Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Aliens in a Strange Land Part 4

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at people who were strangers in their lands, to some degree. We’ve looked at Abraham and Moses who were faced with impossible situations and in the face of the impossible, trusted God and saw victory.

We’ve also taken a look at Joshua and Caleb, and discovered that courage comes from God who gave his promise, and we looked at Caleb's faith and determination, age was no barrier to living for God.

Last week we took a look at Ruth and Esther, and their families, and how loyalty and God’s wisdom are really important parts of living in God’s Kingdom, and for our sojourn in this world.

Today we will take a look at some people who lived in Babylon and Persia. These guys lived in places unfamiliar to them, but against all odds fulfilled the purpose that God had for them. These guys did not have it easy. They did experience great blessing, but they also experienced great trouble and hardship.

Daniel 1:1-7
Daniel’s Training in Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

We know Daniels story, he was taken into captivity and he was found by the king to be wise. Nehemiah lived a little after Daniel. Kings had come and gone when people from Judah come to Nehemiah and tell him that Jerusalem is basically destroyed and the walls broken down. Nehemiah leads a group of people back to the land and begins the rebuilding of the walls, but he faced treachery and he faced trouble and opposition.

The responses of these men to their situations highlights some points for us.

1. Never compromise your standards.
Daniel and his mates would not compromise. They would not eat meat that they considered unclean and was not prepared the right way. They did not compromise their standards when Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to bow down to him; they chose the fiery furnace instead, fully believeing God would save them.

I wonder if we would be prepared to stand up to the king that way. God is able to take us through anything we face. These guys totally trusted God.

They believed Isaiah 43. "When you walk through the water you won’t drown, when you walk through the fire you will not be burned". God is in the business of saving people. He enables us to go through any situation. We do not need to compromise God’s standard.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were prepared to trust God even to death, and God saved them. I love the attitude of these guys. It was an "And if we die, we die" attitude.They were prepared to die, totally refusing to give in and bow down to the King, because God was the only person hey would bow down to.

This is reminiscent of Mordecai, who for the same reasons years later, refused to bow down to Haman. In both these situations, they faced possible death. But they stood up to people and declared allegiance to God alone.

Daniel 3:16-29
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

God saved them.

Esther 3:1-6
3 After these events, King Xerxes honoured Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honour higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honour to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour.
3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behaviour would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

Mordecai was placing honour of God above people. He would not give worship to anyone but God. Bear in mind that he had already saved the life of the king. This was not about honour but about worship. Mordecai refused to compromise his standards and his beliefs. Not only did God save these people, he changed the heart and the mind of the king.

God honours those who honour him. God honours those who choose to honour him and who do not compromise their beliefs for convenience and comfort.

What situation are you facing where there is temptation to compromise your faith and your beliefs?

God is encouraging us to be people who will stand firm in our beliefs.

What is God asking you to do in this situation?

Remember that he will never ask you to do something that goes against his word. But if you honour him, he will bring you through.

Daniel and the lion’s den is also a well-known story. Again, Daniel refuses to compromise and he is placed in the Lion’s den. And God saved him, also changing the heart and mind of another ruler. God is always there, ready to defend his people.

2. God’s work and fighting the enemy go hand in hand

Whilst Daniel and his mates stood up for what they believed, Nehemiah faced opposition of a different kind.

Nehemiah 1:1-3
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Nehemiah 2:1-5
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

So Nehemiah heads back to Jerusalem. This is the time of Artaxerexes, so after Esther, and he was probably born in Persia and he spent his time in the king’s service. After he went to Jerusalem, he was in Jerusalem for some time, 12 years, before he was called back to the King’s service.

This is a loyal man, who knew that God had given him an assignment. For some people it is lifelong, for others, there are definite times and seasons. In Jerusalem, where he is tasked to build the city walls, he finds opposition (in fact the building of the Temple had also been interrupted by opposition).

Nehemiah just does not give in. Nehemiah 3 gives a really good example of needing everyone to build something important. Nehemiah was tasked with rebuilding the wall, but he could not do it alone, it actually took all hands on deck. As we shall see, it also took everyone to be alert, and to build the wall, working and ready to fight.

Opposition to the Rebuilding
Nehemiah 4
[a]When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armour. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.[c]

This is a good analogy for us. We are tasked with building something worthwhile for God’s kingdom. We do it together and we do it ready to fight the enemy. (Those who did not take their place were singled out.) God calls each of us to do our part. To do what we have been given. We are not responsible for everything. Just our part and we are to be ready to fight for it.

Eph 6:10-13
The Armour of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Be strong in the Lord’s power. Nehemiah said that God would fight for them. Jesus has already won the victory for us. But there is still a fight that we fight. We are to stand firm in God’s power.

How well prepared are you to fight? What action do you need to take to be prepared to face the enemy?

What part is God calling you to play?

Concluding thoughts
Stand form in God, trust him. Be ready to stand up for what we believe no compromise. Stand firm, know that God is fighting for us, but we have our part to play. We do our bit, and we let God do his.

So as strangers and aliens in this land – we can live in a way that sets us apart from other people, through faith, courage, determination, trusting God and living a no compromise life.  

Aliens in a Strange Land Part Three.

Introduction
So far we have looked at Abraham and Moses, Joshua and Caleb.
We've discussed obedience, leaving the past behind, embracing what God has for us and not letting ourselves be limited by the barriers we sometimes place in front of us.

Today we will look at Ruth and Esther. Two women living in two very different worlds from two very different countries. Ruth was not even a Hebrew, an Israelite, she was a Moabite, and in from a group of people despised by the Israelites.

She was living in her own land when strangers from Israel arrived, and eventually she was married to one of them. She then chose, after her husband died, to move away from her homeland to a strange land, a strange culture and a new life.

In many ways life had not been fair - married to someone from a different place, who died and left her alone in a strange family with no hope of furthering herself. If you read the whole book of Ruth, its a great picture of redemption, and how Jesus takes us from having no future and no hope, to giving us a future and a hope.

Esther was from the Diaspora - a group of jews who had been captured and had now begun to live and settle in their new countries.

Most of Jeremiah 29 is  letter to people living in exile. Earlier than Esther, but it gives a background to why they were there.

Jeremiah 29:4-14
4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

8 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Esther is living in The persian Empire a long way from her "homeland". In many ways she is most like us, of all of the "strangers" so far, because she was probably born in captivity, and knew it as home. Yet her culture was different, her aspirations were different.

What can we learn from these girls.

1. Loyalty - to family
Ruth showed absolute commitment to her new life and her new family.
Orpah was committed to her family as well. But Ruth showed a commitment to a new life. She was willing to embrace the new life even when it was not going to be easy.

Ruth 1:16-17
But Ruth replied, "don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go I will go: wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there i will be buried. May teh Lord punish me sevelely if I allow anything but death to separate us"!

She showed absolute loyalty to Naomi. She embraced a new faith and a new life and lived with loyalty to that life. When we become followers of Jesus we are committing to a new life. An exciting life, but there is also the unknown. But as we commit to the process, as we remain loyal to the people in our lives, God brings blessing.

Ruth was greatly blessed because she chose to be loyal to her new family, loyal to her new life and committed to following through even though there was a cost to her.

Proverbs 19:22
Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest

Prov 20:6
Many will say they are loyal friends,
But who can find one who is truly reliable.

David showed loyalty to Saul, even when Saul was being a pain in the butt. David spared saul's life.

Sam 26:23
The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and i refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord's anointed one.

Loyalty means firmness, fidelity and steadfastness. It is about commitment and faithfulness.

How committed are we to living for God's Kingdom at all times?
How loyal are we to those we do life with?

Ruth was loyal, committed and steadfast in her relationship with Naomi. Ruth faithfully lived out her commitment to Naomi of "your God will be my God and your people will be my people"

How do we express this commitment in our lives?

2. Honouring- one another
Especially honouring those in authority over us. Ruth chose to honour Naomi and her influence in her life. This is closely linked to loyalty.

Mother's-in-law are not always easy people to embrace - though they should be- but Ruth honoured Naomi, because Naomi was the one in authority. Ruth chose to do this, she didn't have to.

Honouring one another is something that we say we do as part of Citylife Women. We place honour on people. Honour is valuing someone. It is placing value and worth on the life of another person.

But honour is more than just placing value. Honouring others in our lives, especially those in authority over us is not always easy. Honouring people when we disagree with them, or we are not happy about their behaviour, can be difficult.

Ruth sets us an example by honouring her Mother in law, by submitting to her and by placing trust in her. Naomi was a good woman. But she had experienced a very difficult life of famine, sojourning in what must ahve been a strange environment for her and her family. Her husband had taken them to Moab of all places and then unceremoniously died. Both her sons died. This is not a great place to be and she was quite bitter about it.

In the midst of all of this she does try to do the right thing by her daughters-in-law according to custom of the day. But she was bitter and that could not have been easy for Ruth to live with.

In all of that, Ruth chose to honour her, not just by being loyal to her, but by taking the initiative to help her, to enable them to survive and by doing what had been asked of her.

In the book of Esther we read that the king wanted to honour Mordecai. This is because he had been a faithful servant and had acted in a way that honoured and saved the king.

Read about it in Esther 6. Proverbs also has a lot to say about honour.

Proverbs 18:12
Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.

Proverbs 25:27
It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.

Proverbs 29:23
Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

The word honour means to ascribe price, value, preciousness, to esteem.

In Ruth, we see how she ascribed value to Naomi, she esteemed her.
Honour is something that we ascribe to someone else, but don't look for, for ourselves. Ruth did not look for honour for herself, instead she chose to live in a place of humility, gleaning the left overs and submitting to Naomi.

Let others ascribe honour to you. We talk alot about repsect and honour being earned and in many ways that is true. However, God values everyone and we are meant to do the same. So, we ascribe honour to people, by valuing them, treating them the right way, acknowledging them, whether we believe they have earned it or not.

Zacheus had done nothing to deserve honour, but Jesus honoured him by choosing to eat at his house. Jesus gave him value, and honour in a world that did not value him. 

Romans 12:10
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

The word honour here means:
-a valuing by which the price is fixed
-of the price itself
-of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold
-honour which belongs or is shown to one
-of the honour which one has by reason of rank and state of office which he holds
-deference, reverence

We are not to look for honour for ourselves, but to act honourably - doing the right thing - and placing value and honour on others. We are to live prefering others, in other words, putting others before ourselves.

Who is God challenging you to give honour to - even if they haven't earned it?
How can we honour those around us in a practical way?

3. Wisdom
God's wisdom to make a difference

Esther knew that in the situation in which she found herself, she could not do it alone. She need the wisdom of God and she sought that wisdom. She found herself in a very difficult situation, literally a life and death situation. She neded all the wisdom she could get.

She did not rely on her human wisdom. Instead, she relied totally on God's wisdom. She asked the women to fast (and to pray). Then she rose and put her plan into practice. God gives us wisdom when we ask for it. The only condition is that we ask and do not waver.

James 1:5-7
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and he will give it to. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver for a person with didvided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

James does not mince words. He says: Need wisdom? Ask God. But make sure you are fully trusting him and not having a bet both ways.

I believe that even though she was probably a little fearful, Esther fully trusted that God would show her what to do and how to approach the king. Wisdom is about Action. It is not just a good idea. Wisdom is about how to put the idea into practice in a way that is of benefit.

Joseph sought God for wisdom, when he was brought before Pharoah, and he was given wisdom, not only for what the dream meant, a gift of knowledge that God gave him, but also what action Pharaoh shoud take.

Joseph was also an alien in a strange land. But by totally trusting in God, by not wavering, both he and Esther were able to save people;  the beginning of the Israelite nation with Joseph and for Esther the Jewish people of the diaspora.

What do you need wisdom for today?

God says ask him, without wavering. Trust him completley and he will show you. Ensure that when he shows you that you put it into practice. Wisdom is not just a nice idea, its about practical solutions.

Concluding thoughts
The three points - loyalty, honour and wisdom are actually closely connected.They exist together in people. You cannot be loyal if you are dishonouring. If you have wisdom, you will act in a way that is both loyal and honouring towards others.

Honour is something that we ascribe to others, and we show in a practical way by being loyal, and by choosing to act with God's wisdom.

What is God asking you to work on this week? Is it wisdom, loyalty or honouring others?

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Aliens in a Strange land Part 2

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Introduction

Joshua 1:1-9
The Lord’s Charge to Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

A man practiced at being a stranger. He grew up in Egypt, was part of the Exodus of the people from Egypt, was apprentice to Moses and with him when he ascended the mountain to recieve the 10 commandments. Afterwards he was often found at the tent of meeting to be close to the presence of God.

Joshua was also a warrior, a man who knew what is was like to engage in firece battles. He had been on of the leaders of Israel to go and spy the promised land and together with Caleb he was willing to go in and take the land when no-one else was prepared to do it. He was appointed to lead the people into the promised land.

So what do we learn from Joshua?

Lots -He valued his relationship with God and he was a man of his word. He was willing to fight for his country and to go against popular opinion

Numbers 14:6-9
Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to the people of Israel "The land we travelled hrough and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with use will bring us safely to into that land and and give it to us. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don't be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helplessprey to us. They have no protection, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid".

Two people, Joshua and Caleb, stood against the crowd of people in faith; ten people, motivated by fear, stirred up the crowd against them.  Joshua, who knew God was with the people and Caleb, a "man with a different spirit and attitude" were the only ones who after wandering for 40 years were given the opportunity to set foot in the promised land.

Talk about patience. However, the main things I want to focus on today, are these. Leaving the past behind, living with courage and not letting excuses get in the way.

Living in a strange land, taking ground in a strange country, even a promised one, takes courage. God calls us to have courage and to "take the ground" he has given us.

1. Leave the Past Behind
Joshua became leader after the death of Moses. A change happenned and suddenly, he was in a new situation. No longer the offsider but the one the people looked to. It's almost like God had to remind him that he was now the one to lead the people.

Joshua 1:2
Moses my servant is dead. Therefore the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.

In life, are we the one prepared to rise and and take responsibility to take the land God has given us? I think what God was saying to Joshua is: The past is the past. Moses is dead, he's not coming back and there is nothing that is going to change that, Don't dwell on the past. Instead, recognise that this is a new day, a new beginning, a time to take the land.

This is God's Word to us today. The past cannot be changed. Today is a new beginning. Don't dwell on the past. Instead, recognise that this is a new day, a new beginning, a time to take the land.

Isaiah 43:15-19
I am the Lord, your Holy one, Israel's creator and King.
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.
I called forth the mighty arm of Egypt with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like smouldering candlewick.

But forget all that-
It is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a patheway through the wildernessI will create rvers in the dry wasteland.

What in your past is God asking you to put behind you, to leave in the past? What is the new thing, the new land he is asking you to take?

As a community of Women, what new ground in this strange land is God asking us to take?

The people of Israel did not take the land in one go, it took years. But it was a new thing. They had to make a start. Joshua was faced with a strange land and a new generation of people to lead. God says - don't look at what has been, instead, look at what i'm about to do.

There is land to be taken, a new and strange place to live, but a place of blessing and fruitfulness.

2. Courage
Living in a strange land takes courage. Joshua had a promise that wherever he put his feet, it had been given to him by God. He had the promise that God would be with him. But God tells him twice to be strong and courageous.

(He had also been told to be strong and courageous in Deut 31:7)

We also have this promise from Jesus when he says in Matthew 28 to go into all the world. He says he will be with us even to the end of the age. He is always with us. The writer of Hebrews says that God will never leave or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

But even with all these promises. God says in Joshua 1:6, 9 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged. God has hit upon the one thing that tends to be our downfall. We let fear take a hold and we allow ourselves to become discouraged.

To live in this strange land, and to take the land, we need to learn to trust God and his promise, to take hold of his promise. Let's not be ruled by fear or become discouraged. Let's learn to take those thoughts captive and to replace them with the words of the promises that God has given us.

David, in the psalms, knew how to encourage himself. He put it into practice when the band of people he was leading turned against him.
The Bible tells us that David encouraged himself in God.

1 Samuel 30:6
David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God

David had a personal understanding that God was his God. It wad a personal relationship. God told Joshua to meditate on his Word, day and night.

When we are thinking about the word of God and his promises to us, its hard to be discouraged at the same time. The problem is that we dwell on the fear and discouragement instead of the Word of God and the promises of God.

What fears do you allow yourself to dwell on?
What will you do to encourage yourself in God?

To be women of courage we need to meditate on the Word of God. We need to fill our mind with his ways and thoughts as we live in this strage land.

3. Age is no barrier.
Joshua was not young when he began to take the people into the land. We don't know how old he was, but he had to be at least 60.

We know that only he and Caleb who were leaders of their tribes survived. Everyone else over 20 died. They wandered for almost 40 years and so he had to be 60 or older. Age is no barrier. When God has called you, then age is not a barrier.

What has God called you to do? What barriers are you putting up in resistance?

God did not consider Joshua's age as a barrier. In fact at the beginning of Judges we find out that Joshua was 110 years old when he died. Judges 2:8

For most of the last years of his life, he was fighting for the land, taking the land and leading the people.Caleb was 85 years old when he went and fought the toughest group of people.

Joshua 14:6-15
6 A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, “Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, 8 but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God. 9 So that day Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.’

10 “Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. 11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. 12 So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”

13 So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land. 14 Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 (Previously Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba. It had been named after Arba, a great hero of the descendants of Anak.) And the land had rest from war.

He knew he had the promise of God, he knew he had been called to fulfill his calling. He held on to the promise, and meanwhile, got on with the job at hand.

And he died sometime after Joshua. These guys were powerful people who saw age as no barrier. They were powerful because they chose to trust God and to not let age get in the way of fulfilling God's call on their life.

They chose to get on with job they had been given, even though their own promise still seemed far away - during the wandering in the wilderness and the taking of the land.

What promises has God given you for the future?

What is God asking you to do know?

Caleb served Joshua, knowing that God would fulfil his promise, as he got on with the job at hand.

4. Mentor someone
Lastly - choose to mentor someone. Moses was a mentor to Joshua.

These guys made mistakes along the way, but one of the saddest, that had major repurcussions for israel, came as a result of no-one being grown and mentored to take their place.

Israel served God under Joshua, and under the elders of that era and then fell away. There was a gap, a vacuum, because no-one was mentored to take their place.

God was faithful and raised people up. Let's be women who mentor others, who develop others to take our place. The book of Judges is filled with some great stuff and some horrendous stuff. The end of Judges is a sorry time.

Judges 21:25
In those days, Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

There was no-one to lead and to guide. God had raised up Judges, but the lack of clear leadership after the death of Joshua lead to anarchy and chaos.

Who can you mentor? Your life does not have to be perfect. Who can you help to develop to take on the work?

Paul had people like Timothy and Titus. Jesus had his disciples. Barnabas mentored John Mark . They understood the need to take people alongside and apprentice them in the work, to teach, to train, to guide and to mentor.

We all have something we can pass on to someone else.

Concluding thoughts

Leave the past behind and embrace what God has for you.
Take courage in God, trust him. Tell yourself to be srong and courageous, dwelling on God's word. When faith rises up, fear will flee.

No matter how old you are, God has a place for you and a work for you to do. Age is no barrier. Along the way, take time to mentor someone and help them to negotiate this strange land.