 1st commandment, the 2nd commandment, all the commandments. It's a sin!
It's interesting to think about it that way. We don't usually think about fear, doubt, worry and stress. We all get worried and stressed out. You're driving down the road and you're sometimes stressed out just driving.
- Have you put everything in God's hands?
- How do you look at what God's plans for you are?
- for that day?
- for the next week?
- for your life?
Then God says, Numbers 14:12: "I will strike them with the pestilence and will disinherit them, and will make of you a greater nation and mightier than they.' And Moses said to the LORD, 'Then the Egyptians will hear, for You have brought up this people in Your might from among them.'" (vs 12-13).
Verse 19: "'I beseech You, pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your mercy, and as You have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now.' And the LORD said, 'I have pardoned according to your word. But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now…'" (vs 19-22). They had no excuse. They saw God there firsthand, the miracles, what He did in the wilderness and they just had a hard heart.
"…and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice, Surely they shall not see the land, which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it… [there's the punishment] … But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him… [he may have had God's Holy Spirit, but he had a spirit with him that was Holy; not an evil spirit or a hardhearted spirit] …and has followed Me fully, I will bring him into the land into which he went. And his children shall possess it" (vs 22-24).
Later on we see where Caleb asked for that and God went ahead and gave him, through Joshua, the land of Hebron.
Verse 28: "Say to them, 'As I live,' says the LORD, 'as you have spoken in My ears, so I will do to you. Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against Me, you shall certainly not come into the land, which I swore to make you dwell in, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun'" (vs 28-30).
That's what's going to happen to them. You're going to wander for 40 years, everybody from 20-years-old and up won't make it. The carcasses are going to stew the wilderness.
Verse 34: "According to the number of the days in which you searched the land—forty days—each day for a year you shall bear your iniquities, forty years; and you shall know My displeasure of this generation."
God spares Joshua and Caleb, v 38: "But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of the men that went to scout out the land, lived. And Moses told these sayings to all the children of Israel. And the people mourned greatly" (vs 38-39).
Then they wanted to go back out. Well, second chances in this case don't work. They had already done wrong and set their punishment was set. They're lucky that they weren't just done away with, and Moses became like Noah[transcriber's correction] and began the whole thing again; that's what God wanted to do with them.
There are a couple of ways to go. Joshua and Caleb saw the land differently and their report was a positive report, a report of faith. They had a different spirit about what God said He would do. They believed Him and they were courageous and bold in going after that inheritance. In Acts we see that, as well, with the New Testament Church. They were bold in going after and speaking what they had seen just recently with Christ's death. Just what we went through with Passover and Unleavened Bread, all of that.
On the Day of Pentecost and afterward they were very bold. There are several places in Acts that talks about that. They had that same attitude toward faith, God, getting the word out and their inheritance. They weren't fearful at all. They were thrown in prison and many of them killed, but they did it with confidence and boldness.
Same thing that we need to take on. Do away with fear! Push fear out! Replace it with confidence and courage. You're either going to fear or you're going to have faith. We all face those fears, and that robs us of our joy, peace, happiness and the fruits of the Spirit. It also can rob us of eternal life (Rev. 21:8). It can actually keep us from inheriting and thus being thrown into the Lake of Fire. We can get rid of that!
FAITH
Hebrews 11:6: "Now, without faith it is impossible to please God…." But with fait—the reverse of that—it is possible to please God! We can please God and be very much a part of the inheritance, very much personally called! God the Father works with us and pleased with us if we take on that attitude of faith.
What is that fear? Paul is inspired to give us an insight into fear! Hebrews 3:1: "Because of this, Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of the faith we profess—Jesus Christ, Who was faithful to Him Who appointed Him, even as Moses was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, even as He Who built the house has so much more honor than the house itself" (vs 1-3). In other words, Christ was the Builder and they venerated Moses. So, Paul was putting Christ where He need to be, and Moses where he needed to be.
Verse 6: "But on the other hand, Christ was faithful as the Son over His own house; Whose house we are, if we are truly holding fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. For this reason, even as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the rebellion… [what we just read about] …in the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted Me and tried Me, and saw My works forty years'" (vs 6-10). They got their reward in a way—didn't they?
Verse 10: "Because of this, I was indignant with that generation, and said, 'They are always going astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.'" That's where it resides, in our heart and mind. That's where we get out fear and replace it with love and faith.
Verse 11: "So, I swore in My wrath, 'If they shall enter into My rest—' Beware, brethren, lest perhaps there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief… [fear, lack of faith; unbelief] …in apostatizing from the living God. Rather, be encouraging one another each day, while it is called 'today,' so that none of you become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (vs 11-13).
So, we get a fairly good understanding of what sin is, an unbelieving heart, the opposite of faith and courage. Again, "…without faith it is impossible to please God…." But with it we can please Him.
The physical is weak, but that's not what causes us to fear. It's when our faith is weak and we are unbelieving. We don't believe that God is going to do what He says He's going to do. He tells us many things today. Do we believe that? He gives us tons of promises and things to be blessed with.
- Do we believe Him?
- Do we act on it?
I had a situation where I lost my keys. I looked and looked and did the 'I'm going to do it myself' kind of thing. About 30 minutes later, and running late, I thought: God has helped me find things before. I'm just going to go and pray about it and said, 'Your will be done; You know where they are. Could You help me?'
I've had experiences before that God had helped me with, so I kind of knew that I was finally on the right track. So, I walked straight to where they were. The stove was black and the keys were black and I couldn't see them. I was all over that place, by there a couple or three times. Again, be sure you thank Him when that happens. Don't just walk out the door. Thank Him when that happens!
Terry had a situation where it was raining real hard and she was driving to work. She has to park her car and walk down the sidewalk. She had forgotten her umbrella so along the way there she prayed about it. She got out of the car and the rain stopped, she walked down the sidewalk and went inside and the rain started up again and a co-worker came in soaked! Soaked to the bone!
She had to go into a closet that they had there and change her clothes and blow-dry her hair and everything. But God held that rain back just enough for her to get in the door. Those things really happen! If you ask, they will happen! If you ask in a believing manner, God is listening and wants to take care of us. When our faith is weak, fear comes in and fills in the gap.
Let's see another thing that happens. It is possible, even though God is all powerful, all mighty, to keep God from doing something. Think about that; is that a correct statement? Can we keep God from doing something?
Psalm 78:41: "And still again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel." They put a limit on what God can do, because He doesn't operate where there is no faith. We stop Him from being able to come in an help.
You can have faith, the wrong kind of faith. The disciples said, 'Do you want us to call down fire from heaven?' Well, they had faith that that fire could come down from heaven if Christ said yes. But Christ said, 'Hey, you don't know what spirit you are of.' They were of the wrong spirit, even though they were faithful, or had faith that that could happen. That's not the way it works. But we're talking about limiting God.
Mark 6:1: "And He [Christ] left there and came into His own country, and His disciples followed Him. Now, when the Sabbath Day came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many of those who heard Him were astonished, saying, 'From where did this Man get these things?…. [Who is He?] …And what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, that by His hands many miracles are done also?'" (vs 1-2). They knew He was doing these mighty works.
Verse 3: "'Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?' And they were offended in Him." It also shows that Jesus had brothers and sisters.
Verse 4: "But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and among his own kinsmen, and in his own house.' And He was not able to do any works of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them" (vs 4-5). Isn't that amazing?
Verse 6: "And He was amazed by their unbelief…. [which limited Him] …Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching the people."
So, it is possible in our lives to stop God from being able to come in and help. Another thing is, do we have a clean conscience? Is our life free of sin and guilt, which also causes fear? When your kids do something wrong, and they know that they've done something wrong, do they come in and tell you? Do they come in and crawl up in your lap and talk to you? No! They stay away! You know there's something wrong because they're not coming around.
'Johnny, what's up?' He's hiding and doesn't know if you know it or not. We did the same thing when we sin. We don't want to go to God. We don't want to pray. We don't go immediately to God and pray, and that's when we need to. He knows what we've done. We're not hiding it from Him. We're like little kids sometimes.
I made the comment that fear is actually a sin; it's unbelief. Romans 14:23: "But the one who doubts is condemned if he eats because his eating is not of faith; for everything that is not of faith is sin." If it's unbelief it's moving away from God. Once again, it's not the Holy, it's the profane; it's either black or white; it either is or isn't. So, we're in the process of moving from physical to the incorruptible, eventually. We know when that happens. We're growing in grace and knowledge, evolving, transforming, changing and the Holy Spirit helps us to do that.
But if we don't ID it and recognize the fact that fear is sin, we don't have a chance of putting it out. How do we stop that? That's what we're going through. Joshua is a great example of this. It's the opposite of faith. The lack of faith is sin, and we're to put it out. Faith destroys fear! As we have faith, we no longer fear; we have less of its effect on us. Satan would love for us to be fearful constantly.
Just turn the news on; they want you to be afraid of everything. They want you mothers to worry about your kids going to school. Turn on the news and mark down everything that they have fear, worry, doubt—something's wrong! How much positive is in the news? How much negative is in the news? I think we all understand that.
Hebrews 11:1: "Now, faith is the substance… [it's an actual substance] …of things hoped for… [our inheritance; all the spiritual things that we know] …and the conviction of things not seen." When God steps in and does something for you.
How many times does that happen, and as you note that and your closet becomes full and you begin to grow up in faith, and it's easier to do it the next time because God did it for you before. You know He's going to do it, because He says He will, and He did it. That's why it's so important to tell Him, 'Thank You! Thank You for what You've done!' Don't just run out the door.
Look at the ten lepers in Luke, He healed them. They all took off and only one stopped and turned around and came back—one-tenth. He came back and thanked Christ. Think about that. Are we in an attitude of gratitude?
Faith and courage are cousins. Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger and pain without fear. Some of the synonyms are fearless, dauntless, intrepid, spirit-filled. If you're like that then you have courage and you have faith. Remember the man who said, 'Help my unbelief. I believe, but help my unbelief.' He realized he needed help. I'm sure that Christ helped him with that.
- fear is unbelief in God
- faith is loving God
- believing Him
- obeying Him
It talks about Joshua obeying God—Jesus Christ of the Old Testament.
- submitting/yielding to Him
All of those push fear out! All of those are the Godly things that if we occupy our mind and heart with, then fear doesn't have a chance to come in.
Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel. Our one God is the LORD, the LORD. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (vs 4-5).
Matthew 22:37: "And Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"
Deuteronomy 6:6: "And these words, which I command you this day shall be in your heart." Then it talked about the institution of circumcision before then went into the 'promised land' and also the issue of the circumcision of the heart in the New Testament Covenant. There are great parallels here.
Verse 7: "And you shall diligently teach them… [take every opportunity to be diligent in teaching your children.] …to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up." Every opportunity that you're with your children. Another thing is to be with your children. Try to be with them as much as you can and teach them every opportunity that you get.
Verse 8: "And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes."
For a sermonette I actually talked to a rabbi and he actually taught me how to tie the phylacteries and they had a little box and they put four Scriptures in there. It was kind of interesting. But they took that and that's where they get the idea of phylacteries.
To put out fear and build faith we must seek God; Matthew 6:33: "But as for you, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." First seek God!
Don't turn your back on Him and hide from Him. If you're practicing sin, it's hard to seek God, because you're constantly in a state of guilt. A lot of times what we do with Unleavened Bread, we examine ourselves and we put everything out except this worry that we put over in a corner, in the closet and keep that one; we'll give Him everything else. It doesn't work that way, because you're practicing sin. You've got to try to get rid of everything, to get it all out.
Isaiah 55:6: "Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near." This indicates that there will be a time when He won't be. Just like with Israel, they wanted to go back out and fight. It was too late! God says, 'No!'
Same thing here: "…while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near" seek Him!
TRUST in God!
Trust is very important. Believe that what He says He will do!
Psalm 5:11: "But let all who put their trust in You rejoice; let them always shout for joy because You defend them…." What is Unleavened Bread? He delivers them and defends them!
"…And let those who love Your name exult in You, for You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield" (vs 11-12).
Have you ever prayed for favor with your customers on the job? with your employer? Ask for favor! Try it sometime, you'll be surprised what happens.
Psalm 9:10: "And those who know Your name…" All of Israel saw all those miracles; they knew Who God was. They saw Him on the mountain; they knew Him.
"…will put their trust in You…" But only two out of the entire 12—out of the entire nation—put their trust in God.
"…for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You" (v 10).
Psalm 18:1: "I love You, O LORD, my strength." We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us (Philippians).
Verse 2: "The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer…" In another place it says that the righteous run into that fortress and God protects them. He is their Deliverer! Deliverance is dependant on our obedience and right living. {Note Eph. 4:17}
"…my God, my Rock in Whom I take refuge; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I will call on the LORD, Who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies" (vs 2-3). Trust in God!
REPLACE FEAR with righteous thoughts
If you have a glass and you want to get the air out, you fill it up with something. If you want to get the bad out, you put something good in. Righteous thoughts: thinking on God constantly.
These are the things that we should be thinking on daily. I know that we get busy, work comes in, but every chance you get—aside from the constant bombardment of life—think about God and these things.
Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious… [worried] …about anything; but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God in everything… [Ask Him!] …and the peace of God… [Christ said, the 'peace I leave with you] …which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just…" (vs 6-8).
Today you can't find justice. You can't find people who think properly, they're reprobate; there is no Godly judgment today. Everything is upside down!
Isaiah 5:20[transcriber's correction]: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
Philippians 4:8: "…whatever things are pure… [that's what David prayed for, a clean pure heart] …whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report… [they didn't have a good report with Israel except for Joshua and Caleb] …if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things."
That's how you get rid of fear; you get those thoughts in and fear can't come in. You know that God is true, you trust Him and you know He's going to do what He says He's going to do; you've seen it through experiences in your life. You ask Him, and fear cannot come in. You don't give an opening to Satan. He doesn't get His foot in the door.
He's firing darts at you, but you have the armor of God (Eph. 6). You've got all that on and he can't get to you.
Verse 9: "Whatever things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, you do also; and the God of peace shall be with you."
Also, when we talked about having a clean conscience, Hebrews 10:25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, even as some are accustomed to do; but rather, encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Prior to that Paul says:
Verse 22: "Let us approach God with a true heart, with full conviction of faith, our hearts having been purified… [by the blood of Christ] …from a wicked conscience, and our bodies having been washed with pure water." The washing of the water by the Word! (Eph. 5).
Verse 23: "Let us hold fast without wavering to the hope that we profess, for He Who promised is faithful; and let us be concerned about one another, and be stirring up one another unto love and good works… [that's what we do here] …not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, even as some are accustomed to do; but rather, encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. For if we willfully go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins" (vs 23-26).
Again, a very serious situation, salvation being at risk. Very, very important!
Joshua's report was one of faith and courage. They wandered for 40 years and at the end of the 40 years it's time for Moses to die and be out of the scene and Joshua to take over the mantel and being his successor.
Deuteronomy 31:1: "And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, 'I am a hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, "You shall not go over this Jordan." The LORD your God will cross over before you… [God is going to do it; Joshua will be with Him] …He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall possess them, and Joshua will cross over before you as the LORD has said. And the LORD shall do to them as He did to…'" (vs 1-4)
Verse 6: "'Be strong and of a good courage. Do not fear… [get fear out] …nor be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is He Who goes with you…. [He is going to do it] …He will not fail you nor forsake you.'" It says that 'His hand is not slack' concerning the promises that He does.
Verse 7: "And Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and of a good courage, for you must go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give it to them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the LORD is He Who goes before you.… [it's God Who is going to do this] …He will be with you; He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear; nor be dismayed.'" (vs 7-8). WOW!
Look at this! This is amazing! If we don't get the point in reading this, we just are really missing it!
- God will do it (vs 3, 6, 8)
- be strong and of courage (vs 6, 7, 23)
- God will not forsake you (vs 3, 6, 8)
All these points destroy fear and build faith!
Joshua takes over the mantel:
Joshua 1:5: "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life…."
- How would you like to have God say that about you?
- Would you be fearless?
- Would you be courageous?
- Would you go where no man had gone before?
- I think we would!
"…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you" (v 5). The only thing you might do is limit God, but He's not going to fail you IFyou do these things:
Verse 6: "Be strong and of good courage, for you shall divide for an inheritance to this people the land, which I swore to their fathers to give it to them. Only be strong and very courageous so that you may observe to do according to all the Law… [there are conditions] …which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may prosper… [Deut. 30—blessings and cursings] …wherever you go. This Book of the Law… [the requirements] …shall not depart out of your mouth…." (vs 6-8).
Here's another thing that happens. You're putting this into your mind, this section:
Verse 8: "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night… [always having that in your head: your mind and heart] …so that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you shall make your way prosperous… [go back to Deut. 29-30] …and then you shall have good success."
You want to know how to have success? It's right there! Every book that's been written on how to be successful is right here, right in this section.
Verse 9: "Have I not commanded you?…. [God is driving this home!] …Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, neither be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you in all places where you go." This gets Joshua started. Later on Moses is taken away and Joshua takes them into the 'promised land.'
The Jordan splits like the Red Sea did, again, a sign that God is with Joshua, and they go up to Jericho. I want to cover one thing that is amazing. They're getting ready to take over Jericho. This is a big, big army, one of the biggest fortresses in the land. Israel is ill equipped, physically, by sight, so Joshua goes up on the hill in the morning and he's looking down on the city and pondering, wondering and strategizing:
- How am I going to do this?
- What am I going to do?
- How is this going to happen?
- Should we come in this or that direction?
We do this, too; we are physical and think:
- How can I get this taken care of?
- How am I going to pay the bills?
- What if I get laid off?
- What if someone breaks in the house?
- Whatever it is, what am I going to do?
Joshua 5:13: "And it came to pass, when Joshua was beside Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked. And, behold, there stood a Man in front of him with His sword drawn in His hand…. [for defense or for action; offense or defense] …And Joshua went to Him… [what courage; the guy has a sword out and Joshua doesn't know Him, so he walks up to Him] …and said to Him, 'Are You for us or for our foes?'" Wrong question! Are you for us or for them?
Verse 14: "And He said, 'No… [neither one of you] …but I have come as the Commander of the army of the LORD.'…."
Remember the plans that God has for us? God's the One Who has the plans, not Joshua! Not the Canaanites!
"…And Joshua fell on his face to the earth. And he worshiped and said to Him, 'What does my Lord say to His servant?'…. [What do You want me to do?] …And the Commander of the LORD'S army said to Joshua, 'Take your shoes off your feet for the place on which you stand is Holy.' And Joshua did so" (vs 14-15).
We think: Are you with us? Okay, then let me tell you how we're going to do this, if you're with us. He says, 'No! You're with Me! I'm going to do this, and we're going to do this the way the Father says, and His plans are going to be executed here. You get on board with Me.' Later He told Joshua how to take over Jericho, going around six times for seven days and they shout and the walls fall down. It all happened the way it was said.
The next thing He says is to " Take your shoes off…" This was symbolic of a servant or humility, submission. So, He's saying, 'Be humble, obedient, submissive to Me.' Not full of complaining, murmuring, arrogance and vanity. Submissive! Isn't that New Testament. Be, therefore, humble! What does Matt. 5 and the beatitudes talk about? Look up the characteristics that are there.
"…Take your shoes off…" Be humble and obedient and I'll be with you. God was encouraging Joshua, who was kind of stressed out. He had forgotten what he had seen and all the things that he had seen God do. He was kind of getting into himself again and thinking: How am I going to do this. So, God encouraged him. He said, 'I'll be with you' and showed him.
This warrior must have been a spectacular image, a man standing there in armor, with a sword drawn; it must have been awesome! So, Joshua was encouraged and they went out and won the day. The same thing is going to happen to us! Rev. 19 is the same individual that appeared to Joshua:
Revelation 19:11: "And I saw heaven open; and behold, a white horse; and He Who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no one knows except Him. And He was clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is The Word of God…. [we know Who that is] …And the armies… [that's us] …in heaven were following Him on white horses; and they were clothed in fine linen, white and pure. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations; and He shall shepherd them with an iron rod; and He treads the winepress of the fury and the wrath of the Almighty God. And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords" (vs 11-16).
And we'll be with Him to come and establish the Kingdom of God on earth and inherit that kingdom that is being prepared for us, and those jobs that we have. How do we put out fear and replace it with faith? Joshua is a great example! We've gone through several points.
Over Joshua's long life he had a lot of experiences, and God intervened in his life and helped him build faith. Ask God to help build our faith; ask Him daily to do that. Identify it when He does and thank Him for it and your faith will continue to grow, and you'll grow in grace and knowledge.
Joshua learned to trust God. He had courage and was bold, just like Caleb was. He knew what God's will was for his life, and he got out of the way and let God do whatever it was, and he followed God. He knew that whatever God chose to do would be right for him, and his plans would be fulfilled.
Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know the purposes, which I am purposing for you,' says the LORD; 'purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.'"
God encouraged him along the way, and at the end of Joshua's life he came to the same conclusion that ours should be: We must come to be in the Family of God! Through his life of loyalty and faith, all the experiences and the relationship that God had directly, this is the conclusion that Joshua came to. The same thing that we will come to if we put into practice these things and get out the sin of fear and build faith.
Joshua 24: 14—Joshua is speaking to Israel: "Now, therefore, fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and Truth…. [New Testament doctrine] …And put away the gods, which your fathers served… [get out all the sin that's in our lives, the idols that we want to hang onto] …on the other side of the River, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version by Fred R. Coulter
Scriptural References:
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Joshua 1:6-7
- Exodus 14:13-14
- Numbers 13:1-2, 4, 6, 8, 16-21, 25-32
- 2 Corinthians 5:6-7
- Numbers 13:33
- Numbers 14:1-12
- Revelation 21:7-8
- Numbers 14:12-13, 19-24, 28-30, 34, 38-39
- Hebrews 11:6
- Hebrews 3:1-3, 6-13
- Psalm 78:41
- Mark 6:1-6
- Romans 14:23
- Hebrews 11:1
- Deuteronomy 6:4-5
- Matthew 22:37
- Deuteronomy 6:6-8
- Matthew 6:33
- Isaiah 55:6
- Psalm 5:11-12
- Psalm 9:10
- Psalm 18:1-3
- Philippians 4:6-8
- Isaiah 5:20
- Philippians 4:8-9
- Hebrews 10:25, 22-26
- Deuteronomy 31:1-4, 6-8
- Joshua 1:5-9
- Joshua 5:13-15
- Revelation 19:11-16
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Joshua 24:14-15
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Revelation 21:18
- Ephesians 4:17; 6; 5
- Deuteronomy 29; 30
SD:bo
Transcribed: 6-9-15
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