The Danger of Decisionism: Why ‘Inviting Jesus’ Is Not Salvation

• Independence Day Trivia 00:23:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor engages the congregation with a series of trivia questions about U.S. history and the Declaration of Independence to build rapport before the sermon.
• Faith Heroes Series 00:27:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the current sermon series 'Legendary,' focusing on faith heroes in God's Word, specifically Joshua, following previous studies on Abraham, Enoch, Noah, Ruth, and Joseph.
• Joshua's Leadership and Courage 00:27:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines Joshua's role as Moses' successor and the blueprint for living a life of courageous faith, transitioning from the wilderness to the promised land.
• Overcoming Fear and Disobedience 00:28:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the congregation's potential struggles with fear, debilitating anxiety, and secret sin, positioning Joshua's story as a solution for claiming God's promises.
• Cultivating Courage Over Fear 00:32:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the first of four vital lessons from Joshua's story, focusing on the command to be strong and courageous as found in Joshua chapter one.
• God's Presence and Equipping 00:36:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that God calls individuals to tasks and equips them for success, citing Joshua's fear of filling Moses' shoes and facing military threats as examples of where God's presence is needed.
• Joshua's Insecurities and God's Equipping 00:35:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses Joshua's fear of following Moses and the general human experience of insecurity, asserting that God equips those He calls.
• Fear and God's Presence 00:36:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the fear of unknown territory and hostile threats, citing Joshua 1:5 to assure believers of God's constant presence.
• Leadership Challenges 00:38:12 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor highlights the difficulty of leading stubborn people and the need for supernatural strength to overcome leadership challenges.
• Obedience and Prosperity 00:39:52 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that success is tied to obedience to God's Word, meditating on it, and not veering from it, clarifying that this leads to a rich and honorable life rather than just wealth.
• Crossing the Jordan River 00:43:02 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the Israelites' preparation to cross the Jordan River at flood stage, emphasizing the need for radical obedience and faith.
• Requirements for God's Miracles 00:45:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines three requirements for experiencing God's amazing work: following God's lead, sanctifying oneself, and trusting God to make a way.
• Radical Obedience and Trust 00:49:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the Israelites' crossing of the Jordan to the believer's need for radical obedience and trust in God to make a way where there seems to be no way.
• The Danger of Hidden Sin 00:51:34 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the story of Achan to illustrate that hidden sin has far-reaching consequences and is never truly hidden from God.
• Confession and Repentance 00:57:44 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites 1 John 1:9 to encourage the congregation to confess their sins and turn from them to be purified by God.
• Leaving a Lasting Legacy 00:58:29 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses Joshua's call to serve the Lord as an example of leaving a spiritual legacy for one's family and church.
• Cultivating Courage 01:00:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor urges the congregation to be strong and courageous, relying on God's presence rather than fear.
• Salvation and Assurance 01:10:48 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor emphasizes that Jesus is ready to meet individuals regardless of their current struggles or fears, offering assurance of His presence and salvation to those who invite Him as Savior and Lord.
• Pastoral Follow-up 01:11:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites new believers to connect with church leadership (Renew Ministry shepherds) or via email for next steps in their faith journey.
• Congregational Benediction 01:11:45 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor offers a final blessing for the 4th of July holiday and looks forward to seeing the congregation the following Sunday.

• Sermon Illustration 00:23:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about the bicentennial celebration, noting that it has been a while since then, to contextualize the significance of the 250th anniversary of the country.
• Sermon Illustration 00:25:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the historical fact of John Hancock signing the Declaration of Independence 'so big' as a humorous illustration of boldness.
• Sermon Illustration 00:25:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the 13-star flag displayed in the sanctuary as a visual aid for the number of original colonies.
• Sermon Illustration 00:35:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of Joshua stepping into the 'big shoes' of Moses to illustrate the difficulty of following a legend and the insecurity one might feel in a new role.
• Sermon Illustration 00:35:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of stepping into 'massive shoes' to describe Joshua taking over from Moses, highlighting the difficulty of following a legend.
• Sermon Illustration 00:44:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor compares the width of the Jordan River during flood stage to the Catawba River near Hickory, noting it is a mile wide with dangerous underwater brush, to illustrate the impossibility of the task without God.
• Sermon Illustration 00:49:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the biblical account of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River on dry ground as the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant, highlighting God's power to create a way where there seemed to be none.
• Sermon Illustration 00:52:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the story of Achan, who stole devoted things from Jericho, leading to Israel's defeat at Ai and the death of 36 men, illustrating the ripple effect of sin.
• Sermon Illustration 00:58:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references Joshua's challenge to the tribes of Israel in Joshua 24 to choose whom they would serve, culminating in Joshua's declaration that he and his household would serve the Lord.

• Pastoral Charge 00:32:09 ▶️ 📄
  > Take notes in the bulletin or insert regarding truths pointed out by the Holy Spirit.
• Pastoral Charge 00:41:48 ▶️ 📄
  > Commit to studying and meditating on God's Word to change one's life.
• Pastoral Charge 00:42:17 ▶️ 📄
  > Commit to obeying God's word and taking steps to know and live it.
• Pastoral Charge 00:48:58 ▶️ 📄
  > Take a step of faith.
• Pastoral Charge 00:51:04 ▶️ 📄
  > Commit to following God's lead, sanctify oneself by removing sin and distractions, and trust God.
• Pastoral Charge 00:57:23 ▶️ 📄
  > Confess sin and turn from it.
• Pastoral Charge 01:01:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Confess and repent from unconfessed sin; place faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
• Pastoral Charge 01:01:25 ▶️ 📄
  > Stand on feet and pray.
• Pastoral Charge 01:11:22 ▶️ 📄
  > Invite Jesus as Savior and Lord to join the family of believers.
• Pastoral Charge 01:11:36 ▶️ 📄
  > Share the decision to follow Jesus with someone, visit the pastor or Renew Ministry shepherds, or email the pastor for next steps.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] God is good, amen! My name is Sarah Bannon and I am so happy to be here with you this morning praising our amazing God. I'm going to do a few announcements and then we'll get back to worship. First, we have our Watermark team going on a mission trip to Dominican and we are collecting PC laptops, gently used laptops. These are a great resource for the children in Dominican to be able to use these tools.
[00:10:15] this is for those that are sponsoring a passion child want to share about this journey that you've been on with your sponsoring or if you are interested in sponsoring a child and you want to know more come to this dinner celebrate what we have been doing together as watermarkers and
[00:10:32] eat a great meal this is friday august 21st parents of watermark parenting is not an easy role and we can grow together learn together and pray together come to this workshop event that's held on October 10th, and learn biblical tools to help you with parenting.
[00:10:49] Now, let's get back to worship.

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:11:24] Blessed is your name.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:11:29] Jesus is mine.
[00:11:34] He has been my fourth man in the fire.
[00:11:38] To tell of his spirit and washed in his blood is more my sin.
[00:12:07] Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this beautiful day.

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:21:50] we thank you that we can all gather here and we can give praise to your name thank you for the cross blood that has washed our sins white as snow and we thank you for that sacrifice
[00:22:10] and may it never be lost on us may we never forget the incredible intensity of that open our ears and posture our hearts now so that we may listen to pastor joel's message and we can get exactly what you need us to hear from it.
[00:22:38] In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

[00:23:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:23:12] Well, good morning.
[00:23:14] Well, let me be among the first to wish you a happy 4th.
[00:23:18] I'm so excited about this week.
[00:23:20] So is this the week of the 4th or is it next week?
[00:23:24] It's both, right?
[00:23:25] That's what the first service said, it's both.
[00:23:27] So we're going to celebrate for the next two weeks.
[00:23:29] How about all summer?
[00:23:31] This is a big 4th of July, right?
[00:23:33] 250 years as a country.
[00:23:35] It's phenomenal. How many of you remember the bicentennial, 200-year celebration? Yeah, some of you did. Yeah, I do too. It's been a while, but we are excited about this one. I think it'll be great. And so I thought, you know, as we start this celebration for Independence Week and
[00:23:54] what this means for us, maybe we should do a little U.S. trivia to see what you know. Check your, check your history creds here, see how well you can do. So I'm going to ask you a few questions
[00:24:05] and you can compete with the person beside you and we'll see how you do on this. So I'm going to ask you maybe seven. We'll see how we do. First of all, who was the primary author of the
[00:24:17] Declaration of Independence? I heard it. I heard a lot of answers. The answer is Thomas Jefferson.
[00:24:26] Thomas Jefferson. This one's kind of tough. How many men signed the final Declaration of Independence? Anybody know? I didn't hear the answer. It is 56. 56. Oh, somebody got it.
[00:24:42] Did somebody get it? Okay. Okay. Which prominent founding father was the first to sign the document?
[00:24:53] You're going to want to get this one right. You're going to kick yourself if you don't. Who is it?
[00:24:58] It's John Hancock.
[00:24:59] That's right.
[00:25:00] Everybody else was thinking, now where am I going to sign, right?
[00:25:03] Signed it so big.
[00:25:04] All right, here's the next one.
[00:25:06] How many original, this is easy, how many original American colonies declared independence from Great Britain?
[00:25:12] Any of you?
[00:25:13] 13.
[00:25:14] You got it.
[00:25:14] We've got an original 13-star flag out there.
[00:25:17] It's not an original, but it is a 13-star flag.
[00:25:21] You can see it next to the 50.
[00:25:23] Which city hosted the very first organized Independence Day celebration with fireworks, July 4th, 1777?
[00:25:32] Philadelphia, I heard it.
[00:25:34] All right, good job.
[00:25:35] This one's a low hurdle, right?
[00:25:38] Give everybody a chance.
[00:25:39] How many times does the Liberty Bell ring each Independence Day to honor the original 13 states?
[00:25:46] 13, great job.
[00:25:49] Wow, how did y'all get that one?
[00:25:50] And which U.S. president was the first to host a 4th of July celebration at the White House?
[00:25:59] It was Thomas Jefferson.
[00:26:01] Which U.S. president was the first?
[00:26:03] I did that one.
[00:26:04] Which president is the only one in U.S. history to have been born on the 4th of July?
[00:26:09] This one's hard.
[00:26:11] It's Calvin Coolidge.
[00:26:13] He was born July 4th, 1872.
[00:26:15] Which two U.S. presidents, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on the exact same day, July 4th, 1826, 50 years after the original signing. I heard it.
[00:26:29] Somebody got that. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. And finally, which U.S. president was the third to pass away on Independence Day exactly five years after Adams and Jefferson? Anybody got it? Who is James Monroe? Who is James Monroe? All right, good job, guys. Y'all did really well. Did
[00:26:50] anybody get all of those correct? All right, so I challenged some of the people from the first service to stay for the second and dominate, right? I guess nobody took me up on that one.
[00:27:02] So that was pretty cool. Good job anyway, right? So we're going to learn a lot this week thinking about over the next couple of weeks some of the legendary heroes in our country, right? We had
[00:27:14] some great leaders, and we talk about those a lot, right? Well, this week as we continue this series, we're calling legendary. We're taking a look at some of the faith heroes in God's Word. And there
[00:27:26] are so many that we can learn from, very important faith lessons from. We've looked at the lives of Abraham, and Enoch, and Noah, and Ruth, and last week Joseph. And today we're going to take a look
[00:27:39] at another faith legend, Joshua. He was a remarkable leader himself. And he offers us really a blueprint for living a life of courageous faith.
[00:27:51] Joshua demonstrates how to transition from wandering in a barren wilderness to claiming God's awesome promises.
[00:27:58] His story teaches us that true victory requires radical obedience, unwavering courage, and a total commitment to serving God over the idols of this world.
[00:28:11] Joshua is known for being the successor of Moses, a man whose life we spent 20 weeks studying here at Watermark, 10 weeks at the end of last year and 10 to begin this week.
[00:28:22] So we won't look at Moses in this series, though we could.
[00:28:26] He's certainly a faith hero.
[00:28:27] Joshua took over the leadership of the Israelites from Moses after their 40-year journey in the wilderness to lead them into their promised land of Canaan.
[00:28:39] But settling in that land was not going to be easy, not for Joshua and not for his people. Claiming that promised land for themselves would require extraordinary courage and faith. You know, some of you today are afraid. You're living in fear,
[00:28:59] and sometimes that fear is overwhelming. It's debilitating. It's crippling. You want to faithfully trust God to give you success in key areas of life, but you're struggling to do that, and you aren't entirely sure why some of you are facing a daunting battle right now in your life
[00:29:16] a fierce foe and you want to unleash the power of God to do amazing things in your life but you aren't sure how to do that some of you are struggling in life right now because you are
[00:29:27] living in disobedience to God and that disobedience is holding you back it's keeping you captive it's causing you to miss God's blessings in your life. Some of you have bought into a lie. A lie that
[00:29:42] secret sin doesn't hurt anybody. Others of you, you want to build a legacy of faith for your family and your home and your marriage and you're looking for inspiration today. Here's the truth. No matter
[00:29:57] where you are in life's journey, no matter where you are in your faith journey, you're not here today by accident. I believe the Lord has led you here on purpose and for a purpose today.
[00:30:07] I think he has so much to teach you to teach me about Joshua's remarkable faith journey, including embracing courage over fear, unleashing the mighty power of God, recognizing the dangers of secret sin, and leaving a lasting legacy. But before we dig
[00:30:27] into God's Word today. Let's pray. Our Father, I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be in your house with my friends, my fellow believers, God, to have an opportunity to worship you, to sing these songs of praise to you, to acknowledge who you are and who our Lord and
[00:30:44] Savior Jesus Christ is. And so I pray, God, as we continue our worship now and open your Word, I pray that you will speak to our hearts today, that you'll teach us something fresh and new
[00:30:56] about a man maybe we've heard of many times, Joshua.
[00:31:01] God, teach us something about faith from him.
[00:31:03] Powerful life lessons, life-changing lessons, God.
[00:31:09] We look forward to what you're going to do in this time together.
[00:31:12] We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.
[00:31:16] So following 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelite people are poised now to claim their promised land.
[00:31:24] But after the death of their exceptional leader, Moses, the Lord has a man ready to step into that void.
[00:31:32] And that man would be Joshua, though he would have some really big shoes to fill.
[00:31:38] It was an intimidating job, as you'll see.
[00:31:41] Not only was Joshua stepping into the shoes of a legend, but he would have the formidable task of leading a new generation of Israelites across the Jordan to conquer Canaan.
[00:31:54] So in Joshua's story, we learned some incredible faith lessons, and I think there are at least four vital lessons that are worth noting here, and there are many, but I'm going to give you four today, and if you're taking notes, I encourage you to follow along with me now.
[00:32:09] Maybe take some notes in your insert, in your bulletin, and listen, there may be some truths that God points out to you, the Holy Spirit stirs in you, write those down, see what He has to say to you.
[00:32:22] The first lesson that we see in Joshua's story that we can learn is this first one, cultivating courage over fear.
[00:32:32] I want you to take a look with me at the opening nine verses of Joshua chapter one, and I want you to note the number of times that God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous.
[00:32:45] Because here's the truth, the Lord doesn't call you or me to be comfortable.
[00:32:50] He calls us to be courageous, to be ready to claim what He has already promised us.
[00:32:57] So I want you to look with me at verses 1 through 9 of Joshua 1.
[00:33:02] After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses' aide, Moses, my servant, is dead.
[00:33:11] Now then, you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land that I'm about to give them to the Israelites.
[00:33:17] I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
[00:33:25] Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river to the Euphrates, all the Hittite country to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
[00:33:35] No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life, as I was with Moses.
[00:33:42] So I will be with you.
[00:33:44] I will never leave you nor forsake you.
[00:33:47] Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
[00:33:55] Be strong and very courageous.
[00:33:57] Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you.
[00:34:01] Do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go.
[00:34:07] Keep this book of law always on your lips.
[00:34:10] Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything that's written in it.
[00:34:15] then you'll be prosperous and successful have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not be afraid do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go some of you came here today just to hear that that's what the Lord wanted you to know today
[00:34:38] and you you've heard it and you're inspired by it so what does that mean how many times did the Lord command Joshua to be strong and courageous in that passage. Did you count? How about three
[00:34:50] times? I heard it. Three times. Why? You know, I think there were a number of reasons that Joshua was afraid. I'll give you three of those in just a moment. But one thing I want you to note here
[00:35:00] is that God knew exactly what Joshua was feeling, what he was experiencing, what he was dealing with, what he was wrestling with. He was wrestling with fear. And God cared about that. He cared enough about him and what he was dealing with to inspire him and to encourage him. Be strong
[00:35:19] and courageous, God told him. So why did he need that courage? What was he afraid of? I'll give you three things, I think. One was filling those massive shoes, right? Now Joshua was stepping into a leader's shoes to Moses who had been revered. You know, it's never easy to follow
[00:35:41] a legend. And there's no doubt that Joshua was wondering if he was up to the task, if he had what it took, if he was really the right man to fill this job. Have you ever felt like that in
[00:35:54] life? Have you ever been filled with your own insecurities, wondering if you really had what it took for the job ahead? Listen, you can trust that if the Lord has called you to a task, whatever
[00:36:06] that task is, he will help you succeed. What he calls you to, he always equips you for. Whether it's a vocational role, whether it's a parenting role, whether it's a ministry role, the Lord will be with you, just as he promised to be with Joshua. I think there was another fear that Joshua
[00:36:28] was dealing with too, and it was the daunting military threats that he was facing. Joshua would be leading the Israelites into an unknown, to a hostile territory populated by established and battle-hardened nations. Now imagine how overwhelming and frightening that must have been for Joshua,
[00:36:49] right? I mean, maybe you're facing a daunting battle in your life right now. Maybe you're headed into unknown territory. Maybe you're there right now and you admit you're afraid.
[00:37:07] Listen, God doesn't say don't be afraid. Fear is a natural God-given emotion. Fear can keep us from doing really risky and dumb and foolish things. But I want you to see something here with Joshua. His courage wasn't rooted in his own strength. It wasn't rooted in his military
[00:37:27] strength of his nation, but it was in the certainty of God's presence and God's promise in his life. Look at Joshua 1 5. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave
[00:37:41] you nor forsake you. Listen, if you're a committed Christ follower, if you want to honor him with your life. The Lord is with you too, through every battle and against every enemy. He will never
[00:37:57] leave you. He will never forsake you. So there's no need to be overwhelmed by fear. I want you to see another of Joshua's fears here, and I think it was for managing all those people. I mean,
[00:38:12] he had to be at least intimidated at the notion of leading such a large nation of very stubborn people, notoriously stubborn people. These folks had a tendency to exhaust leadership mentally and emotionally and spiritually too. But listen, isn't that a challenge for all leaders?
[00:38:32] And leading people is hard in lots of ways, but especially when they want to do things their way instead of God's way. It can be exhausting. It can be discouraging. And God knew Joshua would
[00:38:46] need supernatural strength and courage to overcome those leadership challenges that he was facing in his life. And you may need that too, even in leading your own family. But I want you to notice something here. The Lord promised Joshua success in the task that he called him to. Look
[00:39:05] again at verse 6. Be strong and courageous because you, you will lead these people to inherit the land that I swore their ancestors to give them. God told Joshua he would lead the Israelites to
[00:39:17] claim and to inhabit this land that they had been promised. Joshua was not on his own. God promised to be with him every step of the way. And that had to be a huge encouragement to Joshua, don't you
[00:39:36] think? But here's the vital truth, a key, a silver bullet to Joshua's success. You might write this down. Success for Joshua was directly tied to his obedience to God's Word. Look at verse 7.
[00:39:52] Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey. I would circle that. Obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever
[00:40:06] you go. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything that is written in it. Then, here's the promise, you will be prosperous
[00:40:21] and successful. I love that, right? I love God's promises, especially that one, right? Who doesn't want to be prosperous and successful. But with God's promises, there are always premises associated. He has expectations for you and me, and he did for Joshua. As long as Joshua was
[00:40:41] obedient to the Lord's instruction, keeping it on his mind, on his lips, never veering to the right or left of it, doing everything that it says he would be prosperous, he would be successful.
[00:40:53] and just as that was true for Joshua it's true for you and it's true for me now I'm not suggesting that you're going to get rich if you do that but your life will be rich in every way
[00:41:09] it will be full and it will be honorable and you will accomplish God's will for your life you know the truth is life gets really clunky it gets really wonky when we veer from God's word
[00:41:22] when we stop thinking about it, or reading it, or studying it, or listening to it taught.
[00:41:29] Listen, if you're not meditating on God's Word, the truth is you're not going to obey it.
[00:41:35] And then life's going to become a hot mess for you.
[00:41:38] And some of you, some of you are struggling in life today because you haven't been obedient to God's instruction.
[00:41:45] You haven't been studying it or meditating on it.
[00:41:48] So you can know it.
[00:41:50] So you can live it.
[00:41:51] and that can change for you today and I hope it will you know the reality is until you live in obedience to God's word you will be filled with fear lacking strength and courage in life
[00:42:05] because you're pursuing not his will but your will the starting point of true success is committing to obey God's word taking the steps to know it and to live it and when you do that
[00:42:17] faith and courage will triumph over your fears in life.
[00:42:23] So Joshua's success was buoyed by God's presence in his life, not by any self-reliance.
[00:42:31] Do you see that?
[00:42:32] It was rooted in obedience to God's instruction and the pursuit of His will.
[00:42:38] So the question for you and me is, what about us?
[00:42:41] Are we going to find our strength, our courage in Christ?
[00:42:45] Are we going to obey and pursue His will in our lives, if we're going to conquer fear, if we're going to have courage over fear, that's what it takes. I think there's a second important lesson here from Joshua,
[00:43:02] and that's this one, unleashing God's power through obedience. So as a monumental marker to the end of their wilderness journey and really to establish Joshua as their new leader, the Israelites are poised now to cross the Jordan River to head toward Canaan, their promised land.
[00:43:21] It was just on the other side. The question though was, how in the world was Joshua going to get this multitude of people across this river? And here's what the Bible tells us. Early in the morning,
[00:43:34] and by the way, it's going to require the mighty power of God, and it's going to require their radical obedience so here's what it says early in the morning joshua and all the israelites set out from shittim and they went to the jordan where they camped before crossing over after three
[00:43:51] days the officers went throughout the camp giving orders to the people when you see the ark of the covenant of the lord your god and the levitical priest carrying it you're to move out from your
[00:44:02] positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before. So the Israelites couldn't have picked a worse time of the year to cross the Jordan River.
[00:44:16] You know why? Because it was at flood stage. We learned that in verse 15. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during the harvest. And you know how wide this river is during the flood stage?
[00:44:29] it's a mile across. That is a big river. We're not even looking like at the Catawba River here, which when you cross 40, you know, go across it on 40 toward Hickory. Yeah, that's pretty far.
[00:44:41] Seems a little wider than this room, maybe twice that. This is a mile wide. And just beneath the surface is all of this jungle type brush that can trap people if they try to wade across it
[00:44:54] or if they try to swim across it. It was three to 12 feet deep all the way across. So standing on the banks of that river, looking at it, the Israelite people had to be thinking, there is
[00:45:06] no way that we're going to be able to get across this river. But I want you to understand something.
[00:45:12] For the faithful, the Lord can turn no way into a highway. And that's exactly what he did.
[00:45:20] In verse 5, Joshua told the people, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.
[00:45:28] So for Joshua and the Israelites to experience God's miracle, His amazing work, radical faith and obedience was required.
[00:45:38] And the same is true for you and me. Absolutely.
[00:45:42] For the Israelites and for us to experience God's miracles, His amazing things, God has a few requirements.
[00:45:49] Do you know what they are?
[00:45:51] I'm going to give you those three.
[00:45:53] So pay attention.
[00:45:54] You might write these down.
[00:45:56] The first one is this.
[00:45:58] Follow God's lead.
[00:46:01] So the Bible tells us, Joshua tells his people, follow the ark.
[00:46:07] I want you to follow the ark.
[00:46:09] And then in verse 4 he says, then you will know which way to go since you've never been this way before.
[00:46:14] So Israel was commanded to fix their eyes on that ark, to follow it.
[00:46:21] You know why?
[00:46:22] Because the ark represented the very presence of God.
[00:46:27] They were entering unknown territory.
[00:46:30] They had never been this way before.
[00:46:34] Have you ever found yourself there?
[00:46:36] Uncharted territory?
[00:46:38] Listen, some of you may find yourself there today.
[00:46:41] when you find yourself in that place, and you will, it is imperative to keep your eyes laser focused on the Lord, to trust His leadership. Listen, the Lord may be taking you through a season in life that you've never been through before. The question is, are your eyes laser
[00:46:58] focused on Him right now, trusting Him to lead you? Because if you want to see God do amazing things in your life, you must follow his lead. Fix your eyes on him. And then the second requirement
[00:47:13] that God had for the Israelites and for us is this, sanctify yourself. Before they crossed the river, Joshua told the people, consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you. So what does that mean to consecrate or sanctify? It means to be
[00:47:31] spiritually and physically pure, to be made holy, to be set apart for God's purpose. It means to dedicate yourself entirely to the Lord and has set aside any distractions. That involves the confession and the repentance of sin so that your heart and your mind is fully aligned with God
[00:47:52] and open to His lead.
[00:47:54] That includes a complete surrender to His will over your will.
[00:48:00] Listen, you and I can't expect God to do amazing things in our lives when we're distracted, when we're consumed by sin, when we're pursuing our will over His will.
[00:48:12] But when we are sanctified, when we are set apart, when we are made holy, God can do great and amazing things in our lives.
[00:48:22] I know it.
[00:48:24] And to be clear, it is in and through Jesus Christ that you and I are made holy.
[00:48:30] The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10, 14, For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
[00:48:40] But there's a third requirement here if we want to see God do amazing things in our lives.
[00:48:45] Have any chance of that, and that is this.
[00:48:48] to trust Him, to trust God, to make a way.
[00:48:52] The Lord can create a way where there seems to be no way.
[00:48:58] If you want to see God work, then be prepared to take a step of faith.
[00:49:01] And by the way, that may require you getting your feet wet.
[00:49:06] Take a look at verses 14 and following in Joshua 3.
[00:49:09] So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.
[00:49:16] Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during the harvest, yet as soon as the priest who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped
[00:49:28] flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
[00:49:37] The priest who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing
[00:49:49] on dry ground. That's amazing to me. I don't know about you, but that's pretty amazing.
[00:49:57] Where there seemed to be no way, God created a highway and that entire nation crossed a mile wide river on dry ground listen to see God do amazing things to experience his miracles and his will requires from you and me radical obedience a willingness to follow his lead
[00:50:20] to sanctify yourself and to trust him to make a way where there appears to be no way you know some of you, you're staring at a, what seems to be an insurmountable, a God-sized obstacle in your
[00:50:36] life right now. Maybe with your health, or maybe in your marriage, or maybe with a child, or in your workplace, or with your vocation, or with a friend. And you need God to make a way where there
[00:50:49] seems to be no way. You want to see Him do amazing things. The question is, will you take the same steps that he called Joshua and the Israelites to take? Will you commit to fully follow his lead,
[00:51:04] to sanctify yourself, removing sin, removing distractions? Trust him to do what only he can do.
[00:51:12] Listen, there's no guarantee that things will go the way you expect, but there is no doubt that God's power is unleashed through radical Christ-honoring obedience, which leads us to the third important lesson from joshua's life and it relates to sin recognizing the danger of hidden
[00:51:34] sin so after their miraculous crossing of the jordan the israelites face a formidable enemy in their first battle at jericho there there they they were witnesses really to another of god's amazing things. Their defeat of that fortified city was a miracle from God Almighty. If you have
[00:51:54] never heard that account or read that account, I encourage you to read it this week in your personal study in Joshua 4 through 6. We're going to not spend time there today because I want to
[00:52:06] spend time on this. And by the way, there's another hero of faith in that section of the story that we'll cover later in the series. But coming off that Jordan River miracle and the remarkable
[00:52:18] victory at Jericho, Israel was feeling pretty confident, maybe a little too confident. And what happens next shows us that disobedience in small matters is no small matter with God. So following this victory against Jericho, we're told in verse 1 of Joshua chapter 7, but the Israelites were
[00:52:41] unfaithful in regard to the devoted things, Akon took some of them. So the Lord's anger burned against Israel. He had taken some things from Jericho that he wasn't supposed to take.
[00:52:57] And maybe in his mind, he rationalized it. By the way, that's always rationalization is always a rational lie. He had told himself that it was, it was fine. God wouldn't notice, right? I'll take these things, God won't care. But God has said, these are devoted things. You don't touch these
[00:53:14] things. Akon didn't believe him, and he took them anyway. Meanwhile, in the dark about what Akon had done, Joshua was constructing his battle plan against the next nation they would face, the nation of Ai, spelled A-I. After sending in some spies, he decided the Israelites could easily
[00:53:33] defeat Ai with a small army of maybe 3,000 men, because in his mind, there weren't many people who lived there. But I want you to notice what happens next. So about 3,000 went up, but they
[00:53:48] were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about 36 of them. What happened, right? That's the same question that Joshua was asking. What happened? In fact, he got so upset, he started tearing his
[00:54:03] closed. What happened? Why, God? He falls before the ark and he's spending all of this time there pleading with God, saying to God, look, God, the enemies of Israelite are going to hear about this
[00:54:14] defeat by this small nation. Now they're going to lose respect for us. They are going to destroy us.
[00:54:20] He's panicking, right? I want you to look at what the Lord says next in verses 10 and following.
[00:54:25] The Lord said to Joshua, stand up. What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned.
[00:54:32] They have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.
[00:54:36] They have taken some of the devoted things.
[00:54:39] They have stolen.
[00:54:40] They have lied.
[00:54:41] They have put them with their own possessions.
[00:54:45] In other words, they've sinned, right?
[00:54:48] And now Joshua is wondering why the consequences.
[00:54:52] And he's pleading with God to remove them.
[00:54:55] But the Lord told him, here's what I need you to do.
[00:54:58] Go consecrate the people.
[00:54:59] Tell them, consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow.
[00:55:04] For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.
[00:55:07] There are devoted things among you, Israel.
[00:55:09] You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
[00:55:14] You know what that means?
[00:55:16] When sin is present in your life, God's not going to do amazing things.
[00:55:21] The Israelites soon discovered that Achan had taken those items from Jericho that had been devoted to the Lord.
[00:55:29] And as a result, he would lose his life because of his sin.
[00:55:33] It was Achan's sin that had caused Israel's defeat and the death of 36 men.
[00:55:40] There are a few very important lessons here from this part of Joshua's story.
[00:55:44] Lessons that we can learn too regarding Achan's sin.
[00:55:49] And I'll go through these very quickly.
[00:55:51] So be ready if you're writing them down.
[00:55:53] The first is this.
[00:55:55] Sin is never really secret.
[00:55:58] Akon's individual secret act of greed here compromised the entire nation of Israel.
[00:56:05] Even secret sin can have far-reaching effects, whether you realize it or not, especially on relationships, including your relationship with the Lord.
[00:56:15] I want you to understand this, that sin has a ripple effect.
[00:56:22] Akon's sin resulted in the death of 36 Israelite lives.
[00:56:26] Sin always can and it always will affect other people, even those who are innocent.
[00:56:32] You think about the children who are impacted by the sins of their parents.
[00:56:37] Here's another truth.
[00:56:38] Hidden sin is never hidden from God.
[00:56:42] Akon actually tried to hide the stolen goods in his tent, but God knew where they were.
[00:56:48] Nothing's ever hidden from him.
[00:56:51] And finally, holiness matters to God.
[00:56:56] God doesn't ignore, He doesn't overlook, He doesn't marginalize unconfessed, unrepentant sin among His people.
[00:57:05] The truth is, disobedience and sin, even in seemingly small matters, can carry huge consequences.
[00:57:13] Not only for the sinner, but for those close to him or her.
[00:57:17] Don't believe the lie that your sin is secret, or what others don't know won't hurt them.
[00:57:23] Sin is never really hidden, and it always impacts relationships, especially your relationship with the Lord. Some of you, you know it's time to come clean with the Lord today, to confess your sin, to turn from it. Thankfully, in Christ, you can be made right with Him today. The Bible tells us
[00:57:44] in 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, and that's a big if, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, purify us from all unrighteousness. So the question is, is there sin present in your
[00:58:00] life right now? And are you ready to confess it? And not only confess it, but to turn from it, to repent, to head in the other direction, away from the sin toward Jesus. God meets you right
[00:58:14] where you are, but he will never leave you there. He wants to make you just like Jesus. He's faithful to forgive you and to purify you.
[00:58:24] Here's the final lesson that we learn from Joshua.
[00:58:29] And that is of leaving a lasting legacy.
[00:58:33] So as Joshua neared the end of his life, he gathered the tribes of Israel to challenge them to make a defining, a clarifying choice about their faith and the God that they would worship and serve.
[00:58:44] So after offering a brief recounting of their history, Joshua issues a powerful call to action.
[00:58:51] it's a call that we too must answer for ourselves and for our families here's what it says in joshua 24 14 and following now fear the lord and serve him with all faithfulness throw away the gods
[00:59:06] your ancestors worship beyond the euphrates river and in egypt and serve the lord but if serving the lord seems undesirable to you then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates are the gods of the Amorites in whose
[00:59:26] land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Amen. Joshua left a profound legacy of faith. His life resulted in a faithful generation that loved and served the
[00:59:45] Lord well beyond his own lifetime. The truth is, your obedience to the Lord today paves the way for the spiritual health of those in your life, in your family, who you love, for those in your
[01:00:02] church family, who you love for tomorrow. So leave a lasting legacy of faith. There's so much that we can learn from Joshua's amazing story. He was a remarkable leader in so many ways. The first was
[01:00:20] this, cultivate courage over fear. If you're afraid today, hear God's word to you. Be strong, courageous, for I'm with you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. Unleash the mighty power of God in your life through radical obedience. If you're not reading and studying
[01:00:44] and meditating on God's word to know it and to live it, then start that today so that you can be obedient to his word in every way. And then third, recognize the danger of hidden sin in your life.
[01:01:03] If there is sin right now that is unconfessed, if you have not repented from it, then confess it and repent from it now make that commitment if you've not yet placed your faith in jesus the savior and lord do that today and in that way begin to leave a lasting legacy for
[01:01:25] your family one of faith as for me my household we will serve the lord amen i want to invite you to stand on your feet. I want to pray with you and for you. Father, I'm so grateful for your word.
[01:01:45] I'm so grateful for this servant of yours who was faithful. God, he had a hard job. I can't imagine the task that he stepped into trying to lead your people, following Moses. He must have been
[01:01:58] filled with fear. And God, thank you for caring enough about him to encourage him through that, to remind them to be strong and courageous.
[01:02:07] Why?
[01:02:09] Because you were with them every step of the way.
[01:02:12] God, there are people in this room today or watching today who are afraid.
[01:02:16] They're facing a daunting task, a perilous foe.
[01:02:21] They're scared.
[01:02:23] They need to be reminded that you're with them.
[01:02:26] God, would you give them that assurance now?
[01:02:29] Would you help them, enable them to be strong and courageous?
[01:02:34] God, for those in this room who have not been obedient to you, who have not taken your word seriously, I pray that they'll commit to that in this moment.
[01:02:44] God, for those in this room who are dealing with unconfessed, unrepentant sin, I pray you'll convict them right now.
[01:02:53] That, God, they'll be honest with you.
[01:02:55] Say, Lord, I'm sorry.
[01:02:56] I don't want to do this anymore.
[01:02:58] I want to follow you.
[01:03:00] I want to follow Jesus.
[01:03:01] I want to honor him.
[01:03:02] I want to leave a lasting legacy of faith for my family.
[01:03:07] So God, help me to do that.
[01:03:09] Lord, if there's anyone in this room or watching who has not yet invited Jesus to be Savior of their lives, I pray in this moment, they would simply say, Jesus, I'm a sinner in need of a Savior.
[01:03:23] I know you died on Calvary's cross for me to pay my sin's penalty of death.
[01:03:29] I place my faith and trust in you to save me.
[01:03:32] I don't know everything it means, but I know you'll teach me.
[01:03:36] Thank you for meeting me right here, Jesus.
[01:03:39] Lead me from this point forward, I pray.
[01:03:43] In Jesus' glory, amen.

[01:06:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[01:06:14] There's just something inside, a heartless kid, Jesus, you can save, your name can heal, your name can be stormed, be still, you need some, be the name, Jesus, receive all the glory, and He can, and He will, in your life, and you live in a way that honors Him, in every way, and every day.

[01:10:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:10:10] you know my hope is that you'll be obedient to him that you'll strive each and every way to live to honor him and and by the way thank you thank you by the way the deal with this microphone i'll
[01:10:25] tell you because some of you are probably wondering how do they not fix that we we have an antenna so anytime anybody drops by maybe even on the interstate with a cb radio it can
[01:10:37] interfere with that and we're just having a time trying to get that dialed in so forgive us for that and you know the devil will use anything he can to distract people right and so he wouldn't
[01:10:48] want to do that even now but i want you to know this jesus is ready to meet you where you are no matter where you are in life no matter the pain or the struggles that you're facing no matter your
[01:11:00] fears that you're facing in your life right now he's ready to meet you he's ready to walk with you will never leave you will never forsake you and so if you come to know him as savior and lord
[01:11:11] of your life you have that assurance if you have not yet invited jesus to save you my hope is that you will do that and soon and if you need to talk with somebody about that i'd love to talk with you
[01:11:22] more and by the way if you invited jesus to save you today to be your savior and lord let me welcome you to the family of believers. Amen. Awesome. So don't leave here today without sharing that
[01:11:36] with someone. You can come and see me or share it with one of our Renew Ministry shepherds. I'd love to talk with you more about next steps in your faith journey. And if you're watching, you can
[01:11:45] email me as well. Guys, thank you so much for being here today. I pray that you have a safe and wonderful 4th of July independence celebration. We live in a wonderful country and we are blessed
[01:11:58] in so many ways.
[01:11:59] So I hope you have a great week and I hope to see you back here next Sunday morning.
[01:12:04] But before we leave, let's pray.
[01:12:07] Our Father, you are worthy and you are wonderful.
[01:12:11] And we thank you so much for the opportunity you've given us to gather in this place, in this space, to give you the adoration, the worship that you deserve.
[01:12:21] And God, we pray that everything that you've heard from us has honored you.
[01:12:24] And Lord, we pray that as we leave this place today, We will leave with a confident assurance, the peace, the trust that you are with us in every way and every day.
[01:12:36] So guide us and use us this week to make an impression, to leave a mark for Jesus Christ.
[01:12:41] We pray it in His glorious, His redemptive, His holy name.
[01:12:46] And all God's children said, Amen.
[01:12:49] Blessings.