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May 10, 2021 8:00 am
Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Not good for our we find that assurances are often ignored.
But God said something like I'm saying us is an understandable, I'm not not like I tell you something needed me to believe joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world. I like it. Open your Bibles to Joshua 21 verse 43. This will be the final message on lessons we learn from the great book of Joshua 2143. The first lesson we learned was that God wants all of his children to live in the promised land he wants us to have what is New Testament because the faith rest life or the victorious Christian life. That's his desire for each and every one of us, but the first lesson we learned was you have to take what is yours and if you don't, you'll end up just wondering in the wilderness as Israel had for 40 years. Secondly, I said it's okay if you're not okay. Rahab was such a great story in the lineage of Christ honored in Hebrews chapter 11. She is a prostitute. Thirdly there something we never should never forget and that is ever going to going to the promised land. Never forget that it's God who goes before us, we should never forget what God has done in our past. Up till now and maybe most important, we should never forget whose we are. We are children of God. And then I said, if were going to bring down fortresses like Jericho. Then we have to remember that God is the one who fights but we have to follow his directions completely.
So often we get in trouble because we really don't follow his directions and we never get the victory. Then I said send a serious really serious now invented because the son of God to be crucified on the cross, but sin is serious in our lives because it keeps us from a relationship with God. Sin in our lives is not something to wink at night something to belittle, not some you think it's just a small thing.
It's a very important thing if organ have victorious Christian living. And then last week I said that that failure which we all have should never be fatal. What we should do is get up and get going, and forget the past. That's what we've learned in this lesson that were learning here really is the lesson of the entire book of Joshua and if you been listening I said the first six weeks is the most important one for you if you can apply to your life. Verse 43 so the Lord gave Israel all the land which he had sworn to give their fathers may possess the name and then it in the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that he had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them in the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed all came to pass, while that's I started the book number before they won the promised land, the worse and I'm giving it all I've given it to y'all past tense not you gotta go get it. I've given it to you.
And so now you have insane exactly the same thing except now it's after the fact. The question is when the God promises when the promise to give them the land go with me now to Genesis chapter 12 no excuse for not finding Genesis Genesis chapter 12 verse seven and this is very early on notice in the verse that Abraham's name is still Abram has given his name changed yet and is what God says to him, says the Lord appeared to Abram and he said to your descendents I give you this land.
Look at chapter 13 verse 14 of Genesis, the Lord said to Abram after lot had separated from my lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are northward and southward eastward and westward for all the land which you see a give it to you and your descendents forever that 600 years before Joshua 600 years earlier. God made a promise is I may give you land 600 years later they get the land but that's just like God. Now they could've had the land 40 years earlier, they could've had it. Remember that and they sent spies into the land in 10 came back and were just terrified of the Canaanites and Caleb and Joshua came back and said let's go get a so they missed out on it. Why, because he made a choice.
They chose not to believe the promise of God. They made that choice. They chose the fear the Canaanites rather than to show faith in the promise of God.
They took the test here may fail.
They made the same mistake that you make all the time so I they made the mistake facing an obstacle facing the difficulty facing a trial. They chose not to believe the promise of God, they decided to be fixated by the circumstances in which they find themselves before they paid Gary in Grady in his book true nor says this life is like that. A Christ follower doesn't pay stress test sitting in a church service on Sunday morning surrounded by like-minded people affirming great certain truths, nor as a stress test usually find within the inside filled classroom or the Fellowship of a small group, but Christ followers are called to a real-world faith lived out in the open ocean of daily life facing difficult choices, intense pressures, deep suffering, unfair treatment, enticing temptations. It is then that we encounter the ultimate stress test when we sell determinedly on we break and we sink under the strain. If you want to live the victorious life. If you want to live with Jesus, called the abundant life. If you want to live in the promised land of the faith rest life, you have to choose believe the promises of God, and I know that's hard.
I know that that's a difficult circumstance.
Life is tough enough but were surrounded by a whole world of broken promises.
I was watching the history Channel and they were talking about resonance United States in just a couple things that they said in October 1940, Franklin Roosevelt told the American people have said this before but I'm going to say it again, your boys are not to be sent to any foreign war. LBJ said in October 1964 were not about to send American boys nine or 10,000 miles away from home to do what Asian boys are to be doing for themselves know we got a John decide on this. What is it mean to be a politician me to be a promise breaker right know politicians do you make promises to get elected then you break them all. That's the way it works. It's nice to be sort of the blame that sort of class of the American people. But what about us. Pledges are retracted vowels become empty. It's amazing to stand in front of people and their standing there and they want a Christ centered wedding and want to stand there and make a bow before God and everyone to death do us part or one of us is unhappy. We break files, bring them all the time were not good for a word we find that assurances are often ignored. But God said something here what God is saying to us is look, I understand all that I'm not you I'm not like you when I tell you something.
I mean it.
You need to believe that. Go with me to love Psalm 12 Psalm 12 Psalm of David. Just want to see what David says in verse six and verse seven.
David writes this in the Psalm. He said the words of the Lord are pure words don't notice the word Lord Eric L men small case I deny I deny means is it's not really his name that's his job description is at the night is the covenant keeper which means he tells the truth. That's why keeps covenants. He says the words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in the furnace and the earth refined seven times.
You will Lord will keep them you will preserve him from this generation forever. I kinda love what the living Bible paraphrase says there the Lord's promises sure he never speaks a careless word that's wishful until Joshua always from the book committee promise that's was trying to tell us not just in Joshua all through the Bible keeps trying to tell us look I made promises to you yet understand that you have a choice you can believe him or not.
Go with me to second Corinthians chapter 1 verse 22nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20 is a great first because it's in the New Testament Way of God saying look I keep my promises, but he doesn't a different manner. Here I think it's kind of intriguing. Second Corinthians 120 Paul's writing this and he says for as many are the promises of God by the waiters as hundreds and hundreds of these for as many are the promises of God in him. That's Christ in Christ there.
Yes I love that of all the promises of God in Christ are yes that's my proof want to sit there yes therefore also through him is our amen to the glory of God. What does that mean him him amen means this is true, so be it. It takes faith to say that he said everything I ever promised in crisis come true. Amen. So be it.
That's true in Genesis. He said the seed of the woman is going to be the one who redeems mankind and destroys the serpent as Christ starts in Genesis Megan's promises. He said he's coming is going to be Jewish is going to visit a son of Abraham. Not just any any tribe though is going to be the tribe of Judah always going to be in the house of David can be a messianic king when it comes 500 years before he comes out. Tyson Taylor is going be born in Bethlehem, so Mike, the prophet writes what is going to be born. Isaiah the prophet is to be born of a virgin. He's an amazing promises that he was born.
He said he won't be like you guys to be without sin, to live a holy life without sin.
He will be like anybody else.
He wasn't and he said, and then what will do is will Markham Spurgeon and will nail will cross you will die there for us and he did many, so they're going to bury him in and they did decent and then I'm gonna resurrected from the dead, and he did and then he ascended to heaven just like you promised. He said look, if you want to know if I keep my word. Just look at Jesus Christ and keep my word when I make a promise I made a promise to you to keep my word. This the most important thing in your life because it's going to make a difference in every aspect of your life. Go with me now to second Peter second Peter chapter 1 verse three. This is the kind of verse by the way we read and forget and that's regrettable some verses are so overwhelming in the thought process and the depth in which the written that it should astound you should be overwhelmed by what you read. Peter writes this in verse three. Seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, but is granted was everything to what to life what's included in life everything. Everything he said his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. The bigger question here. What is it you lack to what you lack see we often get all confused with this. We keep saying you know if if I only had if they only did that only happened if I only got that diagnosis if he would only say this to make if this would only happen by was a general like anything you have everything. I noticed the guarantee of it. He said, seeing that his divine power. That's the that's what backs this up his divine power. How much power does he have his everything is and yeah, I've given you everything according the life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him see you have to know Christ to know this. You have to know the word of God, even to know what God's given you for some of us we know Christ died on the cross we know is our Savior and we say that's good.
It's like fire insurance. I put my faith in him and when I die, I hope I go to heaven.
That's about the true knowledge of him. You have to know that's an important thing is that if you want it appropriate this in your life, he said, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and his own excellence. The basis of all this is his power, his glory and his excellence. How does he do this, how does this work verse 44 by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent.
What promises well what a great way to describe this he has given us his precious and magnificent promises to this. The key to life.
I give you my promises but you have a choice. You see precious.
The word means valuable and costly magnificent megastar's.
It means superlative. The greatest he says look at giving you these huge promises they should make all the difference to you in your life but you have to choose whether you believe it or not, he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, so that by then we may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. So there's your choice. Usually when it comes down to your belief system in the promises of God.
It comes down to when I believe that I become a partaker of the divine nature when some a partaker of the divine nature. I can face what I have to face just as Christ did. That's with the promises of God's promise me think of the all the promises she Jesus said this, he said he that believes in me as life to say who says that Jesus died, he that believes in me has what you want eternal life believing me. Jesus said that even if you have eternal life. I've come to give you life and to give it to you abundantly.
That's his promise to you. I wanted to be an abundant life, not just any life. I want to give you an abundant life. It's filled with joy and hope and peace, not anxiety and worry and turmoil and conflict. He said I want to give you this life is promise this life he's promised us blessings. He's promised us that heavenly's he's promised us abundant grace upon grace he's promised us joy is promised a strength he's promised us guidance he's promised his help. He's promised us instruction he's promised us wisdom he's promised us his Holy Spirit is promises heaven, he promised us eternal rewards.
It's all yours. He said promised all this to Job choice you can make your own mind. You see, you can allow the kind of things and sneak into your life and give you insecurity and fear. You see you can and just fill your life with worry and tension. You can believe the promises of God.
I love the Peter says these are precious. These promises are magnificent and yet so many of us, sort of. Just ignore them. I think some of us even trivialize him or somehow this minimize other just words in the Bible is a promises of God promises the Lord Jesus Christ never feel lonely ever should his and he was on never leave you nor forsake you. I'm never will promised you that, but I feel so lonely and it is worse with it. I feel so lonely I don't fully come close the Lord anymore. I can't seem to find them visit, he never moved you moved you moving around out using these circumstances make me feel lonely.
He said I got that on never leave you nor forsake you that this person might my spouse was so disappointing to me in condemning to me. I'll never leave you nor forsake you. I'm right here.
That's why said, look up, I'm the husband of the widow on the father of the orphan, I'm right here. I'm worried about what might happen. Genesis 15 I am your shield, I am your shield. I normally worried about what could happen to crazy world out there is no shield in Isaiah 41. He said I will strengthen you and I will help you his power and his provision of strengthen you.
I know when we go help you. Jesus said in John 10 is the shepherd or the sheep he said always go before you let me lead Jesus never said hey God, the world and tried on your own what you always say to everyone he met. Follow me, this following got this whole thing. The lack rest piece.
Remember, Jesus said, come unto me all you are heavy laden, and what the rest given you don't know one through he does does knows exactly what you want to come to me. I'll give you rest.
That's his promise to us pastor broke apart.
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