SNT 0307 Joshua 1:1ff
Joshua 1:1ff
June 27, 1965
Expository teaching on Joshua 1:1-9 with exhortation to arise and cross over our spiritual Jordan and believe God the way Joshua did.
SNT – 307
Format: audio
Publication Date: 06-27-1965
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Jos 1:1, 2; Deu 34:9
Jos 1:3-5
Jos 1:6-9;
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SNT-307-Joshua1-1ff DRAFT
SUMMARY KEYWORDS: Joshua, Moses, God, arise, servant, lord, discouraged, courageous, meditate
We're in the book of Joshua tonight in the first chapter, in order to understand this chapter and to set the background for it, I'll have to take you into a little preliminary discussion of it. You know, a year ago last November, so when our former president, Mr. Kennedy, was shot, I was out hunting with, some of our people are here in the auditorium tonight. And when the word flashed across the radio, we were in the cars that were We were sitting at the oval, I was sitting there, we're out in the field hunting. When I heard that our president had been shot. I just couldn't believe it. And then I got to think, well, with our beloved president dead, just a young man just full of vitality leading our great nation, with this man dead, who has only led our country for a couple of years, where would we go? What would we do? And tonight, as we're thinking about the book of Joshua, this comes back to my mind because the first verse of this first chapter says, not after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, Moses had loved the children of Israel for how many years? For 40 years, it was a shock to our nation when, when President Kennedy was killed, was it not a tremendous shock? To think that in our great nation, there would be anybody who would deliberately want to go out and shoot a man, let alone the president of these our United States, and he must have been a shock to the whole world. But suppose he led our great nation for some 40 years. Suppose he had taken us through the very same background and experiences that some of the children of Israel had gone through I suppose he had been the one who had set the original laws like Moses, that they hold the 10 commandments from the mount. He instructed the people he loved the people when they were off, out left field, he pray for them. 30 years, knows his lead these children of Israel, and then all at once knows this is God. That's why in this first verse, there's a tremendous truth. Now after the death of Moses, that servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of new Moses, as Minister, Moses as Minister lon who ministered with Moses, who served Moses who served under Moses, saying, Moses night, Sovan is what? Dead? This second verse those words, if you could read them in the original text, are real mournful. They're real hard. Moses, Moses, my servant is dead. I can't express it to you in English, the way it is written in the original. It has all the pathos and all the feeling in it, that 30 years of leadership, have built up. After 40 years of leading the children of Israel all at once. It says, Moses, my servant is dead. What a tremendous thing this must have been to the people of Israel, when they realized that this man of God, who had led them and put up with them so many years, was dead. You can hardly put yourself in the place of these people. And other great truth I noticed in here that it says Moses, my servant is what you see, in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the men of God was servants of God, in a perpendicular way. They were servants of God, this way perpendicular, and they were worth servants to their fellow man, fellow men on an horizontal plane shoguns in a perpendicular relationship to God, and servants to their fellow men, on an horizontal plane. Wild today. For those who are born again of God, Spirit, we are not servants of God. We are Word of God. We are sons of God. We are sons of God, in a perpendicular way, and servants on an horizontal plane to our fellow men.
04:45
Now knows us my servant is dead. Even though Moses was not a son of God, as far as being born again, he still believed God. And God gave him great revelation and great light for leadership. As a matter of fact, in the last chapter in the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, verse 9/34 Chapter is just a page before Joshua. And Joshua, the son of new, was full of the spirit of for Moses had laid his hands upon him. The reason Joshua was full of the Spirit is because Moses had laid his hands on him, Moses was filled with the Spirit. He had the spirit of God on him that God made available at that time. And therefore, God was able to speak to him, he was able to rock with him. But upon Moses, it was only a gift for a period of time and only in a certain proportion. While those of us who are born again of God's Spirit today, it is in fullness. And it's not just upon us for a period of time, it is in us. It is in us and stays there as long as you live. Now, Joshua was a man filled with a Spirit. The Spirit of God was on him, because Moses had laid his hands on him. God had instructed Moses to lay his hands on Joshua, and then Joshua got filled with the Spirit. Now Moses was dead. How would you like to have been in Joshua shoe? No thanks, but not me. 30 years of lever leading those stubborn Israelites and I tell you this, they were stubborn, read the Old Testament, time and time and time again, they revolted against the wisdom of Moses, then Moses would intercede with God and God and say, All right, do so. And so. And I'll take care of time and time again, this occurs. If you read the record. 40 years, Moses put up with that he was the only man who could stand them like that. The reason Moses could stand them is because Moses had our ministry in the world at that time to God's people. And when you've got our ministry, you can stand a lot of things that you couldn't stand if you didn't have one. You'd never put up with it. But Moses loved God, and he loved the word. And now this great Moses, who had led those people was dead. And Joshua land who had served under Moses was to step in Moses issues and take over. I tell you, if you put yourself in Joshua's place, you begin to understand why this great truth is written in these few verses in this opening chapter of just the think that Joshua now was to fill those shoes. It reminds me of the New Testament. Remember where Paul told Timothy to go to such and such a place and administer at a certain place? The apostle Paul himself administered to the people in that church in that area. And our power was going on to another place. And he led So Timothy, stay there, and he says, Timothy, you'll fill my shoes and you feed the flock. How would you like the minute old Tim shoe, not me, not having followed upon the heels of that great man of God, the apostle Paul, to think that Timothy could come along and step in Powell shoes and take write up for Paul left off, that must have been a tremendous thing. Now the same with Josh, the word of the Lord came, and you'll see why Joshua was able to take up where Moses left up. Same knowledge wise, it's impossible to step in the shoes of a man like Paul, or to step in the shoes of a man like Moses, but God always makes available the power and the knowledge and the ability to carry out the job.
09:07
He said in number two, most to Moses, my servant is dead. Now they are formed. Now therefore, do what arise. He didn't tell him to sit now and mourn for another six years, to lament the fact that Moses is dead. Because ladies and gentlemen, whenever a man of God is dead, you can't stop the things that God has to go on. Therefore, the message would be Joshua, get up, arise, get on the move, start moving, therefore arise and go over this one, Jordan, but Jordan had in case them for many years, they were not able to cross the Jordan because God had never told Moses to take them across. They were full of sin and shortcomings and fear and everything else. They never got to cross. Now Moses that Great Leader is dead. And God says to Joshua Joshua, get out of here, get up quit stone and fretting about my great servant Moses, who is dead, he's dead, he's dead. Now you take up you arise, and this obstacle with which you we have been confronted by the children of Israel been confronted with for a long time, we're not going to go over, Arise and go over the luck, George, that's right dial and all these people onto the land which I do give them even to the children of Israel, verse three, every place that the sole of your foot, job tread upon that have I given unto you, as I said, I would do what I told him, Moses, isn't that something. Look at that verse again. Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon that have I given unto you past tense. He says, I've already given an A to you, every place that's a soda, your foot is going to turn on in the future, every place your little old Tutsis are going to step on, I have already given unto you born out not something God puts in the past tense, what still in the future is not terrific. Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon I've already given unto you. Man, I tell you, this is something imagine what our message that would be today to a man who'd like to own a farm or to if God said to him, every place that the soul of your foots going to try it on. I've already given it to you, man, some of us would be running like we were having matches under our toe nails or something, the hot foot, right.
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And the remarkable thing is that God put in our past tense, I have already given to you. And he still does it today. He puts in the past tense, what future birth? Many, many times, things that God has promised unto us in His Word, are already God's will for us, it will only arise and cross the Jordan. But most people don't want to arise. And most people are afraid of the dark. They're afraid of the obstacles with which they're confronted the problems with which we which we encountered. And so we say, Well, that's wonderful. It's wonderful for these people from Florida to come that on the other hand, they must be a little stupid to run that far. After all, couldn't they stay over there and read their Bible? Couldn't they learn the same process? So what happens? He said over there, they don't learn. But a few people get on the ball, they arise, they arise. They don't sit among all the rest of the negatives and stay put. They get up. Moses, my servants dead. Boy, they could have sat there for another year and mourn regarding this great Moses. They could have had these memorial services day in and day out, week in and week out, month in, month out, but I've never helped them. You know why? There's only one way to get up and move. And that's to get up move, he said arrives cost the job. And every place that the soul of your foot is going to try it on future tense. I've already given unto you, though, what our message. Imagine God talking to Joshua like that, or Joshua's heart must be thrilled. Must have been terrific. Because remember, now for 40 years, they were in case they were never allowed to go over. All at once. The great leader who you would have expected could have taken them in didn't have that privilege. But a little understudy comes along. His name's Joshua. And God says to Joshua, you're an MA. And I want to tell you whenever God's with a man who makes him a majority, whether it's a Joshua or Moses, or a Herman, or a billy bloke, or Johnny jump up, or a snowball Pete or whoever it is, make any difference. If God's with you, you and God, make the majority in every situation, watch this thing develop every place that the soul of your foot job tread upon that have I want given unto you, as I said, I would do to Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon, even under the great river, the river Euphrates all the land of the Hittites, and under the great sea, this is the Mediterranean, toward the going down to the sun shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before the bar the days of thy blood. There are a lot of comfort. This must have been to the heart of the of Oh, Joshua. Joshua, looking at this great man Moses. God says to Joshua, while you're looking up, Moses, I want to tell you, there's not going to be a man able to stand before the meaning that there wouldn't be anybody who would have the revelation, who would have the enlightenment, who would have the ability to confront Joshua, am I with him in any way, shape or form? No man shall be able to stand before the other days of their life, as I was with Moses, so I will be with us. But a lot of promises not driven. As I was with Moses, I'll be with you, Joshua, I will not fail the I will not fail the nor do what is that wonderful to know that God is with you, that he will not fail you that He will not forsake you. What about in the New Testament? Lo, I am with you are we even at the end of the age, I will never leave you nor forsake. The Scripture says we are more than conquerors to human love does and who gave himself first he came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. It is Christ in you that hope ago, why my people that church sits around and hatches when the truth is that God has said to you because you belong to him, Arise, go over the garden, every place that the soul of your foot treads upon, I have already given unto you and I as I was with Moses, sa be with you, for the same God that was with Moses is the same God who meets our need today, right? The same God who met Joshua's need meets our needs.
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And therefore, he is saying to our people, and to everyone who has a Jordan, to grass, spiritually, rise, start movement. Do you know something? We're not going to get to this story tonight in here, because we're only going to do nine or 10 verses in this chapter. But if you read the chapter, not only this, but back before when old Moses led them over the Red Sea. Remember that? Why does the Scripture say that scripture says God told Moses to cross the Red Sea, and it was at flood stage. Now that's so stupid, but as time to ask anybody to cross the Red Sea, or any river at flood time. If you wanted people to cross you tell him to cross dry season. I can cross our cricket over here and now without getting your tootsies wet. Almost. But God said to Moses crossed the Red Sea, right? And it was at flood stage, the Scripture says it was out of its banks. And it was way out. And God said to Moses, tell the priests to put the ark on their shoulders and start walking. Now just imagine those orders. God stage. And God says, Well, you know what the average person to do argue a while, say well, but Lord should flood state board, why not wait till the ladder goes down? And Lord, why not make a few rats? They give us a few motorboats. Other things right. But the Lord said no Moses walk. And all Moses got to preach and he says boys walk. And the scripture says that as the priests will carry the ark of the covenant. As their feet touched the edge of the water. The waters began to recede. That's welcome. Right. That's walking according to the Word. The average man today gets the Word of God that he wants to argue about it. The word of the Lord is always player it's always playing. And God can't do a thing for you or for me until we well. God said, walk across this Red Sea. It was at flood stage. But is it any harder for God to move a flood stage out? As the race to move 15 drops out? Same power, same God right. And what a tremendous believing it must have been on the parts of those servants of God. When God said rock and they started walking and they got to the edge of that word, rootsy and they started walking into the water. Boy, what a tremendous walk. Now you and I are sons of God. They were servants of God. You and I are sons of God. Would a son of God have less ability than a servant of God? Then why don't we see anything in our lives and in our ministry? Because we're not walking. We're not getting revelation and walking on it. We're questioning we're dowty, God said, Joshua, Costa Jordan arise, Kress. And what did he looked really do? He arose when he started to get things ready to cross the Jordan. He believes that God's word was God's will. Like it says up here on the behind me. God's word is God's will, that it means what it says and it says what it be light. And he said, as I was with Moses, Sarah will be with you have no fear, that sternum hadn't had any fear, right? I will not first failing, nor forsake the letter six. Be strong, be strong, be strong and above. law that's terrific. To be strong and to be of good turn. The average person is usually discouraged. They're discouraged. They the problems with which they are confronted look so tremendous. Like they're obstacles that can never be overcome. And therefore, instead of coming up to that obstacle, with good theory, they come up with discouragement. They say, Well, I've been sick for 10 years, I couldn't get well anyway. I've had flat feet for 15 years, I might as well get flatter. Yep. You see discouragement discouragement is great discouragement. discouragements, always from the devil.
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Whenever we get discouraged, we are always wrong. Because our God made us more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, who loved us and who gave Himself for us, though he said to him, Be strong, be strong, and have good periods are under this people. Job thou, Joshua, divide, earn inheritance, the land which I sware, unto their fathers, to give them, verse seven, only be strong, and very lot. For the second time, the word of the Lord did Joshua's be strong, stand faithful, stay put, be courageous, not only don't want to don't in place, and people, we got to keep telling ourselves the same thing. Be strong in the word of the Lord. And be very courageous in our wretzky on the Word of God, for it's only as we are rise and start talking, that the obstacles with which we are confronted, will ever be moved. As long as you sit looking at him at them, and you're discouraged. You'll always be over wrapped by the tremendousness of the obstacle. But when you start walking, the closer you get to it, the more it begins to dissolve. And as you walk into it, God makes you more than a conqueror. Only you have to be strong and very courageous, very courageous, that time is observed to do, according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded the turn that from it to the right hand or to $1. You see, the law represented the Word of God to Joshua, as well as to Moses. And the word of the Lord was, if you have the law of God, you know what God's will is, then you do not turn to the right or dawn, you see a carry it out right down the line, you just carry it out for the Word of God is the word of God. It means what it says and says what it means. Just carry it out. He said, The time I asked you what? Prosper, the time as prosper. The word prosper is the same word that's translated other places wisely. The thought may do that, which is why? Well, it's always wise to do the will of God. And when we do the will of God, we prosper in the things where with God has set us in this world, and enabled us to understand and certainly we, we should prosper shouldn't wait. God expects us to, and the only way we can prosper is if we let this word of God be the will of God do us. Verse eight, this book on the Law shall not depart out of our mouth, but thou shalt meditate. They're in de Edward de that he gave to Joshua, the book of the love, the one Moses had brought down and more Moses had written, He gave this to Joshua. And he said, in this word of God, you're going to meditate day and what he didn't tell him to go out and get the secular newspaper, the radios and the television and all the other periodicals, and say, work these and meditate on this, theologians teaching or this professors teaching. He said state put in what the Word of God. And this is one of the purposes for our people being here in the summer school, that in our classes on powerful, abundant living, we can again teach our people how this word of God works with a mathematical exactness and with a scientific precision, so that individuals can once again read the Word of God and meditate on it without reading a Sunday School commentary or a man's writings on it, but that you can again, read the word yourself, understand, and know that you know that you know that you know, that's why he said to Joshua, take this law and you meditate, meditate. Meditate means what it says and says what it means meditate on it, both day and night, which means make this the center of your life, day or night, that time as observed to do according to all that is with Marian for them, then then only said to Joshua, if you do this, thou shalt make thy way what prospers without, without following the Word of God. No man can manifest great prosperity. And then thou shalt have good success. It's only as we do the Word of God that the success comes to us. Because the word of God becomes the will have gotten four is not wonderful. Have not I commanded the inverse nine,
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be strong and about good courage. Be not afraid, leader be thou discourage, or the Lord died, God is with the river soever thou goes all out a tremendous command that is, isn't that wonderful? Be strong enough good courage for the third time and be not afraid? You see, when you're strong enough good courage, what happens to the few? it dispels it's gone. Be strong enough good courage, be not afraid, neither be dismayed. Do not be overwhelmed by anything. Why throw the Lord by God is love with thee. And people. That's the greatest thing to know in the world today, that the Lord our God is with us to know that you're a Christian BORN AGAIN of God's Spirit filled with the Holy Spirit is the greatest truth you have in your life today, to know that you're heaven bound in the midst of all the calamities of society, and the involvement of the world in which William to know that you know that you know that you know that you have eternal life, and that Christ is in you. The hope of glory, is the greatest message to the heart of any man or woman today, so that you know where you're going. The LORD thy God is with the Lord thy God is with. And remember what the Scripture says, If God be what, for us, who can be against us, for who can withstand the great power of God, in a believer? If the servants of God, in the Old Testament, were able to believe God, so wonderfully and so magnificently, cannot you and I, who are born again of God, Spirit, believe, as big and manifest is not? Surely the Lord thy God is with the weather. soever dolla is not wonderful. Wherever Joshua went, he said, Do not be discouraged, do not be dismayed, do not be full of fear, For I the LORD thy God and with and if God is with a man that makes him a man, a majority in whatever incident, whatever position he's in, right now, think of yourself is Christ in you the hope of low. Alright, the Scripture says, Christ is in us when we're born again. There wherever you go, Is God with you? All right, then why be discouraged? Why be dismayed? Why be destroyed? Why can't we go out this weekend expect this to be the greatest week of our lives? Why cannot we expect God to do science miracles and wonders in our life this week? Because our God is with us. Our God is with us, and he being with us. We need not be discouraged or distraught or afraid. Be a book courage be strong. With Christ in you and knowing God's word, you only limit yourself by your own believing what Jesus said Do unto you according to your believing all things are possible to him that does work. Believers. That's why when we know the Word of God, we can meditate on it day and night. We can lacking it. And lacking in it. We can bring to pass the things that the word talks about. This is why people you will have the most wonderful opportunity in your life this week. Because wherever you go, you'll be the most positive people I've ever seen. You will be people are no gods in you. And when you go someplace, you're not going to tap negatively. Because God said be strong and good curries. Be very courageous. You're not going out to complain all week about Dr. lattice, rheumatism, headaches, flat feet or anything else. You designed to say what God did for you how we deliver jolly, safe, Jolly, filled you with the Holy Spirit, like we were talking about testimonies through sharing tonight. Those are the witnesses. They call it you are God's people. And they only see God as they see you. For as we rock, they read God in our eyes, without seeing us and our believing and our lack of believing. They cannot see God for God's Spirit. But as we walk very strong, very courageously, nothing with which we are confronted, is able to stop us or our God is with us. Or the Lord thy God is with the whether soever thou God....