Facing Change
During the summer of 2022, our church hit a serious crisis. We knew we were suffering consequences of bad decisions and under spiritual attack. So I took some time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to what the people of God needed to hear from Scripture during the season we were facing. He led me to the book of Joshua for a short series on “Facing Change”. The first two parts I taught. Those two are below for your viewing, along with the sermon points underneath it. The third part of the series got interrupted mid-service with an outburst that led me to call an audible. Thus, I have inserted below the sermon transcipt I would’ve taught.
If you are facing a crisis, or in a season transition, or facing some kind of significant changes in your life, then I hope this series will encourage and equip you for whatever it is you’re facing.
“Facing Change, pt1”
Main Text: Deuteronomy 34 & Joshua 1
Sermon Points:
“sovereign change” = God has determined a result, therefore, the result/change is outside of anyone’s control (there’s nothing anyone can/could do to alter the outcome).
1. Change can sometimes make you feel powerless, but don’t let it cause you to doubt God.
2. Change does not mean do what you can’t. Change means own what you can’t do while doing what God is telling you to do.
“the dichotomy of change” = here comes something new/different, while there still may be something remaining the same; yet, all of which comes with some measure of uncertainty or anxiety.
3. Change requires recalibration—accepting what now is, getting your balance/bearings, & then readying yourself for what the change will bring.
4. Change forces you to hold onto what is constant—and the only thing that’s constant is God.
5. Change can be scary, but we can face it with confidence because our God is our assurance.
Change is God showing humanity He’s in control of the GPS.
”Facing Change, pt2”
Main Text: Joshua 2
Sermon Points:
A leadership lesson for everyone: More may not always mean better. You can change the blueprint to fit where you are.
1. God sometimes uses change to raise up unlikely people to be instrumental in His plan.
2. Don’t minimize or dismiss what God could do with your stepping up during something changing in your life or changing around you—(whether it’s something small or great, short-term or long-term).
“conscious change” = the changes one consciously makes. This change works in two ways, either you can be the one consciously causing the change or someone else can be consciously causing it which brings change in your life.
3. You can consciously choose change for God because His reputation is worthy of it.
4. All conscious change comes with a risk, but only change for God comes with hope & purpose.
“Facing Change, pt3”
I. Intro
–Today will be our final week of surveying the rapid changes the Israelites faced during this time in the beginning of the book of Joshua. Let’s see what we can learn today from ch3 to aid us in the changes we may be facing individually and corporately in this season of life.
II. Exploring the Word
A. What changes were faced in this chapter?
–The category of “change” the Israelites faced in this chapter is called
“change of conveyance” = this change is the official transfer of one to another—and this conveyance can range from an official change of one setting to another, to the official change of a possession from one person to another, and so on.
The Israelites of Joshua’s day, go from the position of only hearing the amazing stories of God to now being actively involved these kinds of stories—that’s conveyance. An example of this is when in sports someone who never gets in the game (a benchwarmer) now becomes a starter and is playing in the most important games of the season—that’s the conveyance happening here in Joshua 3. For the Jews then, it was like, “We grew up hearing the story of our grandparents crossing the Red Sea, now we get to be part of an act of God in crossing the Jordan River.”
Think of all the people of God from past to present, (we’re talking about 4,000yrs). The majority of God’s people have never seen nor been actively involved in a physical miracle of God. This should help us understand why God stories like this can capture us so much (or seem so unbelievable), because hearing the story itself is as close as most will ever get to a physical miracle of God. Well, now, these Jews have been changed from hearers to official participants in the last time God would part a large body of water like this. But before they get to this point, they are given a number of instructions. Two of which, we can learn from regarding change.
B. What can we learn from this change?
–vv3-4
“3 and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.””
When facing changes, follow the clear presence of God’s leading.
The leaders in Israel told the people to stay back far enough to “see the way to go”. In this instance, think of “distance” here as “being circumspect”.
First, God is holy and you’re not. Keep a distance—revere His holiness.
Second, you don’t know where God is going. Stay back far enough to have a clear sightline of the ark of the Covenant and react to God’s lead. If He stops, you have enough lead time to stop. If He goes, you have enough lead time to go. If He turns, you have enough lead time to turn. Etc. The “distance” gives you time to react to any suddenness and not jeopardize your life by profaning God’s holiness.
Picture the illustration: flashlights work better when walking IF they are held out, not close up.
When facing changes, we have to keep the flashlight forward so we can see where we’re going.
Since all change introduces somewhat new territory, therefore when you’re traveling somewhere you haven’t been before, be more cautious in knowing and following God’s lead. What did Jesus say in John 10:3, His sheep hear His voice because He calls them by name and leads them out. But in v4 Jesus adds, “He goes ahead of them” and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. Then Paul says in Eph. 5:17, “Don’t be foolish, understand what the will of Lord is.”
Now let me say this: Following God’s lead doesn’t always mean witnessing something remarkable like parting a Sea or River—(these were extraordinary circumstances w/Moses & Joshua). However, following God’s lead does mean we can be sure to see Him work in the mundane to the monumental.
–This leads to the second instruction we can learn from: Consecration. Consecration is spiritual preparation for God (v5).
“Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.””
Joshua alludes that consecration enables God’s people to see God do something amazing. Cross-reference 3:5 with 5:2-9. And here’s a word for us from this cross-reference: Sometimes you have to cut off the old way to get ready for a new season. That “disgrace of Egypt” = an old way of thinking & disobedience.
From both 3:5 and 5:2-9 we see that God’s people have to be spiritually prepared/ready to see God move. Otherwise, a lack of holy preparedness may cause you to miss out on whatever God is doing. Think of this like an eyeglass cloth or cleaning off your windshield. If you don’t remove the smudges from your glasses or the dirt buildup on your windshield, it will distort the view of whatever is in front of you. Consecration is like cleaning up your vision so you can better see God work.
Now, a lack of consecration doesn’t mean God won’t move; it just means you won’t see it because you weren’t properly prepared to see it (e.g., Matt. 25:1-13). If you can’t or aren’t willing to get yourself ready to see God work (see Him do something amazing), then that means you don’t want to see God work. So, what consecration are you willing to do to see God work in the changes before you? Again, we have to be spiritually prepared/ready to see God move. Otherwise, a lack of holy preparedness may cause us to miss out on whatever God is doing.
C. Summary of ch3
–Those were the 2 things we can learn from the instructions the Israelites were given amid the ‘change of conveyance’ they faced getting ready to cross the Jordan. While Joshua ch3 feels familiar—the Israelites are about to miraculously cross over a large body of water with their newly appointed leader—there are a few but significant differences (Exod. 14:5-31).
Let’s compare the differences between Exodus 14 & Joshua 3:
Why does noticing these differences matter? Because sometimes change can feel familiar while being different. Notice what’s different because that may mean God is progressing you further along. Though these two accounts are similar, the difference between these two display a change in forward progression.
Instead of one man leading the people over an obstacle, it’s the visible presence of God with a team of leaders leading the people over an obstacle.
Instead of God’s people being on defense with their enemies behind them, chasing them; God’s people are now on offense with their enemies ahead of them, awaiting their attack.
Instead of the consecration happening after the fact because there was no time or standard for what holiness looked like; the consecration now happens beforehand so the people can be prepared to see God do amazing things for them.
This all displays progress. It feels familiar, but the differences are actually God progressing His people forward from where they used to be. In their case, embracing the change meant embracing the progress. And possibly, that could be true of the change you may be facing: embracing your change may mean embracing progress.
III. Conclusion
A. Series wrap-up
–We’ve spent 3 weeks on facing change. How has God spoken to you through this short series in light of whatever changes you may be facing—is it getting older; some life transition; relationship changes; changes with our church; bad news about your health (or a loved one’s health); financial changes; parenting challenges; decisions about your immediate future; etc? My aim was that by the end of this series you didn’t feel like you have to face whatever the changes are before you without some practical guidance from Scripture or without the hope that God is present every step of the way through those changes.
B. Sermon wrap-up
–Life is a journey, and change is everywhere in this journey. Without God—without Jesus Christ as your Savior & Lord—change can be devasting, because you are limited to where you are and where you’ve been in the journey of life. You can only see what you’ve traveled, nothing more. But with God—with Jesus Christ as your Savior & Lord—change, no matter how devasting it may be, change is just a rerouting from the previous road traveled. Without God, you have to make sense of the change by yourself without any assurance of the end destination. But with God—with Jesus Christ as the Driver of your life—you can be certain in knowing God uses change to continually reroute you toward His end destination of
“all things working together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, he also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)
All ‘change’ in the life of the believer in Jesus has this guaranteed end destination.
So take heart in the face of change. We know where God is leading us in our journey of life.
8/21/2022