06-28-15 That’s a big wall!

Scripture:  Joshua 6:1-5

That’s a big wall!  OR

Getting to the beginning of the next best thing!

High School graduation – Graduation is the completion of – Commencement is the beginning of what’s next.

A wedding – The completion of the single life – Commencement of marriage and family.

Moving to a new location – Commencement of a new house, new job, friends, church

A new job or great promotion – commencement of new skills and relationships

Coming into a large sum of money – getting rid of debt and having the ability to be more generous.

Winning the championship – commencing to the next level (amateur to pro perhaps)

Christianity – leaving the old world behind and commencing on the most unique journey possible.

How do you get to that new beginning?  Sometimes it is just there – you didn’t have to do anything. But most new beginnings are sought after and worked for.  Without new beginnings life would become boring and routine.  Why did God create seasons? Though I would love summer 12 months a year – it would be boring – we would never see the new beginnings of spring.  Why do we celebrate on New Year’s Eve? Because there is the hope of a new year being better than the last. New beginnings are exciting and offer hope!  Our Oikos’s – Our community – Our neighbors, Our friends, Our co-workers NEED are in desperate need of HOPE!  New beginnings provide that hope.  New beginnings allow us to leave the old behind and commence something new!

Spiritual Commencement

Why did Moses lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt? 1) to escape their captors 2) to enter the land God promised them 3) to commence on a new and better relationship with God!

Why did God send His son Jesus into the world only to suffer a horrific murder on a cross? 1) so you could escape your captor [SIN]. 2) so you could enter heaven/eternal promised land 3) to commence on a new and better relationship with God!

Everyone one has a relationship with God. You have a bad relationship or a good relationship. You believe in God through Jesus or you don’t.  That determines your relationship with God.

          How do you get to that new better relationship?  It is a journey and it begins with the first step.  The problem? It is both the smallest and largest step you will ever take.  Let’s consider the story of Joshua who picked up the work where Moses left off.  Joshua graduated wandering school and was ready to commence entering the promised land.  The people who had been born during the past 40 years and had heard the stories of slavery in Egypt and all the things God had done to get them to this place were also ready to commence on a new better relationship with God in the land they had heard so much about.

Joshua, who we see as the great hero who had vision to move forward must have had some reservations because 3 times (twice by God and once by the people) he is told to be strong and courageous. (Josh 1:6, 9, 18)  To get to a new beginning requires effort.

1)    Joshua sends out 2 spies (remember he was once sent out as a spy and was only 1 of the 2 out of 12 who came back to say the promised land is ours if we will take) The two spies crossed the Jordon River and walked plainly into the city to check it out and went to the most logical place – the house of a prostitute. Who else would know more about the men of the city than her? We will hear more about her story next week. Suffice it to say that she gave them the information they needed and even helped them escape when the military found out they were in the city.

2)    They moved the people to the Jordon across form Jericho and camped 3 days to prepare to enter the promised land.  Joshua 3:5  Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

3)    Josh 3:6-8 Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them. And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'"

Very important to note that God went before them. Yet, the priest were told to take the ark (the presence of God) and go stand in the river.  Josh 3:11-17  See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord-the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 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, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 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.

          Imagine the actual moment the priest are standing at the edge of the flood waters of the Jordon. Who put their toe in first and what was their reaction. If they had not taken that single simple small step, the entire people would not have entered the promised land.  It is the small challenging steps that are often the most important.