Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on JOSHUA: Shaped by His Word, Set Free From Shame, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Faith and Obedience
We're gonna get into the word and just as a reminder for the order of service that we do there's a reason that we. Worship before we get into the word it's a it's a way for us to put into proper order our hearts before God why.
- Is it that we worship before the word it's because this is only as good as our hearts are actually given over to the.
- Lord and the reason I mentioned it this morning is we're gonna come into a passage of Scripture in Joshua chapter five that really.
- Puts that order into place for the people of God and oftentimes that is one of the most difficult things that we have to.
- Learn about what it means to have a relationship with God and following God is how to worship before we do all the other.
Stuff that we want to do as he calls us to serve him and to do the things that he's made us to do. How do we do worship before we do the stuff that's a challenge and some of you know how hard that is just being.
Faith and Obedience
Trial a difficulty in hard times there's things that I want to do but I'm gonna wait and I'm gonna worship and that is. The way that we are supposed to follow God worship precedes are calling worship precedes the things that we're supposed to do for God.
- And I say all of that because we're going to come into a story of the people of God in Joshua chapter 5 this.
- Morning that is the hard worship it's God saying do you really trust me it's God saying where there's things that you're gonna do.
- To continually follow me but first I really want you to trust me and worship me we're gonna start in Joshua chapter 5 verse.
- 1 I'll read through it and whatever context needs to be filled in I'll do my best starting at verse 1 it says this.
So it was when all the kings of the Amorite hsihu were on the west side of the Jordan and all the kings of. The Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel.
Faith and Obedience
Through by the miracles of God on dry land and they're now on the promised land on the side of the of the promised. Land that they are occupying and they're thinking them themselves well we're toast the Lord is clearly with these people and they're terrified and. What we would assume in our logical strategic minds that it's now the time for God to give them the cities that these kings. Are reigning over but that's not what we find there's a difficult first step that has to happen for the people of God to. Trust him because where we would see the enemy on the ropes we'd say now is the time to strike it's going to be. Easier now than it will be if we give them a chance to recover their spirit God says wait we saw the same lesson. Last week because as they cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land when did they go it was at the high flood season. When the river was at its highest and at its fastest and it was then that God said cross and we're thinking to ourselves. Why does God call the children of Israel to cross a raging river at the worst time well God brought glory to himself by. Parting the waters and allowing them to walk through on dry land and now we think to ourselves isn't this the time to strike. And put the enemy in its place and now is the time to learn the lesson again that God doesn't always work within our. Logic logical strategies and he says no now is the time we rest there's something that has to happen first and this is that. Difficult thing that I referenced where worship has to precede warfare before they go in to take the land and take out the kings. Of the land there's something that God wants to do with them first and this is a lesson for us in our land this. Is a lesson for us in our time do we really trust God to do things his way here's what God has planned for. Them instead of going into battle here's what he says in verse 2 at that time the Lord said to Joshua make Flint knives. For yourself and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time so Joshua made Flint knives for himself and circumcise the sons of. Israel at the hill of the foreskins and now I use myself.
Faith and Obedience
As an example because as I was preparing to preach this I thought I don't want to do that I don't want to preach. About these people who've got to get circumcised the second time can't we move forward to the point of the story where the battle. Takes place and we realize that the victory is theirs and God's on their side and he's going to give them the land in. Miraculous ways and I realized that it is an act of worship myself to slow down and say the Word of God is saying. Something here and we have a decision to make about how we want to treat the Word of God in the story of God. The way that God calls people to trust him and that is by saying what does this mean why did God say this why. Is God telling them not to go into warfare but to stop and do something that would represent a worshipful relationship between his people. And him and it's an important lesson for us just the fact that we want to slow down and process this because we live. In a day and age that by accounts most things are edited and filtered and cleaned up to exactly the preferences that each one. Of us have we live in a world where we edit our lives and we present the best things to one another and we. Don't really like to mess with the messy stuff and so we move on to make all of our representations of each other as. Clean and as friendly as mess-free as possible and the challenge for us as believers is that we sometimes do that with the Word. Of God some of us interact with the Word of God in a way that is completely filtered and edited in fact I know. Just from personal experience and talking to people and thinking about the culture we live in there are many of us who have an. Edited version of the Bible and your version of the interaction that you have with God's Word is the cleaned up and inspirational encouraging. Part and you look at your verse of the day and it says that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. And then it reminds you that he takes away all your sorrow and takes away every tear and there's coming a day when God. Is setting all things to right and you just look.
Faith and Obedience
At that verse of the day and it is nothing but encouraging and inspiring and all of those things are true except for the. Fact that the Word of God is also challenging the Word of God should make us feel uncomfortable at times and the world Word. Of God does not always agree with all of our comforts and our preferences for life and that is why we worship God by. Trusting in his word even when we wished it was edited out and filtered so pray for me as I go through this saying. I really don't want to do this but I want to trust you God so what is the same what are we supposed to. Make of this well there's actually in the next verse chapter or chapter 5 verse 4 it's going to give us our reasons and. I want to look at them twofold one it's going to give us a reason for this time what God is doing for this. Generation of his people now in the promised land in reestablishing circa decision in his people but we're also gonna look at it for. Our time why are we studying this what will this do for us as modern day believers in God and how can we look. At this and say okay Lord challenge us in the same way you challenge these people to trust you so first we look at. What it means for these people it says in verse 4 and this is the reason why Joshua was circumcised them all the people. Who came out of Egypt who were males all the men of war had died in the wilderness on the way after they had. Come out of Egypt for all the people who came out of Egypt had been circumcised but all the people born in the wilderness. On the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised and the children of Israel walked 40 years in the wilderness. Until all the people who were men of war who came out of Egypt were consumed because they did not obey the voice of. The Lord this is a picture that we will look at in the history of these people that is doing something to allow God's. People to separate themselves from a generation of disobedience what it says is they got they had to get circumcised because they went through. This period of their time with the Lord where they were.
Faith and Obedience
Keeping circumcision but when they went into the wilderness they lost it and the wilderness represents their disobedience to God and their disobedience is. Completely given to us as a picture where they had lost the command to be circumcised so what was circumcision all about we go. Back to the beginning of the Covenant that God made with these people and it started with God reaching into the life of one. Name named Abram in Genesis chapter 17 he called Abram out of this land and he said I'm giving you a land I'm gonna. Give it to your descendants and it was a unique relationship that God was calling Abraham to have with him because it was totally. Built on Abraham trusting God to do what he said he was going to do Genesis chapter 17 says that what Abraham was 99. Years old and he's married to a woman with a Barren womb and he has no children God said I'm going to use you. To be the father of many nations and I will you to bring Kings into this world that will eventually save the world this. Is the Covenant that God was making he was making a contract with Abraham God was going to do everything because Abraham brought nothing. To the table and this is what Abraham had to do to say yes said be circumcised now why the circumcision of Abraham and. The circumcision that we now study is a picture of the cutting away of uncleanliness to make a partnership with this holy God who. Would do everything on behalf of Abraham had to trust that his responsibility was to remove himself from anything unclean and that is signified. In the cutting away of that skin that's gross why circumcision what is that supposed to mean now for us the people of God. Have a decision to make in their disobedience there is a picture growing in their lives of their unwillingness to separate themselves apart for. God it said they wandered for forty years and in those forty years they went back and forth in the mindset of maybe thinking. Egypt was better and maybe thinking they should continue to follow God and in all of their disobedience they had lost that covenant sign. That they belonged to God why circumcision it's gross and it's bloody and it's intimate and it's weird and for our picture what that. Represents as they are cutting away that part of.
Faith and Obedience
Their life it is a picture for us now as we relate to what God is calling us to be as his people as. Covenant people under a new covenant this is a picture of the sin of their lives the disobedience of their life the sin of. Their lives was gross and it was weird and it was intimate and it was bloody and it only ultimately cost them to be. Cut off from the promises of God and there are now given to us in Joshua chapter 5 verse 4 through 7 to generations. And the generations are marked by what they believe about God do they believe that disobedience is actually what will define them in. Their lives that generation dies in the wilderness or do they believe that it is worth cutting out in the weird and intimate blooding. Bloody way the uncleanliness of that picture so that they could be marked by the covenant of god to fulfill ow to fulfill his. Promises in their life and we are part of a generation that has a decision to make now we are not having to debate. About circumcision this is a symbol and a picture of something that was far greater and far greater achieved by the cutting off of. Flesh this is what it says in Colossians chapter 2 in Christ the whole fullness of the deity of God dwells bodily and you. Have been filled in him who is the head of all authority and in him also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without. Hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ having been buried with him in Baptism in which you. Were also raised with him through the faith in the power of the working of God who raised him from the dead now we. Just read something that is going to give us a picture of the Covenant that we belong to now it says that what we. Identify with is the circumcision of Christ what is that Jesus Christ went to the cross to pay the penalty of that gross and. Ugly and bloody cutting off of sin the circumcision of Christ is that he paid the penalty of anyone who is disobedient to the. Will of God in their lives that instead of then being cut off he would be cut off and from the cross he cried. What my God my God why have you.
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.