WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.820 I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene, a week by week venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene, we join our Pastor Reverend Ray LaSalle, and the voice of the Nazarene. 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:29.629 Now I'm reading from the third chapter, verse one. Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they passed over. 00:00:30.469 --> 00:01:31.819 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host. And they commanded the people saying, when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God and the priest, the Levites, bearing it, then and only then you shall remove from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be space between you in it about 2000 cubits by measure, come not near on to it that you may know the way by which you must go for ye have not passed this way heither for not pass this way before. Two guys were riding on a train that never ridden on a train, and they were quite thrilled with the sound of the wheels grinding on the steel. 00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:31.819 Pictures and scenes flashing by. 00:01:33.709 --> 00:02:16.639 And they were talking about how great it was to ride on a train for the first time. And one said to the other said, I'm quite hungry. Are you hungry? And he said, Yes, I'm starving. They sent word to the conductor, they were hungry and the conductor said to one of the server's, we've got two guys that have never ridden on a train and they're hungry. Take them both a banana. And they were given bananas and the one peeled his banana took a big bite. And it hardly taken a bite on his banana. And about that time they entered a tunnel, total silence and suddenly total darkness. And he said to the other he said have you eaten your banana yet? 00:02:11.659 --> 00:03:13.759 He said no. He said don't said I took a bite and I've gone stone blind. They were experiencing something they'd never experienced before. And people who have changed the world have a curiosity that has stirred up something in them. 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. His name was Christopher Columbus, actually he was an Italian explorer. But he wound up working for Isabella, the queen of Spain. His discovery of a new world only happened because of a curiosity that there were something bigger and better and brighter and beyond what they'd ever incurred in their life. The world, people everybody in the world said the world was flat. 00:03:15.560 --> 00:07:07.610 And he said no, I believe the world is round. They said you're crazy. And his theory met with a lot of criticism. People laughed at him. They said you can look out you can see the world's flat, he said I've been out there and I can't find the fall off place. I keep looking and I look out another 25, 26 miles and it looks like you're looking over the edge and when I get there I still, I believe the world is round. Queen Isabella commissioned him and financed him, the queen of Spain. And he with his grand ideas of the world was round and there was places beyond anywhere they've ever gone. He and his crew had a paradigm change and shift within them and they were willing to risk everything including their very reputation even their life if needs be. So they set out on their maiden voyage to a place they'd never been before. And of course when he discovered the new world it became a regular thing for Spain after that send ships back and forth from Spain, to the Americas and back and forth it went. Upon his discovery of the New World they brought back all kinds of spices and silver and gold. He himself he was not satisfied with just finding the new world but something within him yearned for new places, new horizons, new adventure. It wasn't long that he pulled up the anchor and set sail and drifted out of the harbor and headed off for New Horizons out on the uncharted seas, waterways. But in the nation of Spain, the mystery of sailing began to dissipate, the sovereigns of Spain became more interested in just going back and forth to the places they had been before. Getting riches, and what was once thought impossible and non existent became routine and they became more interested in settling than discovery. And I'm afraid that in our walk with God, at first, we don't even know that there's a spiritual world exist. But if we're not careful, soon, it becomes just a routine thing. Just kind of coming to church and benefiting from spiritual riches from the treasures of the Word of God and a house of God and we come and go. And Solomon said, I've seen him come and go from the place of the holy, just coming and going, not realizing that God never intended for us to stop discovering new places, new victories, new blessings, like Spain, soon we around the church began colonization, over exploration and settling into new horizons. Something in us needs to yearn for something more. Something in us needs to yearn and hunger for something better. Something in us needs to say God, there has to be more than just coming and going from a place called church. And if you look at the story, the children of Israel had spent 40 years traveling out there the wilderness let me read it to 00:07:07.610 --> 00:08:09.290 15, who led the through that great and terrible wilderness. Where fiery serpents and scorpions and drought, where there was no water, who brought forth water out of the rock of Flint, who fed the in the wilderness with mana, which a lot of fathers knew not that he might humble the in that he might prove the to do the good at the latter end. Now they had come to the Red Sea. Moses stuck out his rod and God jumped out of the other end and part of the waters, can you imagine going across on dry land? God had fed him for 40 years, somewhere between one and a half to 3 million Israelites with mana. Think about it for a moment David said that it was angel food, can you imagine Angel Food falling to the ground and feeding millions of people? 00:08:02.029 --> 00:09:43.700 God furnished a pillar of cloud by day, it hid them from the eyes of other people. And they saw this mist in his cloud. and they didn't know that within it where millions of people traveling. God gave them a pillar of fire by night that no one could approach them. God would at night give them heat and warmth. When they needed something to drink, God literally opened the water from out of a rock and it flowed and they drank. To think that they had clothes, that lasted for 40 years. It made everybody happy but the women. 40 years walking on the same shoes. Now 40 years has passed and the Bible said this is said they came to the Jordan River and they're standing there and they said we have not been here before. We have not experienced this before now. Honestly, the older generation had been there 40 years before. Fact of the matter it was only an 11 day journey from that Red Sea over here to crossing into Kadish Barnea, eleven days. Yet they spent 40 years because they didn't mind God. If you remember, Moses sent in 12 spies, 10 returned and they said we look like grasshoppers in the sight of these giants over yonder. They said we can't. Two of then said we can. I wish we could get the I cant's and put them in a can and sit on the lid and maybe the church could grow a little bit. 00:09:47.539 --> 00:10:22.870 Now a new generation has arrived at the Jordan it's spring time and it's flood time and the River Jordan is flood stage. The new for Mount Hermon, the only snow capped mountain in all of Israel, the waters have drained down and the rivers flooded. And they've come to this river. And they're concerned about how we can cross it and they said those words, but we've never been here before. And here's what I know. 00:10:17.379 --> 00:13:40.690 Some of you are saying those very same words. We've never been here before. Maybe it's because of health reasons. Some of you are saying those very words because of a death in the family. Some of you are saying those same very words, because maybe somebody walked out of your life, maybe a divorce has happened. Some of you are saying those words because of a relationship gone sour. Some are saying those words because of retirement. Maybe you're saying those words because of a job situation or financial reverse, or that emotional problem. Some are saying those words because of a change of church has become necessitated. Some are saying those words because maybe your children have left home. Maybe some are saying it because some of them have come back home. But nevertheless, we've never been here before. And I thought my entire ministry is lived in this season and it's time I've always been where I've never been before. When I was an evangelist for 23 years full time. I stayed in people's homes that I'd never been in before I preached in pulpits I'd never been in before. I stayed in motels, I traveled roads where I'd never been. I took a church without a staff and I'd had a car wreck and couldn't travel. I was there for 14 months. And we went from 70 to about 150 average every Sunday, began to need staff. I left there and I went to the town of my birth Brazil, Indiana. They were running about 140 deep in debt and times were bad and it seemed like things had gone in reverse. And we arrived, I stayed for two and a half years thought I'd never leave. God gave us 90 some new households. We were running around 300 when I left, all I had was a part time secretary and barely part time. I had one old boy that had a heart problem and we would go out on Saturdays and make house calls much to the dismay of the town. Here comes that preacher, I'd call and they said if you get a call after 10, 11, 12 at night, it's that new pastor in town, he don't go to bed much. I came here and we had one full time staff member every time we try to hire another one, we had to have a financial reverse and man those were tough days. We live from hand to mouth a lot of times it'd be about $50 left in the bank and budgets unpaid and wasn't long things begin to happen and people begin to come and the church begin to grow. And I realized this thing is clear ahead of me. I don't know if I can catch up with it. 00:13:35.409 --> 00:14:45.279 It's always been that way. And we went from one service to two services. And finally, three services for six years over in the event center. And then the new auditorium. Do you met realize that within a matter of months, we're paying off everything, be debt free and have a mortgage burning? These are good days. But I want you to know I'm still trying to catch up. I'm always where I've never been before trying to stay ahead of the crowd. I'm the leader just nobody's following me. I live my life that way. And perhaps you're at that point where you're saying I've never been here before. Now there are three principles in the Word of God. May I just stop for a moment and say that it's the Word of God that transforms lives. I use a little humor, I'm made up that way. I've tried to be ever way but that way my mama never told anything funny and dad certainly didn't, he did a few things that weren't funny. 00:14:39.850 --> 00:14:52.389 And my my brother and my two sisters never had a whole lot of humor. And my one sister would say I don't know where in the world you get all of this from. 00:14:53.169 --> 00:15:34.450 Mom, said that I had an ornery religious streak when I had humor. I don't know. But up to I do know this much, once in a while we use humor to kind of reel people back in and to get their attention. Sometimes it just happens I can't seem to help it. Humor is kind of like changing a diaper on a baby it's not a permanent solution, but it relaxes the moment. But there's no power in humor. There's no power in stories. There's no power in words, but the Word of God has power to transform. 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:39.669 That's why faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word. 00:15:40.299 --> 00:16:36.970 Many times, I think we just want a sermon for us, Christianetts, so we can go home to our kitchenette and smoke a cigarette. But I want to tell you something, it's time to get serious and get in the Word of God and realize God's word will transform lives. Three principles real quick like, out of the story. The first the Jordan is a picture of God's faithfulness, God's faithfulness. Now, they tell us that 80% of Americans claim to be Christians. They're all only about 20% of Americans in church, all across the land this morning. But I want you to know God's faithful, wherever you're, at God is faithful. And this Jordan is a picture of God's faithfulness. The president of one of the largest Christian universities in the whole country, if maybe not the world. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:42.759 A few years ago, his wife began to develop dementia it was bad. 00:16:43.000 --> 00:17:32.529 She hardly knew who she was or where she was and here he's president of this humongous University. People coming in from all nations of the world of that great school. He hired a few people to look after his wife and he would go off to school and come home and release them and try to care for her in the evening. He came in one afternoon and noticed that her feet were bleeding and he said to the workers, What happened to my wife's feet? They said she slipped off when we weren't looking, trying to find you and got into a briar patch. The next morning, he went in called the board together and gave his resignation. He said I'm resigning, they said what for he said to take care of my wife. 00:17:28.930 --> 00:18:07.450 And one of the board members spoke up and said, Sir, are you telling us that you're resigning from this huge Christian University to take care of somebody that doesn't even know who you are? He said, Yes, she doesn't know who I am but I know who she is and I'm going to be a faithful husband. And I have to admire the faithfulness of that man. But I want to tell you someone that's greater. I want to tell you about someone that is even more faithful, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:18:02.829 --> 00:18:17.710 And Hebrews 10:23 It says, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, hold fast. For he is faithful that promised he keeps his promise. 00:18:17.769 --> 00:18:27.130 He's faithful. There's a picture of this Jordan River picture in the faithfulness of God. And the verse that really speaks to me 00:18:27.130 --> 00:19:37.539 13. If we are unfaithful, not many ifs to it is there. He remains faithful for he cannot deny who he is. In my Christian life across the years, I wished I could stand here and tell you that I've been faithful on ever occasion. I wish I could say that all of us had the right attitude. I wish I could say that always made wise decisions, but I can't. I have regrets. If we are unfaithful, he still remains faithful. I'm glad I can preach about him. For he cannot deny who he is. That old river, that river Jordan, that water. May I just say to you, God is going to give every one of us a water experience so that we'll understand how faithful that he is. There in Psalm 66, verse 12, David said, we went through fire, through water that thou brought us out. 00:19:32.680 --> 00:20:01.039 And if you're a leader, if even if you're not a leader, I believe God's going to give us all a water experience so we'll learn how to trust in His faithfulness. Moses had a Red Sea, here's Joshua, he's got a Jordan River. Elijah had a river, he thought it was uncrossable. 00:19:54.710 --> 00:21:31.069 Elisha, the younger man had a water experience. And the Jordan is a picture of the faithfulness of God. And they crossed the Jordan and God said, here's what I want you to do. You tell 12 men to go out there in the middle, get rocks, take them to the other side, I want you to build a monument so that when the years pass and your children and your grandchildren will ask, what does that monument stand for? You tell them that when you came to the Jordan, that God was faithful. I stood at the bedside here while back of someone that was dying. And instead of great fear, generally it's fearful, I've been there, over and over and over in my lifetime. But instead of it being any fear, they looked up and said, God is near. And there's nothing to fear preacher. Those songwriters said, I don't have to cross Jordan alone. Jesus died all my sins to atone. When the darkness I see, he'll be waiting for me, I don't have to cross Jordan alone. David walked into that great valley of the shadow of death and said, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. God is faithful in the Jordan's of life. But that's not all. The journey is about a relationship, not a roadmap. Everybody wants a roadmap. Everybody's gotta have it in black and white. I'm tired of the black and whites of life. 00:21:31.579 --> 00:24:24.589 I want to tell you, I have to get close to God and just find out what's on God's mind. I don't know about you. You can't live your life just based on a roadmap. We have to have our life based on relationship. You want to know how to make God laugh, You don't? Just tell him you've got a plan. Boy, I've had a few plans, every one of them didn't work out. But God's plan does. Every time you get a real good map, and you think you've got it together, a big detour comes along. A door slams in your face, somebody walks away from you. Somebody hurts you. A detour, another detour. Let me explain something up to this time when the children of Israel would move. They would reach out and grab the Ark and carry it with them. And of course, remember, eventually, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies. But they were traveling, they lived in tents and even their tabernacle was a tent. And they would grab the Ark and they would move it. And one day God is saying no, no, I don't want you to do that. I don't want you to wait until you see the Ark move and then you move. Quit trying to lead it but follow. And the Ark is a typology of Jesus Christ. Let me explain. All Christians have Jesus but I want to tell you something not everybody is led by the Holy Spirit. And he's saying that when you move and then take the ark, God said, No, I don't want you to live that way. I want you to live a life by relationship. I want the Holy Spirit to lead you and, to help you make decisions and tell you what to do. It's not about a roadmap it's about a relationship day to day. Now if you've got a pencil, or some mascara or lipstick, whatever in the world, I want you to put this down. I want you to leave thinking about this. I am a spirit. I have a soul. But I live in a body. I am a spirit, I have a soul but I live in a body. And you need to understand the Spirit according to Ephesians two one quickens the spirit. So if you're looking for literally emotional something to affect the body, forget it. God connects with a Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God connects with your spirit and guides you and directs you and leads you. He said here in verse three, then you shall remove from your place and go after it, the arc. 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:43.490 Pastor, what do I do when I don't know what to do? Don't do anything. What do I do when I don't know what to do? My brother would say, Do Nothing it's good English wantit? And maybe if you're single and you wished you were married. It's better than being married and wish you were single, I don't know who I'm saying that to. 00:24:45.349 --> 00:24:58.400 While we're on that, let's talk about your debts. Some of you need to do some plastic surgery on your credit cards. Let's get back to the sermon that wasn't in the notes and I got a pencil. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:04.069 He said you need to leave a space between you and the ark. 00:25:04.069 --> 00:25:35.180 Don't get so close to it that those behind you can't see. Keep some space. Don't let anything get between you and Jesus. Don't let your husband get between you and Jesus. Don't let your wife get between you and Jesus. Don't let the kids, don't let anything. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don't get them on people, if you do you'll get discouraged, you'll get disillusioned, even the best of man or men at best. So keep your eyes on a relationship with Him. 00:25:30.500 --> 00:26:28.039 The Jordan is a picture of God's faithfulness. The journey is about a relationship not a roadmap. And thirdly the joy of life is pleasing God and serving others. Let me explain Joshua had already been at the crossing of this Jordan into the Promised, he'd already been there. He was one of the 12 spies remember that he and Caleb. Caleb fact of matter when these two guys get there, they're 80 years of age. Caleb was 80 years of age when they crossed over this time. And they possess the land and he said I want that mountain, old man wanting a mountain, he had to fight giants to get it. I've never found yet that you don't have to battle in this Christian life. One of my friends that prays for me every every day, sent me a text this morning. And he said, Just a note of encouragement brother. 00:26:30.339 --> 00:28:14.380 In the battle, we win. Well, that was the best text I got all morning. A note of encouragement, brother in the battle we win. But he'd already been there and Joshua, he was in that land and when they brought back grapes, they had to have a stave and it took two men to carry the grapes back in. He knew it was a land flowing in milk and honey. And he knew that in order to please God, they couldn't stay in the wilderness, they needed to get out of there, they needed to cross the Jordan, they need to give him the promised land. And he knew that they could get in there, they would have blessings there. They would experience good things over there. And so he's saying we need to cross over Now Moses and I gave him credit. When he got to the Red Sea there wasn't any which way to go but to die if he didn't get across. Behind him was the entire Egyptian army. And I mean, they're coming with chariots and if you go back you're going to die, so I'd wade out through the water if it didn't part I don't know about you. That was an Amen point and you missed it. But with with Joshua, they could have stayed in the wilderness, and sucked the thumb and kept going in circles. But he knew if I'm going to please God, I've got to move on with life. The joy of life is pleasing God and following God, and then serving others. And in verse five, Joshua said, sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow, the Lord will do wonders among you. 00:28:10.029 --> 00:28:22.329 First, he's saying clean your act up. And then Joshua was spoke under the priests saying take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass over before the people. 00:28:22.690 --> 00:29:00.160 You're the leader, passover before. Can I just say this, carefully? No, you can't thank you. I'm gonna start talking to myself. I'm losing my mind here anyway. Can I just say this, pray for your leaders. Because you will not go where they have not gone. So every time you besmerged them and try to belittle them, you're hurting yourself. Because if they're going to lead us over, they're going to need some support, they don't need criticism. Okay. 00:28:53.079 --> 00:29:04.329 Okay, thank you. Now, let me leave you with this verse. 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:37.750 Joshua 24, verse 15. And if it seemed this is some chapters later now, he said if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom you will serve. It's all about a choice. God never takes choices out of our life. As long as we're on Earth, there's a choice. What's really interesting is there seems to be choices in heaven, Lucifer, and a third of the angels had a choice, seems to be always the choice. Some people they've got a religion without any choices. 00:29:34.930 --> 00:29:58.059 Once you make one you can't ever undo it. Got to go to heaven, whether you want to or not. But he said, You need to make a choice to serve. Whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood are the gods of the Amorites are whose land you dwell, but as for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord. 00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:55.509 Hey, you guys lean over and asked to your wife, if you can be the head of the home would ya? If she tells you yes, you're good. And you need to step up to the plate, and you need to head up this thing and say, we're going to serve God, we're going to be in church, we're going to live for the Lord. And this is what I know, I've lived long enough to know the joy of life is not in acquiring things. The joy of life is pleasing God and serving others. Did you know that towards the end of Columbus's life, he was one of the few sailors that history tells us that can actually guide by the sun. Others waited till nighttime and tried to do it by stars. But he could actually squint and guide his way by the sun. And he did it so many years that finally, he went blind. 00:30:48.069 --> 00:31:29.859 Some of us need to go blind to the things of this world. We're just too attracted to it. Our eyes are seeing everything but God, he kept his eyes on the sun. I'm telling you, let's get our eyes on the Son Jesus Christ. Anyhow men, there's not a problem in the land that couldn't be resolved. If we'd be the kind of man that we ought to be. And say with Joshua for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. We're going to serve God. Let's make up our mind. We're going to serve the Lord, how about you? Joshua was saying to men at Jordan, it pictures how faithful God is. 00:31:29.859 --> 00:32:25.119 And it's saying the journey is about a relationship, not a not a roadmap. It's the joy of life is pleasing God and serving people Solomon concluded in the Ecclesiastes 12:13, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter of fear God and keep His commandments. Please, God, stand with me if you would. There's going to be a baptism. So don't leave. We've got several that we'd like to share with you the fact that they're serving the Lord and they're going to do so by baptism. But you Pastor, you preached about a place that you've never been before, like, financially and relationally and spiritually, and that's where I'm at. I'm at a place that I have never been before. And I'd like to be remembered in prayer. 00:32:19.660 --> 00:32:33.519 I'm struggling with our eyes closed for a moment, how many would show by a raised hand preacher, would you remember me? 00:32:28.839 --> 00:33:08.049 I'm struggling, I'm at a place in life that I've never been before. And I saw your hand. And I know, who else? I'm at a place I've never been. There's another hand. Thank you. You say, Well, Pastor life hasn't mapped out like I had planned. There's been some detours that have come like roadblocks. And I've never been in this situation before. And I'm kind of baffled by things. 00:33:03.490 --> 00:33:20.410 I'd like to be remembered in prayer before you close this service. Would just slip a hand up. There's a hand who else? I'm trying to look out to the audience. Thank you. Thank you. 00:33:22.839 --> 00:33:34.089 Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene visitors every Sunday at 9am with BNCs Pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.