Are We There Yet

Are We There Yet?

Joshua 1:1-9

Pastor Darrin Wright Jan. 6, 13, 2008

Introduction

The question “Are we There Yet?” is all too familiar with parents of young children. Especially when traveling on vacation. Gretchen and I have trained our children to stop asking that question. However, they have outsmarted us once again, and have replaced the “Are We There Yet?” with “What time will we get there?”

While these questions can be tiresome and annoying, they reflect an attitude of excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead. But before we can enjoy “there”, we must realize where we are, and what it will take to get “There”.

So, where are you? What got you where you are? Great, now realize it will take more than that to get you where you want to go. When I go to a new mall, I often look at the directory map that has an arrow pointing to the place I am standing that reads “you are here”. But I didn’t go to the mall to find the information center. The “you are here” marker is only for the purpose of helping you get to your ultimate destination. Where I am is not where I am going.

So it is in life, and in ministry. “You are here” is great, but you don’t want to be stuck there. It is great for the moment, but it should not be our final destination. “You are here” is just the present stopping off point to find our way to where we are going. “You are here” is good for the time being, but God wants to take us “There”.

I want to ask several questions concerning “Are We There Yet?”

I. What are the distinctions between “Here” and “There”?

Some people cannot grasp the reality that they are “Here”.

1. We look at their life map and thought they were closer to “There”, when in reality we are still “Here”.

2. It is a reminder that we shouldn’t stare at the directory map all our life, we should get moving toward our destination.

B. “Here” is a good place, but “There” is a better place.

1. The problem is that too many of us are comfortable “Here”.

C. “Here” is part of the journey in getting us “There”.

1. In ministry and life, we should always be in transition from “Here” to “There”.

2. “There” is always achievable; but it is never automatic.

3. The problem is that too many of us do not want to pay the price that it takes to get “There”.

D. Once you get “There” it becomes another “Here”.

1. Paige Patterson: “In the Christian life you cannot coast for one day.”

II. What Got us “Here”?

(This list does not take into account God’s sovereignty and Providence)

Intellect
Abilities
Personality
Education
Experience

III. What will get us “There”?

None of what got us “Here”.

1. Myth – What got me “Here” will get me “There”.

2. What got us “here” got us “here”, but it will take more to get me “there”.

3. If what got us “here” could get us “there”, then we would already be “there”.

B. Going from “Here” to “There” requires additional growth.

1. Myth – Because I did get “Here”, I will get “There”.

2. We must plan to go “there”.

3. We must get ready for the trip.

IV. What are the obstacles to getting “There”?

Typically over time most churches get stuck “here”.

1. Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson – “They (churches) start strong or experience periods of growth, but they stagnate. Patterns and traditions that once seemed special eventually lose their meaning. Churches that were once outwardly focused eventually become worried about the wrong things. They become more concerned about a well – used policy manual than a well-used baptistery.” (Comeback Churches chapter 0, pg.17)

The American Church is stuck on “Here”. “Here” is a state of decline or plateau.

1. There is a little over 400,000 churches in America, and approximately 340,000 are plateaued.

2. 3,500 – 4,000 churches close their doors every year.

3. 70 – 80% of North American churches are stagnant or declining.

4. 112 million professing Christians never attend church.

5. Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson – “In many ways the North American church has forgotten the joy of climbing the mountain peaks of ministry. It has become overweight with modern techniques and methodologies and lost sight of its true mission and purpose to simply make more and better followers of Jesus Christ.” (Comeback Churches, preface, pg.x)

C. After a while, “Here” becomes disheartening.

1. You cannot move from “Here” if you are stuck on…

a. Techniques instead of Theology

b. Style instead of Scripture

c. Social Activities instead of Scriptural Authority

d. Methodology instead of Mission

2. Bill Hull – “The evangelical church has become weak, flabby, and too dependant on artificial means that can only simulate real spiritual power. Churches are too little like training centers to shape up the saints and too much like cardiopulmonary wards at the local hospital. We have proliferated self-indulgent consumer religion, the what can the church do for me syndrome. We are too easily satisfied with conventional success: bodies, bucks, and buildings. The average Christian resides in the comfort zone of I pay the pastor to preach, administrate, and counsel. I pay him, he ministers to me…I am the consumer, he is the retailer…I have the needs, he meets them…That’s what I pay for” (The disciple making Pastor pg.18)

D. Moving from “Here” to “There” is a spiritual exercise, not a formula to master.

1. George Barna – “The American church is dying due to a lack of strong spiritual leadership. In this time of unprecedented opportunity and plentiful resources, the church is actually losing influence. The primary reason is the lack of leadership. Nothing is more important than leadership.” (Leaders on Leadership pg.18)

2. Churches must produce disciples.

3. Christ commanded His church to “make disciples” (Matt.28:19-20)

4. Jesus described a disciple as one who abides in Him, is obedient, bears fruit, glorifies God, has joy, and loves. (John15:7-17).

5. The command of Christ to His disciples was “make disciples”, because disciples penetrate their world. Disciples reproduce themselves, which leads to multiplication. Multiplication is the key to reaching the world and fulfilling the Great Commission.

Getting Unstuck Is Difficult.

1. Many churches have become museums showing off yesterday’s achievements.

2. The church does not exist for itself.

3. The church exists for mission.

4. The church’s mission is penetration into the world.

5. Biblical metaphors such as salt, light, leaven, army, ambassadors, and pilgrims reinforce this truth.

6. The church moves from “Here” to “There” as its members become more effective in penetrating the world.

V. How Did Joshua and the Israelites move from “Here” to “There”?

Encouragement From God’s Commission. (Joshua 1:1-2)

1. Leaders don’t lead forever, even godly leaders like Moses. There comes a time in every ministry when God calls for a new beginning with a new generation and new leadership. Except for Joshua and Caleb, the old generation of Jews had perished during the nations wanderings in the wilderness; and Joshua was commissioned to lead the new generation into a new challenge: entering and conquering the promised land.

2. God commissioned Joshua to achieve three things:

a. Lead the people into the land

b. Defeat the enemy

c. Claim the inheritance

3. God commissioned them to move from “Here” to “There”.

B. Encouragement From God’s Promises. (Joshua 1:3-6)

· Since Joshua had a threefold task to perform, God gave him three special promises, one for each task.

· God didn’t give Joshua explanations as to how He would accomplish these things, because God’s people live on promises, not explanations.

God promised Israel that they would enter the land. (vs.3-4)

a. Over the centuries God had reaffirmed this promise, from His first words to Abraham (Gen.12) to His last words to Moses (Deut.34:4).

b. God would take them over the Jordan and into enemy territory. He then would enable them to claim for themselves the land that He had promised them.

c. Vs.3 “I have given it to you”

d. Vs.4 “Will be your territory”

e. God had already given them the land; it was their responsibility now to step out by faith and claim it.

f. God has set before us an open door that no one can close (Rev.3:8), and we must walk through that door by faith and claim new territory for the Lord.

g. Warren Wiersbe – “It is impossible to stand still in Christian life and service; for when you stand still you immediately start going backward.”

2. God Promised Victory Over The Enemy. (vs.5)

a. God promised Joshua that He would be with him just like He was with Moses.

b. God has given us this same promise.

c. Hebrews 13:5b(NASB) – “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

d. This means that God’s people can move forward in God’s will and be assured of God’s presence.

e. We have God’s presence as we move from “Here” to “There”.

3. God Promised He Would Divide the land as an inheritance for the conquering tribes. (vs.6)

a. This was God’s assurance that the enemy would be defeated and that Israel would possess their land.

b. The book of Joshua records the fulfillment of these three promises: the first in ch.’s 2-5; the second in ch.’s 6-12; and the third in ch.’s 13-22.

c. But before God could fulfill His promises, Joshua had to exercise faith and “be strong and courageous”.

d. Charles Spurgeon – “Joshua was not to use the promise as a couch upon which his indolence might luxuriate, but as a girdle wherewith to gird up his loins for future activity.”

C. Encouragement From God’s Written Word. (vs.7-9)

1. Joshua’s strength and courage would come from meditating on the Word of God, believing its promises, and obeying its precepts.

2. In the life of the believer, prosperity and success aren’t to be measured by the standards of the world. These blessings are the by products of a life devoted to God and His Word.

3. In the years to come, whenever Joshua faced an enemy and was tempted to be afraid and dismayed, he would remember that he had been given a divine commission, and a divine word.

4. Like Joshua and those before and after him, we have been given a divine mandate to serve the Lord and do His will, and that mandate is sufficient to carry us through.

5. God wants to move us from “Here” to “There”.

VI. What Does “Here” and “There” look life for us?

VII. What Are the Implications For Us?

· Matthew 22:34-40(NASB) – “But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, Teacher which is the great commandment in the law? And he said to him, You shall Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole law and the Prophets.”

Love God. (Matthew 22:37)

1. Personal Discipleship.

· (4 disciplines for 2008)

a. Read through the Bible in A Year

b. Develop and Use Your Personal Plan For Prayer

c. Memorize Scripture verse Each Month

d. Get Involved in a discipleship class/Bible Study

2. Restore Worship As A Priority.

a. Come prepared to worship.

b. Don’t be a spectator.

3. Find A Place To Serve.

a. Make a renewed commitment to be a churchman.

b. Exercise your spiritual gift(s); they are not “toys to play with, but tools to build with.”

Love People. (Matthew 22:39)

1. Get Connected.

a. Fellowship with others.

b. Help meet one another’s needs. (Acts 2)

2. Get Missional.

a. Prayers

b. Giving

c. Going (local, state, national, international; 90 people involved in missions this year from our church)

3. Get Intentional.

a. Only 5% of church members are involved in evangelism.

b. Invite others (explain); don’t come to church by yourself.

· Key: small wins

· “God is preparing us for what he has prepared for us.”

· Seminary Professor Dr. Gary Galiotti – “We are not training to become “Beatle Bailey’s”. We are training to become “Green Beret’s” for the kingdom of God.”

· Find Us Faithful

O May all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

O May all who come behind us find us faithful

Conclusion

Just like Joshua, we have an inheritance to claim. And just like Joshua our inheritance cannot be obtained “Here”, we must go “There” to obtain it. Are you willing to make the journey?

Story of little boy who claimed his inheritance and became a governor.