Be Strong! | Sunday, February 26, 2023

Welcome to Cross Connection Church online! We are so grateful that you're joining us for service today. I'm Pastor Garrett, and we want to let you know that if you want to find out any information about Cross Connection Church and what we're doing, please check out our website at lifeinconnection.com. That's our website where you're going to find out more about us, what we're doing, and how you can be connected.

With the broadcast being online and you being at home, we would like to connect with you. One of the ways we can do that is by encouraging our audience to take a video of yourself and whoever you're watching with. Let us know who you are, where you're watching from, and send that video to our text line at 760-814-1223. Again, just let us know where you're watching from, who you're watching with, and how you are enjoying the Cross Connection Church broadcast from home. You are part of our church, and we want to know where you're at and be encouraged by you.

Please stick around to the end of our broadcast today. We'll be announcing some of our current events at Cross Connection Church and letting you know how you can be involved. Of course, if you came prepared to give today, you can do so online from home at give.lifeinconnection.com.

Let's go ahead and jump to the broadcast.

People see people say close. Thank you.

Here I am, sure that this will not be news to you, but there is no life without change and transition. However, change and transition are never without their challenges. It is true that life always involves challenges, and these challenges can sometimes discourage us from moving forward and taking ground. Concern over the obstacles we might face, the hindrances and barriers we might encounter, or the troubles that might come into our lives can cause us to slow down to the point of being idle, completely standing still.

When we think about these things while looking forward to transitions or change, they can keep us from pressing forward and taking ground. A few weeks ago, I shared that in this life, we are always either taking ground or backsliding; there really is no such thing as standing still. When we consider the possibility of change and transition, knowing that there will be challenges and difficulties associated with them, the temptation for us is to be idle and to stop. If we do, we will begin backsliding, or you could even say drifting.

Living here in Southern California, I'm sure that if you do live here as I do, you've been to the beach many times before and experienced the currents that can cause you to drift. It's like you start out in front of one lifeguard tower, and within a couple of hours of being in the water, you find yourself two or three lifeguard towers down the beach. We are never standing still; we are either moving forward and taking ground or we are backsliding and drifting.

I believe that this is true, but it is also true that there are often many things that stand before us and keep us from wanting to move forward and take ground. There are always challenges before us. This was certainly the case in Numbers Chapter 13, which we considered together a few weeks ago when the children of Israel were on the border, about to come.

Into the Promised Land the first time, Moses, in Numbers Chapter 13, sent 12 spies into the land. The majority of those spies, when they came back, gave the majority report, stating that the land was good. All 12 of the spies agreed that the land was good, but 10 of those 12 spies reported that there were great enemies and obstacles before them in the land.

I want to emphasize that this was actually a true assessment; it was not false. What they saw in the land were giants, enemies, fortified cities, and all of these issues, problems, hindrances, and challenges. However, that wasn't the whole story. God constantly told the children of Israel that He would be with them when they entered the Promised Land.

The majority report from the 10 spies troubled the children of Israel with that evil report. As a result, the children of Israel did not enter the Promised Land. Instead, they wandered in the wilderness for 38 years until the entire Exodus generation perished. When I refer to the Exodus generation, I mean every single person who was basically an adult, above 20 years old, who came out of their bondage in Egypt and crossed through the Red Sea. All of those people perished in the wilderness over those 38 years because they would not go up into the Promised Land.

Now, Israel was at the border of the Promised Land again, 38 years later. The land before them was still good and fruitful, just as the 12 spies had said 38 years prior. There were still obstacles and enemies in the land; the fortified cities and giants were still there, and they had not been removed.

The obvious temptation for the children of Israel, as they returned to the border of the Promised Land for the second time, was to be afraid and fearful. However, Israel's progress would depend upon faithfulness and bold steps of faith. This is always the case for you and for me; our progress in this life as followers of Christ always depends upon faithfulness and bold steps of faith.

This was one of those major crossroads moments for the people of Israel, and I'm sure that you have faced something similar in your life. We all find ourselves at some point in our lives at a moment of transition, a moment of pivot. I talked about this about a month ago here at the church, where you come to a crossroads. If you haven't experienced that quite yet, you will. If you aren't going through it right now, you probably will again in the future. There is no life without change. There is no life without transition, and change and transition are never without their challenges.

The change and transition for Israel are illustrated in Deuteronomy chapter 34, the very last chapter of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 34 begins at verse 1: "Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. The Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar."

Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have caused you to see it with your eyes, Moses, but you shall not cross over there." So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord. He buried him, which is very interesting. I’m not going to get into it today, but it says that he buried him in the valley of the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no one knows where his grave is to this day.

Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyes were not dim, nor was his natural vigor diminished. The children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for 30 days, so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

You don't have to be a serious student of the Scriptures to know that Moses was an extraordinary man. He was unique in all of history. Even people who haven't read the Bible have heard something about Moses or maybe seen one of the many Hollywood depictions of him. Moses spent 40 years learning to be an Egyptian in the household of Pharaoh, even though he was born to the Hebrews, the Jewish people. Then he spent the next 40 years learning to be a shepherd.

Unlearning all of his Egyptian training on what the Scriptures talk about in Exodus, Moses spent 40 years in the household of Pharaoh learning to be an Egyptian. He then spent 40 years in the wilderness learning to be a shepherd so that he could spend the last 40 years of his life leading Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness to bring them to the Promised Land.

How do you eulogize such an extraordinary guy like Moses? I love what the Scriptures say about him. We read in this passage, "Moses, the servant of the Lord, died." He was 120 years old; his eyes were not dim, nor had his natural vigor diminished. It's an amazing thing to say. After all these incredible things that he did, we have all of it chronicled for us in Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. But what's the tagline over his life? What would you put on his tombstone? How would you eulogize him?

Moses, the servant of the Lord. I was thinking a lot about that this last week and reflecting on how I want to be remembered. How do you want to be remembered? I love that it simply says, "Moses, the servant of the Lord." I think if ever there was somebody who would have heard—or probably did hear—God say to him those words that we find in Matthew's Gospel, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord." If ever there was somebody who heard those words, it had to be Moses, the servant of the Lord.

Those are the words that I want to hear. It is required of servants that one be found faithful. Faithfulness is what we are called to—faithfulness to the calling and commission of God. It is key, and that is exactly what Moses did for many years throughout his life. He spent 40 years leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, helping them become the covenanted people of God, and bringing them to the Promised Land.

Now we read this at the end of Deuteronomy, chapter 34, verse 9: "Now Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid hands on him. So the children of Israel heeded him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses."

Not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, and all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all the mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. As we read these words at the end of the book of Deuteronomy, we discover very clearly that the transition from Moses to Joshua was one of necessity. Sometimes there are transitions that cannot be avoided, and this is one of those cases. Moses is dead, and the children of Israel are there at the border of the promised land.

I think that the people of Israel were probably pretty anxious. Moses had been the one who had been with them, directing them and leading them for 40 years. Whenever they had any sort of issue, problem, concern, care, or need, they came to Moses. Now, Moses is gone, so the people of Israel had to be a little bit anxious. I am sure that Joshua felt at least a little bit ill-prepared. He had to have some nervousness, some stress, and some anxiety as well for this transition and the path that was before him.

This becomes clear when we look at the next passage that we are going to examine in just a moment. There were certainly some concerns in Joshua's mind, as indicated by the words that God speaks to him. But what was it that made Joshua ready to address this call and the task that God had given to him? Notice what it says in that passage of Scripture. In verse 9 of Deuteronomy chapter 34, it states that Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom. If you are someone who highlights or underlines things in your Bible, you might want to underline that Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom.

One of the first passages that I ever intentionally set out to memorize is found in the New Testament book of Second Corinthians. In Second Corinthians chapter 3, Paul says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." He is the one who enables us to be ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. It is God who enables us to serve and to lead faithfully in the calling that He has given to us. We do not trust in ourselves but in God, who enables and empowers us. This is such a key and important truth to see that Joshua, as he prepares to take the lead, is filled with the spirit of wisdom.

The children of Israel crossed into the promised land, and as they did so, Joshua was full of the Spirit of wisdom. He could not trust in himself; I'm sure he was feeling ill-prepared, anxious, and concerned. He had to trust in God, who would enable him by His Spirit and empower him to do what he was called to do. This is true for you and for me as well.

This brings to the surface a question: What does it mean to be full of the Spirit or to be filled with the Spirit? Last Sunday at the church, I made a change and taught a message that I hadn't planned to deliver. I didn't give the message that I shared on YouTube last week; instead, it was a different message. It was kind of like a little audible, a change in direction. As a result, last Sunday night, we had a time of worship and prayer at the church, and I really sensed that it was a powerful time. I think it was very good.

In talking with several leaders at our church, as well as our staff and pastors this past week, we decided to call another audible. We are going to have another time of prayer and worship here at the church this Sunday, February 26th, at 6 PM. We will gather in the sanctuary to spend some time in worship.

During our gathering last Sunday, I invited those who were present for worship and prayer to come forward to receive prayer for the filling of the Spirit. Quite a few people came forward and received prayer. We laid hands on them and prayed for God to fill them with His Spirit. However, there was a majority of people who were present that did not come forward.

Two things came to my mind when I noticed that large group of people. First, when you share something like I did—inviting people to come forward and receive prayer for the filling of the Spirit—some individuals may feel a bit freaked out about spiritual matters. They might not know what that’s all about or have never been around it before. The second thing is that some of the apprehension likely comes from a lack of knowledge.

So, this Sunday night, we are going to have another time of extended prayer and worship here at Cross Connection Church. I will spend part of that time discussing the Holy Spirit: Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

Filled with the Spirit, what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? At this moment in our culture, I am sensing, and I think a number of people in our church community here are sensing this as well, that there is a real desire for a genuine transcendent connection with God. That's what we are all about here at Cross Connection Church. We want to live life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. Jesus makes it possible for you and me to connect with God, and there is this deep desire in people—both churchgoers and those who are not—to have some sort of connection with the transcendent.

There really is only one good thing to connect with that is transcendent, and that is God, by His Spirit. So, we are going to talk a little bit about what that means this Sunday night. I want to invite you to come on out if you're watching this before 6 PM Pacific Standard Time here in North County on the 26th of February. I invite you to join us as we spend some time in prayer because ultimately, what we need is the enabling and empowering of God by His Holy Spirit. The infilling of the Holy Spirit enables us to walk in all that He has called us to.

Joshua is about to take leadership of the children of Israel and to bring them into the Promised Land. Was Joshua prepared? I'm sure he felt anxious; I'm sure he felt a little ill-prepared. Was he prepared? My answer to that question would have to be yes, because Joshua was full of the Spirit. For Moses had laid hands on him. The Spirit of the Lord is called in the Scriptures the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. There are many different things that are associated with the Spirit of God, and we need the fullness of the Spirit of God in and upon our lives so that we will be able to step into the fullness of all of God's blessings.

So again, if you're in the area and you're watching this before 6 PM on February 26, 2023, I hope that you will join us. God has a mission and a calling for each of us, and we need God's enabling power to be able to fulfill that calling. I cannot do what God has called me to do in sharing the good news of the Gospel with as many people as I possibly can without the enabling and empowering of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit now, even if we have the enabling power of the Spirit of God, does not always mean that we will not have some anxiety, apprehensions, and fears as we step into what it is that God has for us. I can remember, it's now decades ago, when I first began to step into the work that God has called me to do. God has called me to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. He has called me to teach the Scriptures and to pray for God's people. That is the same calling that I have had since I first began to serve the Lord when I was 19 years old in 1999.

Before that, there was a group of people here at the church who came and laid hands on me, just like Moses laid hands on Joshua, and prayed that God would fill me and enable me by His power and by His Spirit. Even though I knew what the Scriptures say about that, and even though I believed that God had given me His Holy Spirit to step into those things that He had called me to do, there was still some pretty significant anxiety and fear. You could say there was trepidation when I began to step into those things that God had called me to. That fear and apprehension lingered for a while; it wasn't something that went away instantly.

But even if we have that kind of fear, here are the children of Israel at the border of the Promised Land. Moses is dead, and the Promised Land stands before them with all the same problems, hurdles, and challenges. At this moment of transition, the temptation is to freeze, to be afraid, and maybe to run the other way. However, the children of Israel needed to move forward; they needed to take ground in spite of that fear. We need to move forward and take ground in spite of fear.

So we finally come to this great passage of Scripture in the Book of Joshua. Joshua chapter one, verse one, follows right after Deuteronomy chapter 34. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses's assistant, saying, "Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you, as I said to Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the Great River."

The river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. Again, the temptation when we are facing challenges, change, and transition is to become idle. It is to freeze or to run the other way, to disengage. We do this out of fear.

But God says to His people at this moment, as they are standing there and Moses is dead, "Get up and go." They have mourned for Moses for 30 days, and God says to Joshua, "Get up and go. I am giving you this land, the land that I promised to Abraham and to his descendants." That includes all of these people, the children of Israel. "Every place that the sole of your foot treads upon, I have given it to you. So get up and go."

Do you realize that God has won your salvation from the cross? Jesus said, "It is finished." Your salvation is available and secure in Christ Jesus, as long as you are in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus, we have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. You could not receive the abundance of God's spiritual blessings in Moses by the law. The law cannot give you the fullness of life that God gives you in Christ Jesus; they are only found in Him.

Every spiritual blessing is mentioned in the New Testament book of Ephesians, a favorite passage of mine. We read this in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ." Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him, Jesus Christ, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself. That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. In Him, we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to His purpose.

To the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Paul says there that we have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We have adoption, we have redemption, we have forgiveness of sins, and we have grace that God is going to continue to pour out to us throughout all eternity.

In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 7, he says that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, the riches of God's grace are going to be revealed to us. We have all these wonderful spiritual blessings and promises from God in Christ Jesus. In another place, the Apostle Paul says that all of the promises of God are in Him, in Jesus, yes, and in Him, Amen, to the glory of God through us. What that means is that in Christ Jesus, God says yes to every promise that is given to us. Yes, those are all for us.

But though He works in us His good pleasure and gives us all these great promises, we still have to arise and go, faithfully stepping into all that God has promised to us by faith. We have to step into these things; they are all ours, but we actually have to step in and lay hold of or take hold of that which God has promised to us.

There are some, when you study the Book of Joshua—and we're going to be spending quite a bit of time over the next months going through the Book of Joshua—who I believe have wrongly taught that Israel's entrance into the Promised Land is kind of synonymous with or points to or typifies our future entry into heaven. It’s as if the children of Israel crossing the Jordan River and going into the Promised Land is like you and I crossing death, if you will, and going into eternity, going into heaven.

I don't think that that's the best way to understand or interpret what is happening here in this passage. I think that Israel's conquest of the Promised Land and their life in the Promised Land point instead to our laying hold of the fullness of the blessing of the abundant life that Jesus Christ desires for you and me.

In the New Testament, there are a number of places in the Gospels where Jesus explicitly tells us what His purpose is—why He has come. One of them is one of my favorites, in John chapter 10, where Jesus says, "I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly."

I think it's interesting that Jesus says, "I've come that you may have life and life more abundantly." What is life and life more abundantly? I believe that the life He refers to is eternal life. Those who believe in Him and trust in Him receive eternal life. However, He has something far greater than just eternal life in heaven. Saying "just eternal life in heaven" sounds like diminishing it, but I am not diminishing it. In Christ, we have life—eternal life, the promise of being with God in His presence after we pass from this life.

We have that life, but He also wants us to have Abundant Life that begins now. This involves enjoying and walking in the rest, the blessing, and the joys of all the promises that are in Christ. Yes and amen to the glory of God through Him! Jesus says, "I have come that you may have life, eternal life, and that you may have it more abundantly." God wants us to experience that Abundant Life.

Jesus redeems us from sin and death unto eternal life, but He desires that we also experience the fullness of Abundant Life here and now. The children of Israel were redeemed from their bondage in slavery in Egypt, yet they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God's aim was to bring them into the fullness of blessing in the Promised Land. The promises we find in Scripture are ours in the same way that the Promised Land belonged to Israel. They had it by inheritance, but Israel had to enter in by faith and faithfulness to take possession of that land.

We also need to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of us. If you're a Christian today, Christ Jesus saved you unto great things. He didn't just save you from sin; He saved you unto the great blessing of Abundant Life. He wants you to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of you. By faith, we must take possession of what God has entitled us to in Christ Jesus.

Too often, we are content to wander aimlessly in the wilderness, just as the children of Israel did for 40 years. We are redeemed from bondage in Egypt, but we are not fully tasting of all of God's goodness, as I shared several messages ago.

At any stage of our lives, we find ourselves in one of three places. We are either enslaved in bondage, in a place like Egypt, enslaved to sin and death. We are either wandering aimlessly in a wilderness, or we are at rest in the land of promise and blessing. God's aim is to redeem and rescue us from bondage, to redeem us out of that place like Egypt, out of enslaved bondage, and to guide and deliver us through the wilderness. He wants to bring us into a life of victory and rest in His promised land of blessing.

So, a simple question: Where do you find yourself today? Are you in bondage to sin, in a place like Egypt, under harsh taskmasters? Are you wandering in the wilderness, or are you at rest in the land of promise? If you are enslaved in bondage to sin and death, Jesus came to redeem us through His death on the cross. He died in our place, and we lay hold of that redemption by faith, by trusting in Him, by simply calling out to Him.

Because He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of glory in heaven at this moment, He hears our prayers when we call out to Him. If you are enslaved in bondage and you call out to God for His deliverance, trusting in the work that Jesus did on the cross, then what He did on the cross pays the penalty for your misgivings, failures, and sin. As you trust in Him, He redeems you.

However, just like the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they found themselves in a place of wandering. Maybe you find yourself today not feeling the fullness of the rest and blessing that you thought you would receive when you started to follow Christ. If you're wandering in the wilderness, I want to encourage you: it is God's desire to bring you into the promised land of blessing and rest.

This does not mean that you won't still have challenges, obstacles, hindrances, and giants to face. As we will see, when the children of Israel step into the promised land, they have to take possession of it through conquest, through battle, and through challenges. But there is rest, and there is blessing. There is abundant life in that promised land. So, if you're wandering in the wilderness, remember that it is God's desire to bring you into the promised land of blessing.

And rest as we trust in and follow Him, just as Joshua is going to bring the children of Israel across the Jordan into the land. There will still be obstacles; there will still be enemies. If anyone knew about those enemies, it was Joshua. Thirty-eight years prior to Joshua chapter 1, Joshua was one of the twelve spies who went into the land for forty days. He saw all of the different obstacles that were there. He saw the giants; he saw the fortified cities. He knew what they were going to face better than anybody else, except for one other person: Caleb, whom we will see later on as we go through Joshua in a number of months.

Joshua was the only one of those people standing there before him, besides Caleb, who knew what they were about to face. I’m certain that Joshua had some anxiousness; he was concerned. He is not a young guy at this point in time; he is in his eighties. So, God speaks to Joshua in Joshua chapter 1, and I have been looking forward to getting to this passage for a very long time because I love this passage of Scripture.

Joshua chapter 1, verse 5 states, "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage." Let me say it again: "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go."

I am sure that I don't even need to ask you the question because I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I'm going to ask it anyway: Do you want victory over that which stands before you in your life? The obstacles, the hindrances, the enemy—do you want victory? Do you want to prosper in your life? Do you want to have good success in your life? I'm assuming that the answer is yes.

If I'm correct, God gives Joshua, Israel, and us the process—shall we say, the algorithm—for victory, success, prosperity, and blessing. Victory was not assured and would not go to the strong or the swift. Israel's enemies in the land were probably bigger.

Stronger, better defended, and probably more prepared than the children of Israel were, victory, prosperity, and success were not assured because of Israel's power, strength, or strategy. Victory in Christ is found by courage in and obedience to God's Word. God says to Moses, "Be strong and of good courage. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all of the law that Moses commanded you. Do not turn to the right hand or to the left hand away from it, and then you will prosper wherever you go."

Be strong and courageous to stick to God's Word. Endeavor by His enabling power, by His strength, and by His Spirit to apply and obey His Word. A companion to what we read here in Joshua chapter 1 is worth your time to memorize. I know that for some people, memorizing Scripture can be really hard. I found that one of the best ways to memorize Scripture is to use your smartphone and the voice recording app. Record yourself reading through the passage and then listen to it several times a day for a few days. You will find that you memorize it very quickly.

This would be a passage that you would do well to memorize and meditate upon. The word "meditate" is used here in this passage, but it is also found in a passage that I think you should take a look at in Psalm 1. One of these great, famous passages from King David begins with the words: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight

We read again Joshua chapter 1, verse 8: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night," just like Psalm 1 says, "that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Note this: I think it is absolutely true that there is no possession of God's blessings without possessing God's word in your heart. How much of God's word have you hidden in your heart? How much of your heart is possessed by God's word? The more of God's word that is in your heart, the more your heart will be possessed or gripped by God's word, and the more you will succeed and prosper in this life.

Again, this might seem like an oversimplification, but my simple question to you is this: Have you tested it? You may think, "Come on, is that really all it's going to take for me to begin to walk into the promises that God has for me? That I put God's word into my heart?" You might doubt that; you might think that's just way too simple. But again, have you tested it?

I have seen in my life and in the lives of those that I respect and look up to that these things are true. There are people, for sure, who do not take heed to God's word, who do not know God's word, yet they have much wealth in this life. They appear to have a lot of success and prosperity, at least by the cultural standards that we go by in our culture, but they are not as successful and prosperous as you might think.

I was thinking about this as I was reading through my devotions this last week. I have been reading through the Proverbs, and I was in Proverbs chapter 23. In Proverbs chapter 23, verse 17, it says, "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day. For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off."

I'm sure you've noticed—I have seen this in myself—it is easy for us to look at the lives of those who do not walk after God's word and after God's standards and assume that because of their position or their wealth, they have it all and are greatly blessed. But such an assumption can be misleading.

Assessment doesn't take into account the reality that there is a Hereafter. It says that right there in Proverbs 23:18. There is a Hereafter. Sometimes we can get so myopically focused on just this world and this life. We see the things that other people who are not faithful to God have, and we think, "Why are they blessed? Why do they succeed?" We look at the things that we lack and wonder, "I'm following God; how come I don't have those things?"

We are failing to recognize that there is something quite a bit bigger going on. The psalmist talks about this in Psalm 73 as well. I looked at how people who weren't following God seemed to have everything; they seemed to be blessed. I started to get discouraged by this until I went to the house of God. There was a reminder that there is more to this life than right now. There is a Hereafter, and true success and prosperity are not measured by the abundance of what one has in this life, but ultimately in where their hope is for the next life.

Israel's victory and their progress were not dependent upon their power, strength, or strategy, but on God, who was with them and would bless them as they followed Him by faith. Faithfully, I can say this with absolute certainty: the more that God's Word governs your heart, mind, steps, actions, and life, the more you will experience God's victory, success, prosperity, blessing, and rest, even if those things are measured by a different standard than the standards of this world.

When the Bible talks about prosperity and success, I guarantee it is different from what Hollywood or pop media puts forth as prosperity and blessing. The measures of prosperity, blessing, and success are different in God's economy, but I assure you that they are better than any prosperity you might attain in this life.

I encourage you to memorize Psalm 1:1-3. These verses in Joshua are valuable to remember as well. At the very least, take some time today or this week to think about this: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night." This book, God's Word, meditate in it; that is to think on it day and night.

So that you might observe to do according to all that is written in it, that you might keep it, that you might apply it, and that you might make it a part of your life. Because then you will make your way prosperous. When you take heed to the word of God, you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid. Don't stand idly by because you're fearful to move forward and take ground. There are going to be obstacles and challenges; there will always be obstacles and challenges. Be strong and of good courage. Do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

We read this in Joshua chapter 1, verse 10. Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord God is giving you to possess.'" Joshua was a man of faith and faithfulness, and I love this word that he speaks to the people. He says to them, "Get ready, because within three days you're crossing over this Jordan River to go and to possess the land."

I am hitting on the same themes and points over and over again over the last several weeks, and we will continue to do so as we go through the Book of Joshua in these messages because they are important messages. I want to resurrect a point that I made in a message a couple of weeks ago: Israel's progress depended upon faithfulness and bold steps of faith.

Here we are in this situation where Joshua is calling the people to make a bold step of faith. Moses is dead; the people mourned for him for 30 days. Now Joshua says, "Okay, get up, get ready, let's go." This is an important moment for Joshua and Israel. As I've already made clear, the temptation is to stay put, to stay in Moab, to be idle.

Israel has already been victorious over the people in that area of Moab and Ammon and among the Midianites east of the Jordan River. As we will see, two and a half of the twelve tribes—there were twelve tribes in Israel—have already taken possession of a portion of the land east of the Jordan River. However, there are still giants and fortified cities in the land of Canaan across the Jordan River. There are still obstacles, hindrances, challenges, battles, and troubles that lie ahead for the children of Israel. There are excuses and reasons galore to remain in Moab, all kinds of reasons to hesitate.

Gosh, we don't really want to go into the Promised Land. That's going to be hard work. We don't have Moses anymore, and we aren't prepared for battle. We are not a strong people. The people in the land have stronger battlements than we do. The only thing that came between Israel and the possession of the Promised Land 38 years prior, in Numbers Chapter 13, was unbelief.

What is keeping you from laying hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of you? He has something for you; He has a lot of inheritance, a plot of inheritance for you to take hold of. What is keeping you from laying hold of that victory, rest, blessing, success, and much, much more? They are yours in Christ Jesus. As the author of the Book of Hebrews says in Hebrews Chapter 4, verse 11, "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."

That passage of Scripture falls right after in the Book of Hebrews, where it says that the generation that came out of Egypt, the Exodus generation, did not lay hold of the rest. The author of the Book of Hebrews, speaking to Christians like you and me, if you're a follower of Jesus, says, "Let us therefore be diligent to enter into that rest." We need to press forward and take ground, or else we are backsliding and drifting.

As we will see later on in the Book of Joshua, there remains much more for each of us individually and for us as a church to take possession of—much more blessing to lay hold of. We just have to press in and take ground by faith and faithfulness.

Finally, we read this. I mentioned the two and a half tribes that are going to be on the east side of the Jordan River. We read this at the end of Joshua Chapter 1. To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh—these are the two and a half tribes of the people of Israel—Joshua spoke, saying, "Remember the word which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land on the east side of the Jordan. Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan, but you shall pass before your brethren, armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them until the Lord has given your brethren rest as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses, the Lord's servant, gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.'"

So they answered Joshua and said, "All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go."

As we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words in all that you command him shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.

What we're seeing here in this passage takes us back to the Book of Numbers. In Numbers chapter 31, the children of Israel had a victory over the Midianite people who were east of the land of Canaan, east of the Jordan River, in that part that was east of the main plot of the promised land. They had a battle against the Midianites and were victorious. After their victory, the heads of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh petitioned Moses to remain in the land east of the Jordan and make that their possession and home.

When they made this request, Moses responded by saying, "Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given to them?" Moses heard from the heads of the tribes that they wanted to stay outside of the promised land, and he said, "Hold on a second. You can't stay here and rest while the rest of your brothers go into the promised land and have to fight against the enemies."

They struck an agreement between the two and a half tribes and the rest of the children of Israel, which we read about again in Numbers chapter 32. In verse 17, they said, "We ourselves will be armed and ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance."

Now here in Joshua, as the children of Israel are getting ready to come into the promised land, the two and a half tribes are going to fulfill the vow they made earlier. They say to Joshua, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and whatever you send us to go, we will go." This is the right mindset and the right heart for those who follow God. "Here am I, send me. Everything that you, Joshua, Jesus, command me, I will do, and wherever you send me, I will go." The successful servant of God stands before Him with a ready heart, and I love the way that the heads of the two and a half tribes finish their commitment.

In conversation with Joshua, they say, "We will do whatever you tell us to do. We will go wherever you send us. Everything that you command us to do, we will do, and we will deal decisively with anyone who will not follow your command. Only be strong, Joshua, and of good courage." They encourage their leader and strengthen him.

As I mentioned a little bit ago, I have looked forward to this passage for a long time. I taught through the Book of Joshua on Saturday nights here at this church many years before I took over, five years before I took over this church. I taught through the Book of Joshua back in 2003, twenty years ago. I was 23 years old, and I believed then, and I believe all the more now, that God has great things for His church here at Cross Connection Church in this community in the years to come.

As God will say later to Joshua in Joshua chapter 13, there remains very much land to be possessed. There is a lot more that God has for you and for me to do in His kingdom work here and now. There is so much more that God desires to do in, with, and through us. The only way that we will possess that possession, that we will take ground and lay hold of that for which God has laid hold of us, is that we trust in His enabling power to take that ground before us. By His Spirit, by His power, and by His Word at work in our lives, we can take possession of those things.

The only way that we can take hold of that which God has saved us to do is as we have courage in and obedience to His Word, and as we come before Him with a ready heart, willing to take bold steps of faith. Faithfully, I am convinced that we have come to this book, the Book of Joshua, for such a time as this. The Christian church in America has wandered in defeat and discouragement in the wilderness for far too long. It appears that God, at this moment, seems to be stirring His people to do a fresh work among them. However, nothing will come of this fresh work that He desires to do if we sit idly by on the sidelines.

God's word to Moses is the same word to us: "Arise and go to the land that I'm giving to you." Father God, I pray that we would hear Your Spirit speaking. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.

God, there is a need for us to rise up in Your power, by Your Spirit, with Your word in our hearts and with Your word like a sword in our hand. We are called to go out and take possession of that which You have called us to. No matter what town we live in, what state we're in, or what nation we're in—even if we're not in the United States of America—you have a call for us.

I pray that we would not walk in defeat and discouragement, wandering in the wilderness any longer, but that we would step into, by faith, what You have for us. Do a work; speak to us through this book that we're going to be studying. Do a work in us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you for joining us for our broadcast today. That was an excellent message, and I pray that it really impacted you. We heard from the Holy Spirit. If you'd like to find out more about Cross Connection Church, please visit our website at lifeinconnection.com. We would like to invite you to our in-person services at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. here in Escondido, California. If you're around, we would love for you to be here live in person at 8:30 and 10:30. God bless you, and have a great week!

Hey, Cross Connection Church! We are so glad that you are here with us for our services this weekend. It is such a blessing to be able to gather together to worship God through song and also through His Word, as we will in just a little bit.

Before we get into the Scriptures today, we have a few announcements. If you were here with us last week, you may have noticed that we had a slightly different service than usual. I changed my message at the last minute and shared some thoughts about the things going on in our culture and country right now. There seems to be a move of the Spirit of God.

We gathered together last Sunday night at 6 p.m. here at the church for a time of worship and prayer. Afterward, several people, including my wife and some of our leaders, suggested that we should do that again this next Sunday. So tonight, we are gathering together here at the church at 6 o'clock for another time of worship and prayer. If you were not here last week, I want to invite you to make sure you come tonight at 6 p.m.

One of the things we did last week was invite people to come forward to have hands laid upon them and to pray for the Spirit of God to fill them. I think some people were a bit apprehensive about that, which brought to my mind that we need to talk a little about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

So tonight, if you gather with us at 6 o'clock, we will worship, we will pray, and we will lay hands on people, asking God to fill them with the Spirit. I will also take some time to discuss who the Holy Spirit is and what His role is in our lives.

The Holy Spirit does many things, and we can expect significant changes when He comes into and upon our lives. We will be discussing this tonight at six o'clock in the sanctuary during a time of worship and prayer.

Before I let you go, I want to share our mission for this week. We are seven weeks out from Easter, which is a wonderful time to invite people to come to church. Like many others, you probably have people in your life who need to be raised to newness of life. They are dead in their trespasses and sins, and Easter reminds us that Jesus has the power to raise us to new life.

I encourage you to begin praying for those individuals in your life over the next seven weeks. We will be praying for the people we interact with who are still not alive in Christ. We hope that God will begin to do an evangelistic work in their hearts by His Spirit, because God can work apart from us to draw people to Himself. However, that doesn't mean you can opt out; He will still use you to invite them. We will provide materials to help make that possible in the coming weeks.

Seven weeks away is one of the best times of the year to invite someone to church. Research has shown that about eight out of ten people, or more than 80 percent, will respond positively if you invite them. Therefore, we will be asking you to extend those invitations, and we will expect that God will do great things. God is still alive, He is still on the throne, and He is still working.