Getting Ready - Part 2

This podcast is made available by this increasing media as to the generosity of our support is your donation today means great podcast ideas remain available to help people look to God daily presentation at our nation today send out all day ago promises you just acknowledge them or do you act on the fight that I am turning toward the germ are returned to Joshua with encouragement to step out and fight is used to. If you finally ready to put in place and actually listen as David introduces conclusion of his special message, getting ready and her friends when one of the things about the Bible is that it is so timely. It is so pertinent to what we need these stories and these principles that were written down on parchment so many years ago come alive in our life and I can't think of better story to explore as we get ready for the new year in Joshua chapter 31 through six. How we are promised to sanctify ourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us. That's my hope and prayer for the new year. I hope it's yours and mine said, getting your attitude right as we enter into the new year is so important to us. That's why we devote these five days to try to encourage you and strengthen you and motivate you and lift you up and speak into your heart. These encouraging words to help you get going for the new year. The Lord knows we need to leave the old year behind and we need to look to the new year and be encouraged and strengthened as we face, 20, 21, well, let's finish up our discussion of getting ready first thing you notice is think about the story is the provision of God behind us got done for these people over 40 years, God's people had been wandering in the desert but God had not forgotten about them. He mostly cared for them. Their journey in the desert was one miracle after another. They entered the desert by way of the Red Sea crossing, which was America.

And every day for the entire 40 years they were in the desert. They were supernaturally led by God. God faithfully supplied every single day from these people supplied the water in a miraculous way. In fact, the basic needs of the Israelites did not fail. One time during a period of four decades every single day in their wilderness wanderings God met their need. So another standing at the bank of the Jordan River and their hearts are filled with fear.

It's flood time. The rivers overflowing 3 million of them. What are we going to do but behind them was the memory of the provision of God that he had made for them for four years. Sometime over this next week. Write down 10 things God provided for you last year.

Keep that list in the place where you can get it when you need it when you get discouraged or you wonder of God is involved in your life. Go back and see what he's already done for you hasn't changed and is not going to change you can count on it. The provision of God behind us, then this the presence of God beside us read with me the first three verses of Joshua chapter 3, then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan and all the children of Israel and lodge there before they crossed over so it was after three days, that the officers went through the camp and they commanded the people say when you see the Ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.

Now the central focus in Joshua chapter 3 and four is the ark of the covenant. What's the big deal about the ark of the covenant in the desert, the pillar of cloud and fire were visible signs of God's leading his people not to move until the sign was evident, but the presence of God with his people was always symbolized by the ark of the covenant, the ark of the covenant was a box of about 45 inches long and 27 inches deep and wide was made out of occasional wood and it had a lid on it and there were gold rings on each of the four corners of the box they were in place so that polls could be inserted into those rings in the ark of the covenant could be carried on the shoulders of the Israelites inside the ark of the covenant was a copy of the law of God been given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Also in the ark was a portion of Manna from the desert and the rod of Aaron that butted those were the contents of the ark of the covenant, the ark was associated with the light and glory and direction and presence of God.

If you know the story of the Old Testament you know that when the ark of the covenant was removed from the people of God as it was once by the Philistines was experience, but when the ark was brought back victory returned. Now you will see this referenced in verses 10 and 11 of chapter 3 watch carefully as I read these verses and Joshua said by this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail, drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the highlights and the parasites and the Shiites in the Amorites and the Jebusites hold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you enter the Jordan, the people of Israel looked at the ark of the covenant, and it was to them. The presence of God when they saw the ark were reminded of God's presence with them and don't miss this.

The people of Israel were getting ready to cross the Jordan River. They were given very specific instructions about the distance they should keep between themselves and the ark of the covenant. Look at verse four, shall there not be a space between you and thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go for you have not passed this way before marriage. Just imagine, with all of us that that's a good price for us. We have not passed this way before. How do we walk into an area where we had never been, how do we look at a time that we've never experienced well the people were told by God and by Joshua that they were to keep the ark a certain space away from the let's unpack that for a moment 2000 cubits is a distance of about 3000 feet, or 1/2 mile. In other words, the ark of the covenant was to stay far enough out in front of his hoard of people so that all of them could see it.

If the ark was too close to the people at the front end of the market would be hidden from the people at the rear end of the March.

The ark had to be seen by everyone, not just by the leaders at the front. Almighty God was teaching a lesson. Leaders are important, but each of us individually needs to keep our eyes on God. It's not enough for us to see God through the eyes of others. We need to see God through our own eyes, especially when were going into the unknown. We don't do that.

The raging waters of the Jordan rivers in our lives will fill our hearts with fear and discouragement like Peter walking on the water when we take our eyes off of him. We begin to look at the waves and we sink into our own circumstances to show you three more things about God's presence with us in these times of transition. The best way to do it is just to read three passages in a row and then comment on them. Joshua 36 then Joshua spoke to the priest 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. Joshua 317 and then the priest who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan and Joshua 411 and it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over that. The ark of the Lord and the priest crossed over in the presence of the people watch as the Israelites were preparing to take this journey through the Jordan River. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant representing the presence of God were told to go ahead of the people, but they were to go the way through the riverbed to the other side, the Scripture says that they went to the middle of the riverbed and base in the middle of the Jordan River. While all the people all 3 million of the people of Israel passed before them, and the ark of the covenant came in behind them and follow them up onto the banks of the promised land, God through his ark was going before them, God was staying with them in the middle of their journey and he was following up behind them. When the journey was over and that is how God works. My friends and goes before us is the captain of our salvation and goes with us. He's our Emmanuel, God with us and he follows after us protecting us from behind. What a wonderful picture of the presence of Almighty God in your life and in my I think Isaiah was thinking of this when he wrote these wonderful words but now, thus says the Lord, who created you, fear not for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by your name you are mine and when you pass through the waters, I'll be with you and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God and I have loved you, fear not for I am with you when you face the uncertainty of the new year. You not only have what God has done for you in the past you have the promise that he's going to be with you in the experience.

Let's have the third promise, and that's the promise of God before us as soon as the priests bearing the ark put their feet into the river. Scripture tells us that the water stopped flowing and stood like a wall like 20 miles away upstream the wall of water was probably in place for an entire day, so that the soft bottom of the river could become dry. The Israelites walked through the Jordan River on dry land, and they didn't have to clean his shoes off when they arrived. On the other side crossing of the Jordan River mirrors what happened to the Israelites on their way into the wilderness as they came through the Red Sea, God was sending a message to them by making these two experiences very similar to God, who had begun this journey with them. 40 years ago was the same God who is going to deliver them at the end of their wilderness experience.

How do we take this teaching ourselves and apply it to our own lives. Well, let me describe for you what the people of Israel were told to do at this particular time.

First of all, it was to be a time of consecration at time of transition is a time for consecration.

Notice verse five and Joshua said to the people, sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you pause for a moment and say if you want to have a great new year. Listen carefully to this part of the message God wants to do wonders among us.

But it is not unconditional promise in terms of his blessing is conditioned upon our willingness to sanctify ourselves on notice that a word we use in our language today. I remember growing up as a boy in the church little ladies to give testimony about every Sunday night when we had testimony time and she would stand up and say so thankful I'm saying I'm satisfied I'm sanctified.

She sit down. I do know what you meant something anybody else did. But she felt better when it was over. What is it mean to be sanctified.

What did Joshua mean when he told the people through his leaders sanctify yourselves for tomorrow.

God is to do wonders among you while board sanctify is a very interesting word that means to set apart. The word means to set something apart like the seventh day Sabbath day was sanctified under God. It was set apart unto God and belong to him exclusively or a certain kind of people among the Israelites were sanctified to godlike the Levites were sanctified to lead worship so to sanctify means to set something apart to set it apart uniquely for the Lord to dedicate it to him and to make it is completely when Joshua told the people to sanctify themselves. He was commanding them to prepare their hearts to get ready spiritually.

He was telling them to confess their sins to put away the foreign gods to get out of the bad habits that they may have cultivated while they were in the wilderness and to begin walking with God in purity of heart as we stand at the beginning of this new year. What better thing could we do then to take some time to examine our own lives and make sure that everything is right between us and God.

God wants to do great things in our lives, but he will not pour out his blessing if we are not prepared to receive it. If you want God to honor everything you do in the new year. If you do want this to be the best year you've ever had, and to see his blessing poured out on you. I can't promise that that will happen, but I can promise this if you don't get ready in will not happen you can determine if this is the year that God is determined to totally bless you what you can determine that you will be ready if such a time, on the night of his graduation from medical school. Dr. Howard Kelly world famous surgeon wrote this in his diary.

I dedicate myself, my time, my capabilities, my ambition, my everything to God blessed Lord, sanctify me uses give me no worldly success that will not lead me nearer to my Savior Dr. Kelly prayed that God would protect him from any success that would draw his heart away from Jesus Christ to pros like that much anymore.

Do you we pray for the success we pray for the blessing we pray for the honor.

We pray for the prestige we pray for the wealth but he understood that if God is going to bless us.

We have to be less worthy by sanctifying ourselves before him. Not only was this a time of consecration, but it was also to be a time of courage before God piled up the waters of the Jordan River and great keeps and left a path wide enough for 3 million people to crossover and gave Israelites. These instructions and it shall come to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, but the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off the waters that shall come down from upstream and they shall stand as a heat definitely that care for you. This giant condition and that text but I can allow you to miss it because I couldn't miss it. And since I couldn't miss it. I don't want you to miss it either because it's very troubling and frustrating.

The priests were to rest the soles of their feet in the waters of the Jordan before God would park them. That would have been a day when you would've wished you were not a priest. Almighty God was not going to do what he promised to do until people obeyed him their obedience probably do make a whole lot of sense to them at the time of the Bible says they walked down to the river and when the priests put their feet in the swelling Jordan at the moment they exercise their faith.

God performed his miracle. Many people hit a dead end in their faith journey because they are waiting for God to go first. If they had waited for God to part the Jordan River, the Israelites would still be standing there faith is taking the first step before God parts the river. Someone was once asked what they did with the promises of God in the Bible and answered I underlined them in blue what if God is going to bless your life you have to do more than underline his promises in blue. You have to believe them and when you believe that you act on them. That's how you get the blessing of God take his word at face value and whatever he says for you to do you do it as you do it before you see the evidence that will support your having done it once again God's promises are not for underlining God's promises are for obeying and when we obey God's promises. He works wonders in our lives want this to be a great year. Sanctify yourself before God and determined to do whatever he tells you to do. I became quite aware of something as I finish this message.

I don't think I've ever heard this, I know I've never said it, but listen carefully.

Our God is a start over God he created his world so that every 24 hours. We get to start over with a new day and every seven days. We get to start over with a new week and every four or five weeks we get to start over with a new month God can just run all those times together in one package, with no breaks and no places to start over it in his great wisdom.

God placed us on a planet that orbits the sun one time every 365 days.

So once a year we come back to the starting place and we start over. That's why the first of the year is always kind of a start over. Place even for people who don't understand anything of what we talked about today. I was wondering, is that right is that should do every day. No, no, God was doing. Put this world in the sections because God is a start over God. Jesus Christ came into this world so that you and I could start over.

The Bible says if any man be in Christ he is a new creation.

When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts. We call it being born again.

And when we follow Jesus Christ in our lives.

Old things passed away behold all things become new. What an opportunity we face as we stand at the edge of a new year. Doesn't matter what we started out to do last year and failed to accomplish. We can start again so human to get right with God. Last year in the day slip away and who you are in the same place and you still need to start over. God is waiting for you. Jesus loves you on this New Year's Day can begin again with the Lord and can begin for the first time or the second time or however many times it is because your God and my God is a start over God. Jesus is calling you and wants to bless you and wants to use you and fill you with a sense of purpose and joy. The Bible is filled with promises. He wants to fulfill in your life will promises are not for underlining promises are for believing and obeying somebody asking this role together and ready to crossover you really willing to start over something to me is that when time was organized.

Time is a creation of God. As you know a guy gave us minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and years and decades and millenniums God divided time out for us in one of the great times sections is the year, and I know that many of you are saying. I'm not going to get into this human resolution stuff. I'll have it all messed up. By the time the 15 comes along you can do it if you want to.

But here's our meeting for us to stop and reflect and to set goals and move forward with a new sense of hope and determination. I hope you will do that and these messages during this final week of the year are meant to encourage you to do that tomorrow really talk about the journey inward. You need to know and understand that we not only move forward on the calendar we move inwardly, we have to ask God to create within us a new heart, new and clean spirit new determination to follow him. That's my prayer for myself and I suspect it's it's your prayer as well will see you tomorrow is message to you from Shadow Mountain Community Church insignia pasta Jeremiah your story of Turning Points impact on your life right there was a Turning Point PO Box 38, San Diego, CA 92163 or visit our website at Jeremiah.world/radio David 365 day devotional for 2021 fiscal strength is filled the gift of any amount you can also download the free Turning Point. My black smart phone, tablet or capsule for the keywords Turning Point ministries taxes have programs and results Jeremiah.world/radio the tiles.

I'm very join us tomorrow as we continue special messages for the Turning Point. Jeremiah will