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University SDA Church- East Lansing

Jermaine Gayle

Enemy Territory

Holy Father in heaven, that song, precious song, just as I am, is a perfect fit for today's message.

Perhaps the circumstances were organized just like you often work in our lives, to orchestrate events just to make that perfect fit.

And so Father, we come to You just as we are, asking that You do that work of transformation and make us new and like You is our prayer in Jesus' name, Amen.

Turn me and your Bibles to the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 1.

That should be in your pew bibles on page 245.

Just like last Sabbath, we're going to do a familiar activity.

Joshua chapter 1, our first verse that we'll read is verse 6.

Joshua chapter 1, verse 6, Let's see if you can note the repetitions in the book of Joshua 1.

The first verse, verse 6, Be strong and of good courage, for this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them Joshua chapter 1 and verse 7 if you just go right down to the next verse the Bible says there only be and very anything repeated so far yes you're you're picking it up 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.

Have I not commanded you be, what everyone?

Do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go Joshua chapter 1 and verse 18 whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words in all that you command you shall be put to death verse the last part of this verse let's read it together.

If there's anything that I want you to remember today, it's just that.

That for the, for many years has been 1 of my favorite Bible verses, and to this date I haven't preached on it yet.

This week I was talking with Madeline and I told her, memorize Joshua 1 verse 9.

And then the Lord just in that moment inspired me why don't you preach on that verse Joshua 1 verse 9 we've all been at crossroads in our lives you know the point in our experience where life gets so difficult and you have to make tough decisions You realize that even in those moments You've gone already through many difficulties and you know that the road ahead is still hard.

Crossroads, this is the place where decisions makes its rendezvous with our weak wills.

We often arrive at these crossroads unprepared because fear often occupy the driver's seat in our lives, pushing us forward, away from a troubled past, and yet scared to death of what lies ahead of us.

If there's 1 thing that I want you to remember, it's this.

Joshua knew a couple things about crossroads.

Up to this point in his experience with God, it was, by the way, when we find ourselves in chapter 1, this was about the spring, some scholars say the month of March to be exact and Joshua is standing in the valley or they're resting in the valley between Mount Nebo on 1 side and then on the other side Jericho, this fortified city which they were supposed to march toward.

Mount Nebo was significant because Mount Nebo was that rocky mountain that Moses had to climb, this 4, 500 feet mountain that Moses had to hike up and Joshua saw Moses climb and He never saw him return.

He saw this great leader, this great prophet, walk into the sunset and never made his way back down.

The Bible tells us in Joshua chapter 1 and verse 1.

The Bible says, after, do you see those words?

The death of Moses, the servant of the Lord.

So this was the backdrop of Joshua's mission had to do with Moses' death.

Have you ever lost someone that you love?

Most of you know we've been talking about the fact that I lost my grandma.

The backdrop death can really hamper, really, really, really just hold you tight.

You can't move forward, you can't go backward nor forward.

But then Joshua 1 verse 2 the Bible says Moses this is God speaking by the way God is delivering the death notice.

God comes to Joshua and says Joshua I know that when Moses climbed you might have been expecting him to come back down, but he is not coming Moses is dead Imagine God knocking on your door and delivering such a message You have to know how to choose the right people to deliver bad news.

The story of a man who had died and there were some friends among themselves who were talking and they were wondering, well, who is among us who is capable of delivering this bad news to his wife in a very careful, sensitive way so as not to disturb her nerves and make her upset and make her sad and broken down.

And they kind of wrestled with the task of delivering this message.

And they finally came to 1 guy and they said, okay, you are the man, you deliver the message to this wonderful lady so that she can understand and be tactful and sensitive in the way that you deliver this message because we don't want to break her heart.

So he went to the house, knocked on the door, and as soon as the lady came to the door, he said, Are you Widow Smith?

To which he responded, That's what you think.

You have to be careful who you choose to deliver bad news some people just can't do it right can you imagine such a messenger that's what you think And then he went on with his message, delivering the death notice.

God himself couldn't rely on anyone else to tell Joshua that Moses was dead so he did it himself.

Man I love how personal God is in how he relates to us.

Moses my servant he who I know very well is dead.

Now therefore, he says to Joshua, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, the children of Israel.

Joshua receives the message in the moment in this hard moment God says to Joshua Moses is dead but here's the message for you don't lay here weeping arise because I have work for you to do Joshua might be thinking when he heard the Lord say arise, he might be thinking of all the reasons why he had to just stay down and not get up.

He might have thought about the difficulty of the past.

You see Moses was a really good respected senior pastor leading the children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land.

Stephen calls it the church in the wilderness.

I mean, you've read the story, haven't you?

Moses, you brought us out here to kill us.

Joshua in the background hearing all of these words being expressed every single day when Joshua went with the spies, even to spy out the land, and they came back, and Joshua had a message, he had a good message.

The people said, we will believe the other spies with their false reports.

Joshua was there with them wandering in the wilderness for another 40 years he was there imagine the difficulty God says arise and lead these very same people who were a part of the reason why Moses wouldn't end up in the promised land.

Lord, you want me to get up and lead this people?

Joshua saw Moses give 80 years of his life.

Joshua knew that the people's unbelief led to Moses' anger which ended up him, which was landed him up on Mount Nebo, dying, Overseeing the promised land but never being able to enter Joshua remembered the rejected report Joshua now Realizes in this moment as he's contemplating Moses is dead, and I still need to work Then God adds Go over this Jordan you You have to realize that this was not an easy task.

In the month of March in spring, the Jordan overflows its banks.

So when God says arise, when God knocked on Joshua's tent and says, arise Joshua, let's go over the Jordan, Joshua is looking at an impassable, just wide expanse of water.

It was impossible to go over the Jordan but things may be impossible with men but not with God So when God says arise don't give up, get up and go with Him because it is for those who rise those are the ones who will eventually see the miracles that God has.

Friends we cannot give up now we need to get up and be used by God.

So here it is Joshua might be saying if he were me I'll be saying Lord you saw this people didn't you?

I mean you know what they're capable of you realize how difficult it is to lead in this modern culture You understand how hard my task is as a young person to live up to your ideals You realize how difficult the task you're asking me to perform.

Joshua I know you may be hurting but arise.

Lord I don't want to lead and God says arise above your inexperience when you say I don't know how to lead.

Lord I've failed already and failed many times.

I don't even know that I'm capable of doing this job, and I can't believe in my abilities when I failed so much.

Lord, I'm terrified, and God says, arise above your fears.

Joshua had every reason to give up, but God wouldn't let him.

There are many today who have been beaten down by life you find yourself at the crossroads just like Joshua with Mount Nebo behind you and and Jericho in front of you and you feel like this is the moment I'm just gonna lay here I'm not gonna move forward I'm not gonna make any decisions at all.

I'm just going to lay here and Give up call it a day throw in the towel God is talking to you Get up arise Because I have something for you to do.

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Enemy Territory

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