Being the Church Instead

of Just Going to Church – Part 2

Sermon from cong readings in Josh 3-9, July 1, 2007 – bk@kluth.org

Our ministry theme this year is Reaching beyond generations & walls

1 - Know that God wants to lead us in new ways

Josh 3:3-5 "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. 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."

Isa 43:19 (The LORD says) “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland.”

2 - Know that God wants to do amazing things

Josh 3:5, 15-17 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."…Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away…So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Josh 4:24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

3 - Know that God wants to give us great victories

Josh 6:1-5 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

2 Cor 10:3-5 It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don't use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God's mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil's strongholds. 5 These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts' desire is obedience to Christ.^TLB

4 - Know that arrogance or sin will cause defeat

Josh 7:3-5 When (the spies) returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." So about 3000 men went up; but they were routed…”

Josh 7:10-13 The LORD said to Joshua…”Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies.

What is God prompting me to do in response to this message?

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DAILY BIBLE READINGS for this week, read Joshua 10-14, Ps 49-50