Familiarity Breeds Complacency: What You Know Can Destroy You!

I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Joshua 1:3

On The Brink Series

Sermon Title: Familiarity Breeds Complacency: What You Know Can Destroy You!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Theme: Breaking Old Ties, Remembering Covenants & Building New Strategic Alliances for the Future!

The Fall of Jericho: ¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”¹⁵ The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Book of Joshua is about Conquest.

• Land of Promise (Abraham, Moses, Caleb)
• However, its capture involves retention, distribution & disposing of the wicked (w/i & w/o)

• The people needed to have their trust put in God (Hear O Israel...Dt 6/Mark 12*)

➢Breaking Old Ties: (...But we’ve always done it that way!)

Human beings are creatures of habit

• We want what’s familiar because it resonates with our senses
• Our senses were not given to us from God to replace God...but rather to grasp the beauty of God’s handiwork around us.
• When we use our sense to predict our future outcomes, we become our own god

Example #1 Children of Israel during the exodus

• Looked back to Egypt longingly and wished for its resources & security*
• Preferred a decent burial in bondage than a good living with God in the wilderness
• God granted their preference and all men military age & older died in the wilderness

Example #2 Descendants of the Children of Israel during the Jordan Crossing

• “Moses is Dead*!”...The Lord was trying to get His people to recognize the leadership shift; the positional shift; the resource shift; location shift.

• The people needed to have their trust put in God (Hear O Israel...Dt 6/Mark 12*)

✩MOSES IS DEAD!!! (2 MSGS: 1. I’M GOD, 2. TREAD LIGHTLY...MOSES SLIPPED!)

✩I’m with you as I was with Moses

✩Joshua lost it in Chapt 7 (God helped him by telling him to consecrate)

➢Remembering Covenants: (Back to the basics...Chapt 5)

• They crossed in the Canaan
• Take off your shoes
• Then they re-instituted a few things: Circumcision (Gilgal= rolling); Passover
• Manna Ceased

➢Building New Strategic Alliances for the Future!:

• When the Covenant was observed, God sent Heaven Military Might
• *Rahab was also a new ally was introduced in Chapt 2

Challenges:

• Define your default (familiar) weakness when you’re frightened by success?
• Define your default (familiar) strength when you’re threatened with failure?
• Are you familiar with God’s Covenant with us? Familiarize yourself with every detail.
• Is God for you or against you today??