Welcome to Anchors Of Truth,
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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Amen, welcome to
Anchors Of Truth.
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Glad that each one of
you are here this evening.
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Are you goad to be here?
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Amen.
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We want to welcome
you at home as well,
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watching over the airwaves,
or maybe listening on the radio,
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tuning in via the internet.
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Welcome to Anchors Of Truth.
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And what a tremendous
series we've had so far
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with Pastor C.A. Murray.
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It's always a
blessing to hear Pastor Murray
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speak the word of God.
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This is the third
sermon in a five part series.
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And it's
entitled, You Gotta Get Wet.
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Now I like Pastor
C.A.'s titles to his sermons.
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He comes up with some
tremendously creative titles.
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But the thing is, not
only are the titles creative,
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and that's a great
thing, but Pastor C.A. is a
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man of the Word.
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He studies, he doesn't just
go over it in a little fluff.
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He studies hard.
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And I've been truly blessed
to get to know Pastor C.A.,
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his wife Irma who is
sitting here in our audience.
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A tremendous couple.
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A tremendous couple for
the spreading of the gospel
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around the world.
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And I know Jill and
I have been blessed,
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and I'm sure you've been
blessed as you've listened
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to this series and
heard other sermons from
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Pastor C.A. through the years.
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Now this evening
we have some wonderful
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music with us too, don't we.
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We do, absolutely.
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It's always a blessing to
hear the spoken word of God,
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and to be
ministered to by music.
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That's just as much a
ministry as the spoken word.
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And tonight is no exception.
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We have Michael
Harris with us here tonight.
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He and his wife,
Lynn, have traveled in.
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And we are so
blessed to have them with us.
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He's going to minister a
song entitled, Ancient Words.
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"Man shall not
live by bread alone,
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but by every
word that proceedeth
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out of the mouth of God."
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Holy words long preserved
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for our walk in this world.
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They resound
with God's own heart;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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Words of life, words of hope,
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give us strength, help us cope.
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In this world,
where ever we roam,
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ancient words
will guide us home.
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Ancient words ever true,
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changing me and changing you.
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We have come with open hearts;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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Holy words of our own faith
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handed down to this age
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came to us through sacrifice;
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believe the
faithful words of Christ.
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Holy words long preserved
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for our walk in this world.
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They resound
with God's own heart;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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Ancient words ever true,
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changing me and changing you.
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We have come with open hearts;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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Ancient words ever true,
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changing me and changing you.
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We have come with open hearts;
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oh, let the ancient words...
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Won't you sing with me.
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Ancient words ever true,
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changing me and changing you.
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We have come with open hearts;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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Ancient words ever true,
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changing me and changing you.
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We have come with open hearts;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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We have come with open hearts;
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oh, let the
ancient words impart.
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Amen and amen.
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Thank you,
Michael, so very, very much.
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I have come to love and
respect him so, so much.
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Many years ago, I
was introducing a friend
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who was ministering in music,
and I praised him greatly.
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And someone later said, "Well,
he's not as great as you think."
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So I see Lynn sitting there.
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I pray that he is
at home as he is out.
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And I think he is,
because you're smiling.
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Praise the Lord.
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I respect and love
Michael very, very much.
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And it's good to have you here.
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I am so glad that
he has come to minister
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before he is sent to
prison on tomorrow morning.
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And then he will be
back tomorrow afternoon.
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He's going to minister
in prison, not to spend any
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great length of time there.
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Happy Sabbath.
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And I almost
apologize for the title.
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It seems just a
little pedestrian for
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what we want to talk about.
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When they asked me
for the titles, the sermon
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wasn't written yet.
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The sermon actually
came after the title.
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And now that I've written
it, perhaps the step of faith
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might have been a
little more exalted.
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But it came out,
You Gotta Get Wet.
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So that is what
it will forever be.
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Turn with me, if you
will, to Joshua chapter 3.
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Joshua chapter 3, and we will
consider verses 2 through 6,
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after we shall have prayed...
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...on the title,
You Gotta Get Wet.
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Shall we pray.
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Father God, how we
praise You and thank You for the
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blessing of the Sabbath day.
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We thank You for time
set aside to concentrate
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on Christ, and to meet
in a formal way with You.
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We ask now that Your
Spirit would attend us,
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that You would be
the honored Guest,
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but more than that, that
You would be our Instructor.
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For we need to hear
a word from the Lord.
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And we wait upon
You for that word.
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And we thank You in advance
for the moving of Your Spirit
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in this place.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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The text is Joshua chapter
3, and we begin with verse 2.
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The Bible says, "So it
was, after three days..."
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I'm reading from
the New King James.
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"...that the officers
went through the camp;
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and they commanded the
people, saying, 'When you see
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the ark of the covenant of the
Lord your God, and the priests,
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the Levites, bearing
it, then you shall set out
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from your place
and go after it.'"
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It simply means, to follow it.
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"Yet there shall be a
space between you and it,
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about two thousand
cubits by measure."
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About half a mile.
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"Do not come near it,
that you may know the way
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by which you must go,
for you have not passed
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this way before."
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Verse 5, "And Joshua said to the
people, 'Sanctify yourselves,
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for tomorrow the Lord
will do wonders among you.'
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Then Joshua spoke
to the priests, saying,
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'Take up the ark of
the covenant and cross over
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before the people.'
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So they took up
the ark of the covenant
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and went before the people."
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Ellen White, in the
book, Patriarchs and Prophets,
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describes the Jordan
valley in the days of Abraham
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as one of the most
beautiful in all of Palestine.
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She says it put you in
memory of the Nile valley
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in Egypt and Ethiopia.
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She said it almost
looked like paradise lost.
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And I suspect that the
Jordan valley has lost something
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in the intervening years
with industrialization and
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they way we tend
to siphon off water.
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It does not look now
like I suspect it looked
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three millennia ago.
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But the valley certainly
was important and beautiful.
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And in some respects, it
is still a beautiful place
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to be even today.
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One of the most
beautiful sights and experiences
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that I have had, and I
see Jim here, is being on the
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Sea of Galilee on
a Sabbath morning.
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Tranquil and beautiful.
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The music floating as Christians
are singing the songs of Zion.
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You can almost see in
your mind how it must have been
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back in the days of
Christ, and even before.
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The Sea of Galilee is actually
a bulge in the Jordan River.
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It's about 13 miles
long, about 8.1 miles wide.
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At its greatest
depth it is 141 feet.
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It's not a large sea.
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It is really just
a decent sized lake.
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If you compare it to the
smallest of the Great Lakes,
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which is Lake Eerie, by volume,
Lake Eerie is 141 miles long
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and 57 miles wide,
average depth of 210 feet.
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So the Sea of Galilee is
really just a nice sized lake.
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But it and the Jordan River
are very crucial to at least
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four nations: Israel,
Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
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And its headwaters
are in Mount Hermon;
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just about the place
where Lebanon and Syria
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and Israel come together.
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The area that Israel occupied
after the seven day war.
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You remember, back
in 1967 they went up to
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what is now the Golan,
and they went over into Syria,
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and they captured that
part of what was then Syria.
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They annexed it in 1981.
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And this includes Mount
Hermon where the headwaters
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of the Jordan River are.
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An Israeli historian
told me some time ago,
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they will never give up
that area simply because
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that's the source
of the Jordan River.
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And Israel wants to be
in control of the source
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of the most important
waterway in its country.
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So they will always be
there on the Golan Heights.
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All of the Sea of
Galilee is in Israel.
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And it is central to
what we know of Bible history.
00:13:14.22\00:13:21.16
So crossing the
Jordan was of great import.
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Crossing the
Jordan was a God thing.
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Crossing the Jordan
was a major step in the
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life of God's people.
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Ellen White describes the
coming into the Canaan land
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and the crossing of the
Jordan as a watershed experience
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in the life of God's people.
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Crossing the Jordan
was acceptance of the fact
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that they were God's people,
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that they were
fulfilling God's commission,
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that they were going
to move into the Holy Land
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with all which that entailed.
00:14:01.74\00:14:03.71
Be it war or conquest,
they were moving in God's way
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and walking in God's power,
and obeying God's instructions.
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They were also instructed
to celebrate the Passover
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once they crossed the Jordan,
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and to re-instate circumcision,
which had been suspended
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for 40 years.
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The next day after crossing
the Jordan, manna ceased
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to flow from heaven.
00:14:33.07\00:14:34.40
They were now remanded
to grow what they could grow
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and gather what
they could gather.
00:14:37.24\00:14:39.31
God had waited on them
for 40 years, and now it was
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their turn to
sustain themselves.
00:14:42.48\00:14:45.05
So I want us now to
consider and see the difference,
00:14:46.31\00:14:51.15
the dissidence,
between crossing the Jordan
00:14:51.45\00:14:55.69
and what happened when they
crossed another body of water
00:14:56.39\00:14:59.79
some 40 years earlier and
see if there are any lessons
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that we can learn
from these two crosses.
00:15:04.47\00:15:07.84
40 years earlier, on
the edge of the Canaan land,
00:15:09.30\00:15:14.68
they sent out spies.
00:15:14.71\00:15:16.41
Twelve in number.
00:15:16.64\00:15:17.98
40 years before, ten of
the twelve spies came back
00:15:19.01\00:15:22.68
with a negative report.
00:15:22.72\00:15:24.52
This time, Joshua personally
sends out only two spies.
00:15:25.92\00:15:30.09
And rather than
reporting to the whole camp,
00:15:30.79\00:15:32.83
they report only to Joshua.
00:15:33.09\00:15:35.40
Joshua had already
gotten God's assurance
00:15:36.80\00:15:40.00
that they would succeed in their
conquest of the Canaan land,
00:15:40.50\00:15:44.41
that Jericho would fall,
and that as long as they held on
00:15:44.44\00:15:48.14
to the hand of God and
followed the dictates of God,
00:15:48.24\00:15:51.38
success would be theirs.
00:15:51.41\00:15:53.48
Nothing has changed
in the intervening years,
00:15:53.52\00:15:55.55
ladies and gentlemen.
00:15:55.58\00:15:56.92
As long as we hold
onto the hand of God
00:15:56.95\00:15:58.65
and follow the dictates
of God, success will be ours.
00:15:58.69\00:16:03.32
The crossing, then, into
Canaan land over the Jordan
00:16:06.43\00:16:10.80
is a type of our
journey into heaven.
00:16:10.83\00:16:14.24
Heaven is our goal.
00:16:16.14\00:16:18.77
And perhaps it is time
for me to ask you a question.
00:16:19.77\00:16:22.54
The question is
simply, is heaven guaranteed?
00:16:23.55\00:16:27.42
Yes or no?
00:16:28.08\00:16:29.42
Is heaven guaranteed?
00:16:29.82\00:16:32.52
Yes, no.
00:16:33.15\00:16:35.39
If it is guaranteed,
for whom is it guaranteed?
00:16:36.46\00:16:41.23
Is it guaranteed for everyone?
00:16:41.83\00:16:43.47
Is it guaranteed
for the child of God?
00:16:44.27\00:16:46.67
Is it guaranteed for everybody
for whom Christ has died?
00:16:47.27\00:16:50.94
Or is it guaranteed only
for those who live for Jesus?
00:16:51.71\00:16:56.34
Revelation 22:12, "And
behold, I am coming quickly,
00:16:58.05\00:17:02.08
and My reward is with
Me to give to everyone
00:17:02.62\00:17:07.22
according to his work."
00:17:07.26\00:17:09.02
So heaven is a sure thing for
those who are living in Jesus.
00:17:10.26\00:17:15.50
Can you say amen?
00:17:15.53\00:17:16.87
Revelation 22:7, "Blessed
is he who keeps these words..."
00:17:17.03\00:17:22.14
Revelation 22:14, "Blessed are
those who do His commandments,
00:17:22.57\00:17:27.24
that they may have a
right to the tree of life..."
00:17:27.28\00:17:31.58
Titus 3:8, "...be sure
to maintain good works."
00:17:31.61\00:17:37.19
Ephesians 2:10, we are
created for good works.
00:17:37.59\00:17:43.69
There's a pattern here.
00:17:44.76\00:17:46.13
Heaven is a sure thing for those
who live in and allow Christ
00:17:47.03\00:17:53.94
to work through them.
00:17:53.97\00:17:56.54
So the Promised
Land is guaranteed,
00:17:58.87\00:18:01.48
and the Promised Land is sure.
00:18:02.31\00:18:04.41
The Bible says
in 2 Timothy 3:16,
00:18:05.68\00:18:07.62
"All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God,
00:18:07.65\00:18:10.29
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction,
00:18:10.32\00:18:13.59
for instruction
in righteousness,
00:18:13.62\00:18:15.02
that the man of
God may be complete,
00:18:15.06\00:18:18.16
thoroughly equipped
for every good work."
00:18:18.36\00:18:24.03
So Joshua sent out two spies.
00:18:27.97\00:18:30.11
And the Bible says the two
spies came back and told them
00:18:31.41\00:18:34.44
what to do.
00:18:34.48\00:18:35.81
The Bible
contains the two witnesses.
00:18:37.31\00:18:40.22
And the two
witnesses tell us what to do.
00:18:40.82\00:18:44.55
And if you do them, by the
grace of God you will be saved.
00:18:45.29\00:18:51.03
The Bible tells us,
then, who we are fighting,
00:18:52.19\00:18:55.30
when to fight, what
we are fighting for,
00:18:56.23\00:19:00.40
why we are fighting,
where we are fighting,
00:19:01.00\00:19:04.81
how to fight, and even tells us
how the fight is going to end.
00:19:05.31\00:19:11.25
Revelation 21:5, Christ says,
"Behold, I make all things new."
00:19:12.61\00:19:19.15
So the spies returned
and they said basically
00:19:20.86\00:19:23.83
the same thing that
Joshua had said 40 years before.
00:19:24.13\00:19:28.90
"There are giants there,
there are walled cities there,
00:19:29.00\00:19:32.27
there are obstacles
there, but we are able,
00:19:32.30\00:19:35.64
because God is able."
00:19:35.67\00:19:38.27
You know, a little side light.
00:19:41.68\00:19:43.11
Ellen White lets us know,
and the Bible says this also,
00:19:44.08\00:19:46.41
those people in those cities
were pretty much scared stiff.
00:19:48.28\00:19:52.12
They had heard that the children
of Israel served a mighty God.
00:19:53.69\00:19:57.06
They had vanquished seven
kings; five on the other side
00:19:58.06\00:20:00.76
of the Jordan who
were Midianite kings,
00:20:00.80\00:20:03.00
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan.
00:20:03.03\00:20:06.53
They knew that these
people served a mighty God.
00:20:06.57\00:20:09.74
Dare I say, if
you're walking with Jesus,
00:20:13.41\00:20:15.78
you ought to see where
God has helped you defeat
00:20:16.78\00:20:19.61
your own
Midianites along the way.
00:20:19.65\00:20:21.98
It is important, ladies
and gentlemen, on this journey
00:20:23.52\00:20:26.22
that sometimes we look
back over our shoulders
00:20:26.99\00:20:29.09
to see from whence we've come.
00:20:29.12\00:20:31.99
Looking back over your
shoulder gives you courage
00:20:33.29\00:20:36.83
to move ahead.
00:20:36.93\00:20:38.27
Because sometimes you cannot
see the way in front of you.
00:20:38.97\00:20:41.67
Sometimes you don't know
quite where you're going.
00:20:41.87\00:20:44.07
And Ellen White says, when you
don't know where you're going,
00:20:44.11\00:20:47.08
look back over your shoulder,
00:20:47.41\00:20:48.78
and see that the
same God who got your here
00:20:49.58\00:20:52.71
can get you home,
because of the past history.
00:20:52.75\00:20:56.12
So you don't want to
forget about the past.
00:20:56.15\00:20:57.92
You don't want
to live in the past.
00:20:57.95\00:21:00.82
That's counterproductive.
00:21:01.66\00:21:02.99
But you don't want to
forget about the past.
00:21:03.36\00:21:05.36
You see, the only thing
worse than nostalgia is amnesia.
00:21:05.39\00:21:09.36
You don't want to forget about
the way that God has led you.
00:21:10.57\00:21:12.93
When you can't see
ahead, look over your shoulder.
00:21:13.54\00:21:16.91
Because God is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
00:21:17.44\00:21:20.21
God gives us these
little remembrances
00:21:20.78\00:21:24.45
so that we can
remember to glorify Him,
00:21:24.81\00:21:27.52
so that we can recall, when
we're going in a dark place,
00:21:27.55\00:21:31.35
that the same God
that got us to today
00:21:31.39\00:21:33.39
will get us through to tomorrow.
00:21:33.42\00:21:34.99
Patriarchs and Prophets,
page 485, Ellen White says,
00:21:36.19\00:21:39.09
"To the Canaanites, to all
Israel, and to Joshua himself,
00:21:39.13\00:21:43.63
unmistakable evidence had
been given that the living God,
00:21:43.83\00:21:48.27
the King of heaven and
earth, was among His people,
00:21:48.30\00:21:51.31
and that He would not
fail them nor forsake them."
00:21:51.51\00:21:55.34
You see, God is
waiting, she says, to give us
00:21:55.38\00:21:57.95
unmistakable evidence
that He is on our side,
00:21:57.98\00:22:00.78
and that we are on His
side, and that He is with us.
00:22:00.82\00:22:03.25
Is anyone here that can
remember a time in your life
00:22:04.62\00:22:07.39
when you are sure
that you made a decision
00:22:07.42\00:22:09.26
that came straight from God?
00:22:09.36\00:22:10.89
Anybody?
00:22:11.66\00:22:12.99
You did something, said
something, went somewhere,
00:22:13.23\00:22:15.20
had an experience in
your life, and you know
00:22:15.43\00:22:17.53
that you know, that you
know, that was God, not me.
00:22:17.57\00:22:21.00
Anybody?
00:22:21.04\00:22:22.37
Praise God.
00:22:23.10\00:22:24.44
Praise God.
00:22:24.77\00:22:26.11
You don't need to
have them every day.
00:22:26.14\00:22:27.74
You don't need to have
them weekly or monthly.
00:22:28.18\00:22:30.35
You just need to have
one, one time in your life,
00:22:30.75\00:22:35.08
when you know God was moving.
00:22:35.18\00:22:37.89
Then if you look closely,
you will probably find out
00:22:38.35\00:22:40.36
that you've had several.
00:22:40.39\00:22:41.96
Several times when
you knew that it was God.
00:22:43.26\00:22:46.46
You see, slaying
enemies in the Old Testament
00:22:47.16\00:22:50.07
translates to tearing
down strongholds in the New.
00:22:50.43\00:22:53.60
2 Corinthians chapter
10 tells us, Paul says,
00:22:54.60\00:22:57.61
though we walk in the flesh,
we don't war in the flesh.
00:22:57.64\00:23:06.08
We war in the spirit.
00:23:06.31\00:23:07.65
Looking at God and
looking at what God has done
00:23:09.82\00:23:14.79
through you in the past
emboldens and encourages you
00:23:15.12\00:23:20.60
to do greater
things in the future.
00:23:20.80\00:23:22.73
Now they didn't know
what was coming across Jordan.
00:23:24.10\00:23:26.87
But they knew
that God was with them.
00:23:27.04\00:23:30.44
And when you know God
is with you, you can walk
00:23:30.94\00:23:34.11
through the valley
of the shadow of death
00:23:34.14\00:23:36.18
and fear no evil.
00:23:36.21\00:23:37.61
Because whatever
comes your way, you know
00:23:38.31\00:23:41.65
you and God can handle it.
00:23:41.68\00:23:44.79
And when you've
got that knowledge,
00:23:47.52\00:23:48.86
really that's
all you need to know.
00:23:48.89\00:23:50.23
I may not know
who holds tomorrow...
00:23:51.19\00:23:54.16
Rather, I may not
know what tomorrow holds,
00:23:55.00\00:23:57.47
but I know who holds tomorrow.
00:23:57.70\00:24:00.60
And I know who holds my hand.
00:24:02.30\00:24:03.94
Crossing the
Jordan was a big deal.
00:24:05.97\00:24:09.94
God had led them
through the desert.
00:24:11.31\00:24:14.58
Now if you look at the
way from Egypt to Canaan,
00:24:14.62\00:24:16.75
the quickest way,
the most efficacious way,
00:24:16.79\00:24:19.19
was really just go by the sea.
00:24:19.22\00:24:20.86
But God took them out
into the desert, and then back
00:24:22.92\00:24:26.03
across the Jordan,
for a particular reason.
00:24:26.06\00:24:28.93
It was the spring of the year.
00:24:30.77\00:24:32.37
And back in those days, the
Jordan overflowed in the spring.
00:24:33.47\00:24:37.01
The melting
snows from Mount Hermon
00:24:37.77\00:24:39.67
gorged the Jordan River,
and it was impossible to cross
00:24:41.41\00:24:46.78
during those seasons.
00:24:47.48\00:24:49.18
And God wanted it that way.
00:24:51.02\00:24:52.85
Ellen White
describes the Jordan as being
00:24:53.82\00:24:56.32
swollen, raging, and angry.
00:24:56.36\00:24:59.29
And so God's
people knew and understood
00:24:59.79\00:25:02.16
they could not get across
the river without the express
00:25:02.20\00:25:05.57
help of God.
00:25:05.60\00:25:07.04
So as they camped
on the eastern shore,
00:25:08.17\00:25:10.37
God wanted His
people to understand
00:25:11.41\00:25:13.64
that the same God who
called you out of Egypt
00:25:14.58\00:25:18.11
is now going to take you in.
00:25:18.45\00:25:20.08
That's a lesson for us
today, brothers and sisters.
00:25:21.18\00:25:23.18
God doesn't call you
out of the world to have you
00:25:23.22\00:25:25.95
die on the way.
00:25:25.99\00:25:27.72
God calls you out
that you might go in.
00:25:28.59\00:25:32.86
It's God's purpose
for every called soul
00:25:33.56\00:25:37.47
to make it into the kingdom.
00:25:37.50\00:25:39.97
So here's a news flash.
00:25:44.21\00:25:45.54
Jeremiah 12:5
00:25:47.28\00:25:48.61
If the footmen weary
you, and you can't contend
00:25:50.48\00:25:54.98
with the horsemen, what
are you going to do with the
00:25:55.02\00:25:58.29
swelling of the Jordan?
00:25:58.32\00:25:59.75
And I looked up
that word, because
00:26:00.96\00:26:02.72
I like to do stuff like that.
00:26:03.16\00:26:05.03
And the Hebrew word is, ga'own.
00:26:06.13\00:26:12.03
Not only does it mean,
the swelling of the Jordan,
00:26:14.07\00:26:16.54
but interesting
enough the word means
00:26:16.57\00:26:18.54
also pride,
anger, and arrogance.
00:26:18.64\00:26:23.04
So what Jeremiah is trying to
say is, "If you can't deal with
00:26:25.81\00:26:31.05
light stuff, when the
Jordan rises up to oppose you,
00:26:31.22\00:26:37.59
when strong things
come into your life,
00:26:37.99\00:26:40.96
when things that are bigger than
you that you cannot gainsay,
00:26:41.16\00:26:44.50
that you cannot understand,
that you cannot defeat,
00:26:44.53\00:26:47.90
when they oppose you,
what are you going to do then?"
00:26:47.94\00:26:50.64
And I say again, everybody
gets a Jordan in their life.
00:26:53.78\00:26:56.64
We all get our Jordans.
00:26:57.45\00:26:59.68
But before you get
Jordan, you've got to get Jesus.
00:27:00.68\00:27:05.22
And Jesus will get
you through your Jordans.
00:27:06.99\00:27:10.46
I return to, Patriarchs
and Prophets, page 483,
00:27:11.86\00:27:14.30
Ellen White writes,
"Leaving their encampment,
00:27:14.33\00:27:16.70
the host descended to
the border of the Jordan.
00:27:16.73\00:27:20.14
All knew, however,
that without divine aid
00:27:20.64\00:27:24.67
they could not hope
to make the passage."
00:27:24.71\00:27:28.21
Now depending on
whose numbers you go by,
00:27:28.24\00:27:29.91
it's either three
or five million people
00:27:29.94\00:27:32.85
trying to cross over.
00:27:32.95\00:27:34.28
"God willed that the
passage of Israel over Jordan
00:27:35.25\00:27:38.89
should be miraculous.
00:27:39.09\00:27:42.19
Joshua, by divine
direction, commanded the people
00:27:43.22\00:27:45.86
to sanctify themselves
and to put away their sins,
00:27:45.89\00:27:48.93
and free themselves
from all outward impurity;
00:27:48.96\00:27:51.57
'for tomorrow,' he said, 'God
will do wonders among you.'"
00:27:51.60\00:27:56.87
You know, it's the
same way for us today on the
00:27:58.51\00:28:00.01
borders of the heavenly Jordan.
00:28:00.04\00:28:02.21
We've got to purify ourselves,
we've got to sanctify ourselves,
00:28:02.38\00:28:05.11
and let God do His
wonders in our heart.
00:28:05.15\00:28:07.65
Ellen White goes on to
say, the Lord instructed them
00:28:09.45\00:28:11.99
to lead with the
ark of the covenant.
00:28:12.09\00:28:16.76
And the people were
instructed to follow the ark
00:28:17.69\00:28:19.83
at about a half mile distance.
00:28:19.86\00:28:21.53
Now that's important that
God gave them the instruction
00:28:21.56\00:28:24.67
to lead with the ark,
because about 700 years later
00:28:24.70\00:28:27.64
they went into the
battle leading with the ark,
00:28:27.67\00:28:29.74
and the ark was taken because
it was not God's direction.
00:28:29.77\00:28:32.81
It was their own.
00:28:32.84\00:28:34.18
But this time God
said, "Lead with the ark,
00:28:34.84\00:28:37.75
stay back about 2000 cubits.
00:28:37.78\00:28:40.02
Because you don't
know where you're going.
00:28:40.22\00:28:42.08
I do."
00:28:42.32\00:28:43.65
That's good advice for today.
00:28:44.69\00:28:46.29
Let God lead.
00:28:47.66\00:28:48.99
Because you don't
know where you're going.
00:28:49.42\00:28:50.86
He does.
00:28:51.63\00:28:52.96
So follow, not lead.
00:28:53.40\00:28:55.83
Now let's focus on Joshua 3:15.
00:28:57.00\00:29:01.74
Turn to that
with me, if you will.
00:29:02.04\00:29:04.27
Joshua 3:15
00:29:04.31\00:29:07.54
Joshua 3:15
00:29:10.58\00:29:12.98
"...and as those who bore
the ark came to the Jordan,
00:29:16.32\00:29:20.22
and the feet of the priests
who bore the ark dipped in the
00:29:20.72\00:29:25.19
edge of the water, (for the
Jordan overflows all its banks
00:29:25.23\00:29:29.13
during the whole
time of harvest),
00:29:29.16\00:29:31.70
that the waters which came
down from upstream stood still,
00:29:32.40\00:29:36.04
and rose in a heap
very far away at Adam,
00:29:36.24\00:29:41.11
the city that is beside Zaretan.
00:29:41.61\00:29:44.85
So the waters that went
down into the Sea of the Arabah,
00:29:46.98\00:29:51.59
the Salt Sea,
failed, and were cut off;
00:29:51.62\00:29:55.42
and the people crossed
over opposite Jericho."
00:29:55.46\00:29:59.96
Before a miracle
of any kind happened,
00:30:02.03\00:30:06.23
the people in general,
the priest in particular,
00:30:07.77\00:30:11.04
had to get wet.
00:30:11.51\00:30:14.48
They had to get their feet wet
before the miracle took place.
00:30:16.14\00:30:21.28
I want you to
stick with me here.
00:30:21.32\00:30:22.88
Because there is
a point to be made.
00:30:23.52\00:30:25.09
They had to put their feet into
that rushing flowing stream,
00:30:25.65\00:30:30.53
which Ellen White
calls, angry and swollen,
00:30:30.56\00:30:34.20
prior to the
miracle taking place.
00:30:34.93\00:30:37.67
God did a miracle.
00:30:37.70\00:30:39.30
But He only did that
miracle after God's people
00:30:39.60\00:30:43.51
showed a little faith.
00:30:43.61\00:30:44.97
Are you listening to me?
00:30:45.01\00:30:46.34
Now getting wet
doesn't seem like much.
00:30:47.94\00:30:50.45
It was only their
little toes that got wet.
00:30:50.48\00:30:52.98
Particularly when you
compare it to the last time
00:30:54.82\00:30:57.72
they crossed a body of water.
00:30:57.75\00:30:59.45
And that is the Red Sea.
00:30:59.49\00:31:00.82
Now let's look at the mental
state of that mixed multitude
00:31:00.86\00:31:05.16
the last time they
crossed a body of water.
00:31:05.53\00:31:07.20
I'm in Exodus chapter 14.
00:31:07.23\00:31:08.86
Exodus 14:10-12
00:31:08.90\00:31:11.90
Turn with me quickly, Exodus 14.
00:31:12.47\00:31:14.50
Verses 10, 11, and 12.
00:31:19.54\00:31:22.24
"And when Pharaoh drew
near, the children of Israel
00:31:28.48\00:31:31.72
lifted up their eyes,
and behold, the Egyptians
00:31:31.75\00:31:34.42
marched after them.
00:31:34.46\00:31:35.96
So they were very afraid,
and the children of Israel
00:31:36.26\00:31:40.03
cried out to the Lord.
00:31:40.06\00:31:41.66
Then they said to
Moses, 'Because there are no
00:31:42.06\00:31:45.37
graves in Egypt,
have you taken us away
00:31:45.40\00:31:48.17
to die in the wilderness?
00:31:48.20\00:31:49.57
Why have you so dealt with
us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
00:31:49.77\00:31:54.28
Is this not the word that
we told you in Egypt, saying,
00:31:55.24\00:31:58.81
"Let us alone that we
may serve the Egyptians."'"
00:31:59.18\00:32:04.39
Isn't that interesting?
00:32:06.32\00:32:07.66
Humans are interesting people.
00:32:08.92\00:32:11.93
I often wonder how God, and even
angels, look at us sometimes.
00:32:13.43\00:32:18.53
Heaven must shake
its head in disbelief
00:32:19.20\00:32:22.64
at some of the stunts we pull
and some of the things we say.
00:32:23.24\00:32:27.91
We wish we were back in Egypt.
00:32:30.05\00:32:34.48
"It wasn't so bad in Egypt.
00:32:35.52\00:32:37.19
In fact, it was pretty good."
00:32:38.15\00:32:39.49
Turn with me to Exodus 1:13.
00:32:41.12\00:32:43.22
Just look at this for a second.
00:32:43.26\00:32:44.59
This is rich. This is cute.
00:32:44.63\00:32:47.26
Exodus 1:13; first
chapter of Exodus, verse 13.
00:32:47.30\00:32:52.83
I'll show you
something, this is interesting.
00:32:53.94\00:32:55.74
"So the Egyptians
made the children of Israel
00:32:55.77\00:32:59.44
serve with rigor."
00:32:59.47\00:33:01.48
Do you know
what, "rigor," means?
00:33:02.54\00:33:03.88
They served with rigor.
00:33:05.61\00:33:07.25
I looked up that word because
rigor can mean just hard.
00:33:09.68\00:33:13.52
But the Jewish word,
the Hebrew word, "perek,"
00:33:14.19\00:33:18.16
means, extreme
cruelty and severity.
00:33:18.66\00:33:24.07
It also means, to tear
apart, to break, to rip asunder.
00:33:24.67\00:33:31.04
The word, "perek,"
or, "rigor," is only used
00:33:31.77\00:33:34.34
five times in the
whole Old Testament.
00:33:34.38\00:33:36.64
Two times it describes how
the Egyptians treated Israel.
00:33:37.25\00:33:41.85
The next three times
are found in Leviticus 25,
00:33:42.45\00:33:46.65
and it's part of a law where
God is saying to His people,
00:33:46.79\00:33:51.23
"Don't ever treat
anybody like that.
00:33:51.46\00:33:55.13
Don't treat fellow
Jews, don't treat slaves,
00:33:55.66\00:33:59.13
don't treat
strangers from other countries.
00:33:59.17\00:34:01.40
Don't you ever
treat anybody with rigor.
00:34:01.44\00:34:04.81
Even those who are under
you, don't treat like that."
00:34:05.34\00:34:09.11
And in Leviticus 25:43 it
says, "You shall not rule over
00:34:09.14\00:34:12.71
them with rigor, but
you shall fear the Lord."
00:34:12.75\00:34:15.52
The Bible intimates that
treating somebody with rigor
00:34:15.55\00:34:18.95
is a godless act.
00:34:18.99\00:34:21.02
And so He is saying,
"Don't every treat anybody
00:34:21.49\00:34:24.23
how the Egyptians treated you.
00:34:24.26\00:34:26.03
Because they treated
you in a godless fashion.
00:34:26.06\00:34:28.46
Don't every be found treating
them like they treated you."
00:34:28.50\00:34:32.70
So now Israel is free,
and Pharaoh is chasing them.
00:34:34.84\00:34:39.04
And so history gets revised.
00:34:39.71\00:34:42.64
We wish we were still in Egypt.
00:34:43.45\00:34:45.71
Things weren't so bad in Egypt.
00:34:46.38\00:34:49.02
I like how the NIV puts
it here in Exodus 14:12.
00:34:50.05\00:34:53.05
"Didn't we say to you
Moses, 'Leave us alone
00:34:53.49\00:34:57.03
and let us just
serve the Egyptians.'"
00:34:57.06\00:34:59.59
Isn't it funny how
history gets revised?
00:35:00.00\00:35:02.70
"It would have been better
for us to serve the Egyptians
00:35:03.50\00:35:06.23
than to die here in the desert."
00:35:06.27\00:35:08.44
Now when they were
making bricks without straw,
00:35:08.47\00:35:10.74
and being beaten like
slaves, they were begging for
00:35:10.77\00:35:14.34
deliverance or death.
00:35:14.38\00:35:15.94
I'm so glad that I don't serve
a fickle or capricious God.
00:35:17.65\00:35:21.88
Aren't you?
00:35:21.92\00:35:23.25
I'm so glad He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
00:35:23.35\00:35:28.52
So God immediately
works to answer their prayer
00:35:30.16\00:35:35.73
and to help them.
00:35:36.20\00:35:37.57
Ellen White says the
Lord was leading in front.
00:35:38.23\00:35:41.30
The Bible says this.
00:35:41.34\00:35:42.67
Ellen White backs this up.
00:35:43.17\00:35:44.57
He moves around behind
them, between the Egyptian army
00:35:45.61\00:35:49.71
and the children of Israel.
00:35:50.15\00:35:51.48
And He stays
there all night long.
00:35:52.11\00:35:54.85
See how good God is?
00:35:55.32\00:35:56.65
Darkness on the Egyptian
side and bright as the noon day
00:35:56.99\00:36:01.46
on the Israeli side.
00:36:02.22\00:36:03.73
That's God.
00:36:04.06\00:36:05.39
Then that night God sent a
wind to separate the waters,
00:36:06.36\00:36:09.70
and the children of Israel
walked over on dry ground.
00:36:09.86\00:36:14.40
Now remember,
their feet never got wet.
00:36:15.04\00:36:20.78
Hold onto that.
00:36:21.24\00:36:22.58
Went over on dry ground.
00:36:23.14\00:36:24.85
They needed a major
miracle, didn't they.
00:36:26.31\00:36:30.72
Of course they did.
00:36:31.19\00:36:32.52
And they got a major miracle.
00:36:32.55\00:36:35.59
And the reason they
needed such a great miracle
00:36:35.96\00:36:38.76
is because they had little
faith and no history with God.
00:36:38.79\00:36:43.33
There was a mixed multitude
that didn't understand God.
00:36:43.93\00:36:47.47
Many of the Hebrews who
had been in slavery so long
00:36:47.50\00:36:51.61
had really lost a vision of God.
00:36:51.64\00:36:53.81
They needed something big,
and God gave them something big.
00:36:53.84\00:36:58.28
He gave them what they needed.
00:36:58.95\00:37:01.65
They were
children in their faith,
00:37:01.68\00:37:03.02
and God treated them
like children in faith.
00:37:03.05\00:37:04.65
Patriarchs and
Prophets, page 284.
00:37:04.69\00:37:06.52
"Moses was greatly
troubled that his people should
00:37:06.79\00:37:09.79
manifest so little faith in
God, notwithstanding they had
00:37:09.82\00:37:13.96
repeatedly
witnessed the manifestation
00:37:14.00\00:37:16.16
of His power in their behalf.
00:37:16.20\00:37:18.23
How could they charge him with
the dangers and difficulties
00:37:18.97\00:37:24.61
of their situation, when
he had followed the express
00:37:24.71\00:37:27.81
command of God?
00:37:27.84\00:37:29.44
True, there was no
possibility of deliverance
00:37:30.51\00:37:34.18
unless God Himself should
interpose for their release;
00:37:34.22\00:37:37.95
but having been brought
into this position in obedience
00:37:38.25\00:37:42.82
to the divine
direction, Moses felt no fear
00:37:42.86\00:37:46.66
of the consequences.
00:37:46.86\00:37:48.43
His calm and assuring
reply to the people was,
00:37:48.46\00:37:52.13
'Fear not, stand, and see
the salvation of the Lord...'"
00:37:52.17\00:37:57.57
See, that's what when you trust
God, when you've tried God,
00:37:57.91\00:38:00.48
and you see that God is
all that He claims to be.
00:38:00.51\00:38:03.24
"...which He
will show you today.
00:38:05.71\00:38:07.72
For the Egyptians
whom ye have seen today,
00:38:07.82\00:38:13.42
ye shall see them
again no more forever.
00:38:13.46\00:38:17.89
The Lord shall fight for you,
and you shall hold your peace."
00:38:18.96\00:38:24.03
Moses knew God through a
40 year internship in Midian.
00:38:24.40\00:38:29.80
He had a
longstanding history with God.
00:38:30.07\00:38:33.21
So when trouble came,
Moses knew where to turn.
00:38:33.24\00:38:37.61
Because he had gone to
God so many times before.
00:38:38.11\00:38:41.75
Ministry of Healing says this,
"Our hearts must be educated
00:38:41.98\00:38:46.22
to become steadfast in God.
00:38:46.25\00:38:48.32
We are to form habits of
thought that will enable us
00:38:48.42\00:38:51.73
to resist temptation.
00:38:51.76\00:38:53.23
We must learn to look upward."
00:38:53.43\00:38:55.80
To look upward.
00:38:55.83\00:38:57.17
To look upward.
00:38:57.23\00:38:58.57
To look upward.
00:38:58.80\00:39:00.50
"The principles of the
Word of God, principles that are
00:39:01.27\00:39:04.34
as high as heaven and
that compass eternity,
00:39:04.37\00:39:07.51
we are to understand in their
bearing upon our daily life."
00:39:07.54\00:39:11.41
It doesn't make any
sense, it doesn't do any good,
00:39:11.45\00:39:16.99
to read the Bible and make
no application to your life.
00:39:17.35\00:39:21.19
Power comes when the
word gets out of here
00:39:22.12\00:39:25.79
and into here.
00:39:25.83\00:39:27.16
Amen?
00:39:27.20\00:39:28.53
That's when victory comes.
00:39:28.56\00:39:29.90
So she says, you've
got to read the word,
00:39:29.93\00:39:32.67
you've got to know the word,
00:39:32.70\00:39:34.04
but you've got
to apply the word.
00:39:34.07\00:39:35.64
That's when victory comes.
00:39:35.67\00:39:37.11
"Every act, every
word, every thought,
00:39:37.14\00:39:40.51
is to be in accord
with those principles.
00:39:40.54\00:39:48.28
All must be
brought into harmony with,
00:39:48.38\00:39:51.32
and subject to, Christ.
00:39:51.52\00:39:53.52
The precious graces of
the Holy Spirit are not
00:39:53.76\00:39:57.86
developed in a moment.
00:39:57.89\00:39:59.36
Courage, fortitude, meekness,
faith, unwavering trust
00:39:59.86\00:40:05.63
in God's power to
save, are acquired by the
00:40:05.67\00:40:09.20
experience of years."
00:40:09.24\00:40:11.91
Amen?
00:40:11.94\00:40:13.27
You don't get the kind
of faith that has Pharaoh
00:40:13.44\00:40:17.38
in back of you and the
Red Sea in front of you,
00:40:17.41\00:40:21.45
and say, "Stand still,"
you don't get that in a second.
00:40:21.48\00:40:24.45
That doesn't come over night.
00:40:25.55\00:40:28.92
Now there are some cases
where something will happen
00:40:28.96\00:40:31.63
and a person will
get instant faith.
00:40:31.66\00:40:33.29
But as a rule, that
ain't the way it's going to be.
00:40:33.40\00:40:36.26
Amen?
00:40:36.30\00:40:37.63
You're going to have
times in your life when
00:40:38.40\00:40:40.74
you've got a big ole fat bill,
and all that's left in your
00:40:40.77\00:40:44.94
pocket is your tithe.
00:40:44.97\00:40:46.57
Mm-hmmm.
00:40:48.34\00:40:49.68
And the devil is
saying, "Pay it."
00:40:50.21\00:40:52.65
And you're going
to want to pay it.
00:40:55.52\00:40:56.85
And maybe your
spouse is saying, "Pay it."
00:40:57.45\00:40:59.75
Mm-hmmm.
00:41:03.73\00:41:05.06
But see, when you
trust God and you...
00:41:07.03\00:41:09.63
I had a member of my
church come to me one time.
00:41:09.66\00:41:12.40
She brought all of
her bills in front of me.
00:41:12.43\00:41:14.94
She said, "Pastor, look at this.
00:41:14.97\00:41:17.27
This is for this, this is rent,
this is daycare for my son,
00:41:17.31\00:41:21.01
this is this, this is this,
this is this, this is this.
00:41:21.04\00:41:23.35
When I'm done, I
have five dollars left.
00:41:23.38\00:41:25.71
I can't pay tithe."
00:41:25.75\00:41:28.52
And I said, "With that little
five bucks, you can't afford
00:41:29.98\00:41:32.62
not to pay tithe.
00:41:32.65\00:41:34.72
You're trusting in
that little five dollars?
00:41:36.76\00:41:38.86
Better to go in the hole
and give your money to God."
00:41:39.93\00:41:42.76
And I heard myself say, I've
only done this one or twice,
00:41:42.80\00:41:45.73
but I heard myself
say, "Pay your tithe.
00:41:45.77\00:41:48.60
I guarantee you, God
will do something for you."
00:41:48.64\00:41:51.31
See, when you put
yourself on the line like that,
00:41:52.61\00:41:54.24
that can get icky.
00:41:55.31\00:41:56.64
And you know what?
00:41:58.11\00:41:59.45
Two weeks later, two
weeks, two weeks later,
00:41:59.68\00:42:04.42
she got fired.
00:42:04.45\00:42:05.79
"Pastor?"
00:42:10.96\00:42:12.29
One week after that,
she got a brand new job.
00:42:13.96\00:42:17.27
One and a half times the salary.
00:42:18.13\00:42:20.84
Is anybody listening when I
say, God takes care of His own?
00:42:23.47\00:42:27.11
Trust in the Lord.
00:42:30.31\00:42:31.65
Stuff will get rough.
00:42:32.98\00:42:35.48
But when it does, God
will show you how good He is.
00:42:36.45\00:42:40.06
So there are two
ways to look at this.
00:42:42.02\00:42:44.83
One, saving faith, as a rule,
is not developed in a moment.
00:42:44.86\00:42:49.63
It takes time to
build real trust in God.
00:42:50.20\00:42:53.90
And real trust in God
only comes when you test Him.
00:42:53.94\00:42:58.27
Amen?
00:42:58.51\00:42:59.84
The second is, given time,
those who have been in the Lord
00:42:59.87\00:43:05.08
the longest ought to be
the strongest in the Lord.
00:43:05.11\00:43:09.85
Amen.
00:43:11.09\00:43:12.42
A person who's been
in the church 50 years
00:43:12.45\00:43:15.06
ought to be stronger than a
person who's been in 50 minutes.
00:43:15.32\00:43:18.96
Ought to be.
00:43:21.03\00:43:22.36
May not be.
00:43:23.13\00:43:24.47
But if you've trusted in
God and developed a relationship
00:43:25.07\00:43:28.17
with God, you are going to be.
00:43:28.20\00:43:30.91
It's inevitable.
00:43:31.34\00:43:32.67
When you try Him, you
find out that is true.
00:43:33.14\00:43:35.74
So God had to do a
little more at the Red Sea
00:43:36.85\00:43:40.45
because the people who
were there had no history,
00:43:41.08\00:43:45.02
had no faith, and had
very little relationship
00:43:45.05\00:43:47.96
with the Lord.
00:43:47.99\00:43:49.32
I've been in the
Adventist church since 1961.
00:43:50.53\00:43:53.19
I was a little tiny... Well...
00:43:54.86\00:43:56.90
I was baptized as a boy.
00:44:00.90\00:44:02.74
There is nothing
that anybody can say,
00:44:05.44\00:44:08.08
hear me,
00:44:08.84\00:44:10.18
there is nothing
that anybody can do...
00:44:10.95\00:44:13.82
And people have said
some rough stuff about me.
00:44:15.28\00:44:18.95
People have done some things.
00:44:20.86\00:44:22.39
There is nothing that
the Lord can take me through
00:44:25.49\00:44:28.13
that could
shake my faith in God.
00:44:29.30\00:44:31.07
Now that's not bragging, that's
not patting myself on the back.
00:44:31.77\00:44:35.24
That's the goodness of God.
00:44:35.44\00:44:38.41
Because I've been
in this thing too long,
00:44:39.84\00:44:43.71
I've seen too much,
my roots go too deep,
00:44:44.45\00:44:50.49
I've had too many
experiences with God.
00:44:51.25\00:44:54.36
So there's nothing you
can do, nothing you can say,
00:44:54.39\00:44:57.63
nothing you can put me
through that's going to make me
00:44:57.66\00:45:00.96
turn my back on God.
00:45:01.00\00:45:03.00
Because He's
done so much for me.
00:45:05.70\00:45:07.40
I'll tell you something else.
00:45:10.54\00:45:11.87
When you are deep in the
Lord, it gives you a tolerance,
00:45:12.81\00:45:17.58
not an acceptance,
per se, but a tolerance
00:45:17.81\00:45:20.22
for those who are
not where you are.
00:45:20.25\00:45:22.55
Because everybody
is growing in Christ.
00:45:23.99\00:45:26.25
And when I woke up
from that surgery last year
00:45:27.22\00:45:31.06
and realized I
was still alive...
00:45:31.99\00:45:34.30
Mm-hmm.
00:45:35.96\00:45:37.40
...I determined, "Lord, there's
nothing that can happen to me
00:45:38.50\00:45:42.20
that will make me
turn my back on You."
00:45:42.30\00:45:44.01
Some people have
to grow up in Jesus.
00:45:48.61\00:45:51.01
Everybody is not
in the same place.
00:45:51.81\00:45:54.12
God's people coming
out of Egypt were really,
00:45:54.58\00:45:59.05
and I use this word
advisedly, brats in Jesus.
00:45:59.69\00:46:03.76
They were.
00:46:04.66\00:46:05.99
They were brats in God.
00:46:06.03\00:46:07.36
God knew that, and
Moses soon realized that.
00:46:08.13\00:46:12.00
Now when you're
dealing with a spiritual brat,
00:46:12.70\00:46:15.37
you've got to be very
careful how you train them.
00:46:17.04\00:46:19.71
You've got to train,
teach, disciple, protect,
00:46:20.41\00:46:24.48
and encourage.
00:46:24.51\00:46:25.98
And God at this point is
protecting and encouraging
00:46:26.01\00:46:29.05
because He knows
who He's dealing with.
00:46:29.08\00:46:31.45
But even little children have to
grow up, ladies and gentlemen.
00:46:32.55\00:46:35.19
That which does not
grow does not evolve.
00:46:36.09\00:46:39.59
And that which does
not evolve soon dies.
00:46:39.63\00:46:43.03
Your baby faith has got to grow.
00:46:44.30\00:46:47.17
You can't stay a baby.
00:46:48.00\00:46:50.04
It's got to
develop teeth and muscles.
00:46:51.01\00:46:54.21
And what that trip from
the Red Sea to Beth-Peor showed
00:46:55.44\00:46:59.08
was a lack of growth and a
lapse in spiritual maturity.
00:46:59.11\00:47:03.39
Volume 5, Testimonies, page 263,
"God's people are encouraged
00:47:06.05\00:47:14.56
to seek spiritual growth.
00:47:14.60\00:47:16.30
God calls upon those
who know His will to be
00:47:17.00\00:47:19.57
doers of the Word.
00:47:19.60\00:47:21.07
Weakness, half-heartedness,
and indecision..."
00:47:21.10\00:47:24.71
Get this, this is fascinating.
00:47:24.74\00:47:26.61
"Weakness,
half-heartedness, and indecision
00:47:26.94\00:47:30.38
provoke the assaults of Satan."
00:47:30.58\00:47:33.15
Mm-hmm.
00:47:34.65\00:47:35.98
When Satan sees that
you are not resolute,
00:47:36.02\00:47:37.79
when Satan sees
that you are not sincere,
00:47:37.82\00:47:40.29
when he sees that
you can be swayed,
00:47:40.32\00:47:42.46
he will try to sway you.
00:47:42.49\00:47:44.99
When he sees that you
are resolute, the Bible says,
00:47:45.39\00:47:48.50
"Resist the
devil, and he will flee."
00:47:48.53\00:47:52.60
But she says, half-doing,
half-heartedness, and indecision
00:47:54.90\00:47:59.17
provoke the assaults of Satan.
00:47:59.21\00:48:01.98
That's 5T, 263-264.
00:48:02.01\00:48:05.58
"Those who permit these traits
to grow will be borne helplessly
00:48:06.45\00:48:12.99
down the surging
waves of temptation."
00:48:13.19\00:48:15.96
When Satan knows
that you are indecisive,
00:48:15.99\00:48:19.43
he stays on your back.
00:48:19.46\00:48:20.80
You want to get
him off your back?
00:48:20.83\00:48:22.16
Make a decision.
00:48:22.20\00:48:23.53
"Everyone who professes the
name of Christ is required to,"
00:48:24.83\00:48:28.54
here's her words, "grow up
in the full stature of Christ,
00:48:28.57\00:48:33.31
the Christian's living head."
00:48:33.64\00:48:35.44
Now here's, Acts of
the Apostles, page 284-285.
00:48:35.48\00:48:38.35
"The natural life is
preserved," this is fascinating,
00:48:38.38\00:48:41.52
"moment by
moment by divine power;
00:48:41.55\00:48:43.89
yet it is not
sustained by a direct miracle,
00:48:43.92\00:48:47.19
but through the use of blessings
placed within our reach.
00:48:47.22\00:48:51.36
So the spiritual life
is sustained by the use of
00:48:51.49\00:48:55.53
those means that
Providence has supplied.
00:48:55.56\00:48:58.90
If the follower of Christ would
grow up," here's the word again,
00:48:59.30\00:49:03.20
"'unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature
00:49:03.51\00:49:06.44
of the fullness of Christ,'
he must eat of the bread of life
00:49:06.47\00:49:11.45
and drink of the
water of salvation.
00:49:11.48\00:49:14.28
He must watch and pray and
work, in all things giving heed
00:49:14.42\00:49:19.52
to the instructions
of God in His word."
00:49:19.55\00:49:23.39
She goes on to say,
you've got to test God.
00:49:23.43\00:49:25.83
You've got to try God.
00:49:25.86\00:49:27.20
You've got to take
Him at His word and see
00:49:27.23\00:49:29.53
if He will not be faithful.
00:49:29.56\00:49:31.13
But you will find, as
David found, "I've been young,
00:49:31.17\00:49:34.27
now I am old.
00:49:34.77\00:49:36.20
I have never seen
His children forsaken
00:49:36.37\00:49:40.48
or His seed begging bread."
00:49:40.51\00:49:42.14
You will find that God
is faithful to His word.
00:49:42.61\00:49:47.15
Third volume,
Testimonies, page 379.
00:49:47.72\00:49:49.75
"The reason why they are dwarfs
in spiritual things is because
00:49:49.98\00:49:53.62
they do not by exercise
grow spiritually strong.
00:49:53.66\00:49:56.76
They stand still when
they should be going forward."
00:49:57.03\00:50:01.86
Now get this.
00:50:02.10\00:50:03.43
"Every step in the
life of faith and duty
00:50:03.57\00:50:09.94
is a step
forward toward heaven."
00:50:09.97\00:50:13.01
So every time
something comes in your way
00:50:13.41\00:50:15.98
and you step over it,
you're stepping one step closer
00:50:16.01\00:50:19.21
to the kingdom of God.
00:50:19.25\00:50:20.65
Fourth volume of,
Testimonies, page 367.
00:50:21.85\00:50:25.69
"Man may," here's the
word again, "grow up in Christ,
00:50:26.35\00:50:29.99
his living head.
00:50:30.03\00:50:31.53
It is not the work of a
moment, but that of a lifetime."
00:50:32.46\00:50:36.87
As good as you are,
you can always get better.
00:50:36.90\00:50:41.47
"By growing daily
in the divine life,
00:50:42.40\00:50:45.37
he will not attain to the
full stature of a perfect man
00:50:45.61\00:50:49.04
in Christ until
his probation ceases."
00:50:49.08\00:50:52.41
Which simply says, every day
you are to get better and better
00:50:52.45\00:50:56.69
and better and
better, and closer and closer,
00:50:56.72\00:51:00.29
and stronger and stronger,
until you close your eyes
00:51:00.32\00:51:03.96
in death or until
Jesus comes to take you home.
00:51:03.99\00:51:06.93
"This growing is
a continuous work."
00:51:09.66\00:51:15.00
And God will send you trials and
allow trials to come in your way
00:51:15.24\00:51:19.31
simply because you need
those trials for growing.
00:51:19.34\00:51:22.28
So no one in that first
group made it into Canaan.
00:51:30.45\00:51:35.69
The Bible says 40
years later they came again.
00:51:37.76\00:51:42.56
Hebrews 4:6 talks about
entering into God's rest.
00:51:44.60\00:51:52.77
Now ostensibly, the
text deals with the Sabbath.
00:51:53.81\00:51:56.51
But it also deals with the
Canaan rest and rest in Jesus.
00:51:56.95\00:52:01.05
A whole generation lost its way.
00:52:01.98\00:52:04.82
They went to Kadesh, got
to the borders of the kingdom,
00:52:05.75\00:52:09.29
"and all of the
children of Israel complained
00:52:09.82\00:52:11.56
against Moses,"
Numbers 14:2 says,
00:52:11.59\00:52:15.33
except Caleb and Joshua.
00:52:15.93\00:52:18.53
And they said,
"We wish we were dead.
00:52:19.93\00:52:21.40
We wish we were
back in the wilderness.
00:52:22.47\00:52:24.21
We wish we had died there."
00:52:24.91\00:52:26.84
And God granted them their wish.
00:52:27.74\00:52:29.58
"Let's select a leader and
go back to Egypt," they said.
00:52:30.55\00:52:34.02
And God said, "If
that is what you wish,
00:52:35.05\00:52:36.82
that is what you shall have."
00:52:37.35\00:52:38.82
But the Bible says, "He
who began a good work in you
00:52:40.59\00:52:45.69
is able to complete it."
00:52:47.10\00:52:50.07
The Bible says God brought
them out that they might go in.
00:52:51.87\00:52:56.74
The same God who got you
started can keep you going
00:52:57.91\00:53:02.21
and get you into the
kingdom, if you will follow Him.
00:53:02.71\00:53:06.75
It's Philippians
1:6. Write that down.
00:53:06.78\00:53:09.52
"...being confident of
this, that He who has begun
00:53:09.55\00:53:13.82
a good work in you will
complete it until the day
00:53:13.86\00:53:19.49
of Jesus Christ."
00:53:19.89\00:53:21.26
The God who got you
started will get you to heaven,
00:53:22.16\00:53:25.07
if you work with Him.
00:53:25.10\00:53:26.43
That new generation 40
years in the wilderness.
00:53:26.97\00:53:31.51
You know, it occurred to me
that all of those young people,
00:53:31.54\00:53:34.44
children, older people,
who grew up and were born
00:53:34.48\00:53:37.45
of that second
group in the wilderness,
00:53:37.48\00:53:39.58
from the time they opened
their eyes until the time they
00:53:40.02\00:53:42.72
crossed Jordan, all they knew
was the pillar of cloud by day
00:53:42.75\00:53:47.12
and the pillar of fire by night.
00:53:47.16\00:53:48.62
They never knew anything else.
00:53:48.66\00:53:50.29
God was always there.
00:53:50.93\00:53:52.46
So by the time they got
now to the Jordan River,
00:53:52.66\00:53:56.87
their experience was
not like those who had
00:53:56.97\00:53:59.73
died in the wilderness.
00:53:59.77\00:54:01.10
They had a 40 year head start.
00:54:01.14\00:54:03.34
They knew who God was.
00:54:03.54\00:54:05.34
They had eaten at
God's hand every day.
00:54:05.37\00:54:08.51
They had eaten
the manna every day.
00:54:08.54\00:54:10.18
They had seen the
miracles of God every day.
00:54:10.21\00:54:12.21
They had seen God
defeat the five Midianite kings
00:54:12.25\00:54:14.98
and the two other kings.
00:54:15.02\00:54:16.72
They had seen
the miracles of God.
00:54:16.75\00:54:18.35
So now when they
come to the Jordan River,
00:54:18.39\00:54:21.36
they've got much more faith,
they've got a history with God,
00:54:21.39\00:54:24.49
they know who He is.
00:54:24.53\00:54:26.03
They don't know
where they're going,
00:54:26.06\00:54:27.40
but they know who's
standing by their side.
00:54:27.43\00:54:29.56
So God expects a
little more of them.
00:54:30.63\00:54:32.93
So He says, "This time,
before you get to dry ground,
00:54:33.80\00:54:37.47
you've got to get wet.
00:54:38.37\00:54:39.71
You've got to step in
the water and trust Me."
00:54:40.68\00:54:44.15
You see, the 40 year Christian
ought to have a little more
00:54:44.81\00:54:48.08
faith than the
40 minute Christian.
00:54:48.12\00:54:50.55
Amen?
00:54:50.75\00:54:52.09
So God changes His
tact and His tactics.
00:54:52.42\00:54:55.39
The truth is, though, we
need God in the 50th year
00:54:56.59\00:54:59.93
like we do in the 50th day.
00:55:00.40\00:55:02.43
But our faith
ought to be stronger,
00:55:03.16\00:55:05.20
because we've walked
with God so much longer.
00:55:05.53\00:55:09.10
Patriarchs and
Prophets, page 484.
00:55:11.84\00:55:13.58
"All watched with deep
interest as the priests advanced
00:55:14.51\00:55:18.65
down the bank of the Jordan.
00:55:18.68\00:55:20.28
They saw them with the
sacred ark move steadily forward
00:55:20.95\00:55:27.42
toward the angry, surging
stream, till the feet of the
00:55:27.46\00:55:32.29
bearers were
dipped into the waters."
00:55:32.33\00:55:36.06
The dry ground came, but it
came after their feet got wet.
00:55:37.53\00:55:45.54
So many times we are standing
waiting for God to move,
00:55:46.47\00:55:50.15
and God is saying, "I'm
waiting for you to move.
00:55:51.01\00:55:52.91
You take one
step, I'll meet you.
00:55:53.95\00:55:57.55
I'll work through you.
00:55:58.49\00:56:00.42
I'll show you miracles.
00:56:00.96\00:56:02.52
But I need you to
show a little faith in Me.
00:56:03.29\00:56:05.63
I'll open up the windows
of heaven and pour you out
00:56:06.06\00:56:08.33
a blessing, but you've got
to trust Me with your tithe.
00:56:08.36\00:56:12.67
You've got to trust
Me with your last dime.
00:56:13.07\00:56:15.57
And I will show you
that I am faithful."
00:56:15.94\00:56:19.07
Ladies and
gentlemen, I submit to you
00:56:19.97\00:56:21.84
that God will seldom work for
you when what He really wants
00:56:22.14\00:56:26.21
to do is work through you.
00:56:26.25\00:56:28.98
He could move that mountain,
but He can also give you
00:56:29.95\00:56:33.32
strength to climb it.
00:56:33.36\00:56:34.69
Both are miracles.
00:56:35.52\00:56:37.56
Both are blessings of the Lord.
00:56:38.29\00:56:40.70
Faith is a gift from God.
00:56:41.33\00:56:44.33
But the more we use
it, the stronger it gets.
00:56:45.17\00:56:50.24
And it becomes living faith when
we lean totally on Jesus Christ.
00:56:50.91\00:56:57.65
God will give you dry ground,
00:56:59.45\00:57:01.18
but He may ask you to
get wet first, to show Him
00:57:01.98\00:57:06.05
that you trust Him.
00:57:06.09\00:57:08.19
And when you
trust Him, you will find
00:57:08.62\00:57:11.49
God is faithful.
00:57:11.89\00:57:15.43
Shall we pray.
00:57:15.53\00:57:16.87
Father God, we thank
You, Lord, for this example,
00:57:16.90\00:57:20.57
this example of faith.
00:57:21.14\00:57:23.10
Father, give us that
faith; victorious faith,
00:57:24.11\00:57:27.74
healing faith, saving faith.
00:57:27.94\00:57:31.21
And we thank You
in Jesus name, amen.
00:57:31.65\00:57:35.52