Exodus Part 3-The Promised Land Joshua1:1-5 5-31-09

Exodus part 3 – the promised land – Joshua 1:1-5 5-31-09

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Exodus, pt three in a series. Leaving. The wilderness. The promised land.

Just the words, “the promised land” invokes the hopes and dreams of every human. The hope that there is a place where all tears will end. Where struggle, alienation, and pain will be no more.

The images that the jewish people attach to their earthly land of promise, Christians attach to a heavenly home.
In other words, jewish people think of Israel, we think of heaven….

We sing about it……I am bound for the promised land……

I'm living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky.
I'm drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry.
O yes! I'm feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply,
For I am dwelling in Beulah Land.

Beulah land……where did that name come from?
Is 62--- No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah, [a] and your land Beulah [b] ;
for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.

Beulah land- Idyllic land at end of life’s journey in pilgrims progress

What is the biblical story
After Moses dies, Joshua leads people
Conquest- Jericho….walls came tumbling down
Settlement- battles – people to subjugate
Did not complete the conquest. Did not drive out those they conquered
They got enough and then they rested……….
After Joshua - Judges: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Jeptha, Samson, Gideon,
Later - We want a king: saul, then david, then solomon
Disobedient kings, The coming captivity
Babylonian captivity – daniel in lions den – fiery furnace
Return
Independence

Roman occupation
Jesus is born

What does the story of the promised land mean for WCC
Nothing is perfect. There are going to be problems
Need to keep our eyes on God’s purpose
Always be in process of clarifying the vision

Some churches ask, what will it take for us to be the church…….
A building, some staff, a pastor, some programs. Ahh yes, we are now the church.
What about God’s purpose? What about God leading?
What if we had all the stuff but none of the spirit?
If we don’t have a sense that God’s hand is on our congregation, calling us to do something, then we probably aren’t listening – we have settled for comfort

Churches that enter the place where they are pursuing God’s calling on them are characterized by the following
1. Everyone understands that they have a place in ministry
2. Individual members are owning the mission and applying it to their lives
• What is a steward
• What does it mean to live a generous life
• Does the character of my life show love, joy peace, patience
3. Some are considering professional ordained ministry
4. They are no longer embroiled in conflict, but are pulling together for our mission. They have stopped pointing fingers at each other, and are pointing the way to Jesus
5. They are Rejecting territoriality and embracing the total picture of the church family
6. They are Moving past a local church perspective to a kingdom perspective
i. Where all churches are appreciated and supported.
7. They are Inviting, Welcoming, connecting, engaging, growing, teaching, training, deploying people into the ministry and mission field

Captivity awaits any church that gives up its pursuit of being this kind of church,
We must keep listening, keep praying, keep dreaming God’s impossible dreams


What does it mean for you personally
Your current place, your options, your life……….

We would like to think that if we just pray harder we wouldn’t have any problems
But the promised land is not all milk and honey…..

Ahh the promised land, where we have money for everything we want. No one is sick, my kids are understanding life, and my wife always agrees with me.

The prodigal son went running off seeking the promised land of the perfect life……..He found a mess
There is no perfect, Pollyanna life

When mom’s kids were driving her crazy, she went to her church, one of the pastors counseled her. Just keep praying, reading the bible and giving your money, everything will be fine…..
No advice, no consolation, no direction….sometimes things are not fine.
Sometimes when we think we ought to be in the promised land, it still feels like the wilderness.

If the promised land represents us being in a relationship with God,
We will still have problems in the promised land

The most important thing that I can say to you about the idea of the promised land and your life is this:
The promised land is not about the land. It is about the promise.
This is echoed in the new testament –
Romans 14:17 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

But here is good news………God is with us.
Just as the prodigal son finally came to his senses
He looked home and saw that everything that he wanted was in his fathers house. He headed home and his father was waiting

Toopta used to tell me the story of the boy who saw the golden windows in the west………traveled all day to get there, looked back to the east……

Home. That is the message of the promised land. No more wandering. We have a place where we are loved and accepted. Where we are wanted.
We are home. God our father is with us.
The promise still holds true-
I am with you to the end of the age……I will never leave you or forsake you
Let us pray.