Base Camp Series: Conquering New Mountains

Base Camp Series Part 3

Conquering New Mountains & Facing New Challenges

May 27, 2018

    

Josh 1:1-9

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.

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." NIV

Dave Harvey writes about the greatest rescue mission of World War II. Late in the war, American bombers were sent on dangerous missions over southern Europe to cripple the Nazis' oil supplies. Hundreds of crews soared through storms of anti-aircraft shells. Many American pilots were forced to bail from their shot-up planes. The injured airmen drifted by parachute into occupied Yugoslavia, expecting to be captured or killed. Instead, on the ground Serbian peasant rescue teams were already in place. Their sole mission was to grab the pilots and bring them to safety—before the Nazis arrived. Amazingly, those Serbian peasants rescued every single American airman—over 500 in all. Risking their own lives, the peasants fed and sheltered the downed solders. While in friendly hands, they were on enemy soil and still needed to escape.

The story of what became known as Operation Haylard ended with a daring mission, a secret landing strip, and a clandestine evacuation plan. But to travel to the evacuation site, the airmen had to spend weeks following the Serbian freedom fighters, who alone knew the path to the site. Everything, the direction, the pace, and the destination were in the hands of their rescuers. The men had been saved from their enemy, but the journey to freedom had just begun. And then he writes, The story of Operation Halyard sheds light on an important spiritual reality: to be rescued from something sets us on the path toward something. For the airmen it was a journey of survival. For us it's a journey of faith. The One who saved us is now calling us to walk. It's nonnegotiable. Though snatched from spiritual death, we soon discover that the Christian life isn't an arrival; it's an adventure. Christ rescues us then he points us to the path of following him.”

To Conquer New Mountains/ face New challenges follow the example of Israel …

I.      Don’t be paralyzed by the Past (Josh. 1:2) Moses my servant is dead. Now then, …

a.    Embrace Losses and Failures – Moses is dead…

1.     These 5 words, Moses my servant is dead – signaled a seismic, radical shift for Israel.

·      Would the Israel survive?

·      Would they inherit this promised land?

·      Would this loss mean that all was lost?

·       

2.     This is a moment; this event was a point of transition for them.

Moses death left a great void in the hearts of the people. In one sense it was the end of an era. He was the greatest of men. There has been no prophet quite like him the Bible declares. Israel mourned his death and still to this day reveres his memory. But while the children of Israel embraced his loss they were not paralyzed by his passing.

3.     Losses/failures like challenges and mountains are just a part of life. We can be paralyzed by them or propelled by them. To conquered new challenges and mountains you must choose the latter and not the former.

How you ask? By answering, “Now then…”

So, we minimize the pasts paralysis by …

b.    Embrace the Future – Now then…

Play clip from Youtube “Leap of Faith” Raiders of the Lost Ark

Another way of saying OK, Get up and get moving! Get after it … Cross the Jordan

1.     To embrace the future and tackle new challenges requires a step of faith. God promised them the land, but he required them to do their part.

2.     It often involves a fight! Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

“I have fought the good fight” is also significant for believers today because it serves as a stark reminder that the Christian life is a struggle against evil—within ourselves and in the world.

To Conquer New Mountains/ face New challenges follow the example of Israel …

II.    Recognize that some Challenges require Community (Josh. 1:2) you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them

a.    The Power of Partnerships – you and all these people. Clearly this is about community.

God had called them to something that was far beyond what any one person could accomplish by themselves. Notice the text says, you (Joshua) and ALL these people. There are some mountains/challenges that require community.

You can mark this truth, principle down. “Discipleship is a lifetime journey and that journey always has a route that meanders through community.”

There are some loads, challenges that require the help of the community. An obvious one we heard of this morning is the challenge of being Orphan. (Cuba – plane crash) Just one example.

In an age, a culture that is easily consumed and self-absorbed it is refreshing to see and hear of social media accounts to help those who cannot help themselves.

In Conquering Mountains remember that it is not only appropriate but at times necessary to seek the help of the community! (There are the easy

                        We are family and family is there for one another.

b.    The Purpose of Partnerships – the land I am about to give you

God has designed his church, the body of Christ for Community for several reasons:

To address and support our weaknesses

To deal with pride and selfishness

To develop bonds of caring and love – Jesus said we would be known as his disciples by this trait.

Finally, To Conquer New Mountains/ face New challenges …

III.    Carefully Follow the Leader (Josh. 1:7) Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left

a.    Observe & Don’t Deviate – do not turn from it

Rules and directions are for our good. They are given for our success and the accomplishment of the objective. (boundaries are good)

b.    Observe the Leader – my servant Moses

What a teacher and leader Moses was! We have already seen that Moses was an incredible leader! The bible says that there hasn’t been another earthly man like him.

But the book of Hebrews tells us that there is one greater than Moses -     

Heb 3:3-6

3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. NIV

Play Video – Follow from Sermoncentral

Conclusion:

The exodus of the Hebrew people, their wanderings in the wilderness and the conquering of the promise land remind us that faith isn’t a destination. It’s a journey. Faith isn’t a one time experience, it’s a process you go through. It’s not a sprint, it’s a life long journey. It is often a winding and challenging road filled with great successes and with failures. It will be the hardest journey you have ever made. But it is always worth it!

On this Memorial Day where we remember those who gave there lives in service for the country (for us!) I want to close with a letter from Karen Watson who served in Iraq and wrote a letter to her pastor in case of her death. When news of her death arrived, her pastor opened her letter which read: "When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the Nations. I wasn't called to a place. I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected. His glory was my reward. His glory is my reward. Care more than some think is wise. Risk more than some think is safe. Dream more than some think is practical. Expect more than some think is possible. I was called not to comforts but to obedience." That is the God’s call to all of Us.