01-04-08 Opening Mike F

One of the hardest things to do is to keep the vision alive. We keep growing but to keep the vision alive.
Joshua 3:3 – Exciting to go to some place you have never been before. New outline areas, new cities, going to places you have dreamed about. New sense of closeness and openness. Joshua and Jesus are the same name. Crossing the Jordan is another baptism of a new generation. Lets you see the land from afar, and now the sword has been passed to Joshua. Do not walk to the left or right or like Jesus say, walk the narrow path. There seems to a natural reluctance to actually lead. We have to be strong and courageous. They may not want you leading all the time, but they hate when you don’t lead. Vision without courage only disappoints. It is going to take courage to make vision actually happen. Cross the Jordan where they have not gone before. Gigal means role/roll.
Three points about roll.
1) We need to roll our memory stones together, to remember what God had done in our lives.
a. They rolled stones together to remind them of the time God parted the Jordan.
b. We may need physical things to remind us of spiritual things.
c. 1 Cor 1:4, Phil 1:3 thanking his/our Lord, God.
d. We need to be a people of gratitude.
2) Roll away sins (Joshua 5:2)
a. Circumcision, make flint knives and circumcise the men again. The men needed to be cut because the others died off like God had said.
b. Col 2:11 is where our sins are rolled away, like here in the OT.
c. There were two piles, one of stones that represented his work and another set of foreskins that represented our sins and has rotted away to this day. Sometimes we find it easier to remember our sin, but not what God has done for.
d. We can have self pity and forget what God has done for us.
e. We get all nervous about what we have done or what we haven’t done. We fall into sin and we get stuck, we don’t have to sit there.
f. Our sinful nature sits in that pile and is rotting away.
3) Roll forward to what God had done (Joshua 10)
a. The day the sun stayed still in the sky for an extra day because Joshua needed another day.
b. So many theologians conservative and liberal alike have a tough time with this but conservative can’t explain it. Mike just says, don’t sweat it God can raise the dead and heal the blind, whatever it is just a miracle.
c. We have to forget our sins in some sense, because God has moved the as far West as the East.
d. We have to learn to lead by faith. Joshua tell these leaders to go to the Jordan and stand in the middle till everyone is safely across. We forget our roll in leadership and stand our ground in leadership.
e. We have to lead with creativity. No more mana now, they had to get their own. We are going to have to get fresh with our bible talks and get some new ideas with the bible talks.
f. Take the land with confidence. Gibeonite’s become water carriers and wood cutters but that is better than being dead.
g. When the Gibeonite’s come under attack, then we go and help and protect them. Just with our bible talks we should stick up for our fellow men.
h. Go and talk to those who are against us and figure out why. Don’t be so passive. There are huge miracles and there are huge efforts. Walk up hill all night long to help these sneaky guys the Gibeonites who snuck in the back door. Maybe pray for a semester that is longer… not really J. They prayed for the day to be longer.
i. We are not hiding we are going to take a stand.
j. Need to teach our disciples to have courageous faith and strength. Step on the necks of kings. Don’t be scared. Let’s bring out these people and bring them on! These guys are human beings, whap they bleed like everyone else. Stop being scared of the world. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church.
k. Our mission now is to baptize and keep them safe.