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Dr. Marty Baker | Joshua 3:1-9 | January 17, 2010

Good morning and welcome to Stevens Creek Church. I want to say hello to those in our Grovetown campus. I am so proud of Stevens Creek Grovetown. During the Christmas holidays, you responded to the needs of your community with a heart of generosity. We are proud of what God is doing in and through you.
I would like to welcome those of you watching on television. Make it a point to visit The Creek either here on Stevens Creek Road in Augusta or at Grovetown High School. You will be glad you did.
Today, we are in the second week of our series, My Big Amazing Renovation Story. Patty and I love watching the television shows that feature home makeovers. They typically end with a “move-that-bus” type of reveal. At that point, the families go crazy. So many times they are either jumping up and down or some of them have tears streaming down their faces or they have a look of disbelief. They have seen it happen to others, but they never dreamed that it would happen to them.
This past summer many of you followed me through my garage makeover. I worked hard to clean out the clutter and get my garage back in order. If you were to go to my house today, you may think that I have fallen off the wagon. My car is out in the cold and the rain because the garage is filled with stuff. It’s good though. Stuart graduated and moved back to town so our garage is the transitional storage unit. In a few weeks, we will be back were we need to be.
Some of you have wandered into the auditorium today because you want to get back to where you need to be. You want a life-makeover. Your world is broken. You are guilt-ridden, lonely and filled with shame. You need a renovation of your heart. You need to be changed.
Today, I have good news. I believe that you can find help in the pages of the Bible. I want to help you take a step in the right direction. I want to see your life get better. So, let’s get started.
We are in the series, My Big Amazing Renovation. Every major renovation project begins with a decision. You make a decision that it’s time for things to change. You say, “I am not going to continue to live like I have been living. I want and I need to change.”
This series is based on the Old Testament book of Joshua. It’s there that we read the story of a group of people called the Children of Israel. At one point they were slaves in a foreign land and while there they cried out to God for help. They said, “God, we don’t want to continue living like we have been living. Please send us a deliverer that will set us free.”
God heard their prayer and called Moses to lead them to a new life and a new land. Moses led them to the edge of this new land and there he passed the baton to his assistant Joshua.
Now, Joshua had the responsibility to prepare the Children of Israel for their next step. He had to get them ready to receive what God had promised to give them.
Today, I want you to open your mind to the possibility that God can change your life. You have seen other people change but you are not convinced that it could happen to you. What’s it going to take? Will you listen to me today with an open mind and a receptive heart? Will you leave room for God to move in your life?
God wants you to have purpose, meaning, and contentment in your life. He has promised to give you a full life. I am here to help you receive what God has for you.
In today’s scripture passage, Joshua and the Children of Israel are almost where they need to be. They are on the edge of the Jordan River and their Promised Land is just in sight. That’s where some of you are. You are the verge. You are almost there. I want you to take you next step. Let’s pick up the story in Joshua 3.
Joshua 3:1-3
1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp,
3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
In verse three we are introduced to the Ark of the Covenant. Now many of you have probably heard of the Ark of the Covenant from the Harrison Ford Movie, Raiders of the Last Ark or possibly from shows like Olly Steed’s Solving History on the Discovery Channel.
The Bible tells us that this vessel that contained the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, along with Aaron's rod and manna. But that’s not all. This vessel contained more than just these artifacts; It housed the presence of the Lord.
As a result, unexplained miracles are associated with the Ark. The Ark of the Covenant was present when the waters of the Jordan River parted; it was present when the walls of Jericho fell. The Ark was treated with great respect and as it was transported by the priests, the people had to keep a 2000 cubit distance, which is about a half a mile.
Side note. The Ark of the Covenant was the vessel that housed the presence of the Lord…that’s was the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus came and reconciled us back to God. Now, we are the Temple of God. The Spirit of God lives in us.
Joshua 3:3
3 … “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
1. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone.
God is wants you to step out of your comfort zone and follow Him. You have been where you are long enough. It’s time to move. You feel unsettled. God is using this to prepare you to take your next step.
God speaks to us in many ways and one of the most common ways He speaks to me is through discomfort. I have a tendency to get comfortable and settled and once that happens I am less likely act.
A few nights ago, I was getting settled on the couch. Patty came in and said that The Creek Basketball team is playing and she wanted to watch them play. It was 8:00 PM. I appreciate the wonderful basketball talent of Stuart, Samuel, Todd, Adam, Craig and the rest of the guys, but I was comfortable on the couch. She went without me. When she got home, I was in the same place that I was when she left me.
Sometimes I am like that with God. He wants me to get off the couch and do something. I respond by saying something like this: “Leave me alone, I’m watching television. Get somebody else to do that. God, you know Kevin Lloyd over at the church needs something else to do…go talk to him.”
Then God knocks on the door again. I am a little un-nerved, then I become a little unsettled and wonder, “Why is he knocking so much?” I am uncomfortable with this. Typically, my discomfort increases until I am willing to move.
Some of you are in an uncomfortable place. Things have not been the way that you thought they should be. In fact, they are steadily getting worse. Could it be that God is speaking to you through the pain and discomfort that you are feeling? Could it be that God is trying to get you to move out of your comfort zone into a new land that He has prepared for you?
For forty years, the Children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. If they had surrendered to God completely, their forty year journey could have been accomplished in a matter of months. Now, we see them standing at the Jordan River without a bridge without a boat and the Promised Land is in site. But, they don’t know what to do?
Have you ever been there? You made the decision to move, but now what? Which way do you go? You have two options, one leads this way and the other road leads that way. How do you determine which way to go? How do you know God’s will for your life? You are sitting here wondering … Should I get married? And if I should, should I marry Sally or Jane or Susie or Bill or Joe or Bob?
Should I go to college? And if I should, should I go to ASU, Lee, Georgia, Carolina or Clemson? You’re thinking, “I've been offered a new job. It's a good job. But I've got a good job. Should I take the new job? Or should I hold onto what I have?”
We've got four children. We're thinking about having a fifth. Should we have another one? Is God calling me to the mission field? How can I be sure?
Chances are that many of us here today are facing some huge, potentially life altering decisions in the coming weeks -- decisions about college or graduate school, decisions about relationships or finances.
When standing at the crossroads, where do you go for input to help you make a wise decision? Ask God for wisdom and direction. Allow Him to lead you and guide you. Be willing to go where He prompts you to go. Joshua said,
Joshua 3:3-4
3 … “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
This is where faith kicks in. This is where they had to trust that God was going to be with them through it all. I love that phrase in this verse …then you will know … since you have never been here before.”
Many of you have taken time this month to map out your year. You have your goals, your dreams, and your plans. You need to realize that God may have another plan for you.
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Are you willing for God to re-arrange your plans so that you can be in the center of His will? God wants to lead you. He wants to guide you, but you must be willing to surrender to His plan for your life?
Sometimes I miss the promptings of God, not because I am unwilling, but because I unable to hear His voice. God’s voice is crowded out by all of the other things that I have allowed in my life. When this happens, I need to renovate my schedule so that I can set aside time to focus on the Lord.
When Joshua was standing at the Jordan River looking over into the Promised Land, he knew that it was going to take a move of God to get these people from where they were to where they needed to be.
How do you prepare yourselves for a move of God? Look at what Joshua did.
Joshua 3:5
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
They needed a miracle to cross the Jordan River and begin the process of possessing the land. Joshua knew that their only hope was God. They could not do what they were called to do on their own. They needed His power. They did not need anything hindering them…from without or within. Joshua knew that before they faced the enemies in the land they had to deal with the enemy within. Joshua called them to get spiritually prepared. So for three days, the people consecrated themselves.
The word, consecrate, means to dedicate for a specific purpose, to purify, to sanctify, to set-apart. The people went through several steps to get the junk out of their lives.
We all want God to do miracles in our lives. We want God to move in us, but are we willing to remove barriers in our lives that keep God from doing what He wants to do? Here’s the point. We need to …
2. Consciously remove the barriers that keep you from being the person that you were created to be.
What is that one thing that is keeping you from being the person that God wants you to be? What is that activity that is more important to you than your relationship with God?
It’s time to come clean. Get the junk out. Remove the barriers that are keeping you from living your best life.
What are some of the barriers?
a. Un-confessed Sin.
When we willfully continue to live out of bounds, live in sin, then our actions become a barrier that keeps God at a distance. We need to sanctify our lives. We need to make decisions that honor the Lord.
b. Bad Habits
There are some things that we do that may or may not be out of bounds, but these activities become barriers to God’s best for us. This repeated behavior becomes more important to us than anything else. This is very dangerous. I am going to let you and the Lord fill in the blank.
What activity captivates your attention to the point that it is an unhealthy obsession?
c. Crowded Calendar
One barrier that keeps me from experiencing God’s best is a crowded calendar. If I am not careful, I will schedule a lot of good things and before I know it, these good things crowd out my time with God. This happens to all of us at times, but when we fail to correct it, then it becomes a barrier.
Joshua set aside time for the Children of Israel to reconnect with God. He knew that they needed to spend an extended period of time to get spiritually prepared for their next step.
This month we are doing the same thing. Last Sunday, I asked that you to commit to reading the Bible through this year. We pointed you to our website: www.stevenscreekchurch.com where you will find information on a reading plan. We want to do this together. We want to read and pray.
Speaking of prayer, last Sunday, I challenged you to join me in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. We do this twice a year…January and August. This is our time to connect with God. I want you to pray new prayers. We are going to join together in faith.
This past week, Matthew 18:19 was in our One Year Bible reading. Listen to the words of this verse:
Matthew 18:19-20
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Let’s agree together in prayer. One person praying is powerful but this verse tells us that when we join with others our prayers are intensified.
Over the last several years, we have joined together as a church family in pray. To help remind us to keep praying, we have encouraged you to write the names of your friends and family members that need God on these glass walls. The names have been cleared because we are here to pray new prayers for the New Year. We may be praying for the same person, but we are praying new prayers.
To those of you in our Grovetown campus, there is a prayer box on the stage that you can place written needs in. Most of us consider prayer as a means of talking to God, but that’s only one part of it. The second part is listening. We join in prayer to listen to the words that the Lord has for us.
In verse six, we see that Joshua spoke to the Priests, then in verse nine, he turned his attention to the people. Look at what he said.
Joshua 3:9
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.
3. Listen closely to the words of the Lord. Be attentive to what He has to say.
Today, hear his voice. He is speaking to you. He is calling you to open your life to Him. It’s time to make Jesus the Lord of your life. It’s time to surrender to him; it’s time to submit. Submission is simply and invitation for someone to lead. I want you to submit your life to Jesus Christ.
Some of you are wrestling with God now. You are trying to figure out if you are ready to make this move. You are holding to what you consider a good life when God has something better for you.
There are others here that have already made a decision to follow Jesus, but you made it with your mouth and not your heart. Today is your day to go “all in”. Give your life completely to Him; not half-heartedly, but completely follow him.
It’s time to empty yourself so that you can be filled a new.