Great to see everyone and welcome. I'm going to invite you to turn in your Bible to the Book of Joshua. You can turn in your Bible to Joshua chapter one, and we're going to read shortly from that passage, but just introduce my message. I'd like to speak on four lessons in the life of Joshua, four lessons that God taught Joshua.
And this is going to be a four part message, and this is sermon number one. So what I'm finding as I read through the Book of Joshua is some striking parallels to the day and age in which we live. Striking parallels that relate directly to the society and culture that we experience today. Joshua's leadership was integral.
It was essential to Israel's survival as they moved into Canaan. Leadership was integral, and I believe that that is true today. I don't know if you realize that or not, but we're living in Canaan. Yes, we are literally living in Canaan.
If we consider the world that we live in today, there are striking parallels that I'd like to point out to you. And I don't know if the church is ready for what's coming in this world. I don't know if we at Northbrook are ready for what I see potentially is coming to hit us in this world that we live in. I don't know if families are ready.
I don't know if we as Christians are ready. I don't know one thing that Jesus said, be ready. Be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man coming. And part of these four messages that I wanna deliver to the church are focused on men, fathers, husbands, leaders in the church that need to be equipped to deal with the life and times that we're living in right now.
I wanna encourage men and fathers and husbands to rise up and to be strong leaders in the world that we live in today, just like Joshua was. Let's read in Joshua chapter one and verse two. Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise and go over this Jordan, you and all this people onto the land that I will give unto them, even unto the children of Israel.
God said in verse three, every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon that I have given unto you as I said unto Moses. Verse five, there shall not be any man that will 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 fail you nor forsake you.
Be strong, be strong, and of good courage for unto this people shall they'll divide for an inheritance the land that I swore unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses, my servant, commanded thee, turn not from it, from the law of God, not to the right or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein for then shall he make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. Have not I commanded you, be strong.
Notice how often that is repeated in this passage. Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid. Neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee wherever thou goest. I believe this is a message that is pertinent to the church today.
Be strong of good courage. Don't be afraid. God is with you and he will strengthen you. Joshua was called to move into enemy territory.
He was called to conquer, to possess, to gain victory, to overcome in a world that was completely devoid of God's values and God's principles. That was the world of Canaan that Joshua was moving into. Does it not sound strangely familiar to the world that we live in today, devoid of God's principles and the values of the word of God? That's where Christians are living today.
You know, God gave Joshua a mandate. What was the mandate that God gave Joshua? I wanna suggest the mandate that God gave Joshua. He said be strong.
That was a mandate. You know, the world that we live in right now is actually geared to make you weak. It is, but God says be strong, strong in faith. Joshua had a mandate to meditate on the law of God.
And in case you missed my message, I wanna stop right here. This is my message. The critical value and the ultimate priority that the word of God should have in your heart and in your life. And I don't want any of us in this church to miss that message.
My message is this book is the living words of God. And it is critical, especially today, that every Bible believing Christian reads this book and follows it. That was the mandate that God gave Joshua. He said continuously meditate on the word of God day and night and be careful to observe it and follow its commands.
That's the mandate that we have as Christians. God had a mandate for Joshua that was to utterly destroy the strongholds of the enemy. That's a pretty powerful mandate. Joshua had a mandate to go into enemies territory and conquer and have victory, possess the land and divide the inheritance.
And so I'd like to take Joshua's mandate that was very physical and I'd like to relate it to the church today based on spiritual principles. Spiritual principles for Godly living in 2024. Let's go to the next slide here. Four lessons that God taught Joshua in his life.
Four lessons. Can I tell you today that I believe with every passion and conviction that is in my heart that these four lessons are of critical relevance to us today. Four lessons that God taught Joshua and God is teaching me. And I'm wanting to pass these lessons onto you as a church.
This is what I believe our mandate is today. Meditate on the law of God. Don't take your values from YouTube, from Google, from the federal government of Canada or the provincial government of Canada. Take your principles and your values and your convictions from the word of God.
Amen? Thank you. Meditate on the law of God. Secondly, this is a hard lesson for me and I'm presuming it's a hard lesson for you.
Mortify sin in your life. Cut it off. Don't let it get a foothold in your mind. Don't let it get a grip of your life.
Mortify sin. We're gonna have a lesson on mortifying sin. Bible says in Colossians chapter three, mortify. Those fleshly members, literally what it means is cut them off and put them to death.
Don't let sin get a foothold in your life because it will destroy you. It will. Thirdly, move in step with God. This is a huge lesson and you know what?
Even as Christians, we miss this lesson. We miss it. We don't move in step with God. You know we're in danger of?
Moving in step with culture. Moving in step with secular society. That is anti-God. No, we as Christians in this church are called to move in step with God.
Let me bring you back to a vivid example that stood out in Joshua's life that he never forgot. You could read about this experience in Numbers chapter 13 and Numbers chapter 14. Joshua was born into slavery. He experienced the Passover and he was led out in company with the people of God.
He passed through the Red Sea. He saw amazing leadership with Moses and they got to Catech Barnia. And God says, okay Israel, it's time. We're moving into the land.
Choose out for you 12 men that will go and spy on Canaan. And they chose Joshua and Caleb. And 10 other men you can read about it in Numbers 13. And they went into the land.
What did they see? Giants, fortified cities, children of Anak. Huge fruit, land that flowed with milk and honey. Fortified cities and walls.
And they came back and they said, what's the beautiful land? But we can't do it. We can't go there. These giants are mighty.
They will kill us. These obstacles are so big they are insurmountable. And Joshua and Caleb said, no, our God is able. He's bigger, he's stronger.
He will give us the power that we need to go in here and to take on Canaan. And there was huge contention in the nation of Israel. And sadly, they missed their way. They didn't move and step with God.
What happened? 38 years of wandering in the desert in unbelief until all the men of that generation died. Joshua had 38 years to reflect on the mistake that the nation had when they failed to move and step with God. Can I ask your question?
Are you moving and step with God in your life? You know, I think sometimes as Christians we miss our way. I look back over my own life and I ask myself, what if, what if I had done that instead of this? What if I had made this choice instead of that choice?
Have you ever missed the way in your life? Yes, a huge lesson in Christian living is to move and step with God. It doesn't mean you have no fear. There is fear.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but it is moving in spite of your fear. It is stepping out in confidence in God. Huge lesson that Joshua, and we're gonna look at it a little bit later when Caleb reflects on that. And he says that day I was 40 years old and I am as strong today as I was that day.
Now give me this mountain. He wholly followed the Lord with his whole heart. Do you know what we need in 2024? We need Christians that are willing to follow God with their whole heart.
We need Christians that are all in, all in for God. What a major lesson in Joshua's life. Meditate in the law of God. Mortify sin, move and step with God.
We come to the very end of Joshua's life in Joshua 23 and 24. And he's giving his last speeches to the nations. Here's what he says. He says, you know, you gotta make your own choice.
Choose you this day. Who you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Can I ask you father, husband, leader in this church.
Have you been personally convicted to make a stand to say for me and my house, we will follow God. I will teach my children the word of God. I will go in the face of secular society and anti-God culture and I will stand for what is right. That is what we need today.
Christians that are willing to take a stand for what is right and live it in their life. Serve God in him only. Joshua was going to have to remain strong. What would happen if Joshua's leadership broke down?
What would happen if Joshua said, oh guys, man, this is really tough. I know we crossed over the Jordan end. Okay, so we've conquered Jericho, but we had a major collapse in this city because of sin and AI. And now, you know what?
I'm done guys. I'm checking out. I'm going back. What would have happened?
The whole nation would have collapsed. Do you know that a church, a family, an organization will never rise higher than its leadership. If the leadership is weak, the family is weak. The organization is weak.
The church is weak. We need men and women of God that are united, convicted to stand for truth in a day when there is no truth. That's what we need. And Joshua was a critical part of that nation.
How was Joshua going to accomplish his calling? How was this gonna happen? How was Joshua going to reach his full potential? Can I ask you?
Are you gonna reach your full potential in this life? Are you gonna be able to live out your calling? Are you going to be willing and able to accomplish what your true potential is in life? Think about that for a second.
How could it possibly happen? I'm going to challenge you a little bit about that. Joshua's leading two, maybe three million people into enemy territory. How is he not gonna be defeated?
How is he gonna be successful? I'll tell you how it was gonna start right here. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. You shall meditate on it day and night for then.
You will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. My message today is the critical value and importance of the word of God in your life. I wanna address two things that I think are critical. And I'm gonna address them because there are things that I say to myself.
I'm presuming that if I'm saying this, you're probably saying the same thing to yourself. So here's what I say to myself. Oh man, I don't have time. You ever feel that there's not enough time to do the things that are important?
You know, people might say, well, I don't have time to read my Bible for an hour a day. Do you know all the stuff I gotta do? I gotta get up early, I gotta pack my lunch, I gotta get out the door. I've got, you know, my shift starts at 730.
I've got 150 emails. I've got bills to pay. I've got people to see. I've got appointments.
We all have that. Everybody has that. But I tell you something that God taught me in my life. I cannot afford not to spend time in this book.
And everything in my mind sits down when I open the Bible I've got people on a job site. I've got, I've got texts coming. That product's not picked up. Oh my goodness, that guy never showed up for work.
This shift is short. I don't have time for this. I gotta get going. Can I tell you something?
God is able to make up for what you feel is lost time if you put God first. You know what God says? Them that honor me. I will honor a verse that spoke so loudly to me in my life is in Matthew chapter seven, six and 33.
Seek ye first, the kingdom of God. And his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. But you know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking about all the things.
I need all these things to be straightened out. My business is losing money. My profit margin is not there. I don't have time.
My guys, I've, I've, I've, seek ye first, the kingdom of God, God says. And his righteousness. I don't have time to go down on the street on Friday night. Seek ye first, his kingdom.
Seek ye first, his righteousness. And all these things will be added unto you. How about the years that the locus ate? You know what happens to us?
We get so caught up in all the issues of life. And we're on our phone and we're on Facebook and we're on YouTube and we're on Instagram and we're doing all this stuff, stuff, stuff. It's years that the locus have eaten. Seek ye first, the kingdom of God.
Don't be distracted. Have discipline. Be accountable to yourself and to God. Where you say, this is my time with God.
I'm gonna get up at six o'clock in the morning. I'm gonna read, I'm gonna pray for one hour before I even look at my phone or turn on my day. Seek ye first, the kingdom of God. I was speaking to a pastor in Zambia yesterday.
And he said, he really convicted me. He said to me, he said to me, he said, brother, can I pray with you? We were over what's up. I said, yeah, pray with me.
He started to pray and I realized this man has been in the sanctuary of God. This man's prayers convicted me. You know what he said at the end of that? He said, brother, I understand you're starting a business.
I will pray for you. I will add it to my prayer list. I said, thank you so much. We were talking about me going back over to Zambia.
And he said, you know, he said, I am praying very specifically and he listed all these things. And then he said, I pray one hour every day. And I said, really? He said, yeah, between three and four in the morning.
I said, what? Yeah. He said, I get up at three o'clock and I pray for the church for one hour. You know what?
I said to myself, I don't know if I've ever done that. You know that beautiful hymn that we sang this morning? I guess we sang it twice. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour when before thy throne I spend, when I kneel in prayer and with thee, my God, I commune.
As friend, with friend, if you're gonna breathe the air of heaven, if you're going to walk in the sanctuary, you need to spend an hour with God alone, with your Bible. And while I'm on this, let me talk about something else. You know what we do? I say this to myself.
Oh, I listen to podcasts. Yeah. I got my devotionals. You know, I just, I really don't have time to actually read, but I got a pretty good substitute.
Oh, there's this great pastor and he wrote this book and I've been going through this book and can I just be really blunt? No pastors writings, no sermon, no YouTube or podcast is a good substitute for the pure word of God. Amen. Read the scriptures.
You know what Joshua is doing? He was going into the land of Canaan and he was literally at 80 years old with a sword going in and utterly destroying the enemies of God. That's what he did by day. You know what he did by night?
He meditated on the scriptures. How did he have the power to have victory and go in with confidence? He meditated on the law of God. Could I tell you something?
If you are not meditating on the word of God, you got no power. You got no energy. I know from my own self. I can't go out on the street on Friday night and preach the gospel or reach people if I haven't spent an hour with God in the sanctuary.
You got no power. You can't do this work in the flesh. It's gotta be by the spirit. There's no substitute for the word of God.
The other thing I wanna deal with, besides distractions, I wanna deal with priorities. What are your priorities in life? Well, I gotta be good at my job. Gotta pay my mortgage.
Gotta pay my visa bill. I gotta feed my children. I gotta pack their lunch. I gotta get them off to school.
Yup, those are all priorities. What about the priority of spending time with God? You know what happens to a lot of mature Christians? They leave their first love.
Yup, that's what happens to a lot of mature Christians. They get caught up playing church and they get into the routine of everything. And their heart has lost connection with God. Is there anybody here in your heart has lost connection with God?
You know that when John wrote in Revelation chapter two, he wrote to the church at Ephesus and he said, God says this, Lord says, I know your works. I know what you really want to do and I know what you're doing. But I have somewhat against you. You've left your first love.
Anybody here? And you've left your first love? It's not your wife. Sorry, women.
The first love of everyone's soul needs to be God. Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength. That's what God wants from us. Worship.
He wants time spent alone with God. And in this world, it's so hard to be still. To shut out the noise. To sit still in the presence of God.
You're contemplating marriage. Full in praise. Christian and Sarah. And maybe I don't know.
Maybe there's other people here that are contemplating marriage. Could I say this? Set up a family altar in your home. Put God first.
Love God first. And your marriage will be successful. Your business will be successful. Other things in your life will be added unto you if you put God first.
Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. You cannot. You will either love one. You will hold to one.
And you won't hold to the other. Do you have two masters in your life? You need one. And it's God that he might have the preeminence in my life.
Why is the word of God so critical? I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but I want to lay this out. Because I think this needs to be said. Why is the word of God so critical in my life today?
Because we are living in a world today that has embraced secular culture. Here's what the world that we live in looks like. It's life without God, laws without morals, pleasure without boundaries or principle. Society has completely rejected truth and manufactured their own version of truth for individual preference.
Today, oh, Christian values, the Bible Christianity has been completely rejected by the system and the government that we live in today. That's just the truth. If you believe the Bible today, if you speak truth, if you assert God's word, you are condemned by society, you will be rejected by the masses and you will possibly be convicted and criminalized for quoting the scripture. That is the world that we're living in today and it's going to get worse.
And so I'm telling you church, wake up. We need to be ready for what's coming. The powers of this world have an agenda. Their agenda is life without God.
We are moving into a new world order that is based on socialism, Marxism, one world government setting the stage for the man of sin. You know, people are trying to do today, rewrite history, pop-o monuments. They want to crash the old system financially so everyone will be dependent on one other new system. Society today want to indoctrinate your children.
Don't let them. Society today is focused on diversity, racism, sexism and transgenderism. Society today is focused on the rise of anti-Semitism. I'll tell you, people are against the Jews.
God's chosen people. And the acceptance of Islamic law is actually changing our Canadian laws today. We are living in a world that has completely rejected God. How does a Christian live in this kind of world?
How does the church survive in this kind of world? Well, I'm going to tell you the answer. Read the word of God, meditate upon it and be careful to do all that the scripture say. What does it mean to meditate?
It means to read carefully without distraction. Read slowly. Pray over what you read and ask God to show you how it applies to your life. Hear and listen to what the word of God is saying.
Do you know what Jesus said in Mark chapter four? He said, he that has ears to hear. Let him hear. You know, one of the things that stands up to me in the parable of the sores is the riches of this world and the cares of this world choke the word of God.
That's the day and age we live in. Let the word of God take root in your heart on the word of God. Let me tell you about the word of God. The word of God is incorruptible.
Yes. The word of God is indestructible. Yes. The word of God is infallible.
And the word of God is eternal. The word of God is light. It is life. It is food.
What did God tell Moses? He said, you will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Can I ask you a question? Church, fathers, husbands, men, women, are you living by bread alone?
Because if we're not reading the book, we're living by bread alone. If we're reading a substitute for the book, we're living by bread alone. If you want to be strong, victorious, a good father, a good leader, a good husband, successful spiritually, you're going to need to read the scriptures. You're going to need to meditate on the word of God.
It needs to be the man of your counsel. You know, when I was a kid, I used to go to Sunday school and we sang this little song, it's so true. I haven't heard it in many, many, many years, but I think it's very, very relevant today. I get a quote to you.
The Bible stands like a rock undaunted. I mean, the raging storms of time, its pages burn with a truth eternal, and they glow with a light sublime. The Bible stands though the hills may tumble. It will firmly stand, though the earth shall crumble.
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation for the Bible stands. The Bible stands like a mountain towering far above the works of men. It's truth by none ever was refuted, and destroy it, none ever can. The Bible, there's no substitute for the word of God.
And what I want to do is passionately influence this church to read the scriptures, meditate upon it, be convicted by it. You know, we went to Billy Graham's library in North Carolina a couple weeks ago, and oh, it was just such a thrilling experience. You know, Billy Graham was interviewed one time and they asked him, Billy, you've preached to millions of people. You've been all over the world.
You have seen literally hundreds and hundreds, maybe millions of Christians. Who's the best Christian that you know? Who's the most wonderful demonstration of what Christianity should be? And he said, that's an easy answer.
He said, that's my wife, Ruth Graham. He said, you know, my wife raised these children when I was traveling the world preaching a gospel. And he said, without her influence in the home, my children never would have been what they are today. Ruth Graham quoted this, I'm gonna read it to you.
One day Billy Graham came home, he was away for quite a number of weeks, and he was really concerned about the children, and he said, Ruth, what are we gonna do? Like, how are we gonna make sure we don't lose our children? Here's what she said. If our children have a godly, happy home, and if they witness unshakeable faith in the word of God, they will have a foundation that even hell itself will never be able to shake.
And I say, amen. Here is a woman who had a vision for her children. You know what the core of her vision was? The word of God teach them the scriptures.
In still it into their hearts, let them memorize it. Let them read, adjust their value system. Be not conformed to the image of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The scriptures, I wish I could emphasize it more.
So this is what I'm gonna do because I've only got five minutes left. Okay, so what will the effect of the word of God have on you? Number one, it will convict you. It will.
Number two, it will bring conversion in your life. It will change you. Number three, it will bring you into conformity with the image of Jesus Christ. The word of God will inspire you to live for God.
It will cleanse you from sin. It will sanctify you, and it will give you the opportunity to grow, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow there by nurturing, fellowship, fruit bearing. You know, Jesus said in John 17, "'If you abide in me, catch this, "'and my words abide in you, "'you shall ask what you may and it will be done unto you.'" You know, Jesus prayed in John 17. He said, Father, I have given unto them the words that you gave me and they have received them.
And then a little bit farther than that, He said, sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is truth. I wanna go through a list of scriptures as I close. I'm gonna take five minutes and I'm gonna go through a list of scriptures and I'd like our brother to bring these up. Turn in your Bible to Psalm 119.
And I will tell you this is the value and the effect that the word of God will have on you. Psalm 119, and let's read at verse nine. Wherewith all shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed according to thy word. Look at verse 18, open down my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Look at verse 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet. It shows me where I am right now. And it's a light unto my path.
It shows me where I'm going. I wanna read Psalm one. This is such a valuable psalm in the day and age in which we live. You know, I see this especially in business circles.
Psalm number one, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of God, the law of the Lord, and in his law. He meditates day and night. What's he gonna be like? What's gonna happen to you if you take in the word of God?
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season. Its leaf also shall not wither. And whatsoever he does will prosper. You wanna life like that?
I do. Isaiah 55. This passage in Isaiah 55 really spoke very loud to me when I started to think about the street ministry and the value of writing the scriptures on a card. Okay, look at this.
Isaiah 55 and verse eight. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither your ways, my ways, says the Lord. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above yours and my thoughts above yours.
For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and returns not, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth, sea to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It will not return unto me empty, but it will accomplish that for what I please. And it shall prosper in the thing where unto I sent it.
Look at verse 12. For ye shall go out with joy and you will be led forth with peace. Do you know what everybody wants in their life? They want joy and they want peace.
That's what everybody wants. And it doesn't come by attaining a mass wealth. And it doesn't come by having power and a mass of business. First of all, that's not peace and it's not joy.
Okay, somebody that wants joy in their life and peace. Read the scriptures. It will give you joy and it will give you peace that nothing in this world can give you. Matthew chapter seven, in verse 24, Jesus said, I will liken him who hears my word.
I will liken him who hears my word and obeys it. Who hears the word of God and obeys it? I will liken him unto a man who builds his house on a rock, not on sand and when the storms come and the wind blows and beats about the house and shakes it, it will stand firm. Are you building your life on the rock?
Matthew 24 and 35. I'm just gonna quote this because we don't have time. Matthew 24 and 35, here's what it says. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will not pass away.
The word of God is forever. John chapter one and one. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. John six and 63, Jesus said to these people, he said the words that are in this book are the words of Jesus.
The words, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, they are life. I'm gonna tell you something. You won't get that on a podcast. You won't get it on YouTube.
You won't get it in any pastor sermon. These are the words of the living God. They're not my words. They're not even my comments.
They are words spoken directly by God, they are spirit and their life, that's why we need to read them. First Timothy four and 12, Paul said this, "'Till I come, give attendance to reading, "'till I come, give attendance to reading." It's a little bit further. Let no one despise your youth being an example. Give attendance to reading.
Meditate on these things. The word of God, give yourself holy to them that your profiting might appear to all. Second Timothy three and 13. Here's an encouragement, second Timothy three and 13.
Here's an encouragement for parents raising children. Continue down the things that thou has learned and be assured of knowing of whom thou has learned. And that from a child, you have known the holy scriptures. Do our children in this church know the holy scriptures?
They should. From a child, thou has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. That's why we teach the word of God in the home. The burden is to teach the word in the home so that their children might be saved and that all scripture is given by inspiration of God is profitable, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished.
Okay, here's the last one. James chapter one, I love this. And as we go away today, think about this as a church. Think about this as an individual.
How do you hear the word of God? Do you listen to it and let it run off your back like water? Sometimes we do that. Here's what James says.
Be a doers of the word and not hears only, deceiving your own selves. For if anyone hears the word and does not do it, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. He beholds himself, he goes his way and immediately, he forgets what manner a man he was, but who's to ever look into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it. He be not a forgetful hearer.
What a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. I want to encourage everyone today to meditate in the word of God. Read the scriptures, let it be the man of your counsel, raise your children with it, memorize it, be convicted by it, let it change you. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for the word of God. We thank you Lord that you have given us this volume of holy scriptures that we may have clear instruction to live our life by. A pray Lord that we would value it, especially in this day and age that is so secular. Preserve this church, preserve our families, bless our children, help us to walk out of here today strong and encouraged and devoted to serving you and you only until our Lord returns.
We thank you for this day and ask you to bless our church as we part in Jesus' name, amen. We're gonna sing, these are the days of Elijah.