New Beginnings ~ 2010

Faith not fear

Scripture reading

Josh. 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:

Josh. 1:2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them--the children of Israel.

Josh. 1:3 “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

Josh. 1:4 “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.

Josh. 1:5 “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Josh. 1:6 “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

Josh. 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Josh. 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Josh. 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Pray

Intro

√ New beginnings ~ faith not fear

With the end of one year, and it’s been a difficult one for many, and the beginning of a new year…

…people often find themselves filled with a combination of both anticipation and anxiety.

Anticipation that next year will be better.

Anxiety that next year will be worse!

Much as we’d all like to be men and woman of faith able to face the future without fear…

…I find a growing number of people, even Christians who seemed paralyzed by fear of what the world is coming to.

Ex. Mike ~ the book he read

Well, knowing something about fear myself I always find the 1^st chapter if Joshua a great comfort.

The text makes it clear that Joshua, the commander of the armies of Israel, the man who would lead Israel to victory against overwhelming odds…

…was afraid of what lay ahead of him.

In our opening text we find Joshua preparing to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

After having served quietly in Moses’ shadow for the previous 40 years Joshua now finds himself front and center as God’s chosen leader.

With something like a million and a half pairs of eyes are now looking at him for direction and leadership.

Waiting on his word to cross the Jordan and begin the campaign to claim the land God promised Israel.

Not too surprisingly we find that Joshua was afraid!

Afraid to lead, to lose, to fail, to mis-hear the word of God, to faithfully complete the task given him by God.

So, in response to his fear we find the Lord speaking these words of comfort to Joshua…

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

Wow, what great comfort and encouragement to know that even a hero of the faith experienced times of fear and doubt…

…and that God ministered to that fear!

But you might be even more surprised to discover that almost without exception the men and women on the pages of Scripture, the heroes of the faith…

…all experienced times of great fear and doubt concerning the future.

May I read you a list, it’s long, and I don’t mean to be tedious, but I think you’ll find it a great encouragement to know that if you’re struggling with fear that you’re in great company!

Abraham ~ Gen. 15:1 & Gen. 26:24

Jacob ~ Gen. 46:11

Moses ~ Numbers 21:34

People of Israel ~ too many times to count!

Joshua ~ Josh. ~ 1:9; 8:1; 10:8 & 11:6

Gideon ~ Judges 6:23

Elijah ~ 2 Kings 1:15

Hezekiah ~ 2 Kings 19:6

Jehoshaphat ~ 2 Chr. 20:15

Ahaz ~ Isaiah 7:4

Jeremiah ~ Jer. 1:8

Ezekiel ~ Ez. 2:6 & 3:9

Daniel ~ Dan. 10:12

Zerubbabel & Jehozadak ~ Hag. 2:5

Joseph ~ Matt. 1:20

Mary ~ Luke 1:30

Zacharias ~ Luke 1:13

The Disciples ~ Matt. 11:27 (and many other times)

Peter, James & John ~ Matt. 17:7

Woman at the tomb ~ Matt. 28:5

Jairus ~ Mark 5:56

Shepherds ~ Luke 2:10

Peter ~ Luke 5:10

Paul ~ Acts 18:9 & Acts 27:24

John ~ Rev. 1:17

Church of Smyrna ~ Rev. 2:10

Kings, priests, prophets, generals, apostles, carpenters, fisherman, and shepherds all knew it what it was like to shake in their sandals!

To be afraid to move forward, to follow God, to take the new job, to cross the river, to leave one’s family, to face a terrifying army bent on your painful demise.

And in every case the Lord’s balm for displacing fear was and is always the same…

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

Ap. We must deal with fear

Fear unchecked will push us to wrong and sinful decisions.

Ex. Abraham & Hagar, Asa & Syria

So, this morning as we look forward to a new year let’s remind ourselves that God’s promise to Joshua and all the other heroes of the faith is our promise too!

Anticipation & Anxiety

√ New opportunities

With the dawning of a New Year there is always a great anticipation for what God may do or have planned for our lives in the coming year, promises to be claimed…

That new job

The promised spouse

A new ministry

Your first child

Yet, with the anticipation there comes anxiety because new opportunities always bring change ~ we don’t like change!

√ Battles to be fought

Standing between every promise of God and us is always a giant!

Walled cities

Strong enemies

Battles to be fought

God’s promises to us always seem so far off, so impossible, in view of who we are and our weakness, but God would have us look not to ourselves for strength but to Him for He promised…

“I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Joshua 1:5

Therefore…

“Be strong and of good courage”

Joshua 1:6

Note that God did not change Joshua’s circumstance, nor did He make Josh’s enemies go away…

…rather, God simply promised that He would walk with Joshua all his days and see him through every battle, help him defeat every giant, and give him the power to conquer every obstacle.

Ap. As we look forward to 2010…

Jesus has promised to walk with you and…

Help you walk in Grace as you deal with disease.

Be your hope and joy in a difficult economy.

To provide for your needs when you can’t figure out how to pay rent next week.

To be your faithful companion while you wait for Him to bring the spouse He promised.

To turn your prodigal child back to the Lord.

As we come to the Lord’s Table we are reminded that Jesus promised us, just as He promised Joshua…

“I am with you always…” ~ Matt. 28:20

Therefore we, like Joshua, can…

“Be strong and of good courage”

The elements of the Communion Table are the symbols of not just His sacrifice for our sins…

…they also remind us by our eating and drinking them of His presence in our lives.

While we can’t know what battles wait for us in 2010 we can be sure of this…

…Jesus will be with us every step of the way!

Dreams & Disappointments

√ Dreams & disappointments

As we begin a New Year there is always the hope that this year will be better than last year!

We make our plans, direct our time, talent, and treasure to bring those dreams to pass.

Yet, we cannot be sure what tomorrow may bring.

Jam. 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;

Jam. 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Jam. 4:15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Ap. Bring your dreams to the Lord

When our dreams or hopes do not materialize we are often disappointed and cry out…

“God, why didn’t You do such and such?!”

And we often blame God for our disappointment. But, it is my experience that my disappointments are almost always the result of wrong expectations.

Jesus knows what is best for me and my life. The more I realize that and learn to submit to His will…rather than try and get Him to do my will…

…the more I experience His joy and the less I experience disappointment!

Therefore, as we gather at the Lord’s Table we’re reminded not only of the great cost that He bore to save us from our sins…

…but also that He who bore such a great price to save us can be trusted to do what’s best in our lives.

Changes & Challenges

√ Changes & challenges

As we enter a New Year there is the sense of starting over…

…starting with a clean slate!

We leave behind our mistakes, our sin, our failures and with a fresh run at life we can make this new year different than last!

Ex. The woman caught in adultery

“Go, and sin no more”

Ex. The disciples called to follow Jesus

“Come and follow Me”

Each was called by Jesus to leave something behind that they might gain something new!

The woman ~ freedom from the sin that dominated her life so that she could live a new life for Christ!

The disciples ~ a life that promised a certain level of comfort to a life that would be marked by adventure with each new day!

Ap. What is the Lord calling you to change this year?

To walk away from some sin?

To read through the Bible this year?

To be a better parent, spouse, or employee?

As we come to the Lord’s table may I encourage you to leave behind that which the Lord would speak to your heart that you might gain that which Jesus has called you to!

Close

√ As we come to His communion table we remember…

To our anticipations and anxiety the Lord has promised…

“To be with you always”

Regarding our dreams and disappointments we are encouraged to say…

“If the Lord wills”

Concerning the changes and challenges that lay before us in the New Year remember that Jesus has called us to…

“Leave behind our old life and follow Him.”

Remember, to fear is a common experience even for God’s people…

Just as Joshua and a host of others did.

But God’s desire for us is to rise above that fear so that He might accomplish great things through us this next year should He tarry.